Conference 7.286::home_work

    What can be done to lighten up wood paneling that was stained too
    dark?  Can it be chemically bleached in some fashion?  The color
    is almost ebony.

    We have the same problem. Only way to do it is to replace it. A
    lot of availiable bleaching causes a blochy apearance. Light wood
    can be darken but lightening dark wood is different.
    
    /cal

    
    	You could paint it - however you probably know how that looks.
    
    	I would put wall board over it.
    
    				Tom
    

    Mildew occurs in areas of excessive moisture.  Get rid of the moisture
    and get rid of the mildew.  You don't say where this is happening.
    I suspect it is a bathroom.  In that case, skip back a few notes
    and read about getting moisture out of the bathroom and mildewicide
    for paints.  If it is not a bathroom, try a dehumidifier and
    mildewicide in your paint.  Sounds like you are getting condensation
    on the outside wall.

    The applicable note is 1592.  If you have condensation on the
    outside wall, you may have to insulate the wall to stop the
    condensation.  If none of this applies, you will have to provide
    more information.

    The current issue of Practical Homeowner has a section on mold
    and mildew prevention and how to get rid of it.  They gave a couple
    of non-toxic home-brewed formulas instead of buying the store bought
    ones.
    
    -al

    Another way is to vent the areas that is getting moisture build
    up. Outside walls usually are the culpert. There's a fine line between
    venting and insulation. You might want to investigate the cause
    of the vapor build up; some causes include water leakage from outside
    walls, warm air getting between the walls.
    
    mildewcide cures the symptom, to rid the problem, you may need
    professional help.
    
    /cal

    
    I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve the looks of the walls
    in my townhouse unit.  I have noticed in my unit (and even in my
    brother-in-laws 250K new house) the poor tape jobs and popped nails
    in most walls.  These imperfections are quite noticeable depending
    upon the time of the day (light factor).  
    
    During the walk-through of my unit, I noted the imperfections to the 
    developer.  He had a worker come in to repair the bulges in the wall
    where the nails had popped.  The worker banged a hole in the wall,
    banged in the nail, refilled the hole with putty, sanded, and painted.
    Now I have a spot on the wall about 20 times the size of the original
    imperfection.
    
    As the unit gets older, I realize that more nails will pop and the
    seams will show even more than today.  Should I wallpaper?  If so,
    do I need to use heavy/thick paper to assure the imperfections will
    not show through?
    
    Another concern are the cathedral ceilings in my bedrooms.  Portions
    shoot as high as 16 to 20 feet.  Is there wallpaper that comes in
    extra long sheets (if so, is it ultra-expensive?) or do you cut
    and paste as good as possible?
    
    Any suggestions to improve the appearance would be appreciated.
    
    Rick

    
    I would call a couple of professional plasterers (some
    specialize in skimcoating), and ask for an estimate.  You may be
    able to get a good deal if you are doing several walls and
    ceilings. I would think that the cathedral ceiling, in
    particular, would look much better with the plaster than with
    wallpaper. 
    
    -tm
    

    You can't just skim-coat over painted wallboard or even un-painted
    wallboard. For a skimcoat you need to start with blueboard which is
    wallboard with a special coating on the outside paper to accept the
    skim coat of plaster. Otherwise, you may end up with an even BIGGER
    mess. 
    
    Charly

I know that in the condo we used to own, the contractor used really cheap 
paint and only one coat of it (if that).

If you sanded the putty marks smooth so you can't feel where the putty 
ends and the wallboard starts, and then painted with two coats of a 
VERY GOOD paint I would think that it would cover the difference between the 
two materials.


(I am assuming an entry-level condo).

Wallpapering a condo is a touchy subject.  Many first time buyers who buy 
an (entry-level) condo are short on funds.  Once wallpaper is up, it usually 
means re-papering which is very expensive (compared to paint) since stripping
back to a paintable surface is horrible.  And no matter how excellent your 
taste, wallpaper is a very personal thing.  So evaluate how long you intend 
to be there vs. resale help / hinderance.

    
    Re: .2
    
    I realize that blueboard is the correct base for skimcoat, but
    I have heard of it being done on regular sheet rock and the
    walls of older homes (I assume they were painted).  I would 
    still call a professional for an opinion.  It doesn't hurt
    to check out all the options.
    
    -tm
    

    
    
    	Some of the ceilings in my house have a skim coat over painted
    sheetrock and has been there in perfect condition for over 12 years.
    
    	-Steve-
    

    RE: .5
    
    Maybe it's a thin layer of joint compound rather than plaster.
    Plaster doesn't stick to sheetrock very well but joint compound
    does.
    
    -al

    
    
    	Re: .6
    
    	It is a plaster skim coat. I just got done replacing the
    ceiling in the dinning room which buts up against the other ceiling
    so I was able to see the 1/8" skim coat.
    
    	-Steve-

    
    There is a paint type liquid, the name escapes me, that can be put
    on almost any solid surface to prepare for plastering. This includes
    painted walls, cinder blocks, cement etc.. The real trick is to
    make sure that the surface is SOLID. If paint is chipping, or nails
    are popping, then other work, like using sheet rock screws near
    the nails, should be done before the plaster work.
    
    What I would do is to re-screw the entire wall(s), fix the new and
    old holes with joint compound and then paint the wall with 2 coats
    of 1 coat paint. Depending on your expertise this may or may not
    take more time than plastering, but it will be much less expensive
    and should do the trick.
    
    If all else fails, you can always put up paneling.
    
    JMB
    

    Plastering is expensive.  Several years ago I was quoted $700 for
    a hallway and stairwell.  I wasn't convinced the walls were solid
    enough to support the plaster so I tore everything down and
    sheet-rocked it myself.  Much cheaper
    
    In the course of tearing down the old plaster, I saw that some sections
    of wall had been already skim coated over the old horsehair plaster.
    Adhesion didn't seem to be a problem.  However, the instability
    of the old wall had caused some ugly cracks in the skim coat.  No
    sense spending good money if the underlying problem isn't fixed
    first.
    
    One other thing that was apparent was that the wall that had been
    skim coated didn't meet the moldings around the doors and windows
    properly.  Since the plane of the wall had been raised, the mouldings
    looked recessed compared to those on other walls.
    
    I endorse the advice to re-screw the walls and just patch with joint
    compound.  Try using several coats (3-5) of compound.  Sand the
    final one lightly with 100 grit to knock off the high spots, then
    300 or 400 grit wet/dry to feather into the surrounding wall.  Holding
    a light at a low angle to the patch while sanding will accentuate
    the peaks and valleys.  Also, adding some extra joint compound to
    flat white latex paint will give better covering power.  One coat
    of this to prime the patches followed by two coats over the entire
    wall should bury any signs of repair.
    
    Have fun
    
    Gene Ho

In your position I should first paper the walls with a (horizontal) layer 
of lining paper, and then paper over with woodchip or anaglypta.

The two layers of paper should cover up any minor imperfections of the sort
which you have described.  Woodchip and anaglypta are designed to be painted 
over, so consideration of how prospective purchasers will view the decor is
hardly relevant:  they can just slap another coat of paint over the top if
they don't like your colour scheme. (Even if they don't like woodchip the 
cost of hiring a steam wallpaper stripper should not break the bank for them.
A pal of mine hired one of these for a day and stripped an _entire_ house in
six or seven hours)

FYI  in the UK and Australia lining paper comes in extra-long rolls; usually
30 yards or 30 metres.  Bear that in mind when you are considering what to 
do with your cathedral ceilings.

