Q: I just moved into a nice-looking old house, and I am trying to do something about the six-sided ceramic tiles in the bathroom, to clean them and remove cement that somehow got on the face. How can I do that? — Interested, but confused
A: You have a gem in those old tiles. They may not be antique, but they are certainly semi-antique (more than 50 years old). That cementlike stuff, which is really a mortarlike grout, was left on the face of the tile by careless regrouting. Buy muriatic acid at a hardware or paint store, and cut it half with water. Always pour the acid into the water when mixing.
Wear skin and eye protection when working with any acid, and be extremely careful. Pour this mix onto the grout. It will fizz. When the fizzing stops, scrub with a scrub brush.
To clean is iffy, because the tiles are probably porcelain, not glazed, and are dull. Porcelain is the same all the way through and usually dull. Dirt has gotten into tiny cracks. But try this anyway. Apply a mix on the tile of one part bleach and three to five parts water, let stand for several minutes, then scrub with a nylon pot scrubber. This will clean them up as well as you can, although there is one more thing you can try: Wet with hydrogen peroxide, then sprinkle lots of cream of tartar on the wet tile.
Wait overnight, then scrub and rinse.
Q: I am having my paneled floating hardwood floor repaired, to correct gaps of about one-fifth of an inch between some of the floating panels. One contractor would install a strap above the panel to squeeze the panels together, then when the strap is let go, panels will stay. Another would pick up the affected panels and reinstall them with tight joints, then glue the affected panels down to keep them tight. What should I choose? Both want to charge $400. — Orr Sheperd, Woburn, Mass.
A: Both offers are valid, I think, and also the cost, $400. But no matter what is being done, those wayward panels should be glued, or a block put on one end of the floor to prevent further “walking.”
Q: My dining chairs have wood backs and legs, with a kind of leather (maybe real, maybe not) on the seats. The seats are stained with white paint drops, drips and smears. How can I remove them? — Ruby, Metairie, La.
A: If it is real leather, scrubbing with saddle soap may soften the paint enough so it can be rubbed off with a nylon pot scrubber. I think it is more likely to be a non-leather type like Naugahyde. In that case, apply any kind of oil, or Avon’s Skin-So-Soft, leave it on for 15 minutes, then rub lightly with the nylon pot scrubber. Clean the oil off with detergent and water.
