The Money Pit Calls & Answers

Find out how to remove a rust stain from marble. Get tips on making a poultice out of kaolin or fuller’s earth or diatomaceous earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get hot water to a remote bathroom in your home. Learn about your two options: either add a recirculating loop or a second water heater closer to the bathroom in question. Get tips on putting your electric water heaters on a timer so Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out where to look for wooden accordion doors. Get tips on visiting Woodfold.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to install HardieBacker cement board. Learn why you don't need to glue down the cement board; it attaches mechanically with nails or fasteners. After you put the board down, add thinset and then tile on top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to clean algae and moss from a roof with Wet and Forget. Get tips on using a pressure washer gently (rinsing rather than blasting) so as not to damage your roof. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why a metal roof is a much better option than a shingle roof. Get tips on visiting MetalRoofing.com to explore the possibilities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you don't need to put down a moisture barrier when installing a laminate or engineered hardwood floor over concrete. Get tips on checking out LumberLiquidators.com to browse their flooring options. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to secure a wood floor. Get tips on drilling counterbored holes and using wood plugs to cover them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why it is a bad idea to install an attic fan if you have central air conditioning. Learn why it can actually steal air conditioned air from the interior of your home. So if you have central air, stick with passive attic ventilation, meaning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix a settling drainage field. Get tips on covering it up with additional fill dirt and putting grass or sod over it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to manage two thermostats. Get tips on using a clock setback thermostat and learn about a new type of thermostat called the ecobee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the correct order of events to follow when insulating your home. Get tips on first looking at the attic, then the floor, then your walls. Learn why it's OK to blow insulation over old siding as long as you are going to cover it up with new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to wash vinyl siding. Get tips on using a product called Krud Kutter to clean your siding. Learn why you should get rid of artillery fungus as soon as possible, because it can eat away at your siding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why the solution to the problem of the wind ripping off your storm doors is to get rid of the doors. Get tips on replacing your exterior doors with fiberglass doors, which are energy-efficient and tougher and have built-in ventilation so you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix a door missing a chunk of wood. Get tips on using Bondo, a wood filler, to build up the damaged part of the door. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how a private insurance adjuster can help you file an insurance claim for water damage after a storm. Get tips on where to look for a good private insurance adjuster and learn how to prevent basement moisture in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get rid of chiggers without using pesticides or chemicals. Get tips on keeping your lawn short and dry to make it less of a hospitable environment for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to keep water from your sprinkler away from your windows. Get tips on adjusting the sprinkler heads so the water doesn't hit your windows. Also learn about Rain-X, a product designed for car windshields that you could use to make your Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to seal a cracked granite countertop. Get tips on using silicone to seal the crack and cutting away any excess with a razorblade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove floor adhesive from hardwood. Get tips on hiring a professional to scrape off the glue and then use a belt sander to get down to fresh hardwood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what kind of electric water heater is the most efficient. Get tips on switching to a heat pump water heater, which will provide decent returns after the initial investment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to grow herbs in a basement apartment. Get tips on visiting LittleGreenhouse.com to learn about the types of grow lights you will need for your specific space and the plants you want to grow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to insulate a new home. Get tips on insulating the exterior walls with Tyvek and the interior walls with fiberglass with a vapor barrier attached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you shouldn't try to fix slanted floors in an old house. Instead, consider them part of the charm. Get tips on floating the floor with a floor-leveling compound in a single room that you really need a level floor in, such as the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the correct way to remove a tree stump. Learn why you don't need a backhoe to tear up your yard and get the stump out in full. Instead, grind the stump a foot or so below the ground and let nature do the rest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices