INSIDE & OUT : Skylight Is Letting In More Than Sunshine
Q. Our house has a dome-shaped plexiglass skylight in the kitchen, and recently we’ve noticed that condensation is developing on the inside and dripping down. How can this be stopped?
F.F., Anaheim
A. Over time, owners of plexiglass and other types of plastic, translucent skylights notice that the material becomes brittle with age, says Katy Jackson of Maley’s Glass in Anaheim. When this happens, it loses its seal, and condensation results. It may be time to replace the skylight and seal, especially if the plastic is scratched and old. If you’re not ready to do that, you may be able to alleviate the problem by resealing the outside edge of the skylight with a silicone caulk.
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Q. The last time I did some wallpapering, I trimmed the edges after the paper had dried a little, which seemed to be a good strategy since cutting it was easy to manage. Someone told me that next time I should cut the paper when it’s pretty wet. Who’s right?
G.K., Santa Ana
A. It’s always best to trim wallpaper while it’s still wet, says Christine Salmela of Dunn Edwards Paint & Wallcoverings in Laguna Hills. You’ll need to use new, sharp razor blades for the job, and make sure you get a pack of them, since they wear out quickly. The problem with letting the paper dry out before trimming it is you’ll find that it’s sticking to windows, the ceiling, the molding and other areas where you don’t want it to. When you pull the strips off, you’ll have to deal with removing the paste from those areas.
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Q. We bought a house last December that has a doggy door cut into the back kitchen door. That’s fine for people with pets, but we don’t have and don’t want any. Is there any way to close this opening and make it cosmetically appealing?
B.L., Brea
A. There are ways to fix a hole like this depending on the door, says Pete Gorman of Rancho Lumber in Westminster. With the common slab door, you can fill it with a piece of wood that fits and put some small molding around it to hide the edges. With some of the more intricately paneled doors, it’s harder to make a cosmetic fix, and you might want to simply cover the space with a piece of wood or sheet metal. If the door is a focal point in the room, you may need to replace the door.
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Q. A pipe leaked under my kitchen sink one night, and by morning the vinyl floor was under at least an inch of water. After the water was picked up, the seams of the floor became unglued, and they’ve darkened. I can probably glue down the edges, but how do I get rid of the dark stains?
S.L., Yorba Linda
A. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about water damage to a vinyl floor, says Becky Gonzales of Anaheim Centsible Tile. The dark staining you see is an indication that the backing of the vinyl has been contaminated, and there’s no way to fix that. You’ll probably want to check with your homeowner’s insurance if you haven’t already, since replacing the floor may be covered in your policy.
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Q. Our house has an old block wall around the perimeter of the back yard. While spray-painting some craft projects outside, I accidentally got some spray paint on the wall. It would look odd if I just painted over the spots, and I don’t want to paint the entire wall. What can I use to remove the spray paint?
C.A., Westminster
A. You can try some of the anti-graffiti products that most paint stores carry, says Rich Zelle of Hal’s Paint & Decorating in Fullerton. These are sprayed on and rubbed off and work pretty well on most spray-paint stains. However, if the wall is very porous, you may have a problem removing the stain completely. If the wall hasn’t been painted before, you can take a stiff brush and some lacquer thinner and try brushing deep into the porous surface, which may remove the remaining spray-paint stains.
