Removing Skim Coat From Basement Walls

Q: I'd like to apply a skim coat to my basement wall. It is a 1939 house and has an old skim coat on it, which has been coming off for some time, both outside and inside. I'll need to remove the old skim coat and want to know the best way to do this. Also, will there be a lot of fumes meaning I'd have to do it in the summer with open windows? I noticed there is a small crack on the concrete near a corner wall outside. This is the corner of the house where a lot of moisture would gather from melting snow and rain. Inside the basement at that point, the drywall has bulged out in a vertical line of 3-4 inches from the moisture. It's not a big deal at this point but I'm wondering if it may become a big deal.

A: Without seeing the skim coat, my first thought would be to use a high power pressure washer. If you hit the skim coat from an angle at a point where the skim coat has come off you should be able to get the power washer under the skim coat. No smell. You should consider placing plastic sheeting over the ceiling.

You should repair that crack - cracks only get worse and will cause damage.

Link

Do We Have To Level Our House?‏

Q: We have a very old house that of course has settled unevenly over the years. Actually there is just one spot in the middle that seems to have sunk. My question is after we get it stabilized (by using a jack) do we need to jack it back up to level, or can we just leave it like it is? We will be replacing all the windows and siding, so I thought they could just cheat when they put them up and make them level within the framework that's there. There is only two interior doors that are affected and they just need a little taken off the bottom.

A: Never do half a job! Jack the floor up to level. You will have no end of problems in the future.

Link

Asbestos Siding Repair

Q: I'm considering buying a home with asbestos siding. I have been told that I can remove it myself if I keep it wet, take my time, and don't break it as I remove it. But I have also been told that I can leave it and it won't be harmful as long as it's not disturbed. I was told I can paint it or I could side over it. I'd rather not have to remove it, and initially I'd like to just paint it until I decide what to do long-term. Is it true that I can just paint it and it won't be a health issue? A few of the pieces are already chipped--the house was probably built around 1912--but all the chipping looks to have happened quite a while ago.

A: This type of siding, also called "transite" or "asbestos slate" was pretty popular in the 1940's and 1950's. Someone probably put in on the house then as an attempt to make the house more maintenance free. I really like this siding because paint lasts a long time on it, and it is somewhat fire resistant. Some manufacturers are making fiber cement panels in matching profiles so people can use the new stuff to patch the old.

Back in 1994, when I bought my first house with this type of siding, I was told that I could remove it myself, but my local laws have changed, and now I would have to hire a licensed abatement contractor to remove it.

The stuff is really, really brittle. You will never, ever, get more than a couple of pieces off the house without breaking them.

A very important consideration is disposal - even if you are allowed to remove the siding yourself, very few dumps will accept asbestos.

Link

Parque Floor Disaster!

Q: We bought this house last year and it has nice clean carpet when we moved in. To make a long story short we got screwed. Turns out after the stains started coming up a few months later that whoever lived here before us just let their animals pee and poop wherever they wanted. We have children and have allergies so we are in a bind. We have been pulling up the carpets as we can. The two kids rooms we put down plywood flooring and stained it and used polyurethane on it. It looks good for the kid’s rooms but can't do that in the rest of the house as it scratches easily, etc. We went through the options since we have to do this ourselves and on not much extra money and came up with the parquet as the cheapest, easiest way to replace the carpet we have pulled up. Then my husband did the entryway with the parquet. It looked beautiful for a week or two but now the part along the wall is buckling and we can't figure out where we went wrong. We still have a living room, den and bedroom to do so we really want to know what we did wrong so we don't do it again in the other rooms. Can anyone give me any advice? What my husband did is put adhesive down first and then the parquet.

A: One of the most common errors with hardwood (which is what parquet is) is not to let it acclimatize to the room its being placed in. This requires 48 to 72 hours. The boxes need to be opened so that the air in the room can get around the wood. Most warehouses are very dry, the wood will suck moisture from the air in your home and expand and when it expands, if it has nowhere to go it buckles. Another error is to place the parquet tight against the wall, there should be 3/8” to ½” gap between the edge of the parquet and the wall (for expansion).

Link

Leaking Foundation‏

Q: We have had a lot of rain and snow lately and I have noticed rainwater leaking from the wall in our basement. Should we put concrete over the dripping part? We are first time homebuyers and our house is over 100 years old and also has plumbing issues. We had a plumber out to snake the pipes and was pulling out dirt. Who should we call to help us on that?

A: You need to repair the leak properly and putting concrete over it is not the answer. The fix is relative to the problem. You can learn more about basement water leakage by following the link:

Link

Major Kitchen Remodel

Q: I am new to this list, so hi everyone. I have a started home in St. Paul, MN, from 1940. Most of the house has been updated, including an added bathroom in the basement. The kitchen has never been updated, and the appliances are at least 25 years old. I plan on a major remodel, with the intent to sell in three years. The work involves opening the wall between the kitchen and dining room, adding a peninsula there, closing off a window to have a U-shape (with the range and micro on that wall - currently the frig is next to the range), new cabs and countertops, basically redoing everything. Should all appliances be the same brand? Is it worth it to install ceramic tile versus other flooring?

A: You are undertaking the most expensive home remodel project - the kitchen. There are a lot of things that you should consider and you may find the information on the link of benefit:

As to your specific questions - each manufacture has variations in the shades and colors of appliances - so if you want a perfect match, stick to the same manufacturer (I read that there are 17 colors of white with all the manufacturers of appliances).

Flooring - consider the flooring from the kitchen use. Ceramic, Porcelain, Marble, etc. nice appearance - hard on the legs. You can get more info on floor choices at:

http://www.renovation-headquarters.com/flooringindex.htm

Link

Bathroom Floor

Q: My bathroom floor has at least three layers to it. I think the first layer is the hardwood that is through out the rest of my house. It seems the next layer is some hideous looking linoleum or something like that, the next layer is what looks like plywood, and the next is self-adhesive tiles. I know that I need to take the last layer up before anything else can be done to it but should I take the rest up too. I want to do a mosaic type ceramic tiling.

A: I would take it all up. Get back down to the sub-floor and start over. At some point you will have a problem with the toilet drain and having to add another ring to raise the drain.

However, if you are comfortable with the toilet drain and the additional floor height, you can put ceramic on the plywood. Make sure the plywood is screwed down tight to the floor, any spring in the floor and the grout will crack between the mosaic tiles.

Link