Mildew Can Leave a Lasting Mark
Question: Two years ago I put up wallpaper in one of my bathrooms, and now I’ve notice mildew spots in some of the corners. Is there anything that can be used to get this off?
T.W.
La Palma
Answer: “Unfortunately, mildew is one of those things that creates a permanent stain on wallpaper,” says Jody Grant of Pacific Decorating Center in Anaheim. “You’ll have to remove the paper in the area of the stain, clean the wall with a solution of bleach, water and a fungicide, then patch it. You should think about installing a paper that ‘breathes’ and allows moisture that collects on the wall to pass through.”
Q: We have a pair of fluorescent light fixtures in our kitchen that seem to burn through bulbs fairly quickly. We have to change one bulb or the other about every six weeks, and a friend told us that we may be turning the lights off and on too much. Can this be causing the problem?
H.J.
Huntington Beach
A: “I think the problem is more likely to be the quality of the bulbs you’re using,” says David Galluccio of Harbor Lites in Costa Mesa. “If the fixture had a short, it probably wouldn’t be working at all. You should be using a good brand name bulb. You get what you pay for, which is why you should stay away from the 89-cent specials.”
Q: Periodically, when the tank in one of our toilets refills with water after flushing, the water will go slightly over the top of the tank and drip down the sides. Can I fix this without having to call in a plumber?
R.M.
Santa Ana
A: “It sounds like the problem is in the ball float mechanism, which is easy for anyone to fix,” says plumber Harvey Young of Lake Forest. “Take the lid off the tank, turn off the water supply valve at the wall, then flush the toilet. The ball should hang freely. If it’s plastic, it may have water inside that’s not letting it float correctly, and you’ll have to unscrew it and replace it. If it’s foam, you may need to adjust it by bending the rod down, so that a lower water level will shut off the valve.”
Q: I want to strip some door jambs in an old house down to the bare wood in order to prepare them for staining. I’m tempted to use a heat gun to do the job, but I’ve been told this isn’t good for old wood. Is this true?
C.H.
Tustin
A: “As long as you’re following the directions, you shouldn’t have a problem,” says Andre Parks of Sinclair Paint in Santa Ana. “Generally, a heat gun works well when you’re trying to remove multiple coats of paint, such as what you’d find in an older house. You hold the heat gun over the area you’re working on and then use a putty knife to scrape away the softened layers of paint.”
Q: Can those pre-assembled plastic or Formica kitchen cabinets be repainted? The ones that came with house we bought are black, and I’d like to change the color.
R.W.
Newport Beach
A: “You can paint those without any problem; you just need the right primer,” says Harold Brobst of Hal’s Paint and Decorating in Fullerton. “There are some good alkyd water-based primers that are easy to work with and that will create a good smooth surface to paint on. After it’s primed and allowed to dry thoroughly, you can use whatever paint you’d like as a finish coat.”
