The Money Pit Calls & Answers

Find out how to remove old carpet padding that is stuck to your wood floor. Get tips on removing as much as you can, and then hiring a floor-refinishing company to use a belt sander to restore the floor to a beautiful finish. Learn why keeping your Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair a concrete floor that is wearing away and becoming powdery. Get tips on using a concrete resurfacing product, such as one from Quikrete, and following the directions to apply it properly. Learn why power washing is not a good Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what material you should use to build a long-lasting deck. Learn about the benefits of treated wood vs. composite decking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair cracks in a concrete basement wall. Learn why you should use a product specifically made for crack repair, such as one made by Quikrete, because they are flexible and designed to stick to the concrete. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what you can do about a burn hole on a laminate countertop. Learn why you can't just cover it with a laminate patch -- it will look bad. Instead, get tips on your other options, such as covering the burn hole with a built-in cutting board, or Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to add insulation to warm up a room. Learn why you should insulate the floor and ceiling rather than the walls. Get tips on sealing, caulking, and replacing drafty windows and doors if you want to do something to the walls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out your options to protect your kitchen wall from getting damaged when the lid of your foot-pedal trash can pops up. Get tips on using Plexiglas on the wall, a felt bumper on the lid, or rubber childproof edging on the lid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to clean mold off your screen pool enclosure. Get tips on using an environmentally friendly product called Wet & Forget. You can use a garden sprayer to apply it to any exterior surface, including screening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to use wood logs as a decorative border around a raised garden bed. Learn why you should use pressure-treated ties rather than untreated wood, which will rot. Get tips on pre-drilling the wood and using 12-inch spikes to keep the ties in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to seal a water stain on your ceiling with primer before you paint to ensure that the stain doesn't show through. Get tips on priming the entire ceiling and then painting the entire ceiling for the best result. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what is causing the plaster to come off the drywall. Learn why a bonding agent should be directly applied to raw drywall. You shouldn't prime it first. Get tips on putting up a thin layer of drywall and starting over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair a cracked door frame. Learn why it is caused by the normal expansion and contraction of your house. Get tips on sanding down the area and covering it with perforated drywall tape for a permanent fix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair cracks in a concrete block wall. Learn why horizontal cracks are more worrisome than vertical cracks. Get tips on filling the vertical cracks with a silicone sealant that will stick to concrete, unlike mortar. Also learn why you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get the smell of pet urine out of your flooring. Get tips on either priming your old subflooring with oil-based primer to seal the wood, or replacing it entirely with OSB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn about the benefits of a tankless water heater and get tips on how to evaluate the manufacturer's service contracts to see if they are worth the money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to keep your aluminum sunroom warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Get tips on adding a mini-split ductless system to supplement your existing HVAC plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the best type of flooring for areas in your home that get a lot of traffic from kids and pets. Get tips on getting laminate flooring with a commercial-grade finish, which is the most durable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what kind of dimmer you can use with LED lights. Get tips on getting the Lutron Skylark Contour C-L Dimmer from Home Depot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to pull up carpet in a basement and learn what your options are for a new floor. Get tips on finding an effective adhesive remover and learn why tile is a better idea than paint, which is bound to look uneven. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the best way to protect your home from lightning. Get tips on installing a lightning-rod system correctly so that the cables connecting the rods to the ground source run nowhere near any other copper wiring or copper plumbing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to stop sound from transferring between rooms. Learn why a permanent solution requires you to put in sound-deadening wallboard and seal any gaps in the ceiling frame. Your other option is to put some sound deadening underneath the carpet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to replace old weighted windows. Get tips on cutting the weights and removing the pulleys and sashes. Learn how to measure your window frames so you can order replacement windows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to cover up rust spots on a porcelain bathtub. Get tips on using a product called Porc-a-Fix that you can find in any home center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to repair peeling drywall tape. Get tips on cutting off the loose tape instead of trying to spackle over it. Learn the proper repair method: apply three coats of spackle, sanding in between each coat, then prime and paint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix a dryer that isn't heating properly. Learn what the three culprits could be: the heating element, the ductwork, or the thermostat. Get tips on either having the appliance serviced, or replacing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices