Old Concrete Will Need Extra Paint

Question: I have a 50-year-old concrete patio that’s badly pitted and marked. Would using one of those tough floor paints be much of an improvement, or does the concrete have to be torn out and redone?

D.W.

Santa Ana

Answer: “Old cement can be very porous, which causes problems when you try to paint it,” says Joe Ragsdale of Color Center in La Mirada. “If you’re going to paint it, make sure you get a few extra gallons because you’re probably going to be doing some touch-up work over time. First, clean the surface off with a mixture of muriatic acid and water and let it dry out as much as possible. You don’t want any moisture in the cement. After it’s dry, apply the paint and let that dry fully before walking on it. A better but more expensive option would be to have colored cement poured over the old surface.”

Q: We have a two-story house with two gas furnaces that serve the upstairs and downstairs. We’ve found that we really only need to run the downstairs furnace during winter, and we’ve turned the gas off to the upstairs unit. When we’ve had overnight guests, they’ve mistakenly turned the upstairs thermostat on. Is turning the furnace on with the gas off a hazard?

N.C.

Villa Park

A: “If you’re worried that somehow an igniter will come on and remain on, that’s not going to happen,” says Rod Albright of Albright Plumbing & Heating Supply in Los Alamitos. “There’s generally a safety valve that keeps problems like that from occurring. On units with pilot lights, if the pilot should go out for any reason, the gas line shuts down.

“Also, many people blow their pilot light out before summer to save energy, and they may be having problems restarting their furnace. What often happens is spiders will nest inside the area where the pilot is during summer and clog it, which can be a big repair job. You’re better off leaving your pilot on all year-round. The gas used is very minimal, and it will be easier to start it up in the winter.”

Q: We’ve had periodic problems with a bathroom sink backing up, and I had an idea to prevent the clogging. On kitchen sinks, there’s usually a strainer/stopper at the drain. Can I get something like that to fit my bathroom drain?

R.A.

San Juan Capistrano

A: “You can put a strainer in there, but you have to remember that you’ll no longer have the pop-up stopper,” says Rich Haagsma of Faucets ‘n Fixtures in Orange. “You’ll have to use the basket stopper, and you can find stoppers with very fine screens, which will help your problem, although it probably won’t be 100% effective. You’ll be trading the convenience of the pop-up for an improvement in keeping your drain clear.”

Q: I removed a wall mirror, 8 feet by 12 feet, and now I want to dispose of it. What’s the safest way to break it up?

D.D.

Newport Beach

A: “You always have to take great care when working with a large piece of glass or mirror,” says Debbie Mundt of College Glass & Mirror in Fullerton. “A professional generally uses a glass cutter to break it into movable pieces. When doing this, you’ll need to use a good cutter and make sure you’re wearing good eye wear and heavy-duty gloves.”

Q: We have a 100-year-old picture that used to hang on a wall with the hanging wire visible above the picture. We’d like to use it in our home, but I want to hide the wire. Also, how do I know the wire’s still strong enough to support the picture?

S.W.

Yorba Linda

A: “The key is to find out how strong the frame is,” says framer Art Munson of Santa Ana. “On old frames, the hanging hardware may be strained from years of use, and the frame may be bent in some way. If the picture and frame is valuable to you, it wouldn’t hurt to have a professional examine it and maybe install a new wire.”

Got a question about your home or garden? Write to: John Morell, Handyman, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.