Can I paint exterior white tile to restore its color?

July 11th, 2011Ask Jake0 comments

Jake,

I have a 41-year old villa in Puerto Vallarta, MX.  I have terraces that have white slick (at one time) tile on the edges.  Through the years the plants hanging off the wrought iron railing have dripped on the tile and turned it brown.  I would like to paint it and don’t know what to use.  It is totally exposed to the outside air/rain/wind.  But would look great if it was white again.  You can see it on our website; www.casadoremi.com.  It is the edge of the upstairs terraces.  Thank you very much, Barb

Barb, the pictures on the web site are beautiful.  Unfortunately I don’t have a paint product that I could recommend to paint over the tile.  Since the tiles were slick at one time, I assume they are ceramic; and since they are pool side, they are most likely usually wet.  This combination will lead to a nearly impossible scenario for paint longevity.  I would recommend replacing the tiles for a long last solution to the staining issue.

Jake

How should I install radiant heat in a room on a slab?

June 21st, 2011Ask Jake0 comments

Jake -

I have an un-insulated slab on grade home with high ceilings. I am installing hydronic radiant heat. I plan to lay down 2″ XPS then the grid of 1/2″ PEX stapled to that then pour a thin slab on that. Questions I have are: 1. Should I glue the XPS down or let it float? 2. How thick should I pour the concrete over the XPS? Thanks!

Erich

Erich,

I would glue down the XPS with glue that is suitable with the materials you are using.

You should have a minimum of 1 ½” covering over the PEX.

Jake

How to handle an exposed kitchen sink vent line after the removal of the soffit.

June 16th, 2011Ask Jake0 comments

Jake-

My husband & I are DIYers. We bought a 70′s ranch and have gutted the kitchen, including removing the old soffits. Our new cabinets are 30″ and we wanted the top open for decor and lighting, but ran into a kitchen sink vent pipe that was hidden in the soffit. It sticks out about 3-4 inches into the room. It has two 90 degree turns, from inside the wall

out about 3-4 inches, then turns again up into the ceiling and vented out through the roof. We cannot just run straight up through the walls as we run into the roof headers. One thought we had was to turn it around, run it through the outside eave into the attic and then bring it back in to connect with the original outside vent. Sounds complicated but we don’t know what else to do.  Any suggestions?

Donna

Donna,
We often run into concealed kitchen sink vent lines when we remove the soffits.
To reroute these pipes can be difficult.  When the pipes are concealed in the walls, you must be careful not to over-bore the hole, especially on load bearing walls.  If the wall is load bearing, you should double up the studs prior to drilling the hole for the pipe.

If you cannot reroute the vent line, you can consider using an air-admittance valve.  You can learn more about these devices at this web site:  http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Plumbing/air-admittance-valves.  These valves take the place of vent lines and are often installed in the sink base cabinet.  They can be purchased at most hardware stores or home centers.   Most model codes allow their use, however, there are some municipalities that do not allow them.  You will have to check with your local code’s department to see if they are allowed in your area.
After you visit the web site, you’ll see that they are a fairly simple way to handle your predicament.  Good luck on your remodeling project.
Jake

What type of underlayment should we use?

May 31st, 2011Ask Jake0 comments

Jake,

We have torn up the tile in the kitchen to put down Brazilian Koa hardwoods. In the process I came to find out the previous owner nailed and mortered the hardibacker to the wood sub-floor. Can we use an 1/8 inch foam type pad under the Koa wood verses using a felt paper to compensate for the uneveness? There is about 300 square feet of removed tile with patches of morter/thinset.

Mike

Mike,

There are several types of underlayments that are available for use in hardwood floor installations.  You can check them out at this web site: http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwoodinstaller/reviews-flooring-underlayment.htm.  We have used the foam type underlayment you have described for use over concrete floors in multi-level housing situations.  They have performed well.

If it’s really uneven, you might consider using a ¼” underlayment board, that you glue and nail to the surface, then install the hardwood over it.

Jake

What type of ventilation should I use for a 3-season room?

May 23rd, 2011Ask Jake0 comments

Jake,

I have a 3-season room that only needs to be finished on the inside. It is built over the basement but I will not be running HVAC in it. My roof has a 2/12 pitch and I’m curious about insulating and ventilating it. I live in the Midwest so we have extreme temps. There is also the possibility that we may put a gas fireplace in there some day, but only for Fall evenings. My plan was to use rafter vents and placing the insulation on top of the ceiling, same as an attic. Will this be sufficient? Is there a need for a plastic barrier? Thanks in advance.

John

John,

Once you enclose the room you will most likely create a sealed room with a variance between the indoor and outside temperatures – with or without mechanically heating the space.  Once this occurs you have the possibility of condensation occurring as the warm air goes to the cold air, which can lead to humidity issues.  Once humidity occurs you should have some sort of ventilation or air exchange available.

Adding batt insulation will require some sort of ventilation.

You  could consider using a closed cell type foam insulation, like Dimelec,  www.demilecusa.com, which doesn’t require ventilation.  This type of insulation is very handy when used in vaulted roofs that are difficult to vent.  The R value per inch is much higher with foam.

Install some nailing strips on the ceiling and then spray on the foam insulation, followed by a layer of drywall that can be finished and painted.

In the long run, you will have much more comfortable room.

Jake

How do I adjust window trim for thicker plaster?

April 30th, 2011Ask Jake, slide0 comments

I am trying to apply a 2nd layer over the original plaster wall in order to sound proof a room. I was going to use 5/8″ Quiet Rock. My concern is how to remove the window trim. Also, if I put a 2nd layer of Quiet Rock over the original plaster will I have to do anything different with the trim to make sure it still fits around the window?  Will the added layer create too much distance between window & trim?

Thanks, Ken

Ken,

Ken,
You are correct in thinking that you will have to make an adjustment to accommodate the new wall thickness. The existing window jambs and any door jambs are set up for the original wall thickness. You will be adding 5/8″  to your wall thickness, so you will have to add 5/8″ to the jambs. You will have to rip down like a 1 x 6 piece of wood to strips that are 5/8″ thick.  You should add 1/16″ to allow you to sand the exposed edge smooth. Attach these strips to the jambs and they should be flush with the new drywall and then you’re ready to reset your trim. It’s that easy.

Jake

Can I Remove and Reuse Old Oak Hardwood Flooring?

April 19th, 2011Ask Jake, slide0 comments

Jake-

Our old family home was struck by a tornado and is now condemned. There is over 1000sf of beautiful 60 year old oak hardwood on the floors. Can this be removed and reused? If so, what would be the best way to go about it? We would love to use this wood in our home, both to save money and to remember the old home place.

Thanks, Dean

Dean,

Removing old oak flooring can be very difficult.  When it was installed originally, the installers usually put it down so it would never come up.  We have removed a lot of hardwood floors over the years, however, it was never removed to be saved.  It’s way too labor intensive.  The wood wants to split when removed.   With that being said, you can remove it, but it will be a labor of love, if you know what I mean.  Each board will have to be pried up a little to raise the nail head, then the board moved back down and hopefully the head stays raised so you can get a nail-pulling tool on it.  Most hardware stores sell assortment of nail-pulling tools.  Two that I have used are the cat’s paw and end-cutting pliers.  You may decide to save just enough wood to make a cool table or finish off the flooring in a small room.  If you can get it all saved, I think you’ll find that there is a market for salvaged wood like this.  EBay would be a good place to put an ad.  Let me know how it goes for you.
Jake

How Do I Properly Remove Damaged Floor Joists?

April 5th, 2011Ask Jake, slide0 comments

I have a twelve foot span. The floor joist are damaged. How far do I have to sister the joist to make them structurally sound?

Robert,

I can’t answer this without seeing your situation.  There is no code written to deal with this type of problem.  Each case is different.  I can tell you  this, when we have come across damaged joists, we typically have gotten a structural engineer to advise us on a solution.  The city building official has required us to do this.

Solutions to damaged joists have included attaching a full joist alongside the damaged joist, from end to end.  There are specific nailing patterns, such as 4 rows of 16# nails, evenly spaced, 16″ on center.  We have attached BE” plywood on each side of the joist, 4′ on each side of the damage, with a similar nailing pattern.  Both of these remedies were determined by a structural engineer.

Floor joists sizes and spacings are figured by floor loads and types of lumber.  Damaged joists throw off the calculations and there is no simple way to correct this problem, short of replacing the joists.

Good luck.

Jake

How Do I Remove Soffits Above Kitchen Cabinets?

March 17th, 2011Ask Jake, slide0 comments

I am interested in removing the soffit in my kitchen. My first step was to drill a hole to look inside w/a flashlight, but when I tried to do this, I realized that the entire soffit is encased in solid wood w/drywall over it. Do you have any suggestions for removing it or design suggestions where I could use the existing soffit and turn it into storage. Thanks for your help!

Debra,

A common way of constructing soffits is to build a simple wooden frame and nail a plywood or OSB board over the frame and then attach this assembly to the wall and ceiling to create a soffit.  What you discovered is most likely the plywood or OSB they nailed over the framing.  It’s no big deal to remove the frame and covering, including the plywood and drywall if you want to eliminate the soffit.  Don’t let this wood keep you from pursuing your dreams.  What you still might find behind the soffits are some heat ducts, pipes and wires.  To inspect for these items, you will have to cut a hole large enough to stick your head in and take a look around.

I cannot recall ever converting soffits into storage space.  I don’t feel the time and cost to do this is worth the effort.  Matching cabinets will look much better.

Have fun with your remodeling.  Send me some photos, before and after, of your finished project and I’ll post them on my blog.

Jake

How Do We Get Rid of Above Cabinet Soffits?

March 5th, 2011Ask Jake0 comments

Hello Jake-

We have 3 walls of soffits over our 1989 contractor grade cabinets. Inside there are waste pipes from the 2 baths upstairs as well as 3/4inch copper pipe and electrical. Our ceilings are 90 inches high from the pre-finished hardwood floor, the soffits are 7.5 inches high and they protrude 4 inches beyond the 12 inch deep wall cabinets. How much crown, other molding and trim do you see us needing if we use 30 inch wall cabinets? We have been told it is possible to take down the drywall that encloses all the above mechanicals and I am dreading any ceiling repair or patching since it extends into the family room. Any suggestions?

Francine,

If you are using 30” wall cabinets and the cabinets are standard face-frame type construction, you won’t have very much room for trim.  You will only have around 2” of exposed wood above the cabinet doors to attach the molding to.  Thus, you will be able to use something like a 1 ¾” crown or cove mold.

You can remove the soffits and relocate the waste, water and electrical lines.  You will have a considerable amount of drywall work to complete.  This is a fairly large undertaking and will add expense to the project, maybe in the neighborhood of $2000.  Without seeing it, I cannot say for sure.

A qualified, professional remodeling company should be able to give you an estimate for the work.  You can usually find these type of contractors by visiting the National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s web site, www.NARI.org.

Thanks for writing in.

Jake

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