Help from the Readers
- , by Trudy Chuoke Trudy Chuoke
I love my email that I receive from Houston. Some will make me snort laugh because of the way you describe your problems with home maintenance. Some email is written because you are worried, and if you have left your phone number I will call. And then there are contractors that have been in the field and bless me with pearls of information. And I want to share one of those emails with you today.
He had read the article that had a question about repairing driveway expansion joints. I had told the customer to remove all the rotten wood and start with a clean expansion joint. Then he suggested filling the clean joint with play sand. In fact, to fill the joint up to double the size of the backer rod. Use a whisk broom or a small broom to get the sand easily inside the joint. Add the backer rod. (you will use less because of the sand) Then fill the crack with the polyurethane caulking below the surface of the driveway. If you fill the surface of the driveway, it will skin over too much. Now this is the interesting part… wait for it…. If the driveway has to be used right away, you can sprinkle concrete dust or some more sand on top of the caulk. Remember light sprinkling. And the longer you let it cure, the longer it will last. He said that prep work is always the most important work.
Now wasn’t that helpful? I thought so too.
TIP
I installed a new light fixture on my front porch. The fixture consisted of 4 glass panels. It was a very trim modern fixture, and I had a hard time putting my hand inside the light to install a bulb. I removed the fixture, took out one glass pane that was closest to the door. You couldn’t tell the glass was missing and now I can easily put my hand in and change the light bulb.
Now to the email….
Question: I have a question, I have a paint that is an acrylic latex flat beige paint on my walls at the house – I had a house full of contractors lately, and there are several areas on many walls where there are dirt smudges and handprints – not grease or anything – just dirt. What I am wandering is can I just give it a scrub and remove the dirt. I don’t want to spread the stain. And suggestion you have would be helpful. I just had the house painted 2 years ago.
Answer: I love flat paint on the walls and ceiling. They help disguise any imperfection in the walls. However, cleaning them can be difficult. Coronado paint you can just scrub with a little soap and water, and it will come clean. But not all paint is created equal. Scrubbing some paints will completely remove the paint and leave it all on the sponge. So lightly clean your wall with a Magic Eraser. They are easy on the wall and should remove the stain. Try in an inconspicuous area first. I am hoping your painters left you some touch up paint.
Question: Trudy I am looking for a product called Pledge Revive It. I cannot find it anywhere. I love it because it gives an immediate shine to my no wax floors and wood floors that don’t shine. If you can please help me?
Answer: If you go to the Pledge website, it still is there. But can I suggest another product? Holloway House Quick Shine Floor Finish will do the same thing. Like the Pledge, you can apply extra coats to deepen the shine. But with Quick Shine ...you don’t have to wait 8 hours. It is dry in 20 minutes. And with the Pledge, you have to remove it yearly with ammonia and a scrub brush. Quick Shine never has to be removed because it’s not a wax, it’s a polymer finish. You just walk it off. When it’s not as shiny as you like, you just mop on another coat. It’s great for wood floors. It makes them look beautiful. And remember, keeping a finish on the floors keeps them in better shape. Let me know if you can’t find Quick Shine.