Unless You Have Know-How, Marble Installing Is a Job Best Left to Pros

Question: We’re considering installing marble tile in our foyer. We’d like to do it ourselves, but have been told that working with marble requires special tools. Is that the case?

W.E.

Orange

Answer: “Installing a marble floor is probably a job best left for a professional, unless you know just what you’re doing,” says Becky Gonzales of Anaheim Centsible Tile.

“It’s a natural product, and the tiles aren’t necessarily uniform in thickness. If you lay it just like a factory-made tile, you’ll probably notice that some of the tiles are higher than others. A professional will float it in a half-inch mortar bed, which allows you to vary the height of each tile to make them level.”

Q: We have Berber carpeting in our home and have received contradictory advice on how to clean it.

Is it better to have it dry-cleaned or cleaned normally with hot water or steam?

J.N.

Laguna Hills

A: “Berber is a different type of weave, but it’s the same fiber as other types of carpeting,” says Harvey Tessier of Colonial Carpeting in Westminster. “You don’t have to dry-clean it; it can be cleaned by other methods. It’s similar to nylon, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Q: We have some cracks and small holes in our drywall where we had furniture bump against the walls in one room.

Some of the cracks are bad, and some are hairline. How do you make the decision about when to patch the drywall and when to replace it?

E.D.

Anaheim

A: “It’s unusual for drywall to be cracked all the way through,” says Pete Gorman of Rancho Lumber in Westminster.

“Drywall is made with a sheet of paper covering it, and this is sometimes given a textured coating. You may see cracks that look like it’s all the way through the drywall, but it’s just a crack in the coating. This can be patched with drywall mud or an interior spackle. The small holes can be patched using a drywall patch kit, available at most hardware stores, or you can do it yourself with drywall mud.”

Q: We have a china cabinet that’s about 60 years old, and we have no key for its lock. Is there a way to find a skeleton key for it?

D.D.

Garden Grove

A: “The best way to find out is to get the lock out if you can,” says Ford Higgens of Carolina Craftsmen in Anaheim.

“There is a skeleton key available that can open 75% to 80% of the old-fashioned locks out there, but, of course, there are no guarantees. These kind of keys are in great demand, so anyone who sells quality furniture hardware should carry them.

“If you have a lock that doesn’t work with the skeleton key, blank keys are available for antique hardware, and you’ll have to have a locksmith cut one for you.”

Q: I’ve seen some material that looks like Silly Putty that you apply to the bottom of your figurines and crystal and supposedly will keep them from moving during an earthquake. Does it work?

A.S.

Yorba Linda

A: “These kinds of fixes are available, and they can help,” says glass repairman Steve Gracie of Anaheim, “but they’re just an option.

“If you have some glass figurines on a shelf, you may want to consider putting a very fine string of monofilament along the shelf to prevent them from falling off. Wood shelves can also be modified by placing a strip of thin molding along them to act as a ‘lip’ that protects collectibles or plates from sliding off.

“On some small china items, some people even put a tiny patch of Velcro on the piece and the shelf to hold it in place if the house starts shaking or even if someone bumps into the shelf.”