Real estate, home improvement issues
Q: Should an air-conditioning unit be covered up during the winter? My dad was in the heating and cooling business, and he told me that it always should be covered. But now I hear different ideas or reasons why not to cover it up.
A: Your dad’s advice was probably correct at one time, but the consensus now is don’t cover. Modern units are designed to drain rain or melted snow away from the base. Covering the unit will hold moisture inside. The result: rusting and reduction in the life of the unit.
Q: The previous owner of my house put a wallpaper border in the bathroom. I took it off and did not damage the drywall, but the border did strip off several layers of paint. I scraped the loose paint off.
Because there were multiple layers of paint, there is an obvious height difference between the drywall and the areas where the paint did not pull off. What’s the best way to handle that difference? Just sand it smooth, or fill it with a thin layer of spackle?
A: Filling it with a thin layer of spackle to try to get it even would work. It’s always better to put on more than you need, and then sand it even, than to put on too little. Also, make sure you use a good primer.
Q: We have a 264-square-foot cedar wood deck built in 1987. The floor boards were a lesser grade of wood than the balusters and railings, and despite yearly applications of clear wood finish, the floor is in desperate need of renewal.
My neighbor was at a home show and picked up a sample of a wood substitute called Carefree that they claim can be installed right over an existing deck floor. It’s supposed to be maintenance-free. Do you know about this product, and if what they claim is feasible?
A. The decking you refer to is Carefree Xteriors, manufactured by U.S. Plastic Lumber Ltd. ( www.usplasticlumber.com). It is plastic, so what you’re doing is putting a plastic floor on a cedar deck. Not my choice, but it’s an alternative to wood-composite products such as Trex.
Have you ever had your deck professionally washed and sealed? Have you looked into what it would cost to replace the cedar decking with more cedar decking?
Carefree is “virtually maintenance-free,” meaning that you’ll have to wash it off periodically with a hose. If your deck is on the north side of the house, you may have to do it a little more than that. Vinyl siding, too, is virtually maintenance-free, but quite often siding in the shade develops mildew, just like everything else.
Final word: If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.