Getting to the Bottom of Creaky Floor
Q. There are several spots in the upstairs of our home where the floor creaks quite noticeably. I know you can put shims in the joists to cut down noise, but in this situation the joists are inaccessible. Any other ideas?
B.B., Anaheim
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A. What you typically find with a squeaking problem is that wood is rubbing against wood, says Steve Guenther of Wood Floor Wholesalers in Orange. That could be from the plywood subfloor pieces rubbing each other, some play between the subfloor and joists or between the planks of a hardwood floor.
If you can pull up the floor covering and get to the subfloor, try sprinkling powdered graphite to see if that will lubricate the squeaking areas. If that doesn’t work, you may need to pull up and re-lay the subfloor.
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Q. The plastic threshold on our freezer door has cracked badly, and the insulation is visible. Is there any way this can be fixed?
R.B., Laguna Hills
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A. It’s not uncommon to see the inner liners of freezers crack and break, and you should be able to find a new one at a parts supply, says Gary Kuhn of Appliance Parts Center in Laguna Niguel.
Over time, the plastic develops cracks, and, as the door is opened and closed, stress is put on the cracks and they get larger and larger. Because of the cracks, you begin to lose a great deal of the insulating capacity, and the freezer just continues to run. So it’s something that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
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Q. We bought an old house a few months ago, and the concrete driveway is in pretty bad shape. Previous owners had allowed their cars to leave oil deposits, so much so that we haven’t even tried conventional concrete-cleaning solutions. Would it be worth the trouble to sandblast the driveway, or would that harm the surface?
D. C., Los Alamitos
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A. Your best bet to clean up the driveway would be to use a high-pressure water spray, either renting one or having a service come out and do it, says Steve Sink of Angelus Quarries in Santa Ana.
These use water to drive the oil and grease out of the concrete and are much more effective than the common spray cleaners you’d find at hardware stores. The only stain a high-pressure spray doesn’t work with is rust, which you’ll need to try to remove with a muriatic-acid solution. Sandblasting will remove the stain but will also probably take off the top of the concrete.
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Q. In my two-story home, I’m bothered that when the furnace runs, it heats up the whole house, even though I might spend most of my time either upstairs or downstairs. Is there a way to create a “two-zone†heating system with a new thermostat?
L. I., Irvine
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A. For that type of system you’d need another furnace, which wouldn’t be very cost effective, says Tom Houlihan of Orange County Appliance Parts in Garden Grove. You’re better off getting magnetic furnace covers, available at most hardware stores, which fit on the metal grates and close off the airflow to the rooms you’re not using.
If you have a question about your home or garden, A Helping Hand will help you find the answer. Send questions to: John Morell, Home Design, The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
