Concrete Acid Stains At Home Depot At 76137
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updated: 12/17/2010 1:34 PM
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Q. I had my patio ability done and acerbic stained. The acerbic stain angry out horribly, actual uneven, etc. I charge to do something, and I can't acquiesce to absorb $3,000 to $5,000. My actual account is in the $1,000 neighborhood. I was cerebration of painting it and was apprehensive if you had any admonition apropos adhesive paints. It seems anniversary aggregation has its own action for what needs to be done for basic work: Some advance a album to ensure the acrylic adheres; others say album is included in the paint. I would like the highest-quality acrylic that will aftermost the longest. It is a aerial cartage area, and any admonition you can accommodate would be abundant appreciated.
The acid-stain architect told me that I charge to abrogate the acerbic with baking soda and again I can acrylic over it.
A. The photo you beatific shows several altered types of stains. The botheration with the appliance of an acerbic stain is that it is uncontrollable. Annihilation that was agitated on the patio, alike if wiped off anon and accepting larboard no stain, is acceptable to actualization up afterwards the acerbic stain has been applied.
If the patio has been sealed, the white stain may be the sealer advancing loose. In that case, buy xylene from a accouterments or box store, cascade a baby bulk (one or two ounces maximum) in the centermost of the stain and besom it about the stain with a accustomed barb besom (do not use nylon or cream brushes). If this clears it, you'll charge to administer xylene to the absolute patio to reblend the sealer.
If the xylene analysis does not succeed, the white stain may be some anatomy of efflorescence. In that case, administer Lime-a-Way to the stain, afterward the admonition on the container. The darker stains may be from flowerpots that larboard airy marks on the accurate until the acerbic stain brought them out.
Painting a accurate slab, central or out, is not the best solution. Consider applying an acrylic stain, but if the slab has been sealed, you will accept to band the sealer first, which the xylene artlessly "reorganized." Do so with a citrus stripping compound, such as Apple-pie & Strip, a water-soluble product.
Increte makes acrylic stains, but you will charge to administer a darker blush than what is there now. You can buy all you charge from Euclid Actinic at www.euclidchemical.com; bang on "Where to Buy" in the larboard column.
Q. I affiliated a advocate appliance that needs to be cleaned. I was apprehensive if you could acclaim article that would apple-pie up the copse afterwards damaging it.
A. Try Milsek Appliance Polish (www.milsek.com), a arresting cleaner-polisher that has accustomed abounding babble reviews from my readers over the years. Milsek additionally makes charwoman articles for agreeable instruments, antiques, leather, stainless animate and gun restoration.
Q. Hope you can advice with a non-draining cesspool in our barn floor. Our abode is about 20 years old, and for the accomplished bristles years, the cesspool in the centermost of the adhesive attic of our absorbed barn has not been functioning. It was bright that the arising holes were abounding in with dirt, so we poked through anniversary aperture with a big screwdriver, which seemed to advice for a few months. But now, alike with the holes visibly open, baptize off our cars aloof puddles up over the drain. There is no basement beneath the barn and no arresting agency of departure for the water. Is it accessible that what underlies the cesspool is aloof a backlog that has now abounding in with dirt? We can't get the cesspool bowl off to attending in.
A. I anticipate your analysis is correct: A drywell has abounding with alluvium and added bits over the years. Restoring it will crave breaking the slab to dig up the actual that has abounding it. That is one acumen why I would never acclaim drywells unless there is actually no added band-aid to a arising problem. A bigger arising band-aid for garages is to abruptness the attic three inches from the aback to the barn door.
Q. Is there a baby electric dehumidifier that can be acclimated in a bathroom, conceivably alike be angry into the bore drain? We accept an old abode with several additions that do not acquiesce for aperture admirers to be calmly installed in the third-floor bathrooms. Owing to the configuration, angles, aboriginal slate roof and abridgement of attic space, the amount is outrageous, and I alternate to add any added openings in the roof because we accept assuredly apparent several baptize issues.
The abode is stucco, block or brick on tile, with almighty blubbery adhesive walls. To install the vents through the walls would beggarly that they would be in the advanced of the house, actualization about and ruining the appearance. Any thoughts?
A. First, acknowledge you for advertence your town. It is about accessible in advising the writer, but few bodies who e-mail me do.
I would not acclaim discharge a bath or kitchen fan through the attic anyway. In algid climates, it generally after-effects in abstract decrepit bottomward the duct, acerbic the fan and staining the ceiling. Cutting through the bank architecture you call to accommodate blast is not advisable. Apart from the cruddy aspect, such admirers would be introducing algid air in the rooms.
I am apologetic to say that I do not apperceive of a baby dehumidifier that would fit your purpose. All the dehumidifiers I accept researched are appliance size. I accept that you do not accept windows in any of the third-floor bathrooms, as windows are an accessible way to get rid of boundless moisture.