Henry Gillard - TSC Sydney

    before attempting any remedies, short of paneling, my recommendation
    is to understand why the nails are bulging. my only suspiscion is
    that the nails are to short. ever put in a sheetrock nail and
    try pulling it out. better off just driving it in and leaving it
    there. if you went the the skim coat of plaster, (and i t can be
    done) you may wind up with the same problem. same with wallpaper.
    i've never heard of sheetrock bulging, but i'm sure its possible,
    but then the nails would not normally bulge, what should happen
    is the nail hole would show up, as having pulled thru the wallboard.
    given we can't see the walls, i'd recommend paneling.
    in the long run it would be the least expensive of all the
    alternatives.
    jim.
    

    RE .2
    My house is over two years old and it has a layer of stucco (yucko)
    on all the walls except for the two bedrooms on the first floor.
    This stucco is the same stuff used for skim coats except that they
    didn't bother smoothing it out. It was placed on top of regular
    green board sheetrock and nothing wrong has happened to it. I finished
    my second floor with the same green board and a pro is coming in
    to do the skim coat (smooth this time) he knows what he will be
    working with and said it didn't matter.

    I had the following problem with my last house - 30 years old and
    sheetrocked and taped.
    
    Whereever the walls had been fixed - because a nail had popped,
    or rusted, or a picture had been taken down, or a molly screw drilled
    out, you could see the mark on the wall.   Usually, and especially
    if I had finished the repair with joint compound, the repair was
    smoother than the walls, and it showed up with side lighting.
    
    The fix is to mix a little joint compound with water in a paint
    tray, adn put it on (over the paint, and the repair) with a paint
    roller.  feather out well in all directions, pressing harder to
    make it thinner.  You get a VERY thin, apparently random coat of
    little bumps that look just like a wall looks when it has thirty
    years of roller-applied paint on it.
    
    Pain over that and you can't see th join.  Really.  In one case,
    I took doen shelving standards that had been fixed to the wall with
    molly screws, and drilled out the molly screwas, leaving some pretty
    major holes.  Patheched them and fixed as described.  After it was
    painted, even I, who knew EXACTLY where to look, couldn't find those
    holes.
    
    	Andrew
    
    

    
    .12 (I think):
    
    In my experience, there are two kinds of panelling:  the kind that
    looks good enough to have in a house (well, my house), and the kind
    that will cost less than a week's salary for enough panelling to panel
    one small room.  I'm not convinced that panellng per se is better,
    in any regard, than paint or wallpaper.
    
    Ever seen a DIY panelling job, which turns out on close inspection
    to have the panelling applied directly to the studs?
    
    Dick

    Unfortunately you got a bad sheet rock installation. I have a friend
    who is a sheetrock contractor in Merrimack and he is GOOD! you will
    never, but NEVER see a seam in his work...or a popped nail for that
    matter...he uses screws anyway.
    
    ...to your problem. You need to lightly texture the wall with a
    flat paint applied with a longhair roller to cut down on any
    reflections. OR wallpaper with a vinyl wallpaper that has a Non-
    glossy texture. shiny wallpaper will show every imperfection like
    a cheap mirror.
    
    good luck
    
    				___GM___

    .17, .16:
    
    I suppose that, since the studs in this room were nailed (with big
    ugly masonry nails) to the foundation), that the P.O. might have
    assumed that sheetrock wouldn't do much extra in the fire retardent
    department.  However, it would probably have kept the cheap panelling
    from warping so noticeably in damned near every span between two
    joists.
    
    Dick

    Can anyone direct me to a store/shop that sells or custom makes
    wooden spindles?  (I think that's the correct name)
    
    I'm looking for a "turned" oak spindle, approx. 2" dia. and 4' long.
    
    I am using it  to finish off a "half wall" between my kitchen and
    dining room. The "spindle" will sit on the half wall and run up to
    the ceiling.
    
    I have checked a couple "home center" type places with no luck....
    
    I live in the central Mass. area...........Thanks
    
                                                 Mike L.
    

    Is there a Channel near you?  if so, I saw some nice ones in the
    Channel in Nashua.
               Hope this helps.
                                                AL

    
    	If you look in the Boston yellow pages under wood you should
    find a few wood shops. I wanted some nice spindles for a railing
    until I called them and found out the wanted $12 a piece for them!
    	I know that Makis in Fitchburg sells spindles in there store
    for the do-it-yourself stair maker.
    
    	-Steve-
    

Go to almost any good-sized lumberyard and ask for their millwork department, 
and then ask to see some stair parts catalogs.  There'll be quite a few
spindles there to choose from, although they're designed for stairs and you may
have to get one longer than you need and cut off the top.  You can usually get
them in either birch or oak.  You can expect to pay $50 or more for it, though.

Also, just tell them what you're doing and ask if they have any other 
suggestions. 

Paul

    I've got a 4" diameter hole in the wall of my bedroom.  I want to
    repair it.  I'm thinking about getting some patching plaster to
    fill it, & joint compound for the second coat.
    
    Given the size of the hole, I figure some support is needed to keep
    the patching plaster in place when it's applied.  Is wire mesh the
    thing to use?  If so, how do you attach it to the wall?  Is there 
    another that's better?
    
    Ken_who_hopes_this_is_the_appropriate_place_to_ask

re .19

What I did was to put a slit in the wall at the top and bottom of
the hole so it looked like:

                   | 
                   |
            +-------------+
            |             |
            |    hole     |
            |             |
            +-------------+
                   |
                   | <---- slit

Then take a coffee can lid or something similar and punch a couple
holes in the center.  String a thin shoelace or something through
the holes in the lid.  Now you've got something to support your
spackling(sp?) compound.  Just insert the lid into the hole via the
slit and using the shoelace you can pull back on the lid so its 
nice and tight with the inner side of the sheetrock.  Smear your
spackling into the hole and fill it up, even around the shoelaces.
Let it harden.  Now clip the shoelaces and use some more spackling
or whatever to make the repair flush with the rest of the wall.

Hope this helps.
Scott.

Another approach is to enlarge the hole sideways, making a rectangular hole
that includes a stud on either side.  Then cut a rectangular piece of drywall 
to match the hole, screw it to the studs, and tape and patch the seams. 

    and another method is to cut a piece of drywall about 2" or 3" larger
    than the hole.  On the BACKSIDE of the plug clean off the plaster
    and paper so your left with something like this

    	      ______________  Plaster
    	     |		    |
    _________| 		    |___________  Paper

    This plug is then fitted into the hole with the paper on the outside.
    cover and smooth with joint compound.

    This is what we used to do when we worked hanging sheetrock.  We
    would cut a piece of sheetrock the size of the hole.  It's easier
    to tape if you square off the hole first but it's not necessary.
    then take two small boards (1" or 2" thick).  Then insert the
    boards behind the wall and screw them to the back of the existing
    sheetrock wall at top and bottom of the hole.  Then screw the
    patch to the inserted boards.  If the hole is bigger than 16", add
    anther board in the middle. 

          Front view                    Side view

      - - - - - - - - -                    ||B
      | o +-------+ o | <- Top board     >-||B--  <- Screws
      - - |/-/-/-/| - -                  >-IIB--
          | / / / |                        II
          |/Patch/| <- Hole                II
          | / / / |                        II
      - - |/-/-/-/| - -                  >-IIB--
      | o +-------+ o | <- Bottom Board  >-||B--
      - - - - - - - - -                    ||B

    KEY:
    
    `o' represents the screw holes
    `B' represents the side view of the board
    `||' represents the old sheetrock
    `II' represents the patch.

    
    Sorry, no artistic ability.

    We have found that cutting back to the studs emphasizes the patch.
    You also tend to make a mess near the stud and you often mess up
    the good wall on the other side of the studs.  Every time we see
    someone do this, it looks like there is a painting buried
    underneath the sheetrock.  This method keeps the patch small,
    hardly noticeable, and much easier to tape. 

