Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Drywall-sanding attachment a sure bet to suck up the dust
QUESTION: Love your column! I would like to know how to keep the dust down when I have a small area to sand on drywall? Thank you. Florence, Winnipeg
ANSWER: The best way to reduce drywall dust during a sanding project is to cover up as much furniture, floor and wall as you can with plastic sheets and then secure a drywall sanding attachment to a shop vacuum. The vacuum sucks up much of the dust preventing it from being distributed around your home. If you do not have access to a shop vac. you might consider dampening the area with a sponge before sanding, however this requires practice and the results are not as appealing as dry sanding.
QUESTION: How do you prevent waffle batter from sticking to the inside of the maker? My waffle maker is supposed to be non-stick. Angela (Stonewall, MB)
ANSWER: Some people find it handy to spray the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray which works great to coat the iron. I personally do not own non-stick cooking spray and instead use a pastry brush and brush the iron with butter before adding batter which also works well.
QUESTION: I would like to know how to treat water stains on the interior ceiling of my car and on the sun visors. Thanks. Jim and Sandy, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Using a few key household ingredients your car will look as good as new! Into an empty ice cream pail mix one cup white vinegar, half tsp. dish soap and one quarter cup rubbing alcohol. Fill the remainder of the bucket with warm water. Using a light-coloured cloth, scrub the dirty areas of the vehicle. No need to rinse.
QUESTION: We left a half loaf of bread in a bag in our cupboard drawer for a few weeks while gone. When we came back we disposed of the bag of moldy bread, but we cannot get rid of the strong musty smell. I have tried: Airing it outside, bleach, vinegar, baking soda, coffee grinds, newspapers, kitty litter and lastly charcoal with no results. Do you have a remedy? It was in the bottom
drawer of a row of four drawers and all are affected. The cupboards are of solid oak doors and plywood interiors. Hoping to hear from you soon. Doreen, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Well you have certainly done your homework but the battle remains because the smell has penetrated into the wood. Option 1: Wipe the entire inside of the cupboard drawers with Orange Wood Oil. Option 2: Reseal the wood.
QUESTION: Do you know where I can bring my pennies? I have collected jars upon jars of pennies and forgot all about them until recently when I was cleaning the basement for guests. Thanks. Wilma (Niverville, MB)
ANSWER: If you don't want your old pennies anymore here are a few options of what to do with them. Donate them. Many non-profit organizations would love to receive donations, and pennies are still considered Canadian currency. So if you are thinking of throwing your pennies out, call some of your favorite charities and ask them if they would appreciate a donation of pennies. Or bring them into your local bank. Banks ask that pennies are either bagged with the total amount enclosed on a paper inside the bag. Or even better, roll the pennies. Papers can be purchased at several dollar stores.
The Power of Words!
"A million dollars in pennies is still a million dollars." Antonio Bryant
The International Hamburger
Spice up regular old hamburgers by seasoning them with flavours from around the world!
*Mexican Burger: Top the burger with hot sauce, jalapeno peppers and chilies. Add guacamole or salsa instead of ketchup.
*Asian Burger: When mixing the hamburger use soy sauce, minced ginger and teriyaki sauce. Top with wasabi mayonnaise.
*Paris Burger: Add a little Dijon mustard when mixing hamburger meat. Instead of cheddar cheese, top the burger with blue cheese or goat cheese.
*Italian Burger: When mixing meat, add marinara sauce instead of ketchup. Top the burger with fresh Parmesan cheese. Serve on Ciabatta bread instead of regular hamburger buns.
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming. Missed a column? Can't remember a solution? Need a speaker for an upcoming event? Check out my brand new videos/blog/website: reena.ca!
Renovation & Design
Sniffing out source of odour
QUESTION: I am writing to you with a question regarding an occasional strange odour in my house. It smells like sour stagnant water or rotting wet wood. It doesn't smell like mould or sewer gas and it's not coming from any drains or the sump pit. I have had some improvements done in the last few years and hoped they might also eliminate the problem, but nothing has helped.
I have had my furnace ducts thoroughly cleaned. I have had a new high-efficiency furnace installed and the cold air intake was left in place. The roof has been checked for leaks and has been re-shingled. The roof stack has also been checked to see if anything is blocking it. The neighbours do not have anything nearby that would smell.
I would think if it were any of these things, the smell would be noticeable at all times, but the odour is only noticeable when it is foggy outside or if the humidity is high and it is not windy. I have also noticed it is most prevalent in the master-bedroom heat vent, which is the room farthest from the furnace, although it is faintly noticeable in all of the rooms.
My home is a 26-year-old split-level and the lot backs onto a retention pond. The odour started quite a few years ago, and the only thing I can think of is the cold-air intake is under my deck, which is cedar, and there is no air flow when it is foggy and I am getting a stagnant smell. As soon as the wind starts to blow, the odour disappears. I'm thinking I should have this vent extended so it's above the deck surface. If so, who would do this type of work? I would greatly appreciate your opinion and advice regarding this problem.
Darlene Wojcik
ANSWER: In attempting to determine the cause of an issue in a home, especially something as subjective as a specific odour, I try to look at all the possibilities and then rule them out one at a time.
Your description of the type of the smell is the natural place to begin. While I'm quite familiar with the odours associated with rotting wood, I'm not sure what a "sour stagnant water" smell is. I'm glad you don't feel it's waste or sewer gas you're smelling, but don't be too quick to rule out mould.
While many moulds can give off what can be described as a "musty-basement" smell, wood rot is also a type of mould, so your description may indeed be fungus-related. This could be coming through the fresh-air intake under your deck if the deck is rotting or there are decomposing leaves or debris.
If the underside of the deck is accessible, locate the vent hood or screen where the fresh-air intake duct terminates. If not, you may have to remove a few deck boards. Once found, the vent hood should be cleaned with a damp cloth, brush, or other tool to remove any dust or debris blocking it. Given its location under your deck, I'd be very surprised if the screen on your vent is not partly or completely blocked. If so, the dirt and debris may be the source of the smell. This material may be slowly decomposing, but may only be noticeable on very wet days, or when there is little wind or air movement to dry it out.
Mice, stinging insects and other pests like to take refuge in areas like this, especially if they can come and go without being easily detected. If they gain access and create a nest or perish inside the ducting, rotting-type odours are likely.
If you find the fresh-air intake is not plugged or damaged and has reasonable airflow, relocating it may help prevent a return of the problem. Because your lot backs onto a retention pond, without much cover from vegetation or other buildings, your home is likely more susceptible to variations in wind and weather changes.
Your observations about the smells occurring on wet or calm days may be another clue to the source. If the odour is due to moisture damage in the deck or house framing, this may not happen on sunny and windy days, but more likely when it is rainy, calm or foggy. Another possible explanation is our olfactory system works much better when the environment is wet or damp, so the smell may always be present but only noticeable at these times.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the President of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.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 www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: Be proactive regarding fire prevention
Deaths from fires and burns are the third-leading cause of fatal home injury (Runyan 2004).
-- Use extension cords as a short-term solution in your home. Since cords heat up and cool down during use, the cord tends to quickly wear, thus becoming a fire hazard.
-- Unplug appliances such as the toaster, toaster oven, curling iron, coffee maker and kettle when not in use. Pull these appliances out from under cabinets before use.
-- Clean the dryer lint tray after every use. Vacuum behind the dryer as well as using the crevice tool of the vacuum to reach inside the lint trap housing.
Extra tip: Dryer lint is very flammable. In fact, some people save it in sealable bags and use it as a fire starter or keep a lint-filled bag in the glove compartment of their vehicles as part of their emergency kit.
-- Check furnace filters once a month; if they are dirty replace them. It isn't necessary to purchase expensive filters; the three-in-one pack will do. After removing the filter, do not stand or lay it beside the furnace. Discard it immediately because the debris on the filter is flammable.
-- Avoid turning on the dishwasher and clothes dryer when no one is home or when all household members are sleeping.
-- If your carbon monoxide detector goes off, contact 911 or Manitoba Hydro immediately. Remember, carbon monoxide is a silent killer because it doesn't carry its own odour.
Extra tips: The yeast in bread-making can trigger the carbon monoxide detector. Turn on the fan (if not built in and automatic) with every gas stove use.
-- It's safest not to use extension cords when plugging in Christmas lights. If extension cords are used, be sure to unplug them at night or when no one is home.
-- When plugging in Christmas lights, make sure every bulb on the strand is functioning properly.
-- Keep the tree holder full. Water freshly cut Christmas trees twice a day for the first while and once a day after that or as necessary.
-- Store one ABC fire extinguisher near the kitchen and one in the furnace room. The Class ABC fire extinguisher is suitable for three kinds of fires: Class A (ordinary combustibles such as wood or paper); Class B (flammable liquid fires such as grease or gasoline); or Class C (electrical fires). Check the date to make sure your fire extinguisher has not expired.
Extra tips
-- If your fire extinguisher has sat for a long time, turn it upside down for a few seconds and give it a pat to loosen the powder that falls to the bottom of the extinguisher. During use: Aim the extinguisher towards the bottom of the flames and squeeze the trigger in a slow, sweeping motion.
-- Talk to your family regarding fire prevention and discuss an escape plan and meeting place outside of your home. Beginning at age three, speak to your children about the importance of not hiding during a fire.
-- In the case of a stove fire or grease fire, turn the element off. If possible, put the lid on the pot and close the oven door. Toss baking soda onto the fire; flour will NOT work.
-- Change the batteries in carbon monoxide and smoke detectors whenever daylight saving time occurs. Make sure your detectors have not exceeded their expiration dates.
-- Clean your chimney properly at least once a year.
Many thanks to fire Chief Kelvin Toews and Lieutenant Cindi Krahn of the Steinbach Fire Department for the preceding information.
The power of words
"Don't let your dreams go up in smoke -- practise fire safety." -- author unknown
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming. Missed a column? Can't remember a solution? Need a speaker for an upcoming event? Check out my videos/blog/website: reena.ca!
