Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Glue, tile dust should do the trick
QUESTION: We live in a 1930s heritage home and there is natural tile in front of the fireplace. Unfortunately, the tile has been scraped by the bottom of a chair. We have tried to fix it but with no luck at all. Would you have a suggestion for us? Robert, Winnipeg
ANSWER: For many surface scratches you can buff them out with fine-grit sandpaper or fine steel wool. A popular handyperson expert trick is to purchase one tile to match the scratched tile, sand the tile to produce tile dust, cover scratches with instant glue and pack the scratch with the tile dust. Gently sand after the glue is set.
QUESTION: I am newly married and want to take good care of my home. At my wedding shower, a conversation broke out about some of the necessary areas in the home that people forget to clean. What do you think they are? Kaley (St-Pierre-Jolys, MB.)
ANSWER: Great question! Kitchen sponges and dishcloths are often left too long before changing. Other forgotten areas of the home may include: the space between appliance and counter; behind appliances, floor and wall vents; ceiling fans; top of fridge; pillows (decorative and bedroom); and mattress cleaning.
QUESTION: I am so frustrated with holiday baking. I follow every recipe exactly as it states and my cookies and cakes always burn. What am I doing wrong? Candice (Rosenort, MB.)
ANSWER: It is important to note baking times are only guidelines, because ovens typically bake at different rates and vary slightly when it comes to temperature. Weather (humidity), altitude, oven pans (i.e. glass vs. metal) and oven models will change the outcome of your food. You are the boss of your oven and baking time is done, when you say it's done. Begin by purchasing or borrowing an inexpensive thermometer to test your oven temperature. Check baking 10 minutes before the recipe states it's done. If the toothpick comes out clean, baking is complete. If baking is browning too quickly on top, cover it with foil.
QUESTION: How do I clean road-salt stains from my rubber car mats? I tried vinegar and it doesn't clean very well. Bill, (Winnipeg)
ANSWER: Begin by beating the mats with a broom to remove most of the loose dirt and dust. Then vacuum the mats until no dirt remains. Using either dish soap or carpet shampoo and water, create lather and distribute onto the salt stains. Then scrub with a stiff brush, rinse and let air dry.
Handy hints of the week:
-- When I was using a permanent marker one day, I noticed it seeped through the paper onto the wood table I was writing on. I immediately sprayed the area with hairspray and the ink disappeared without damaging the wood. Submitted by Brittany
-- Hard-shell clams are easy to open if you pour boiling water over them. Submitted by Ronald
-- I save old shower curtains and wash them well. When the curtain is clean, I use it for a tablecloth at picnics. I also save the curtain rings for napkin holders. Submitted by proud to be frugal Sam
-- I have worked in the manicure industry for many years. For longer-lasting nail polish, I wipe each nail with vinegar before applying polish. Submitted by Shondra
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming. Missed a column? Can't remember a solution? Need a corporate presenter on the topic: Harness the Power of Words? Check out my website, Reena.ca.
Renovation & Design
Proposed legislation would benefit consumers, renovators
Last week, Consumer Protection Minister Ron Lemieux introduced legislation that will make renovations a more pleasant experience for consumers and contractors.
Bill 14, known as the Consumer Protection Amendment Act (Home Improvement Contracts), mandates that every home renovation or improvement transaction must be preceded by a written contract. This allows the consumer to know who they are dealing with, whether that company has the appropriate workers' compensation and insurance coverage, the services to be provided, all necessary permits, prices and length and scope of work to be done.
When fully implemented, this legislation has the ability to greatly curtail Manitoba's underground economy, long the bane of the honest contractor's existence. A more level playing field will allow the consumer to compare service providers that won't put the homeowner at risk through insurance liability, unpaid taxes, warranty concerns and incomplete work.
All of this comes at a perfect time for those thinking of renovating their home. From Jan. 9 to 11, the Kitchen Bath and Renovation Show will be presented at the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg. Presenting sponsors All Canadian Renovations Ltd. and Penta Spray Foam Systems will be there along with many additional specialists in the home renovation industry. Everything that you might need to make your tired home come back to life will be under one roof.
As if one great show wasn't enough, the Manitoba Real Estate Association and Winnipeg Realtors are partnering to present the annual Home Expressions Show from March 27 to 29, also at the convention centre. This rite of spring is a must-see for those itching to get a jump on the warmer weather just around the corner.
These two shows combine for more than 450 exciting display booths and generally draw crowds exceeding 25,000 attendees.
Don't let your neighbours get the jump on you this year. Be the first and the best in the neighbourhood.
With all of the extra information consumers will receive courtesy of an active awareness campaign surrounding home renovations, they will be fully prepared to venture into an exciting home renovation.
Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Homebuilders' Association
Renovation & Design
Adequate tools essential in tree care
I give numerous courses during the year, usually in the spring and the fall, to people who are interested in the care and pruning of trees.
There are specialized tools that are useful to the property owner for working with trees and woody shrubs. The basic tools are hand pruners or secateurs, loping shears, pole pruners and pruning saws. If I am visiting a property, I will sometimes ask to look at these pruning tools if I suspect the pruning cuts that are being made are not done right or dull tools are being used.
Many hardware stores and garden centres sell a variety of different tools. Some brand-name tools are better built than others. If you interested in purchasing these better-quality tools for yourself or as a gift, please contact me at your convenience.
There are, of course, chainsaws that can handle the cutting of larger-diameter pieces of wood, including tree trunks. I do not get involved with these tools, but I do put clients in touch with licensed arborists who can help the interested property owner.
One useful tool everyone needs if you own hand pruners and lopers is a metal file for sharpening them. Hardware stores sell many of the basic sharpening tools. However, for filing the cutting blade of the hand pruners, I find a small file that can work the tight angle in the cutting area. Again, you can contact me for a source of this tool. This will make an ideal stocking stuffer.
Gardeners usually have a garden spade for digging the yard. If you sharpen the cutting edge of the blade, it can make the job of cutting intruding-surface and below-surface roots easier. It is a sound practice to sharpen frequently used spades at least a couple of times during the growing season.
I frequently advocate in my courses and consultations with property owners the wisdom of not using chemical pesticides, especially when there may be better approaches to controlling destructive insects, mites and spider mites. The pressure of water from a hose or from a pressure washer can dislodge a great number of eggs and very small pest crawlers (referred to as nymphs) from the twigs, branches and stems of woody shrubs and small trees. Pressure washers can even dislodge pests higher up in trees. This should be done at least twice a month or ideally each week in the spring and summer, starting in early May.
The most problematic pests are those feeding on the undersides of leaves, especially of woody shrubs. Ideally, you will want to dislodge those pests as early and as frequently as you can in the spring season especially. Lee Valley Tools sells a device called a Bug Blaster that attaches to your hose. This device allows you to spray pressurized water onto the underside of leaves. This location is typically where the pests start their feeding activity.
Michael Allen M.Sc.F., RPF (ret.) is a consulting urban forester, tree diagnostician and certified arborist. He can be reached at 204-831-6503 or 204-223-7709 viburnumtrees@shaw.ca His website is treeexperts.mb.ca
Renovation & Design
Bathroom exhaust fan critical to maintaining dry home
Question:
My daughter and her partner bought a River Heights bungalow last November. It has a bathroom that has a window in the shower wall and no fan in the bathroom. The plan is to eventually use this as a guest bathroom and build a nice new bathroom downstairs. However, until money is saved and that happens, I am wondering if it is a good idea to purchase a dehumidifier and use it in the bathroom after showering to get rid of excess moisture. They don't have any mould or mildew on the ceiling but I am afraid that eventually there will be some. Also, they have cedar wall panelling in this bathroom and were told not to paint it as it absorbs the moisture.
I don't know if a bathroom fan can be added. It would probably be expensive and would have to go through the attic and there could be asbestos insulation in there. What are your thoughts?
Dawn Chappellaz
Answer:
Bathroom ventilation is critical to maintaining a dry interior home environment and preventing moisture damage and mould growth. While the current older window may be adequate, if used diligently, upgrading to an exhaust fan will absolutely be necessary in the future.
As many people know, moisture is the No. 1 enemy of all things home related. In our interior house environment, the largest sources of moisture are normally from the kitchen and bathrooms. Getting that moisture to the exterior of the home, before it can cause serious problems, is critical to maintaining healthy indoor air quality. When your daughter's home was built, the older window would likely have been adequate for bathroom ventilation, due to a large amount of air leakage common with that age of home. The air leakage through the old windows, doors, attic, and basement would have been enough to naturally allow enough fresh air intrusion to prevent most serious moisture issues. Untreated cedar is a good choice for this age of bathroom, as it is open-poured and does readily absorb and release moisture, but should not be installed inside the shower enclosure.
If the bathroom window is opened every time an occupant takes a shower or bath, year-round, that would normally be enough to allow excess water vapour in the air to exit the building without significant condensation on the walls or ceilings in the home. If the kitchen window is also left open on moderate to warm days, or when cooking, little evidence of moisture damage may be present in the home. Even to this day, this may still work relatively well if no major upgrades to air sealing have been done in the home. If the house still has a furnace and water heater which vent through the original chimney, and windows have not been upgraded to well-sealed modern PVC units, there may still be a lot of air leakage through the building envelope. If attic or basement insulation has not been substantially upgraded, that will further allow fresh air from outside to leak into the interior environment.
