INSIDE & OUT : Off-the-Shelf Stains Won’t Do? Try a Neutral Base

QI have seen some beautiful wood stain finishes on furniture, but when I’ve tried to get them at my hardware and paint stores, all they have available are the common wood-tone stains. I’ve been told that many of these custom stains are made by the furniture refinisher and aren’t generally available. Is there an alternative?

N.Y. Huntington Beach *

A. You may want to look at a new stain produced by Benjamin Moore that’s neutral, says Greg Smith of Carroll’s Paint in Westminster. It’s a tintable base stain, into which the paint store can add pigments to match the look you’re trying to achieve. With some skill, an experienced mixer can figure out which pigments to use to match nearly any stained furniture.

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Q. My indoor-outdoor carpeting seems to have lost its mildew resistance. The mildew spots build up quickly in damp weather, and the only way to get them out is to flush them with water from the hose. How can I prevent this from happening?

I.F. Laguna Hills *

A. First you’re going to have to find out why the moisture keeps coming back, says Hoyt Aldridge of Hoyt’s Carpets and Floor Covering in Westminster. This is because with the moisture you’ll find mildew. If the carpeting is installed on a patio or along the side of the house, the problem is often that there’s too much shade and not enough sunlight to dry out the moisture. You could also have a drainage problem, water falling onto the carpet or in some way pooling onto it when it rains.

Pull the carpet back, as well as the pad if you have one. After it’s completely dry, you can apply an algaecide, which should be available at any pool or janitorial supply store, to the carpet.

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Q. We bought a house last summer and the previous owner had painted the floor of the garage. Now the paint is coming off in large chips, especially where the tires sit. We’d like to remove the old paint and just leave the cement. Would it be best to use paint remover or heat the paint and scrape it off?

J.W. Costa Mesa *

A. Your best bet is to scrape it off, says Rich Zele of Hal’s Paint & Decorating in Fullerton. Using a paint remover in a situation like that can cause a real mess. Sandblasting is also an option if you find that the paint is adhered too well to be easily scraped.

It sounds as though there may have been a problem with the preparation of the floor before it was painted. Possibly it wasn’t cleaned correctly, or they didn’t let it cure long enough. If you have a painted garage floor, it’s also a good idea to lay some carpet remnants where the car tires sit. This is because your tires are often hot after a long drive and they can blister a painted floor.

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Q. One of our 14-year-old toilets had a broken flush valve recently and instead of going to the trouble of replacing the entire valve, I used a kit that fits a new flush valve on top of the old one. The valve itself seems to operate just fine, except that it seems to get caught up in the rod from the handle. Any ideas?

P.M. Irvine *

A. The problem may be that the kit needs to be sitting at a different angle, says plumber Randy Sigmund of Yorba Linda. When you pull the handle and the stopper, which is probably on a hinge, lifts up, the rod is causing it to pause. See if there’s a way to move the stopper in a different direction. If not, you’ll have to move the new valve until you find an angle where it can open and close freely.

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Q. We have marble tile in our foyer and at a recent party someone spilled salad dressing containing vinegar on the floor. It wasn’t seen or cleaned up until several hours later and the result was that the tiles had a dull sheen. Is there a way to restore it?

W.C. Buena Park *

A. A professional can buff out abrasions in marble, and with an expensive surface like that you probably wouldn’t want to take a chance and do it yourself, says tile installer Gary Lambert of Garden Grove. Vinegar has acid and any acid product will do that to marble, which is why you must be careful when cleaning it. Only use cleaners that are made specifically for marble tile.