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.

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Hanging Rugs On Walls

Q: I was at the movie theatre and noticed some walls covered with actual rug material looked really smooth and nice. I have a room that has really bad walls and I was wondering if it would be a good idea as a quick job to add low weight rug material to the walls using some compatible adhesive to get it to stick. The walls have a high gloss paint (that unfortunately added to the problem 4 years ago). Should I score the wall to expose areas where the adhesive can really stick? I don't want to do a great job adding the rugs and they peal off on the first hot day. Also - would the rugs on the walls create a dust or fibers in the air situation? The warmth factor and quieter environment should be benefits in addition to the smooth wall appearance.

A: Hanging carpets and rugs used to be very common – known as tapestries when hung on a wall. It has some advantages - reduces noise, and provides reasonable insulation. The disadvantages are that it does collect dust and must be vacuumed.

To install it, it is easier to use a door entrance tack strip rather than gluing - these are available at any carpet retailer or big box retailer. It is made of aluminum and has numerous pins protruding on an angle; it is used to hold carpet in position at a door entrance. If you mount it at the top of the wall, and then you hang the carpet on the hooks - it works, I have done it!

To install it, it is easier to use a door entrance tack strip rather than gluing - these are available at any carpet retailer or big box retailer. It is made of aluminum and has numerous pins protruding on an angle; it is used to hold carpet in position at a door entrance. If you mount it at the top of the wall, and then you hang the carpet on the hooks - it works, I have done it!

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Tearing Down Plaster Walls

Q: I have been thinking of how nice it would look to tear down the wall between the kitchen and dining room and opening up that area. I just thought it would look really nice and I could put a sort of a bar right by the stove going into the dining room. I haven't given it a lot of thought because I wasn't sure how hard it would be or how much money it would cost. But I just watched an episode of Flip this house and they did exactly what I have thought of doing. And it looked great. I have never tore down plaster walls. But I have tore down sheetrock walls and built little niches in the walls and made them kind of like a museum to show off pieces of art. But I think plaster walls would be a lot harder to tear down than sheetrock is. What do you all think?

A: There are a lot of items to consider before you start tearing down walls. I suggest you follow the link.

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Exposing A Brick Wall In Kitchen‏

Q: I'm pretty new to home improvement so any advice would be welcome! We just bought a first floor apt in a 101 year old building in Brooklyn. One side of our kitchen has a brick wall which is covered with a layer of sheetrock and a layer of linoleum. It is ugly and we'd like to expose the brick. Given that the building is 101 years old--and the fact that ants seem to be coming through the bricks and through a crack in the sheetrock/lino layer--I wonder how much work we'd have to do to the brick so it wouldn't be crumbling into our food.

A: If it is an outside wall, then you are going to have to check the mortar between the bricks and possibly re-point. I would also suggest from a heating/ac standpoint that you want to put some sort of wall between the outside brick wall and the inside so that you can provide some insulation factor.

You will need to spray to remove the ants or use ant traps after you figure
out how they are getting in and seal accordingly.

You can paint brick with an insulating material, once you have fixed any
problems with the mortar and the bricks.

Pointing and replacing bricks can be a major exercise!

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Laminate Flooring on walls?

Q. Would it be possible... or practical... or cost effective to use laminate wood flooring on a bathroom wall? There is no tub or shower, so moisture shouldn't be an issue. I'm planning to use tile on the floors, but I found some inexpensive interlocking bamboo laminate flooring that I think would look nice to use half way up the walls to go with my Asian theme. Since these are usually used as "floating" floors, what would be the best way of attaching it to the wall? Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcomed.

A. Technically there is no reason why you cannot use laminate flooring on a wall. I would use some construction adhesive. I would also use an overlapping molding to finish the top and put the baseboard in front of the planks rather than butting the planks to the top of the baseboard. Lay a bead of caulking on the floor to allow the planks to expand and contract.

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Hanging Items On Plaster Walls

Q: I need to put some screws into a wallpaper covered plaster wall. Anything I should know before just doing it? Nothing weight bearing. Holding up some vertical boards with L brackets/corner braces.

A: You have to use anchors of some kind. If there is truly no weight you can use the plastic anchors that expand as you drive the screw into them. Drill a hole first. If there is some weight you should consider using the toggle style that grip from behind by expanding when a bolt is threaded into them.

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