Home Improvment : Sealing Pine Curbs Knot Bleeding

QUESTION: I have built-in corner cabinets in my dining room that I painted to match the room trim. The cabinet doors are pine, and after two years, the knots are bleeding through and looking really bad. The doors now have four coats of paint but it doesn’t stop the bleeding. Is there an easy way to seal these knots to prevent this from happening again when I repaint the doors?

ANSWER: Probably your cabinet doors were not primed and sealed prior to the original painting. The Parks Corp. of Somerset, Mass., has a product called UnderCover, which they claim will keep wood-knot and sap stains sealed beneath its prime undercoat. UnderCover is available in paint stores and costs about $20 a gallon. Don’t add a fifth coat of paint to the cabinet doors. Strip off the four coats now on the doors and sand all the rough areas for a smooth, clean surface. Apply the UnderCover primer paint, let it dry thoroughly and then repaint.

Shower Diverter Valve Is Easy to Fix, Replace

Q: I have a problem with the shower diverter on my bathtub faucet. When the knob is pulled up to divert water to the shower, a lot of water continues to flow into the tub. Is there any way either to replace or repair this fixture without having to open up the wall?

A: Yes. The diverter valve mechanism you refer to is inside the tub faucet spout, not inside the wall. The spout is screwed onto the water pipe and can be unscrewed easily. Once the spout is off, you can see the mechanism. It’s a small gate valve on the base of the plunger shaft. Water pressure holds it up (closed position). Turn off the water and the gate valve drops, opening the tub spout so water flows into the tub next time it’s turned on.

If the diverter can’t be repaired, it’s cheap and easy enough to replace the entire spout, including the diverter mechanism. These spouts are available at plumbing supply stores and home centers and usually cost between $10 and $15.

There are different types and sizes of diverter spouts available, so take your old spout along to make sure you get the right one. Check especially that the setback distance of the threads within the spout matches the length of the protruding water pipe, so that you get a tight fit between the spout shoulder and the wall.

When replacing the spout, use pipe-joint compound or Teflon sealing tape on the threads to prevent leaks. Completely fill the hollowed-out back end of the spout with plumber’s putty to keep water from getting in behind it and penetrating the wall.