House creaks professional#

Tub refinishers prepare the tub with an acid wash that cleans and etches the porcelain surface. The problem with a kit is that the two-part epoxy coating is difficult to apply smoothly, and the results often are disappointing, especially when covering a dark color with a white finish.

House creaks professional#

Another option to consider is hiring a professional tub refinisher. You can buy a do-it-yourself tub reglazing kit at a home center.

Joe Brint, owner of American Appliance Refinishing in Wallingford, Conn., answers:Ī: Yes. Is there a way to paint or reglaze the tub to produce a durable white surface? The sink and toilet are easy to replace, but I don’t want to pull out the cast-iron tub for fear of damaging the ceramic-tile floor. Q: We just bought a home that has putrid blue bath fixtures. Be sure you keep the lawn and flowers wet throughout the process. Proceed in three-foot-square sections until the patio is clean. After waiting at least 10 minutes, soak up as much of the cleaner as possible with a sponge mop.įinally, hose the area you cleaned and the lawn and flowers around it. Use a scrub brush to apply the cleaner to a three-foot-square area of the patio. Then, thoroughly wet surrounding lawn and flowers with a garden hose the water acts as a barrier by diluting any cleaner that flows off the concrete. Pour in 3 ounces of trisodium-phosphate or a substitute for extra cleaning power. Wearing rubber gloves and eye protection, add 1 quart of chlorine bleach to 3 quarts of water. You can reduce the chance of killing vegetation and still get concrete clean by using a milder homemade solution and some liberal watering. Thom Philbin, a former painting contractor in Centerport, N.Y., and author of three books on painting, replies:Ī: If a cleaner is strong enough to kill moss and lichen, it can certainly damage greenery. Full-strength chlorine bleach will clean up the growth beautifully, but because the patio drains onto the lawn and a flower bed, I’m afraid to use it. Q: Some type of moss or lichen has darkened our concrete patio. The insulation board not only provides a flat, smooth surface for hanging the vinyl but also increases energy efficiency. Then I put up quarter-inch-thick or half-inch-thick insulation board using two-inch galvanized nails. First, I replace any shingles that are rotted or damaged. I routinely re-side with vinyl over wood.

Coat basement walls with damp-proofing material and be sure the kitchen and bath have vent fans that discharge moisture outdoors. If you have a crawl space, be certain the soil is completely covered with a plastic vapor retarder. You can minimize it by reducing both temperature swings and indoor humidity. It’s a mini-version of an earthquake-two sections of the Earth’s crust try to move against each other, pressure builds at the fault until it causes movement and an earthquake results.įortunately, your problem is not structural. Finally the joint slips, causing the popping. At night it cools, absorbing moisture and expanding a bit.Īs one piece of wood tries to move against another, pressure builds between the two. The wood warms during the day, losing moisture and shrinking slightly. Henry Spies of Spies Home Inspection Services in Champaign, Ill., replies:ĪNSWER: The noise you hear is not from settling, but from wood framing members moving in relation to one another. Day and night, we hear loud cracking or popping sounds-usually three or four in succession. QUESTION: Our house is making settling noises in the attic over the bedroom.