    Pat McGarrah
    Randy Cohen
    Mike Axel

    (Sheetrockers, Ltd.)

re: .20
    >What I did was to put a slit in the wall at the top and bottom of
    >the hole so it looked like:
    
    Scott,  given the other replys, I'm not sure this is how I'll repair
    it; however, I was wondering how you put the slit in the wall? 
    A saw?  I've never cut sheetrock before.
    
    Ken

.-1>    it; however, I was wondering how you put the slit in the wall? 
.-1>    A saw?  I've never cut sheetrock before.
    
	A steak knife :-)

    A coupla questions
    
    First: do you mean 1" or 2" THICK(heigth?) or 1" or 2" WIDE

    Secondly: In your diagram, the o's represent screw holes
                            do the +'s also represent screw holes?
    That is to say: do the +'s represent where the patch is attached to
    the wood backing. 
    Also, do you tape all 4 sides of the patch, or only 2 of the sides
    of the patch? Presumably all the screws are taped.

    
    				herb
    

>    First: do you mean 1" or 2" THICK(heigth?) or 1" or 2" WIDE

    I would use a 1" by 4" piece of scrap pine.  On a job-site, we
    usually have a lot more 2" by 4" pieces of scrap so I use them.
    put your screws between 1 inch and 3/4 of an inch from the joint
    to prevent breaking either the patch or the existing wall.  Since
    this is going to be a butt joint (don't use a tapered edge on the
    patch), you don't have to screw close to the joint.
    
>    Also, do you tape all 4 sides of the patch, or only 2 of the sides
>    of the patch? Presumably all the screws are taped.

    Fill all screw holes with three coats of joint cement.  Buy
    U.S.Gypsum, its the best.  Tape all four joints.  Feather the
    cement out from the joint between 12 and 18 inches.  This will
    help to reduce the bulging look that always occurs with butt
    joints.
    
>    Secondly: In your diagram, the o's represent screw holes
>                            do the +'s also represent screw holes?
>    That is to say: do the +'s represent where the patch is attached to
>    the wood backing. 

    Sorry for the confusion but as I said before, I have no artistic
    ability.  Let me try again.



          Front view                    Side view

                                           ||
      - - - - - - - - -                    ||B
     |  o           o  | <- Top board    >-||B-- <- Screws
     |    +-------+    |                   IIB
     |  o |o/ / /o| o  |                 >-IIB--
      - - |/-/-/-/| - -                    II
          | / / / |                        II
          |/Patch/| <- Hole                II
          | / / / |                        II
      - - |/-/-/-/| - -                    IIB
     |  o |o/ / /o| o  |                 >-IIB--
     |    +-------+    |                   IIB
     |  o           o  | <- Bottom Board >-||B--
      - - - - - - - - -                    ||B
                                           ||
    KEY:
    
    `o' represents the screw holes
    `B' represents the side view of the board
    `||' represents the old sheetrock
    `II' represents the patch.


    The plus signs are just used to mark the corners of the patch.
    The cross-hatches are supposed to differentiate the patch from the
    wall.  The outline of the boards is dotted because it is behind
    the wall.  Hope this helps.  If you need any more info, feel free
    to give me a call.

    The solution I've always heard is similar to that described in .27,
    except that a) the wood is simply glued to the back of the sheetrock;
    and b) the patch is only held in by the spackling or joint compound,
    and perhaps glued to the wood.
    
    I can imagine that a large hole would require the screws.  The question
    is, for what size holes is the above solution appropriate?  I can
    also imagine that if the accident that caused the hole is likely
    to be repeated, such as a door knob banging into a wall, then you
    would want the extra strength.  But for a moderately sized hole
    in a location that isn't likely to take abuse, I would think the
    glue and compound would have adequate strength.
    
       Gary

    I've used the method described in .22 with excellent results.
    It's quick and easy and when you are done you can't tell there
    ever was a hole. I saw this method on This Old House.

RE: .29

    Recently, someplace else in this notesfile (I think the note on
    screws for sheetrock or sheetrocking tips) there is a good
    argument for not depending on glue.  There are truly some cases
    where you might want to use glue.  When a home is built in a
    factory and trucked to a site, we always use glue in addition to
    screws because the road puts funny stresses on the sheetrock. they
    aren't needed for a stick-built house.  Also, when using multiple
    sheet thicknesses, like for a thick fire walls, sometimes you have
    to end a sheet that isn't near a stud.  Then we glue the new sheet
    to the inner sheet.  But for a good strong patch that you won't
    have to fix ever time something bumps into it, use screws.

    I would say that any hole that can't be covered with joint cement
    and tape should be patched the way I suggest in .27 (someplace
    around 4 square inches.  

    RE: 29

>    I've used the method described in .22 with excellent results.
>    It's quick and easy and when you are done you can't tell there
>    ever was a hole.

    I bet I can! :-)
    
>                      I saw this method on This Old House.

    I fine show, however I have never seen them put up a decent
    looking wall.  They never do enough taping on sheetrock, and the
    blueboard I have seen them put up is nothing to be proud of.  Big
    gaps where sheets come together, cracked sheets and dimples that
    are too deep.  Luckily they brought in a good crew to cover up
    their mistakes.  They get professional help for just about
    everything but they have regular hammer swingers putting up the
    walls, as if the walls weren't as important as the plumbing or
    masonry. 

    Another thing I saw them do one time made me furious.  They had a
    crossing joint.  This is a no-no in blueboard but a giant mistake
    in sheetrock.  This is an example of what I saw.  Again I claim no
    artistic ability.


    
                      The wrong way

    |X                      X|      ||      ||      ||
    |X         4x8'         X|      ||      ||      ||
    |X       sheetrock      X|      ||      ||      ||
    |X                      X|      ||      ||      ||
    |XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|      ||      ||      ||
    ||      ||      ||      |XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|
    ||      ||      ||      |X                      X|
    ||      ||      ||      |X         4x8'         X|
    ||      ||      ||      |X       sheetrock      X|
    ||      ||      ||      |X                      X|

     <- 16"->


    
                      The right way

    |X                      X|      ||      ||
    |X         4x8'         X|      ||      ||
    |X       sheetrock      X|      ||      ||
    |X                      X|      ||      ||
    |XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|      ||      ||
    ||      ||      |XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|
    ||      ||      |X                      X|
    ||      ||      |X         4x8'         X|
    ||      ||      |X       sheetrock      X|
    ||      ||      |X                      X|

     <- 16"->


    I put up only two sheets so that I could show the studs behind the
    wall.  There are several reasons for not doing this.  One is that
    a crossing seem is going to be the first to split when you house
    settles.  The second is that its hard as hell to tape.  You have a
    horizontal butt joint which is always tough.  But then you also
    have a vertical joint to get in the way on both sides of the butt
    joint.  And third, when you look down the wall, you have a wavy
    pattern and bumps that look awful.  When you stagger the joints,
    they don't look so bad.  Your eye seems to like it better.
    Sometime take a look down a long stretch of high wall at work.
    You can usually see what I mean.

    

    Another way of repairing sheet rock is to cut a piece of scrap sheetrock
    about two inches bigger than the hole and scrape the sheet rock
    away from the paper on one side so that the remaining sheetrock
    matches the size of the hole.  Place the peice of sheetrock over
    the hole and paper the edges with wall tape/spackle.
    
    Graphics are useless but I'll try...
    
    
                      ___________________
                      |                 |
                      |   ------------  |- paper around sheetrock
                      |   |           | |
                      |   |           | |                        
    	              |   |           |----hole/filled with sheetrockscrap
    		      |   |-----------| |
    		      |			|
    		      |_________________|-use wall tape over this area
    					  just like you would over a
                                          seam of wallboard...
    Then cover and paint. 
    