While this significant air intrusion may not be good for the heating bills, it may ensure that the air inside the home during the heating season is sufficiently dry. The problems may begin to occur when your daughter and partner begin to do major upgrades to the older home. Replacement of an older furnace with a new high-efficiency unit is often the first item to cause higher indoor relative humidity (RH). This is caused by sealing the existing chimney. The old chimney may be a major source of exfiltration of moist air from the home, as the exhaust products from the furnace are diluted by house air that goes up the chimney during the heating cycle. Once this is closed off, all of that moist air stays inside the home. This upgrade is often combined with a further tightening up of the building envelope by replacement of older windows and improved basement, wall and attic insulation. All of these improvements will not only be good for the environment and the wallet, but they make the home more comfortable in the frigid winters. The downside is that these modifications will prevent much of the previous air leakage, keeping the moist house air inside much longer. This will undoubtedly raise the RH in the home, providing an ideal environment for mould growth and moisture issues.
To counteract the rise in RH inside the home as improvements are made, your daughter and partner will have to make accommodations to get the humid air outside, while bringing in more fresh air for replacement. The simplest way to achieve this goal is by use of mechanical systems to move air through the building envelope. This is where the bathroom exhaust fans comes in. Simply opening the bathroom window may no longer be adequate to ventilate the bathroom, due to the larger amount of dissolved water vapour in the house air. The window may also freeze up quicker in the winter, preventing good operation, for the same reason. That is why installation of bathroom fans are so critical when upgrades are made. The fans will work best in conjunction with some form of fresh air intake, which may be as simple as an insulated duct connected to the return air plenum of the furnace, or as complex as a heat recovery ventilator. The level of upgrades to the building envelope may dictate which method is most practical.
Installation of a bathroom exhaust fan will be critical as future energy efficiency improvements are made to the home, but may not be that difficult or costly. Installation in the bathroom ceiling, venting through the attic, may be the most straightforward approach. If there are issues with asbestos containing insulation, or difficult access to the attic, fans which vent though exterior walls or the foundation will be an acceptable alternative.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Jeans don't have to leave you feeling blue
QUESTION: I have a problem with my favourite jeans. They are about a year old and still leaching major dye to the point my underwear and the tops of my socks are ruined. I have tried numerous solutions: washing them in cold and hot water, soaking them in vinegar and salt, and more washing. What can I do? Gail, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Sounds as though this is the result of defective dye, a problem that might not go away over time. If possible, bring the jeans to the store and explain the situation. If the jeans are unwearable, purchase Rit dye remover. Either enjoy the light colour of the jeans or dye them with the Rit colour of your choice.
QUESTION: My electric kettle didn't shut off, and the steam caused a white film on the door of my cabinets. I tried wiping it off, adding oil conditioner and scrubbing it lightly. Nothing worked. Maybe it discoloured the urethane. Any suggestions? Thanks, Don, Gimli
ANSWER: Use a hairdryer on the highest setting to blast the white mark and draw the moisture out. As you heat the area, rub the surface with a soft cloth. The sooner you tackle this challenge, the better.
QUESTION: I made a birthday cake for my daughter. I bought chocolate buds to decorate the top of the cake, and when I opened the box I was disappointed because the chocolate looked grey instead of brown. How can I make the chocolate look good, and are they safe to eat or should I throw them out? Bernadette, Churchill
ANSWER: Throw out chocolate? No way. Fat bloom happens to chocolate when the cocoa butter separates from the other ingredients. Sugar bloom, on the other hand, is also grey and has a gritty texture; this is caused by weather conditions such as humidity. Some think bloom happens as chocolate ages, but humidity is almost always the culprit. Take the delicious chocolate buds and dip them in water. Let them dry on a tea towel, and they will appear dark once again.
QUESTION: How can I prevent fitted sheets from coming off of the corners of my bed. This drives me crazy. Kathy, Winnipeg
ANSWER: You can purchase or sew clasp straps (also called sheet suspenders) that hold corners in place. Or consider purchasing a drawstring-tightened sheet. Not only will the sheet stay in place, the linens appear less wrinkled.
HANDY HINTS OF THE WEEK
Instead of throwing out a mismatched sock, put it to good use: Make a can cozy. Cut the tube part of a sock the same length as a can drink. Slide the sock over the can to keep it cool on hot days. Or cut the tube of a sock the same length as a mug. Keep hot drinks hot a little longer by making an extra hole in the tube of a sock so the handle of a mug can fit through. -- Randy
Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut apart two socks. Slide your foot inside the tube part and pull it over your pant legs to prevent ticks and other bugs from crawling up. -- Dan
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming. Missed a column? Can't remember a solution? Need a corporate presenter? Check out my website at Reena.ca.
