The Money Pit Calls & Answers

Find out why you don't need to apply a sealer over danish oil on the interior walls of your wood cabin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to find out if installing solar panels will be worth the investment for you. The installer should be able to calculate how many years it will take for you to get a payback; ask yourself if you will stay in the house that long. If not, other green, money-saving improvements include adding insulation or getting a more efficient AC unit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...

Find out why stripped bolts could be the problem with a toilet that won't stay tightened to the floor. Get tips on how to match the old bolts and replace the wax seal before you reattach the toilet with the new bolts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to use a siding wash product such as OxiClean or Jomax to clean your wood deck. Get step by step instructions for mixing with bleach, applying, letting sit, rinsing, and letting dry very well. Then use an oil-based primer and a solid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to prevent basement flooding by making sure that your downspouts extend at least four to six feet away from your foundation. Learn why you should also slope the soil away from the walls using clean fill dirt instead of topsoil, which is Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove excess oil from door hinges that have been sprayed with too much lubricant. Get tips on taking the door off the hinges and wiping both sides thoroughly before putting it all back together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to maintain a flat membrane roof. Get tips on keeping debris off the roof and applying fibrous aluminum paint to reflect sunlight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you shouldn't prune trees too late in the season: the new growth makes the tree vulnerable to the cold. Get tips on using electric lighting as a source of additional heat and keeping the tree moist and watered so it doesn't radiate heat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair a bell tower with rotted panels. You need to be at roof level to work on it. Pull off the shingles and roof sheathing and install new pieces of sheathing. Then install a good underlayment, such as Grace Ice and Water Shield, and Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to replace cedar siding that has been damaged by a woodpecker. If the holes are too big to fill in, the best thing to do is pry up the piece above them, cut out the bad pieces and put a new piece in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to pour concrete for a three-bay garage with an above-ground lift. Get tips on putting a lot of extra concrete underneath the lift post. Also learn why you should divide the slab into thirds and put two expansion joints in between the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn about how the EasyWater System works and decide if it suits your application. Find information about the EasyWater System and its inventor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out about radiant barrier paint. Get tips on how radiant barrier paint can help keep a building cool even in extreme heat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out which wood siding is better for your project, pine or cedar. Learn about the advantages of cedar siding and how to properly stain wood siding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on adding insulation to an attic that already has insulation. Find out which insulation to use, and learn about a website that can help you determine how much insulation you should use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you can't use cement to repair a crack in concrete. Instead, get tips on using an epoxy patching compound, which is designed to both fill the voids and seal them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what your options are to give your old countertops a makeover. Get tips on buying paint kits from Rust-Oleum, Modern Masters or Giani. Learn why you should prep the surface before you paint, and let the paint dry well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair scratches in prefinished hardwood flooring. If the scratches are small, you can use stain sticks from Minwax to hide the cracks. But if the scratch is big, you have to tear out the affected planks and replace them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove rust from a propane tank, then prime and paint it. Get tips on using a wire brush to remove the rust and loose paint and choosing a primer rated for metal, such as Rust-Oleum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why it is a bad idea to mix different kinds of indoor wall paint in an effort to make your concrete floor look like stone. Instead, use an epoxy paint that adheres well to concrete. You can buy two or three different colors and create the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rolled on and blown in insulation will both be equally effective if they are installed properly. However, unfaced fiberglass batt insulation is easier to handle and preferable in most cases. You want to put down 18 to 20 inches, and make sure you have Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why it is a good idea to remove your asphalt shingle roof before installing a metal roof. If you left the shingles on and they started to curl underneath the metal roof, it could raise up the space. Additionally, the layer of shingles will Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to make a sliding glass porch enclosure to keep out winter wind. Have a channel up top and a channel down below and have both be attached to the porch opening. Then drop in some framed panels covered with clear Plexiglas by sliding them Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what your options are to replace basement carpeting after a flood or sewer back-up. You can go with laminate flooring, engineered hardwood flooring or even low-cost ceramic tile. If the floor is uneven, the solution is not to pour more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you can't fix a cracked concrete driveway by putting asphalt over it. It will only continue to crack and will also lift sections of the asphalt at the same time. The solution is to rent a jackhammer and pull out the bad concrete. Then put Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices