INSIDE & OUT : To Match a Patch, Use a ‘Pre-Stain’
Q Although labels on most wood fillers say that they’re “stainable,” I’ve never found one that blends into wood after staining. Is there a way to make stain attach to a filler?
W.O. Garden Grove *
A You’ll never find a filler that will perfectly match wood, says Joe Ragsdale of Color Center in La Mirada. However, there is a way to make it look better. Mix some of the filler putty with a little of the stain before you apply the filler. This “pre-stains” the patch and makes a better blend with the wood. This also makes your job messier, but you should get a better finished product.
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Q We have a small tiled bathroom. Although the tile is in good shape, it’s old and makes the room look outdated. I’d like to paper the room, since re-tiling would be too expensive, but can I paper over tile?
S.S. Anaheim *
A It can be done with the right preparation, says Jim Grant of Dutch Boy Home Decorating Center in Santa Ana. Blank stock, which is blank wallpaper that’s used to cover uneven surfaces, can be used over ceramic tile. You have to be extra careful to make sure the tile is free of mildew and hard-water deposits before applying the paper. On especially slick tile, a primer may have to be used to create a surface tacky enough for the wallpaper paste to adhere to.
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Q I’d like to put a mantel above my fireplace, but in making the measurements, I’ve found the wall is bowed, up to one-quarter inch in places. In the areas where there’s a slight difference, I can always caulk the gap between the mantel and the wall, but what do I do about the wider gaps?
F.T. Buena Park *
A You’ll probably want to put a piece of molding along the wall across the mantel, says Jim Gorman of Rancho Lumber in Westminster. You can either use a small rounded molding, such as quarter-round, cove or shoe, or a flat piece that would blend into the wall, depending on the look you’re trying to get. If that’s unacceptable, you can have a mantel made that will follow the contour of the wall, although it would be more expensive than the kind you can buy off the shelf.
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Q We have a decorative brass hose bib we’d like to put on the outside garden faucet near the front door. However, the old hose bib appears to be locked on, and I’ve had no success making it budge with a wrench. Any ideas?
W.O. Placentia *
A Although it’s described as “locked,” it’s most likely been soldered on, says Manny Gwartz of B.J. Discount Plumbing & Heating Supply in Garden Grove. You’ll have to drain the water out of the system at that point and unsolder the valve. Decorative bibs are usually threaded, which means an adapter will have to be soldered on to the line, giving you the threads that will allow you to screw on your new bib. Keep in mind that plumbing solder is different from the kind used by hobbyists. It’s self-fluxing, which means you need a little more heat to use it.
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Q We’re going to put up paneling in our den soon, and from my experience with finish carpentry work, I remember how difficult it is to hit the paneling nails in without denting the molding or the paneling. Is there a trick to getting them in there easily?
C.C. Irvine *
A There is a tool that’s designed to “push” the nail through the molding or paneling and set it in the wood, says Frank Eckert of Arrow True Value Hardware in Orange. It’s basically a six-inch tube with a wood handle, and it allows you to press the nail into the wood surface. This keeps you from making mistakes while holding the nail with your fingers and tapping it in. After it’s been pushed in and it’s holding, you can use a nail-set to hammer the nail into place.