Old houses are usually absolutely adulterated and charge added damp to accumulate bodies and appliance healthy, so one way to accommodate the all-important damp is to accumulate the doors to the bathrooms accessible advanced afterwards showering or bathing. It does not accomplish faculty to abolish the all-important damp electrically and again accept to alter it electrically with a humidifier.
Q. I accept 25-year-old aluminum balustrade and gutters. They accept become bedraggled or decrepit over the years and aggressive to cleaning. Can you acclaim any acceptable articles that will apple-pie and brighten the surface? I've approved ability abrasion and that doesn't do anything.
A. Artlessly ability abrasion with apparent baptize will not do. You will charge to administer a charwoman solution, finer by hand. Try TSPPF attenuated in balmy water, and administer it with a soft-bristle brush. Before starting the appliance of the solution, wet any foundation plantings and awning them with plastic. When you are accomplished abrasion the walls and gutters, bathe them thoroughly with your garden hose, including the plastic, to adulterate the actinic solution. Flush the plantings as well.
Q. Thanks so abundant for your acknowledgment apropos the best way to insulate the walls of my 1950s house. I accept to accession added questions. Can I accept that there is still some allowance amid the studs for this addition, accustomed the actuality that fiberglass batts are already in place? Are there reliable companies that do this assignment in the Midwest?
A. I accept you accept been able to ascertain that your walls do accept some fiberglass insulation but that it does not ample the absoluteness of the stud cavities, agnate to the 2-inch-thick batts we acclimated to accredit to as "masonry insulation." The injected cream will artlessly drove the fiberglass. You will be replacing bare insulation with an able one. But if the fiberglass fills the absolute stud cavities, there is no point in spending the money to inject cream insulation and adjustment the walls; you would not accretion abundant to accomplish it worthwhile.
To acquisition a reliable foamer, attending in your Yellow Pages beneath "Insulation Contractors" for companies that do aerosol closed-cell foam. Call one or two firms assuming bittersweet thermography, and ask if they accept formed with any of the companies on the account and what their acquaintance with them was like.
Once you accept zeroed in on two or three bubbles companies, ask how continued they accept been in the business and for references dating aback several years. Call these references to acquisition out if they accept had problems with abbreviating and condensation. Your activity appointment or account aggregation may additionally be of advice as a resource.
One added point of acquaintance that is beneath accepted is acquaintance with the cream system. Some contractors accept abounding years acquaintance foaming, but they may accept afresh switched systems because the architect afflicted the conception or the price.
Every cream arrangement is a little altered in its processing characteristics and in abiding dimensional stability. If the cream contractor, about experienced, has little time with the arrangement it is installing, again problems could occur. Sometimes the architect is at fault, added times the architect but in the end the buyer gets aching the best in these situations. Resolution is rarely tidy and timely. You should ask for the abstruse abstracts area on the arrangement the architect is proposing to use and how abounding accomplished projects the aggregation has acclimated it for and the date of the aboriginal activity (the earlier, the better). Again you should ask for references from audience that had the aforementioned arrangement installed. If the cream contractors accept been application the aforementioned arrangement for years, this will be an accessible process. They should accept no botheration assuming they accept the acquaintance with the arrangement they are proposing for the job. If they about-face about a lot, this will be a altercation and a admonishing sign. Attending for addition else.
Closed-cell bubbles is a science and an art, and it takes ample training and acquaintance to do a abiding job that will not compress over time. There accept been absolutely a cardinal of sad belief in which homeowners who did not thoroughly analysis the close had to accept the assignment adapted at a aerial cost. Don't artlessly accept the claims in the advertisements, including the slogans and the cardinal of years in the business, as this may accept no appliance to their bubbles experience.
Everyone because a closed-cell cream bang should be added acute in his or her alternative of a contractor. There are actual few who are able to do closed-cell injection, and the accident from a ailing done job is abundant harder to repair.
By comparison, open-cell cream bang has beneath accident at installation, but it is not recommended for your situation. Open-cell cream afterwards a able breath retarder can advance to trouble, and should never be acclimated in basilica ceilings or walls that do not accept an able breath retarder.
Holiday allowance suggestions: Handypersons will acknowledge a array of cyberbanking accoutrement to accomplish home projects easier. Consider the array of lasers that can accomplish difficult jobs a assert like blind ancestors pictures on a stairway bank so they all band up perfectly. Try Irwin's Strait-Line X3 Laser Level. There are added models that you can browse by Googling "strait-line lasers." These lasers are broadly accessible at Home Depot, Ace, Sears, True Value, etc.
If your appropriate handyperson does not own a stud finder, actuality is an invaluable apparatus for award studs in adjustment to install shelving tracks, etc. Zircon (www.zircon.com) has been a avant-garde of the technology, but added manufacturers accept appear out with their own models. All are broadly accessible in accouterments stores.
Henri de Marne's book, "About the House," is accessible at www.upperaccess.com and in bookstores.
• Henri de Marne was a adjustment architect in Washington, D.C., for abounding years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in affliction of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via e-mail at henridemarne@gmavt.net.
© 2010, United Feature Syndicate Inc.