    It will actually be stronger than before.  (this works great for
    behind the door where a knob hits the wall...);^)
    					

Is .31 describing the same technique as .22, or is there some subtle 
difference that I'm missing?

I'm in the middle of redoing our kitchen and I have run int a problem. I'm 
taking what I think is masonite panels off of the walls. These panels were glued
and nailed to the wall, which is plaster. The "glue" looks like the brown stuff 
they use for floor tiles, and is pretty hard. How can I get this stuff off of 
the wall. We plan on papering the walls. I tried scraping with a paint scraper 
but it doesn't take it all off. It does smooth it down though. I guess if it 
came down to it I could scrape the walls smooth and just paper over it, but I 
would rather take the stuff off if it's possible.

adTHANKSvance

cowboy

    I have done this twice. Once with paneling glue and the other with tile
    "glue". With the paneling glue, I chiseled it off and then joint
    compounded the walls, then wallpaper over that. It came out pretty
    nice. That stuff is VERY hard. I don't think you will be able to sand
    it or scrape it off.
    With the tile "glue", I used a heat gun. This was VERY tedious but
    effective. Then, I sanded the residue left on the wall, and then, I
    joint compounded that. Those walls were painted. The walls look nice,
    but the paint is cracked and peeling in spots, but that is another
    problem entirely.
    
    Good luck, and take your time

    Also check 1111.31, DEMOLITION.  There are several notes about removing
    some outer covering and leaving a residue behind.  921 discusses
    some ideas for your particular situation.

    I'm not sure that anyone is going to read this note but, here goes.
    
    I live in an old post and beam house which has no insulation in the
    side walls. One of my guest bedrooms is wallpapered and unfortunately
    mold has grown on the wall which happens to be an outside wall. 
    The mold is sooooo bad that it covers an area of 2ft. by 2ft. and has
    blackened the area. 
    I never noticed it because the bed is up against that wall and hid the
    spot. (Of course I'm sure that's why the mold grew there because of the
    darkness).
    What can I do to take the mold off the wallpaper? I can't use the
    typical bleach because I'm afraid of what it might do to the wallpaper.
    Any suggestions??????  Helppppp.
    			Cindy
    

  Sorry I can't help you remove your spot, but it appears like you have
more on your hands than mold. I would check for the source of the moisture
that is causing the mold. It sounds to me like you have a leak somewhere.

  Patrick

    Here's an anecdote.  A couple I know were stripping the walls of the house
    they just bought.  They found mold under the wallpaper.  They panicked.  It
    turns out that the water damage was from a roof gutter that had leaked,
    but had been long since fixed.  The walls were real plaster, and only a
    small portion had to be patched.  The sellers were lucky that the paper
    was vinyl, because the mold didn't go through the paper.  (Their luck
    was being able to sell it to this couple, who had the joy of fixing it).
    
    This could be a new spot, or an old spot.  Either way, there is or was
    water in that wall.  Don't worry about the wallpaper.  You may be
    reconstructing the entire wall.
    
    Unless, of course, you are renting...   
    
    Elaine

    I had the dreaded black spot problem apear in three of my rooms... all
    were external walls. This problem only appeared after I went round
    draft excluding all my windows and doors. I completely sealed up my
    victorian sash windows with a plastic sheet double glazing product that
     you apply with the aid of a hair dryer. This cured the condensation
    problem that I had with my sash windows....but after about six months
    the black spots started to appear. I washed the walls down with a
    fungicidal wash but that didn't seem to cure the problem. Then I
    realised that it must be a lack of ventilation that was causing the
    problem....so I removed some of my plastic sheet double glazing and
    I've painted the walls with an anti condensation emulsion paint. After
    this the black spots have not reapeared. I believe the lack of
    vetilation in the rooms was the primary cause of my black spots
    occuring. I live in a victorian brick terraced house in Reading,
    England.
    
    

Problem:   A few rooms in my very old house (ca.  1820 -1840) still have
    the "original" INTERIOR  face  of  the  Exterior  walls  covered  in
    horizontal wooden planks.

Given there is a wide variety of answers, is there any one "best" way to
    cover them.  (At present, they've been previously  covered with what
    looks like old green window shades, and then papered over.
    

Assuming  that  horizontal wide planks could be attractive in  some  old
    homes, has anyone seen or know where examples might be found, that I
    might see firsthand before doing <something> ??
    
    
Does  anyone    have   firsthand  experience  with  this  type  of  wall
    covering/finish ? 
    
Bob
    
    

    One product I was just reading about yesterday is a heavy fiberglass
    "wallpaper" fabric woven with various textured designs (some sort
    of like "grasscloth" in texture.  It's from Scandinavia (Sweden,
    I think) and is intended to cover cracked or other imperfect surfaces.
    Once applied, you paint it.
    
    I don't recall availability information, but maybe wallcovering
    stores would know about it.  If I can remember which magazine I
    saw it in I'll see what else it says.
    
    Sherry

    
  Interior sheathing was finished in many ways. The finish was usually
dictated by how elaborate the sheathing is; i.e. moulded or not.

  Unmoulded sheathing -

  The simplest finish was a covering with an untinted oil. Over time,
the wood (I'm assuming it's pine, since that was the usual choice) will
take on a rich brown patina. I have such sheathing in the houses I am
restoring.

  Sometimes a simple wash of color was used; the oil was tinted. Typical
colors were red, white, yellow, green, brown, and black.

  A rare treatment was of scratched geometric patterns laid out using a 
pair of dividers.

  Later (ca. 1700), the sheathing was often decorated with simple, re-
petitive patterns - most often with dots. Paint was dabbed onto the
surface with sponges or brushes, spattered on, or applied in wavy patterns
by fingers.

  Much later (ca. 1800), simple stenciled patterns were popular.


  Moulded sheathing -

  Was treated exactly like unmoulded sheathing, except it was rarely ever
decorated with patterns. Often the moulded bands were picked out by coloring
them differently from the rest of the sheathing.

  Hope this helps.

  Patrick

re: Wide board wooden walls in Living Space.

Update: After stripping the wallpaper (my  gosh,  one  layer only) in my
        front/upper hallway, we could see the condition  of  the  wooden
        wall. 
       
       The  condition  /  coloration  is  similar  to  ones  seen at Old
       Sturbridge Village in the work rooms, which may make sense, since
       this house  was once a "comb factory" (Leominster, Mass), or so I
       am told.

Feature:  A few rooms in my very  old  house  (ca.  1820 -1840) have the
       INTERIOR face of the Exterior walls covered in horizontal  wooden
       planks, which are tongue and grooved, and approximately 14 inches
       wide.

 Question:  I  have  a total lack of information / resources available to
       me in this regard. Neither this conference, nor the 1980 - 1989
       issues of OHJ, nor Sturbridge Village (as close as I could see)
       have references to horizontally  installed wide board wall in the
       living area(s). (ie bedrooms in this case).
       
       Does anyone have / know of  sources  of  information  of  the old
       commercial buildings, lets say from the 1790 - 1810 era ??
       
       Part  of  the   problem  (I  think)  is  that  most  people  were
       photographed  outdoors,  and  there   seems  to  be  very  little
       information  on  commercial  building  construction   during  that
       period.

Alternative Question:
       In another note (ca:  1986) someone mentioned the "Old Sturbridge
       Village" Library.  Is this library open to the public ?              
       
       What other public libraries carry source books of "Old House" and
       "Buildings" (Central Mass, So NH, No.  CT) ??
       
       Thanks,
       
       Bob
       (These old houses gets curiouser and curiouser)
       
       Actually, the old boards have an intriguing charm about them.
       Reminds me of an Old Log cabin, with the white plaster someone 
       filled the spaces with.
       
       

       

    [Mod:  move this if you think it belongs somewhere else.]
    
    I'm looking at a bay window seat, made of (I guess) plywood that was
    stained a medium brown.  The color is darker than unstained oak, a bit
    lighter than walnut.  Except...
    
    A bunch of houseplants were parked on this, ignoring the absence of any
    sealer (and some advice).  As any damned fool could have predicted,
    there are now waterstains;  these are black, and show up nicely against
    the brown wood.  One of them was caused by enough water to raise the
    grain a bit, as well.
    
    Now that the damage is done, is there any remedy, short of applying
    paint, or replacing the wood?  (Applying Formica (TM) seems ugly,
    although it would take care of water problems.)
    
    Dick

    Dick, you could lighten the stain with bleach, but this will probably
    require you to redoo the whole surface. If it's pine it is relatively
    easy to redoo.
    
    I would:
    Sand the whole board, treat the dark spots with bleach, then refinish.
    Be carefull if you decide to sand, as some of the bay window seats (?)
    are a thin veneer over particle board.
    
    
    Steve
    (ps the hemlocks are doing fine)

    I saw somewhere (in here or in DELNI::WOODWORKING_AND_TOOLS) a
    reference to oxalic acid as a means of lightening the color of wood,
    as well as bleach.  Any opinions as to which is better (for this
    application)?
    
    Steve, I *think* that the seat is plywood, but I'll check to make sure
    (and how much/little it can take without delaminating).  I don't mind
    sanding, myself, but the upholstered furniture will have to be moved
    out of the blast radius (upstairs? ;-)
    
    Dick
    
    (PS - glad your trees are doing well -- I've got leaves on only half of
    my trees and half the beauty bushes, although the bare ones still have
    green bark.  The lilacs, on the other hand, all had leaves out two days
    after planting!)

re: Wide board wooden walls in Living Space.

Update #2:
    Its as if someone at the Old House Journal has been listening.
    
    In the (Sep-Oct ?) Issue of OHJ is an article describing in detail
    the wall treatment (how to paper) of these old wooden walls, which
    were used from the mid-1800's up through the early 1900's.
    
    Very briefly, the wood was covered with UNshrunk cotton mesh and
    tacked into place. The fabric was then shrunk, forming  a "drum like"
    covering over the wall, This now firm surface was then covered with
    wallpaper.
    
    
    In my case, I had assumed one room (the Master Bedroom had been
    plastered INSTEAD OF having the wood walls. After knocking a hole in
    one interior wall for a bathroom doorway, I could see enough of the
    backing to the plaster to notice that the Master Bedroom had been
    plastered OVER the wooden walls.
    
    In the event anybody likes a little riddle, why then, would anyone
    have a fully plastered and papered wall FACING an interior (and used)
    chimney ??
    
    (i found this, also, while renovating for a new bath.)
    
    Bob
    
    Answer follows the formfeed
    
    
    
    
    
    Chimney was built AFTER the wall ... ;^) 
    (i guess)
    

I have some knotty pine boards that have lost some knots leaving 
open hole in the wall.

Does anyone have a way to fix that short of putting chewing
gum in the hole?

Thanks,

Michel.

    If you still have the knots you can always glue them back in.  If not,
    I had an uncle who used a hole size (assorted sizes) to cut out the
    area then made new "plugs" using a band saw, stained the plugs with a 
    walnut finishe and glued them in place.  It wasn't a perfect match but 
    it was better then leaving empty holes in the wall.
    
    Skip

>Does anyone have a way to fix that short of putting chewing
>gum in the hole?

Plaster and paint?

Drive a few tacks into the inner surface of the hole to keep the plaster
plug in place. You could even use shoe polish or magic marker for the small
amount of brown you need to do.

Mickey.

Two good solutions.  I tend toward the first one (even if 
it is more work) may be because is wood on wood instead of 
plaster on wood.

Thanks,

Michel.

    I'm thinking of removing the wood paneling in our Great Room. Can 
    anybody give me some advise on how to go about this??
    
    We had some work done on our house about a year ago and I told one
    of the contractors I planned on doing this but thought I would have 
    to replace the walls. He told me he looked at it while replacing 
    one of our doors and said that there is sheet rock be hind it.
    
    Can I remove the paneling without damaging the existing sheet rock??

    .0
    Depends wether the paneling was installed using just nails or
    if a glue or mastic was used to hold it to the wall. If they used
    any adhesive at all you will probably have to replace the sheetrock
    if it was just nails you might get by with retexturing.
    
    -j

	I recently removed some panelling in a bath (abitibi board) that
	was glued over plywood.  There were places that it delaminated the
	plywood trying to get it off.  If yours is glued with a similiar
	type adhesive I doubt that it will come off of the sheetrock 
	without damaging it.  The paper covering on sheetrock does come
	off fairly easy....

    I recently had to take down the sheetrock on a wall in a room where the
    ceiling has been recently done over. I cut the tape at the joint
    between the ceiling and wall and carefully removed the sheetrock from
    the wall.
    
    Now that the wiring, cable TV and plumbing in the wall is complete, I
    am ready to put the sheetrock back up on the wall. How do I handle the
    joint between the now finished ceiling and the new sheetrocked wall.
    Do I try to scrape and lightly snad the ceiling, retape and respray,
    simply butt the sheet up tight to the ceiling and leave it. Someone
    even suggested to caulk.
    
    The ceiling is sprayed with the textured stuff.
    
    Thanks in advance.
    
    Guy
    I searched most of the sheetrock entries for something on this and came
    up empty.

    
    I would do the following:
    
    o  Retape the corner joint as you normally would if the ceiling
       were smooth. It will look like hell, but carry on.
       TIP: when you strike off mud, don't recycle -- throw it away
       (because it will have little bits of ceiling texture in it).
    
    o  Sand down all the bumps you get in the mud in the ceiling
       from running the corner knife over the texture material.
       Also blend in the wall side (but this should be easy, cause the
       wall is smooth).
    
    o  When the joint is dry and reasonably smooth, you will probably still
       have a decent ridge between the new mud and the texture. Feather this
       any way you can (I applied more mud with a squeegee and my fingers;
       it doesn't have to be neat).
    
    o  Apply a good ceiling texture paint, heavily, over the mud on the
       ceiling; feather into rest of ceiling, or just repaint the entire
       ceiling.
    
    I used this procedure to join a new ceiling to an existing textured
    portion, and I can't find the joint.
    
    For future reference -- if at all possible, when you remove the wall
    sheetrock, leave a clean edge 2" or so below the ceiling, rather than
    removing right into the corner. This will make blending in the new wall
    a snap; you don't even have to touch the ceiling. I've used this
    approach twice with great success.
    

>   ... How do I handle the joint between the now finished ceiling 
        and the new sheetrocked wall. ...

      This is a possibility which you may or may not like.  Depending on
      the decor of your room it could like nice or not-nice.   For  what
      its worth...

      Don't bother to finish the wall/ceiling joint.  Finish the rest of
      the wall and paint.  Then install an attractive molding  to  cover
      the wall ceiling joint.

    re: .35
    
    That would not be practical in this case as I'd have to put the trim up
    in two rooms for continuity. This wall is in a living room that also
    opens into a dining room.
    
    Someone that I had discussed this with had mentioned the idea of
    calking the joint and thus hiding the seam when it is painted. What do
    you think of this?
    
    It looks like I may be able to scrape back some of the blown on texture
    although I'd then have to respray the ceiling.
    
    Thanks for the suggestions.
    
