Home & Garden - 28 October 2007

We just bought a new, unfinished, poplar porch swing. It will be on our porch, so not directly exposed to weather. Does it have to be finished, like with varnish or stain that includes the varnish, or sealant? It does need to be slightly sanded, but the previous swing had minwax stain with varnish on it and it didn't seem to do that much for it and over time wore off from sitting in it. I just wasn't going to waste the time on finish for it, if it wasn't necessary.

2007-10-28 03:57:35 · 2 answers · asked by Sheila 6 in Other - Home & Garden

What is the recommended octane level of the gasoline to use with this mower?

2007-10-28 03:56:07 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Maintenance & Repairs

Our couch frame has an ugly orangish varnish on it and we want to make it look more like walnut or something dark but don't want to go through the trouble of sanding. Is it possible to just stain over the varnish. It's not too glossy or anything. We're just looking for shortcuts.

2007-10-28 03:45:04 · 6 answers · asked by Phil H 2 in Decorating & Remodeling

We took down old wallpaper and some wall board. (Paper above, board beneath.) How do I remove all the old wallpaper glue and do I have to? Also, under the wall board the dry wall had not been finished, it's just the bare dry wall surface. If I mix mud into the paint and apply it with a roller will that give me coverage of all this mess?

2007-10-28 03:44:52 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Do It Yourself (DIY)

2007-10-28 03:44:02 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Do It Yourself (DIY)

ok i hate mice and rats as much as everyone else
but i think glue traps are so cruel..they just sit there and die slowly but a regular trap kills them instantly.(5 to die days on a glue trap)thats a long time to suffer dont you think?

do you think they are cruel?

2007-10-28 03:39:54 · 5 answers · asked by ♥♥ 2 in Other - Home & Garden

2007-10-28 03:37:12 · 18 answers · asked by Shirl 1 in Other - Home & Garden

I'm somewhat agoraphobic, and though I love the people I'm sending the arrangements to, I can't go visit them without feel trapped and anxious.

I need to arrange for someone else to deliver them. Sometimes my husband will, but he's really busy. Sometimes the arrangements just sit on my counter and die.

What should I do?

TX Mom

2007-10-28 03:31:31 · 4 answers · asked by TX Mom 7 in Garden & Landscape

2007-10-28 03:29:10 · 7 answers · asked by Miss B 2 in Decorating & Remodeling

What kind of problems (and solutions) have you run into in managing a grey water system for your house? (i.e., makeup water excesses, clogging, bacteria, odor)

Has anyone had a negative experience in using grey water for your vegetable garden?

I’m not looking for grey water links – I’m looking for personal stories, solutions.

2007-10-28 03:17:40 · 2 answers · asked by Thomas K 4 in Other - Home & Garden

All of the sudden one day the temperature just kept rising (700) until all the smoke alarms were beeping. We turned it off at the fuse box, turned it back on again, but whenever we try to use it for more than 10 mins it does the freaky "gonna see you in hell" move.

I'm no expert, but I think the thermostat is blown. Can you tell me if you think that, too, or whatever else it might be, and how hard is it to fix? Where can I order parts?

2007-10-28 03:05:57 · 1 answers · asked by TX Mom 7 in Maintenance & Repairs

Especially we use this to increase the percentage of water in air , " not to make dry air " .. it's kinda decorative too !!! hey u guys know the name !! and it's especially 2-5 feet in height !

2007-10-28 03:05:06 · 4 answers · asked by whipa 2 in Maintenance & Repairs

I live in southern california and I am going to have 18x18 or 20x20 travertine stone flooring (in a brickwork aka offset pattern) throughout my house (living room, kitchen, dinning room, entryway, hallways and bathrooms) on a concrete slab foundation. Its roughly 1200 sq. ft. I would like to know what percentage of waste I should factory in when calculating total needed sq. ft. ? and also what is the thinnest grout line possible in that size tile, is 1/16 of an inch ok? or if anyone who has worked with said material can relay their experience in working with the material or considerations that can easily be overlooked?

2007-10-28 03:04:29 · 2 answers · asked by in the valley 1 in Decorating & Remodeling

what is radiant peace. i'm doing a project, and i have to figure it out. i'm having trouble. can you help me?

2007-10-28 03:02:12 · 1 answers · asked by Abby :) 1 in Other - Home & Garden

I am putting in a small 12'x60' mobile home on the new property I just bought, to use as an office for my farm. Would I need to put a cement pad in for the home to sit on? Would it need to be the complete size of the mobile home i.e 12x60 or could I use smaller pads just where the wheels are going to sit?

2007-10-28 02:53:33 · 9 answers · asked by Deny_Zoo29 5 in Decorating & Remodeling

2007-10-28 02:42:19 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Do It Yourself (DIY)

From another post I have determined I have a heat pump heating system (I have Em. Heat setting for forced electric heat). If I put on Em. Heat or turn the thermostat much higher than the current temperature, it works fine because it is being heated electrically . Once I put it down to a reasonable temperature, it recirculates room temp air 95% of the time. Two times, however, the A/C compressor kicked on and the heat stayed working when I turned it down below a temperature which forced the electric heat. If I remember my thermodynamics correctly, the heat pump cycle has a compressor in it. Am I correct that for the heat pump to actually provide heat, the compressor has to be working?

When it was summer, the compressor worked fine most of the time, but there sometimes it would not kick on as it should. It almost never kicks on in heat mode.

I rent so I would like to be as specific with my landlord about my problem as possible. Should I tell her this is the problem with my heat?

2007-10-28 02:41:52 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Maintenance & Repairs

2007-10-28 02:41:15 · 8 answers · asked by samflan 1 in Garden & Landscape

Im looking to decorate my kitchen with wallpaper/covering featuring food does anyone know anywhere in the uk i can buy this?
Thank you

2007-10-28 02:38:47 · 3 answers · asked by ms_j_uk12 2 in Decorating & Remodeling

2007-10-28 02:29:26 · 15 answers · asked by di 3 in Maintenance & Repairs

All day they just smoke pot out the window. Sometimes they even vomit out it. It's disgusting

2007-10-28 01:38:40 · 6 answers · asked by Sid 1 in Other - Home & Garden

2007-10-28 01:36:21 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Do It Yourself (DIY)

Is it possible for an upgrade to this boiler without changing everything?

2007-10-28 01:33:39 · 5 answers · asked by chris n 7 in Maintenance & Repairs

When ever I use the stove to boil water, etc.below my over the range microwave without using the exhaust fan, I have trouble using my microwave. This time the magnatron blew. I this a common problem with over the ranges micros

2007-10-28 01:28:19 · 2 answers · asked by Paul R 1 in Do It Yourself (DIY)

We have had a new window put in and an added problem of Mastic Sealant left all over the glass ! Is there a chemical sold in the UK that removes this stuff ? Scrapping is not an OPTION !

2007-10-28 01:08:57 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Decorating & Remodeling

Hi,
I am replacing a twin light switch with a twin dimmer, but I am puzzled by the way the switches were wired up.
Coming into the socket are two mains cables, labeled 1 and 2.
Both earths go to the earth in the housing.
Black 1 (live i gather) goes to the top of switch 1. Black 2 goes to the bottom of switch 2.
Red 1 goes to the bottom of switch 1, and then another red cable runs from that to the top of switch 2. The red from mains cable 2 is left hanging.

The dimer I have has 2 seperate units, with a live connector, a connector for the cable to the light, and an earth. I understand I just run a cable from the earth to the earth in the housing, but what do I do with the other cables? Why is that red cable left hanging in the air?
Chris

2007-10-28 00:39:51 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Do It Yourself (DIY)