Q–I am building a number of cabinets and shelving units in my family room, using a good grade of plywood with a fine hardwood veneer on the face.
I do not have a table saw and am using a portable circular saw with a fine-tooth blade, but I still have a problem with getting clean, perfectly straight cuts without a lot of splintering. Can you offer any suggestions that would help ensure straight cuts with little or no splintering?
A–Work from the back side of the plywood when cutting with a portable power saw. Lay a strip of wide masking tape down along the line of cut, then draw the actual cut line on the tape. Use a sharp utility knife along this line to cut through the tape and score the top layer of plywood deeply at the same time. (It’s usually best to use a metal straightedge as a guide for the knife.)
Then, with the saw, cut through the tape and plywood at the same time. The saw blade should be set to just barely cut through the thickness of the plywood. In many cases, it will help if you also clamp a straight board onto the plywood as guide for the saw, locating it just far enough from the cut line to ensure the blade cuts through the scored line.
Q–I live in a townhouse with a loft that extends over part of the first floor. When we walk around upstairs in the loft, everything seems to shake. There is a similar problem on the first floor, when even the dishes in the cabinets seem to shake. In my previous house we had a steel beam in the basement. Do you think we need a similar support in this house?
A–This problem cannot be diagnosed through the mail. It’s possible that some additional support is needed under one or both the floors, but only an engineer or architect who examines the premises personally could give an accurate answer to your question.
Q–I have a workshop with a poured concrete floor in a detached building. It is unheated, but in the winter I use a portable heater to keep the temperature between 55 and 65 degrees. Can I nail plywood directly to the concrete floor and then cover this with vinyl floor covering, or can I apply the vinyl directly to the concrete?
A–You can do either one, although putting the plywood down first will make for a warmer floor. Before you can put the plywood down on the concrete, however, you first would have to lay down 2-by-4 “sleepers.” These sleepers are put down flat (with the 4-inch side down) and laid in mastic. Then the plywood is nailed on top of these strips. You can also lay vinyl tiles directly over the concrete slab, but make sure that you buy the type that is suitable for laying over a ground-level slab and that you use the proper adhesive.
Q–I have a cultured marble bathroom sink that has green stains under the faucet’s spout and next to the drain. I have tried various cleansers, but cannot remove this stain. Can you suggest anything?
A–A cleanser that often works on such stains is Zud, which is sold in many supermarkets and hardware stores, as well as in plumbing supply outlets. If this doesn’t work, try using a toilet bowl cleaner such as Limeaway or Vanish.