    Guy

If you use caulk, make sure it is a latex caulk so it will hold the paint.
If you use silicone caulk the (latex) paint will bead up and run off.

Stan

I recently move into a new house this summer and I have started noticing 
cracks appearing on the walls and ceiling of the house. Most of the cracks are
in the corners but I do have one coming off a corner in a bathroom door. 
Also, I notice the walls are pulling away (~1/8") from the counters in the
Kitchen.

I ask the contractor to take a look at it and he said the house is drying. He
indicated the best time to fix it is in the spring. 

I understand a house will take time to settle but should this happen every
winter for the next few years? Is spring the best time to fix this or is he
giving me the run around? To fix the counter, is he just going to fill in the
gap with caulking or should be realign the counter top?

Dave 

    
    My house is 6 years old. The settling cracks can appear just
    about anywhere in the house. Usally see them near basement windows.
    These should settle down in 2 years. Inside you'll see them over
    doorways, and at the corner of archways. Inside I fill'em with a
    chaulking, sand and paint over them. Outside you've got to chisel them
    out, and below the ground level. Fill them with a hydrocement. If you
    don't the water will get in, free and make them bigger. I haven't seen 
    any new ones for the past 4 years.
    
    

    
    Welcome to modern construction methods.  The cracking is a "feature"
    designed into all new houses at the request of caulk, paint and
    spackling manufacturers.  When you budgeted for buying the house, you
    should have included an extra $20 a month for all the spackling you
    will need over the next 25 years.  Plus all the new spackling knives
    that to replace ones that look like "the sword in the stone" after you
    forget to clean them up.
    
    It starts with shrinkage cracking.  This goes on for a year or two.
    Then settlement cracking takes over and can last for the next 8-10
    years.  By that time the wind has loosened up the structure just right
    and you get storm cracking, as a result of the whole frame swaying
    gaily in the wind.  Water gets in during the storms and dries out later
    causing moisture-damage cracking.   By now, you're getting interesting
    crack variations such as popped wallboard nails, huge gaps between the
    baseboard and the floor and fine cracks at the corners of the
    architrave that are impossible to fill and annoy the hell out of you.
    
    The outside is also cracking by now, so you can graduate to exterior
    spackling and waterproof caulk.  You will have a box in the basement
    filled with little cardboard tubes that are filled with something that
    is used for filling something else.   Most of it will be hard and
    useless whenever you need it.
    
    Added to this, you also get lifestyle cracking such as "party cracking"
    where dancing guests trip over the speaker wires and crash into the
    wallboard, and furniture or appliance deliverymen bounce a washer/dryer
    down the hall.
    
    Some blame entropy, others chaos theory.  Me, I think houses are crack
    addicts.
    
    happy filling!
    
    Colin
    

    I owned one new home for five years and a second for six years.  I had
    no epidemic of cracking.  The only setteling that was evident was at
    the meeting of the chimney and interior walls.  Apparently the masonry
    did not settle as much as the carpentry and a 1/4 inch "slide"
    resulted.
    
    I would be concerned about the quality of the materials and workmanship
    if many large cracks developed in wallboard or concrete, etc.

    	I remember seeing somewhere that the preferred method of hanging
    sheetrock is to not have joints at the corners of door and window
    framing.  If you do then you can end up with cracks due to settling. 
    If there's no joint then there's nothing to crack.  Of course, I expect
    it's more expensive to do the extra fitting of the sheetrock.
    
    George

    
    In our first new house we had those small cracks appear in the
    corners after a few months. The builder came in with a plastic
    container (~1/2 gal.) with a cover. The contents he said was
    the paint the walls were painted with mixed with some joint
    compound. He painted all the corners and the cracks were gone !
    He left the container with us but I never had to use it. The 
    house we're in now which we had built never developed these cracks.
    
    Randy
    

I get moisture on certain places of the house on the coldest of days.

Mostly it forms on the intersection of wall and ceiling (above is the attic).
It also forms on the corner in my small foyer at intersectaion of outer and
inner walls.

The attic is well insulated for the area.  I just installed another X number
of inches a few years ago.  For the ceiling/wall spots: I think my attic
insulation does not extend far enough into the soffit (I was worrid about
ventilation).

The foyer however is a different story.  We have cedar clapboard there.  During
the fall months we get crickets in our basement, and I think entry is the
same place.  I need to block this area.  However, the pre-purchase inspector
and a painter suggested ventilation techniques to keep the paint from
peeling.  How can I do both?

I have this feeling that I'm going to have to live with this problem.

The worst part is the yellowish stains left by the moisture.  They don't come
off with clean water or 409.  Any suggestions?

    RE:.9

    	Try washing it with a bleach solution it usually works for me.  
    I also have the same problem and thought it might be because the
    insulation didn't go close enough to or past the edge, same as you.
    I just look at a roll of insulation and I start to itch so I've been
    putting off going up there.  Please keep us posted on what's happening. 

    Joe

Well after reading about it for years I finally tried it.  I treated a 
mildewed ceiling with bleach.  What I didn't know was how to do or what
concentration.  Since I didn't what that &$*^% spilling in my face or
bleaching what little hair I have left, I decided to get a spray bottle 
and mist it on so I wouldn't have a wet drippy sponge to contend with.

Well, not knowing what to do, and not wanting to do this twice, I went full
strength laundry bleach.  I spread the plastic drop cloth, got on the ladder
and started spraying.  To my pleasure I saw very quick results.  The black
spots turned brown almost immediately and so I kept moving the ladder and
spraying.  When I looked back to check on my progress and see whether I
needed to wipe anything with a rag, I was amazed.  It was all gone.  Just 
plain gone! Vanished.  Not a spot, black brown or tan just white ceiling.

So I ran in and did the bathroom.  Of course this morning the place smells
worse than the pool at the YMCA.  Is the smell ever going to go away?  Did
I do something really stupid?  I was going to prime the ceiling with Bin 
anyway so I assume that will cover the smell.  Anybody have prior experience
with using full strength bleach.  For those who dilute, what's your formula
and your experience?

The smell will go away eventually.  Yes, you should have diluted it - 10:1
would do.

				Steve

Yup, here it is a few days later and the smell is just about gone.  Funny, but
my wife kind of liked it.  She used to swim competetively and she said it 
reminded her of the pool.  

I still notice a faint trace, but only in the bath where I really doused the
place. Does it have any residual effects or did all the good stuff that kills
fungus evaporate and blow away? 

    Can we open this string again?  I bought a house this year, and it has
    a *wonderful* kitchen - with the exception of the paneling that is in 
    the "old" kitchen (not in the addition that makes it a wonderful
    kitchen!) and down the hallway.  This is very thin and (IMO) ugly, dark
    paneling.  They had used nails to put up the paneling on the lower half
    of the walls, then very cheap-looking trim that was glued on.  I've
    already removed the trip and most of the glue was on the paneling, not
    the walls, so that's fine.  But how do I get the paneling off?
    
    I'm sure that sounds naive - I am!  This is my first house, I live
    alone, and I have very few tools (didn't need much variety as an
    apartment dwelling).  I started to pull the paneling off the wall in
    one section of the kitchen.  I used a putty knife to start pulling it
    away, but it's large sheets of paneling, and I'm a small (and
    relatively weak) person.  What tools should I use?  (I can't use the
    claw end of the hammer to remove the nails, because there is not enough
    of a head and it's flush with the paneling.)  I managed to pull one out
    with my hands, but now I have three bandages! :-)
    
    Any advice for a complete novice?  BTW, the walls behind the paneling
    are in excellent condition.  I think one coat of paint is all it will
    take, since the color is very close to what I've chosen.
    
