Q–We have a large screened enclosure around and over our swimming pool and there is a small tear in one vertical section. The screen mesh is made of a plastic material that is fairly flexible.
Hiring someone to replace all the screen mesh in that section would be expensive, so I would like to simply patch that little torn area myself.
What is the simplest way to do this?
A–If the tear is very small, you can often patch it by simply dabbing over the hole with an all-purpose clear household cement.
For larger holes or longer tears you can cement on a square patch of the same material.
Coat the patch and the area around the tear or hole with a light coat of the cement, then press this patch firmly into place over the defect while someone presses firmly on the other side of the screening with a piece of plywood or stiff cardboard.
If you know the screen is actually fiberglass, you may be able to dispense with the cement and simply “iron” it into place with a regular clothes iron set on medium high heat. Cover the patch with a piece of cloth before pressing the iron on top.
Q–Some oil was apparently spilled in my garage some years ago and this oil has soaked into some of the wood framing and siding, as well as into the concrete floor of the garage.
There is no surface oil left, so there is nothing to mop up on the surface.
Is there any way I can remove these oil stains from both the wood and the concrete?
A–Some absorbent materials such as powdered Portland cement or kitty litter can be used to absorb and remove oil stains from wood and concrete, if they can be spread on in a thick layer.
However, these are only effective when the stain is still fairly new, so I don’t think they will work on stains that are many years old and already deeply absorbed.
On the concrete, you can try one of the liquid cleaners sold for this purpose in most hardware stores, but even these would be useless on the wood.
The only way to conceal these stains is to paint over them. You will first have to apply one or two coats of a stain-killing sealer such as BIN or Kilz.
After this dries, the surface can be painted with any type of latex paint.
Q–My roof has moss on the shingles, especially on the sides facing east and west where there is considerable shade.
Is there any way I can remove this moss without damaging the roof?
A–Moss can usually be removed by washing with a solution of one part laundry bleach mixed with four parts water.
Scrub this on with a soft brush and allow to dry on the surface, then flush off with lots of water.
You can also use one of the commercial moss removers that are sold in garden supply outlets.
In each case, protect plantings from runoff by covering with plastic sheets and by hosing them off thoroughly as work progresses.
None of these solutions will harm the roofing.
Q–I am building some cabinets out of a solid hardwood, which comes only in odd widths and I have to cut some boards into two or three equally wide strips.
This means working with small, odd fractions that are hard to measure accurately.
An old-time carpenter once told me that this is easy to do with an ordinary ruler. Have you heard of this?
A–Angle the ruler across the width of the board so that an even inch mark on the ruler is at one edge (it doesn’t matter which mark you start with).
Hold this end in place and swing the ruler diagonally across the width of the board until an even-numbered inch mark is at the opposite edge, picking a number that will be easy to divide by the number of widths you want. For example, if you want four equal widths, locate the opposite edge at exactly the 4- or 8-inch marks.
Now make a pencil mark at each of the intermediate inch marks to divide the board into that number of equal widths you want.
Then use these marks to draw lines parallel to the edges to indicate where to cut. (Don’t forget to allow for the width of the saw blade as it makes each cut.)
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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, IL 60611. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns.
