Q–Two of the wooden posts in my back-yard fence are starting to wobble because they apparently have started to rot out at the ground level. I know they should be replaced, but I will be selling this house in a few years, so I want to merely repair them for now.
What is the best way to repair these posts without having ugly and troublesome braces angling out and going down into the ground on either side of each post?
A–The simplest solution would be to reinforce each post with extra lengths of 2-by-4, driven into the ground on opposite sides of each post. Bolt them to the post above the rotted area.
If available, use pressure-treated lumber for the 2-by-4s, but if this isn’t possible, soak each piece in a wood preservative overnight after cutting to size and boring the holes for the bolts.
Create a slight slope at the top of each piece to help water run off when it rains.
Q–The house I moved into last fall had a sump pump and no sign of water in the basement. But then a couple of months later, the sump was filling up with water so fast I had to install a second sump hole, as well as a backup for the first sump pump.
The sump pump in one hole now cycles every two minutes. What can I do to get a regular flow so I can use this basement?
A–You obviously have a serious water problem that may require some changes around the outside.
Such changes might involve redirecting the water that comes off your roof and down through the gutters, or possibly regrading the soil next to the house.
There’s also a possibility that you may have to install “drain tile” around the outside of the foundation, or around the inside of your basement walls.
You need to call in one or two professional basement waterproofing contractors to check on all of this with on-site inspections. I suggest you call in more than one contractor before making a decision.
Q–The brick fireplace in our home had been painted by the previous owners and now we want to remove the paint to restore the natural brick look. What is the best way to do this?
A–You can remove most of the old paint with a non-flammable, semi-paste chemical paint remover that can be washed off with water. But remember, brick is very porous so some of the old paint may remain deep in the pores and sometimes is almost impossible to remove completely.
If you decide to go ahead, cover the floor and surrounding area to protect against drips, then apply the remover to a few square feet at a time, slapping it on as thick as possible with a large paint brush and without brushing back and forth.
Allow this to soak on the surface for the time recommended on the label, then scrub off the softened residue with a stiff bristle brush dipped into detergent and water. Repeat as often as necessary, or until no more paint comes off.
Q–When I leave the window open in my bedroom, the dresser near the window gets covered with a fine layer of sooty dust that actually smears when I try to wipe if off. This dresser has a satin finish on it, not a high gloss.
Would the finish be easier to clean if I applied a coat of furniture wax to this finish?
A–The wax would make it easier to wipe the soot off, and would make it less likely to create stains that will be as hard to remove as they are now, but it would not necessarily prevent smearing.
However, I think waxing would still be a good idea and would make it possible to remove smears by wiping with a mild, all-purpose household cleaner of some kind.
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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.
