Shellac Stain Before Repainting

Question: After having our roof fixed, I’m confident about painting the brown spots on the non-acoustic ceiling where water leaked through. What should I do, though, about keeping the stains from bleeding through?

N.M.

Yorba Linda

Answer: “You’ll want to use some type of stain blocker or a pigmented shellac to cover them,” says Andy Carter of Sinclair Paint in Costa Mesa. “Otherwise, you will see them through your finish coat of paint. These stain blockers are available in small cans and even in aerosol sprays.

“After cleaning the area you’ll be painting, you just spray it on and let it dry for a few hours, then either use another coat if it’s a dark stain, or apply your finish coat of paint.”

Q: We have an old house, and we think it’s time to hang some smoke detectors just in case. How many are needed for an 1,800-square-foot house, and where should we put them?

D.D.

Santa Ana

A: “You’ll probably want at least one in the hallway and one near the front door,” says Gary Lillge of Crown Hardware in Corona del Mar. “If yours is a two-story house, you should hang one on the ceiling above the landing and one in an upstairs hallway.

“People often make the mistake of putting one in the kitchen, but smoke from cooking could set it off. The better smoke detectors can be put in a kitchen without any problem. They range in price from about $8 to $18, with the more expensive detectors having more features, such as a light that turns on when the alarm sounds.”

Q: I lost one of my garage door-opener remote devices. My local hardware store said it would be hard to replace because the Stanley system I use has an eight-digit code and today’s openers use a 10-digit code. Is there any way a 10-digit code would work for me?

T.Y.

Laguna Niguel

A: “You can probably find a replacement that’s compatible, you’ll just have to do a little more digging,” says Cheri Massey of Britten Overhead Door in Huntington Beach. “Usually, once a replacement is found that uses the right transmitter, the last two digits are left in the off position. You should probably try a garage door company, and bring along the model number and frequency of the transmitter, if possible, as well as your other opener.”

Q: My neighbors paid around $300 for a molded plastic kitchen faucet from Germany that they said is indestructible, will never leak or corrode. I said that anything with moving parts is prone to destruction. Who’s right?

R.E.

Tustin

A: “They may claim that these new faucets are ‘washerless,’ but the truth is they do have O-rings that need periodic replacement,” says Steve Johnson of Familian Pipe and Supply in Costa Mesa.

“They’re very well made, but there’s nothing so advanced about them that you won’t find on less expensive faucets. What you’re paying for is their design, which is unique. However, some American manufacturers have introduced faucets with similar designs and the same technology in plastic for about a third the cost. And they have replacement parts that are far less expensive and easy to find.”

Q: We’re getting a new refrigerator, and we’re putting our old one in the garage and using it for food storage until it conks out. However, someone mentioned to us that running an old fridge in a garage wastes lots of energy, because it can get hot in a garage during summer. Is that true?

B.R.

Anaheim

A: “As long as the refrigerator is in good running condition, you probably don’t have anything to worry about,” says appliance repairman Tom Bratman of Orange. “Make sure the coils are clean, so it doesn’t have to work through lots of dirt and dust.

“Also, check the condition of the gasket. Take a piece of paper and close the door on it and try to pull it out. If the paper comes out easily, it should be changed. By keeping it up, you can get it to survive the hot summer months.”