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Ed DelGrande Interview: Floor Repair, Kitchen Leaks, a Level Tip and more From "Ask DIY Home Improvement" episode DADH-112

Ed DelGrande Interview: Floor Repair, Kitchen-Sink Leaks, a Level Tip and more

Janette Smith: From cracked stairs to leaky pipes, we cover it all here on Ask DIY Anything. Today, I’m joined by home repair expert and master plumber Ed DelGrande

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Question (from Rob in Lincoln, Nebraska) : I pulled up the carpeting on my stairs, and found that there are a couple of pretty substantial cracks on a few of the treads (figure A). How do I repair them? I’d like to leave the treads exposed.

Ed: For small cracks, you can simply use some wood filler. For larger cracks like this one, that may not be enough. What you may need is a epoxy resin (figure B). It's a two-part mixture that must be blended together in order for it to harden. Before it hardens, it can be molded -- much like clay -- to fill in cracks using a putty knife. Allow it to set up, then sand the epoxy down until it's flush with the wood. The epoxy takes the place of the missing wood.

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Question (from Melissa in Charleston, South Carolina) : I have a leak in the pipe underneath my sink. What can I do to fix this?

Ed:Leaks in any of your pipes can be very annoying, but the good news is that in most cases, you can make the repairs yourself. The first thing to find out is what type of leak it is -- a water line or a drain line. An easy fix may be possible if the problem is a loose packing nut on a water line. Check the packing nut at the base of the valve stem to see if it's loose. Simply tightening the packing nut with a wrench may stop the drip. A similar easy fix may be possible on a drain line (figure C). The nuts on the drain lines are larger than those on the supply line, but check them in the same way, and tighten as necessary using a crescent wrench. If tightening the nuts doesn't stop the leak, you'll need to do some more investigating, and you may need to do some replacement work. If the problem is more complicated, you may have to call in the pros.

Figure D

Question (from Julie from Perry, Oklahoma): I just bought a "new to me" home. There are some scratches in the hardwood floors. Is there anything I can do to lessen their appearance?

Ed: Most of the time the scratches draw your attention because of the color difference. If it's a small, isolate scratch, the first thing I would try would be stain markers in a matching color (figure D). If that doesn't work, some other things you can try include using steel wool or fine sandpaper -- only on the scratched area -- to smooth out the scratch. Sand only in the direction of the wood grain, not across. For a large area, I wouldn't recommend going out and renting a power sander, as these can easily damage floors. Instead, consider renting a buffer machine.

Figure E

Ed's Money-Saver Tip: Make-It-Yourself Long-Level

Most do-it-yourselfers will have a carpenter's level in their arsenal of tools, but they may not have a long-level like those builders and contractors use. Occasionally you may find you have need of a long level. Rather than buying one, you may be able to "lengthen" your ordinary level by attaching it to a straight board with electrical tape (figure E). Use a longer board to make your level as long as you need. Electrical tape is ideal for this because it's so thin, and won't add a significant amount of thickness to your straight board. Additional thickness could cause you to get an inaccurate level reading.

RESOURCES :

HGTV's Complete Fix-It
Author: HGTV