Q-I want to install a 36-inch whole-house attic fan to help cool the house during the evening hours after the sun goes down. I know I have to cut an opening in the upstairs ceiling (the attic floor) to permit the fan to draw air up from below, but I am confused about how and where the fan itself should be installed.
Some say it should be laid down horizontally directly over the louvers on the attic floor, and others say it`s best to install the fan vertically against one of the end walls in the attic. What do you think?
A-Both methods are acceptable, but the most popular method is to install the fan horizontally over the ceiling louvers.
However, you must also install louvers or openings at each end of the attic so the exhausted air can escape easily to the outside. These openings must have a total unobstructed area that is at least 10 percent larger than the fan`s ceiling opening (remember that louvers and screens will cut down the actual size of the opening by almost 50 percent).
Installing an attic fan vertically against an end wall is simpler, but the trouble is that then the attic must be almost airtight, otherwise it will be drawing air in from outside as well as from the floors below. This form of installation is often impractical because most attics have openings around the eaves to vent condensation.
Dulled laminate
Q-We have a wood kitchen table with some type of laminate on the top. This table is about 10 years old and the gloss seems to be gone from the laminate. The wood finish on the rest of the table is in perfect condition, so it seems unwise to buy a new table. Is there any way you know of to restore the gloss to the top?
A-I assume the laminate is a plastic such as Formica or some similar product. If so, you might try using one of the various polishes that are sold in hardware stores and home centers for restoring the gloss to faded plastic laminates.
If this doesn`t do the trick, here are two other solutions. One is to apply a polyurethane varnish. Scrub the surface thoroughly first and then, when it`s dry, sand lightly with fine abrasive paper. Next, apply two coats of the varnish, sanding lightly between coats. This varnish will have to be renewed periodically, depending on the amount of wear it gets.
The other solution is to apply a new layer of plastic laminate directly on top of the old one after thoroughly sanding the old surface.
Sagging floor
Q-We live in an old country home and the kitchen floor sags about 3/4-inch in the center. The original oak floor was covered with a layer of plywood and then with pine on top of that. I would love to go back to the original oak flooring, but want it to be level. There is a full basement under this kitchen. Do you have any suggestions on how I can level this floor?
A-A 3/4-inch sag is quite a bit to correct, but unless there is a serious structural problem it may be possible to jack the floor up in stages by using a couple of telescoping steel jack posts under the floor beams.
Sold in most lumber yards and home centers, these are adjustable steel columns that have a screw type jack at the upper end. They must be be set up on a solid concrete base or footing (a 4-inch-thick concrete floor, if in good condition, is usually adequate).
In most cases you will have to place a heavy beam crosswise under the sagging floor joists, then position the new steel posts under each end of this. You raise this post VERY, VERY slowly by turning the screw jack at the top only about one quarter of a turn every three or four days until the floor is level-or almost level. Directions are usually packed with these posts, which are left permanently in place, but if structural problems are suspected you may be better off calling in a professional carpenter to do this job.
Rubber-backed carpet
Q-We are trying to remove some rubber-backed carpet that was on the floor when we bought our house. The rubber seems to have adhered to the wood flooring and is almost impossible to remove. What can we do short of tearing up the wood flooring?
A-Your best bet would be to scrape up and pull up as much of the rubber backing as you can, then rent a drum-type floor sanding machine to take off the rest, sanding till the bare wood is exposed.
But this is possible only if the flooring is solid wood. If the flooring consists of wood squares or wood tiles that have only a thin veneer on top then sanding may be impractical because heavy sanding might remove most of this thin veneer. If this is the case, tearing up the flooring may be your only alternative.
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Have a question about home repair problems? Write to Bernard Gladstone in care of Your Place, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns. Sorry, letters cannot be answered personally.
