Mr. Tim,
Like most people I'm doing home repairs on a budget. I have a toilet and
tub that work fine, but could use a new look. Instead of replacing them
could I repaint them? They are the 70's avocado green. I would like to
paint them a white or black. Would it be cheaper to buy a new toilet and
tub, or could this be done by a do-it-yourselfer like me?
Will
Will,
There is no paint that you can buy that will do the job. There are companies that advertise saying they can *re-glaze* bathroom fixtures. They are not re-glazing - they are simply applying special epoxy paints. The trouble is, these films can and do fail.
I am not a big fan of this paint process for any number of reasons. The painted finish is not as durable as the actual thin coating of glass you find on china fixtures. The epoxy films also fail catastrophically - meaning large sections may start to peel with little warning.
Your best bet is to install new fixtures and believe me, you do not want black plumbing fixtures!
Tim Carter
Ask the Builder
http://www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB clear on your final
Hey Tim,
We traveled to Orlando, Florida this past week and noticed termites in our hotel room. Yesterday, we left the hotel and boarded a plane back to Toronto Canada. We are worried that if these termites found their way into our clothes, shoes or belongings, including our suitcases, we may have brought them to our home in Toronto. Now they may be spreading and reproducing inside our home. Being that the plane traveled at 37,000 feet, could it be that the termites may have survived the trip and are now in our home and breeding?
Your reply would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Dorota & Corrado
Dear Dorota and Corrado,
You can sit back and relax! The termites you saw were probably the worker termites and these eunuchs are not capable of starting a new colony. Furthermore, most termites do not like light and they need moisture on a very regular basis. The stowaway adventure would very likely have killed them for any number of reasons.
Keep in mind that your local variety of termites can infest your home at will. So if you get an infestation at some future time, it may have nothing to do with the ones you saw in Orlando. What’s more, I doubt the species you saw in Florida would tolerate your winter climate in Toronto!
Tim Carter
Ask the Builder
http://www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB clear on your final
Dear Tim,
Myself and wife have been looking at some homes for purchase (this will be our first home purchase). One of the homes we liked has Masonite exterior siding. From our searches on the web, we noticed some class action lawsuits against builders who built with Masonite and so forth (masoniteclaims.com). The house that we are looking at so far looks good. The seller had had some boards replaced that were apparently giving some problems.
Right now, we are not sure what to make of this information. Do we walk away from this and any homes that have masonite siding boards?
And also, what effect would this have in a future resale? The house is a '81 construction, and otherwise in seemingly good shape (have not gotten any inspection done yet).
And if in future, we do choose to replace the sidings with vinyl, would that be possible to do on any such house? (And I am sure it will be an expensive proposition).
Your insights would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
V.Srikanth
Dear VS,
If that siding stays dry it is fine. But that is indeed the challenge, keeping all seams and edges in great shape.
Keep in mind the siding can always be removed and a long-lasting material put in its place. Use this as a negotiating tool to LOWER the sale price! Print out the facts about how the siding is a liability. Present these with a written offer. Find out what it might cost to reside the house and deduct that from what they are asking plus whatever else you want to shave off the asking price to bargain.
Can you tell I am also a licensed real estate broker in Ohio?
You can always get more information about this problem if you call me. I do a cool call-in radio show each Saturday morning on WGRR 103.5 FM in Cincinnati from 6 - 7 a.m Eastern Time. Call me at 513-749-1035.
Tim Carter
Ask the Builder
http://www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB clear on your final
Tim,
What is the name of and where can I find a door that has a top half and a bottom half like you see on some old cottage homes. You know, one where the top half can be opened seperatly from the bottom. If you can help it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, James Bridges
James,
You are looking for a traditional Dutch Door. I discovered a very cool company in New York called YesterYear’s Vintage Doors that has a fantastic selection of Dutch Doors. The best news is that you can get them in various species such as poplar, pine, ash, red oak, cherry, and mahogany woods.
Tim Carter
W3ATB
www.askthebuilder.com
Dear Tim,
Merry Christmas! My husband and I are in the process of building a home in North Carolina. We will have about a 400 ft driveway to contend with and are very interested in the "tar and chip" driveway concepts. It may resolve both the aesthetics and cost efficiency we long for. How does the cost compare to that of an asphalt or concrete driveway? Is it considered a hard surface driveway or is it like loose gravel.....we would appreciate any feedback you can provide. Thank you, Nancy
Nancy,
You are going to love tar and chip. I have installed this surface for years for customers and have one myself. There are thousands of miles of main roads, secondary routes, and private drives in the USA that are tar and chip. It is a magnificent surface that requires no maintenance.
You can have the loose gravel look or that of smoother blacktop with no loose chips. The choice is yours. If you want the full story on tar and chip, read the first column I did on the topic years ago. I then did a follow-up column as I kept getting requests from people to re-visit the topic.
As for cost, tar and chip is far less expensive than regular blacktop. It costs only 15 - 20% of what concrete might cost. The savings are a function of the size of the job. Just 5 months ago I redid my own driveway with expensive brown Merimac chert from Missouri. Even with that gravel, my cost was less than one dollar per square foot! Since your driveway is so long, you should get a price less than $1 per square foot.
Tim Carter
W3ATB
AsktheBuilder.com