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Don't raise home humidity for new flooring
QUESTION: Could you please give us some advice in regards to humidifiers and hardwood flooring. We have ordered hardwood flooring for our main floor. It's a Brazilian hardwood called Tiger Wood. We were told by the flooring company that the humidity in the home should be kept at 43 per cent, otherwise the wood will crack. Are you in agreement with this?
Is it best to have a humidifier mounted directly on the furnace, and can you direct us to companies that can do this? Lyle & Sandy Fodchuk
ANSWER: I've answered similar questions in my column several times, but I feel so strongly about this issue that I think it needs further review.
I'm constantly amazed and annoyed at the terrible advice, recommendations or requirements given to homeowners by manufacturers of various building materials. There are many examples of this, from HRVs to shingles, but it's particularly true of hardwood flooring.
There's a lot of information out there about the need to maintain specific conditions for building materials installed in homes, much of it provided without any verified testing. Some of this information comes from experienced contractors and tradesmen and should be treated with respect. But advice such as that you received about relative humidity (RH) is unreliable.
In our climate, interior RH levels change with the weather. Maintaining artificially high humidity in our frigid winter can have disastrous effects on other components in your home. If the flooring you've chosen really does indeed require constant RH levels nearing 50 per cent to prevent damage, it should not be sold or installed in Manitoba and many other places. More likely, this requirement is just an excuse for manufacturers to blame defects on unsuspecting homeowners.
If high air moisture levels were really required to prevent damage to hardwood flooring, there would be thousands of homes with either cracked floors or major moisture damage to walls, windows and other building components. Anyone maintaining an indoor air RH above 40 per cent in the dead of winter in our area will know what I am talking about. Condensation on windows alone, especially at night, will be excessive with that much indoor moisture. This condensation can run down onto window sills, walls and even floor coverings. Even with modern, sealed, dual- or triple-pane windows, the temperature differential will be a certain recipe for the air to reach its dew point upon contact with the glass. While this could be controlled by constant mopping of the water from the sills with towels, or with fans blowing directly on the windows, maintaining a lower RH is the proper approach.
Since your chosen flooring is an exotic wood, it may have different properties than the traditional oak or maple installed in our homes for decades. But numerous types of hardwood are very commonly used for flooring because they are very durable and adapt to environmental changes as well or better than most building materials.
In my opinion, most problems with wood flooring are caused by the condition of the material after milling or the conditions present during installation. Hardwood flooring has to be properly dried before or after production, often in huge kilns, to reach a fairly low moisture content. This is critical to prevent excessive shrinkage if the wood dries out after it's nailing down. If the wood is not properly seasoned, gaps can open between planks.
If the hardwood has a proper moisture content but the air in your home is too humid, buckling can occur as the flooring absorbs this ambient moisture. For this reason, any wood flooring should be stored for several days or weeks in the home where it is to be installed. This will allow the material to "acclimatize" to the existing RH, preventing dramatic shrinkage or swelling after being nailed down.
This critical step has been adopted by experienced flooring contractors for decades, and skipping it can cause many flooring defects.
Maintaining an RH level close to 50 per cent during the heating season in our climate creates another danger -- the possibility of mould growth. This could occur inside exterior wall cavities, on cold foundation walls, or in any areas with poor air movement. Mould, such as wood rot, can cause serious health problems.
While moisture may be good for your rainforest flooring, it's not good for many of the other wooden components in your walls, floors, and attics that are subject to rotting. It makes no sense to provide an indoor air environment that will be beneficial to one component to the determent of many other home systems. I would forget about installation of a humidifier and look at time-tested alternative flooring materials for installation in your home.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the President of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be e-mailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Renovation of the Year awards presented
On Wednesday evening, the RenoMark Renovator members of the Manitoba Home Builders Association celebrated their outstanding accomplishments with the annual Renovation of the Year awards at the Norwood Hotel.
The occasion brought together the best of the best to recognize those projects that were considered the leaders in the renovation industry. Each category was broken into sub-categories by price point to enable the judges to fairly compare one project to another. In many cases, the margin of victory was extremely close, with only a point or two separating entries. Following are the categories and award recipients.
Kitchens: Any kitchen project that changes layout and/or cabinetry in the interests of improving traffic flow and/or changing appearance of the overall kitchen. There were four different categories and awards were won by Oswald Construction, Harwood Design Builders and Make It Home.
Bathrooms: Any bathroom project that involves new fixtures, resurfacing walls and floors, and/or changing size or layout. There were two different categories and awards were won by Harwood Design Builders and Over and Above Renovations.
Exteriors: Any project that changes the exterior appearance of a home. There was one category and the winner was Oswald Construction.
Whole House: Any project that renovates at least 75 per cent of a homes' square footage. There were three different categories and awards were won by Over and Above Renovations, Make It Home and Sakiyama Construction.
Congratulations and thanks go to all participants in this year's event. All entries will be on display at the Ask A Renovator booth at the Kitchen Bath and Renovation Show January 10 - 12, 2014 at the RBC Winnipeg Convention Centre. Numerous MHBA RenoMark Renovator members will be there to answer your renovation questions.
For a complete listing of all MHBA renovators and more information on the RenoMark quality code, visit the Manitoba Home Builders Association web site at www.homebuilders.mb.ca
Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.