    
    Thanks,
    Susan
    
    PS:  I don't really have anyone to help me.  I could ask for help from
    my father or brothers, but that makes me dependent on when they have
    the spare time - and I want it done this weekend.

    I'd probably use my Wonder bar.  You can get a Craftsman for ~$10 and
    is guarenteed for life.  Might want to put a peice of thin wood between
    the wonderbar and the wall so the wonderbar doesn't make any
    indentations in the wall.
    
    Good luck.

    
    re: -.1
    
         The best way to remove it is probably to get a grip (with gloves to
    reduce those splinters) on the paneling and pull. The nails (small finish
    nails???) should stay in the wall when the paneling gives way. They will 
    be easily grabbed with pliers and removed at that point. *IF* the nails
    have a head on them, a Cat's Paw style pry bar should be fine for
    removing the nails. You just use a hammer to hit the Cat's Paw (ouch!!!)
    and dig it in and  around the nail head, then pry it out. You will be
    damaging the paneling (and the wall if you're not careful) If you *really*
    don't have the muscle for the "grip 'n pull" method (and if the nails are
    finish type), I would probably use a flat pry bar (available at most any
    hardware or HQ, Home Depot, etc.) Get the bar behind the paneling and
    pry against a small block of wood to protect the wallboard/plaster.
    Then remove finish nails with pliers as necessary...
    
    Good Luck,
    Charlie
    
    P.S. Almost forgot...Finish nails are headless and sometines are a black or
         brown color when used with paneling.

    
    RE: last two     Notes Collision....My pry bar = Wonder Bar!!!
    
    /Charlie
                     

    Thanks to both of you.  They are the nails you describe, Charlie.  I
    had a hard time *finding* them, they blend in so well with the
    paneling.  Someone here in ZKO has offered me the use of his Wonderbar
    and a couple of wood wedges, so I'm all set for the weekend!  --S

    ... and for some nails, it may be easier to drive them further into the
    wall, using a nail set. Tap them so the head is flush with the wall.
    Maybe a dab of primer to cover, and then paint over.  I have also
    driven the nails in further and then used glazing compound to fill the
    hole.

    Although this note is rather old, it seems like the best alternative to
    starting a new note...
    
    My cousin just purchased a home that has wide horizontal wooden walls
    in many of the rooms. The boards are approx 6-8" wide, with a concave
    groove running along the bottom 1", and appear to have been stained and
    then treated with some type of oil (tung, perhaps). Although the house is 
    50+/- years old, the walls are in good shape, and rather than rip them out 
    or cover them over, they'd prefer to have them refinished to a somewhat 
    lighter shade. With the other work they need to do, they don't have a lot 
    of time to spend on these walls, and are willing to pay someone (if they 
    can find one) in order to get back on schedule.
    
    Can anyone recommend a contractor who would deal with something like
    this? (FWIW, she's having the hardwood floors refinished, and every one
    of the contractors who came to estimate the floors declined to bid on
    the walls, so that doesn't appear to be an option...) 
    
    Or, could someone offer an approach to use if tackled as a DIY job?
    They would probably rework their schedule and tackle this if they could
    be convinced that (a) they could do a good job without a big risk of
    botching it, and (b) they could complete it without an extaordinary
    amount of effort. 
    
    Any tips, pointers, gotchas from someone with experience would be
    appreciated.
    
    Thanks in advance

We have a log home, so I know a bit about vertical wood surfaces.  The concept
of refinishing the walls is really the same as the floors.  But the reason the
floor guys won't touch the walls is you need different sanding equipment.  For
the walls, you could probably best do it yourself.  The hardest part will be
those "grooves".  I will curse those for you.  Not only will they be hard to
get a sander into, but they also collect dust.

I have found that a 5" Random Orbital Sander strips these walls nicely.  If the
walls are in good shape (fairly smooth) you can use fine paper and not take too
much off (150 - 220 grit).  Sanding will lighten the wood up about as much as
it possible.  Once you are doing it, you can either try to sand the grooves,
or you can decide to leave them dark.

Then remains the problem of finishing it.  For this, you may want to look into
the log_homes notes file (lando::log_homes).  Or contact me offline.

Elaine

    You might initially try scrubbing the walls with Spic n Span or
    something similar, to see if just getting the dirt off is sufficient.
    

    We just washed/oiled the wooden walls in my SO's house, which
    had been inhabited by his parents previously (heavy, heavy
    smokers).  What worked for us was 1.) spray walls down with
    Fantastik, and 2.) wash immediately with a stiff bristle brush 
    and Murphy's Oil soap (Fantastik will streak if left on to run).  
    Rinse liberally and often.  Be prepared to repeat. We were amazed 
    at how much lighter the walls were when we got done.  
    
    Mary-Michael Scanlon

I've used washing soda to clean furniture and woodwork.  It will even remove
finishes, and I've used it for that purpose too.  I cleaned up an old high chair
that had a lot of old hardened food stuck in the grooves, and the washing soda
cleaned the chair right down to the bare wood.  I've also used it to strip old
door and window casing woodwork.

You should be able to find washing soda in the laundry section of the
supermarket.  It's a powder, and you mix it up with water.  Arm&Hammer makes it.

-Chris

       	The house I'm in now has an interesting pattern of cracks in the
    walls. Basically, any corner sitting on an outside wall cracks. There
    are almost no cracks on corners of inside (inner) walls.

    	At first, I just pulled the joint apart, cleaned it, and re-taped
    and compounded it. In less than a year the cracks returned. This is on
    a 25+ year old house, so it should be pretty much settled.

    	One of the things I'm going to try is to sand off the high spots
    and fill the crack with a paintable silicone caulk. For whatever
    reason, the corners move more than the tape/compound can stand. I'm
    hoping that the silicone will allow for some movement while keeping the
    crack covered.

    	Comments ?

    	Ray

    (moderator: please feel free to move this if there is a more
    appropriate place for this.....)
    
    I'm having some ceiling (drywall) problems with our 6 year-old house.
    We have a 2-story foyer that seems to be showing the effects of thermal
    expansion at the rear wall - ceiling area. 
    
    This rear wall is part of the hallway that runs from one end of the house
    to the other.  What I am seeing is the ceiling drywall "lifting" during
    the cold months of the year.....and coming back down during the warm 
    months of the year.  This is creating a gap of around 1/8" to 1/2" along
    that portion of the wall-ceiling.
    
    This problem is occuring almost exclusively in the area of the foyer. 
    Other sections of the upstairs hallway show some-to-no lifting.  In
    these areas, what I mostly see is nail "pops" and minor breaking of the
    taped seams.
    
    The roof of the house was built with pre-built trusses, but the rest of
    the house was "stick built".  The main portion of the house is 40' x
    30' with the foyer approximately 12' wide and centered in the house.
    
    I have suspected that perhaps I am seeing this problem because the
    base of the trusses might have not been nailed to the interior wall
    headers....but don't know if they even should be!!
    
    -any help/suggestions would be appreciated!
    
    	Jeff

	Your problem is related to the truss construction.  I do 
know that the trusses should NOT be connected to the interior walls,
unless designed to do so (unlikely).  Your seasonal movement has more
to do with relative humidity than temperature, but the effect is the
same.  I remember reading about just such a problem recently, but can't
recall the fix - but it won't be easy, anyway, without LOTS of rework,
and the builder is probably out of reach by now.

	Your best bet might be to cover it up - a properly applied
cornice molding could cover the movement.  

	If I can recall the problem description and solution, I'll get
it to you.  If you want to research, check out recent issues  of either
Fine Homebuilding (glossy national magazine) or Journal of Light Construction
(color newsprint style magazine).

    ....drat, I was afraid of that.
    
    We have already tried the crown molding "fix"......but it doesn't
    cover it.
    
