


It's a fact of life and will cause water to flow over the snowy or frozen gutters in winter.


Q Our vacation house came with a cat smell in one corner of the basement, a urine odor that increases with the humidity.

I've washed the unsealed concrete floor with a product specifically designed to remove urine odors. It helped somewhat, but I would like to do more.

Would painting the floor seal in/eliminate the odor? Or do you have other suggestions to help me get rid of this smell?



A The brass fixtures were probably covered with a clear sealer designed to keep the brass shiny. Alas, that often fails. You can have a metal finisher remove the protective coating, make sure the brass is very shiny, and install a coating called powder coating.

Q I have a deck of Trex and trim of Azek, a solid vinyl material. I was told to treat the trim with Timberlock, but I don't know what that is.

What should I do with the Azek and Trex?



Q My tub drain had a heavy buildup of hair and other blockages, and one blockage buster called Clobber didn't work.

Eventually, a plumber used a snake to clear everything. I noticed some of the finish, paint or something, was coming off the tub, revealing black cast iron in several places.

How can I restore the finish to cover the black marks?

A The tub finish is not paint. It's porcelain enamel, which wore off from long use.

You can't cover it, but there are three ways to handle it. 1) Leave it alone and keep the tub clean. 2) Install a new cast iron tub, very expensive, requiring the tile surround to be partially removed and reinstalled. 3) Have the tub reglazed with an epoxy finish. It often works at a lesser cost. Or install an acrylic shell over the tub.

I think reglazing is the most economical way.


The pumps send to a buried sewer in the back yard. It was built by my folks, and when it fills up with leaves, it's my job to shovel out the evil-smelling gunk that accumulates at the bottom.



In the meantime, install a screen of Å¸-inch hardware cloth (sturdy, galvanized steel mesh) under the grille so you can brush it off every few weeks or as needed.

Talk to your local public works department to see what kind of a system your town has. Perhaps they can tell you if there's anything else you can have done.

Q I have black slate around my fireplace, but it's dull. Is there any way to make it shine?

A You're maybe too young to remember blackboards, which were slate in my time, long, long ago. They were black and had no shine, so content yourself with knowing that's the way slate is supposed to look.

If you want it to shine, paint your slate fireplace with a clear sealer.