    If the problem is related to relative humidity...then can I assume
    that if we add a humidifier that the problem will "go away"?
    
    I would definitely be interested in what the fix would be...if you
    do remember what it is!!
    
    -tnx,
    	Jeff

	Unless you've got a personal line to Seabrook and a large
bank account, I don't think humidification will work.  There's just
too much outdoors to deal with - you can't control the environment
enough.
	I suspect the problem has more to do with the construction
style of trusses, though.  It may not be an easy repair, unless you
replace all the ceilings and their supporting structures.  That's
why I'd suggested the molding cover-up.  Perhaps it just wasn't done
right....consider the problem you have - if I've read it right, your
ceiling keeps moving up and down and the walls don't.  To cover up
the intermittent gap, what you need it a band of molding (cornice, 
whatever - it's an o-ring in function...) that can slide up and down
on the walls, and is attached only to the ceiling.  This doesn't 
stop the movement, it just hides it - assuming you painted or papered
the walls before you installed the molding 'piston'.  How was your
molding installed?  If attached to the walls, then you still see a gap.
(Sometimes this is done intentionally - you don't really cover the gap,
you just clutter it up and make it look less obvious.  Tongue and groove
boards used for panelling often do this - instead of a simple t&g joint,
there's a molding at each edge, designed to conceal the fact that there's
a gap sometimes and not others.  This is similiar to a basic trick used
all over houses - leaving a 'reveal' instead of trying for a flush fit.
If you go for flush and goof somewhere, it shows clearly.  If you go for
a 1/4" gap and it varies from 3/16" to 5/16", it's not nearly as obvious.

    The crown molding is nailed to the walls.....
    
    What I'm not sure I understand, however, is *why* the ceiling drywall
    is moving!  The further away from the 2-story foyer you go, the less
    the problem.  In fact, it's practically nonexistent 10 feet to either
    side of the main problem area. (it shows as the paper joint tape being
    pulled off the ceiling)
    
    If the problem is due to the ceiling drywall being nailed to the
    underside of the (horizontal part of the) roof truss, then why wouldn't
    this condition be consistent throughout?  The only thing that I can
    think of is that the roof trusses are perhaps nailed to the headers of
    the walls that are on either of the foyer...and thus don't allow that
    part of the truss to "float"....?
    
    Obviously, it's time to take a closer look up in the attic to see
    what/how/if the trusses are nailed to the wall headers (and where).
    
    -tnx,
    	Jeff

>    The crown molding is nailed to the walls.....

	Wrong, if you're trying to cover a moving ceiling.  Attach
it to the ceiling ONLY and let it piston up and down.  Right now, you
just see the molding/ceiling gap instead of the wall/ceiling gap.
    
>    What I'm not sure I understand, however, is *why* the ceiling drywall
>   is moving!  The further away from the 2-story foyer you go, the less
 
	I don't remember the exact configuration, but is the movement
worst at the center of the truss, and lessens as you get closer to the
side walls?  A pure truss is only held up at two points - the outside
walls of the house.  If you're getting movement IN the truss, then the
worst gap would be under the center, and none at all at the support
points.  Of course, if you're attached at various places, you don't
know what's going on - which is the concern from the truss's point of
view - unless it's designed for it, anything OTHER then two-points-of-support
can SERIOUSLY change the behaviour, and switching a tension member to 
compression or vice versa can result in collapse.  

	Your movement sounds severe, in any case.  I'd get it checked 
out.  And don't throw any parties on the roof in the meantime....:-)

    	I tried a wall repair last week that I mentioned earlier. I have a
    corner that keeps cracking. I removed any loose tape/compound and
    filled in any gaps with joint compound. I then ran a utility knife down
    the seam to seperate the two walls.
    
    	Next, I filled the seam with paintable silicone. This stuff is
    about the consistancy of mastic and is water soluable. A wet finger
    makes a quick and nice looking finished seam.
    
    	This is for a wall that is not moving that much. It appears to be 
    mainly due to thermal expansion/contraction because it only occurs on 
    outside walls. Only time will tell if it holds up. It's probably going
    to take at least a year to find out. I'll report back if it cracks in
    the meantime, but I'm hoping the problem is fixed for good.
    
    	Ray

We used to light an oil lamp in the kitchen - the ceiling and the upper corners
of the wall near tha lamp have black stains/spots on  them - I am assuming this
is from the oil lamp flame.  Any idea how these spots can be removed?  Would
bleach work with these like it does with mildew?

    
    
    Look in the phonebook under SMOKE AND FIRE DAMAGE RESTORATION or 
    even under HOUSE CLEANING. You'll find places (e.g. the Servpro
    chain) that specialize in such things. 
    
    Perhaps if you call them and explain that it's a tiny little job
    (not worth their involvement) they'll give you some advice.
    
    
    								- Mac

    
    This may not be the right topic but here goes.
    
    I had a hot water heater spring a leak on me and leave me with about a
    foot of water in a finished basement. Sort of an sudden indoor pool..
    I had a cleaning company come in and get all the water out and to dry
    it out. My question is, the finished walls (sheetrock or blueboard?)
    looks OK but how do I know if they are ok. Nothing is wet or has any
    visible damage. I guess my question is, will the walls dry out or do
    the sheetrock or whatever have to be replaced?
    
    /Peter

    Hi,
    
    I have a wall that has been panelled, not with the real wood paneling
    but the imitation stuff. There is one spot that was bashed in, it's a
    half circle around the size of a silver dollar. Is there a way to raise
    it so that it is flush with the rest of the wall? If I could do that, I
    think I could take a little furniture polish or stain to cover the
    actual "tear". (it's really not in a good spot to hang a picture etc to
    cover it).
    
    Thanks, Judy              

Just a suggestion. This WON'T work if the paneling is GLUED to the wall.

If the hole isn't on a seam, you could take the panel down, do the repair (much
easier when you have access to the back of the panel) and then put it back up.
Pull any baseboard molding off the bottom. Look for the nails holding the panel
up, carefully remove them, then take the panel off the wall. You won't have to
worry about trimming the panel to size since that was already done when it was
first installed. You may have to loosen an adjacent panel to get this one off.
Then nail it back in place using the same type of nails that held it up before. 

I've never tried this myself but I think it should be pretty straightforward. 

Steve B.  

    	If the dent is because the wood fibers of the panel are compressed, 
    then there is no way that I can think of that you can repair the panel.
    Is the dent in a location that would allow it to be covered by a chair
    rail ?
    
    	If this is the type of panel I think it is, you could probably
    spackle the dent and wallpaper one wall, if you can't find a replacement
    panel.
    
    	Ray

    The dent looks as though someone hit it with a corner of something.
    It's pushed in about 1/8". I was thinking of using something to pry it
    out again. A small plunger type thing might work.  :)
    
    Otherwise, like was previously suggested, if it's nailed, I can take
    the whole piece down, but I'd need to pry that as well. 
    
    It's about 4' off the floor so a chair rail wouldn't work.
    
    Thanks for the suggestions,
    Judy

Sounds like you can use a tool on the idea of an auto body dent puller.  You
can use a toggle bolt to do this: a toggle bolt has spring-loaded "flappers" on
the end of a bolt that will grip the backside of wallboard or panelling.  (A
molly bolt, which is different than a toggle bolt, won't do this job as well).
Drill a 1/4" or so hole, insert the toggle bolt and then pull the dent back
out.  When it's out as far as you want, then just push the toggle bolt in and
let it drop down behind the panelling.  Of course, now you have a 1/4" hole to
deal with ...

-Chris

    Gee, that sounds great! I can fill the hole with some wood putty. 
    
    Thanks for your help!
    
    Judy