Q: My wood back door and wood storm door are swollen with water and do not open easily. Do the doors usually go back to fit normally once they dry out? Or do I need a repair? — KD
A:Well, both: The doors will contract when they dry out, and if the fit is tight, then you can make repairs, trimming all edges to make sure they close easily but snugly. After trimming down the door edges, you should repaint the edges with an oil paint to keep moisture from entering and causing swelling.
Q: I have some nice-looking wood crown molding around the ceilings in my big brownstone. They have many paint coats, and recently I noticed gaps between the molding and ceiling and wall. It looks as if they are pulling away from the wall. What’s wrong and can I fill those gaps or wait until they go away? — Jim Crawford, Boston
A:Nothing may be wrong. I think they have dried out and shrunk, creating those gaps. Climb up there and see if you can push the molding back in place. Chances are that you cannot. If you cannot, the wood has dried out and shrunk, but the gaps may close in spring and summer when they take on moisture and expand. But with gaps there now, fill them with an adhesive caulk (PhenoSeal or Polyseamseal). If you can push them back into position, nail them securely, and repaint if necessary.
Q: When finishing floors (sanding, polyurethaning, etc.) and painting the same room, which comes first? — Stacy
A:Paint the ceiling first, then the walls, and thirdly, the trim, which is easier to do after the walls are done. And lastly the floors. Actually, the trim and walls can be done either way.
Q: I’m thinking of replacing a section of my roof with a standing-seam metal one. Any thoughts of how noisy it might be in a rain? — Snowey
A:If that roof goes over an insulated roof, you will not hear what hits you. If the roof is over an attic, and the attic floor is insulated, the same goes. Then in the quiet of the night you can enjoy the pitty pat of raindrops, knowing that you are well protected.
Heck, I have sealed the windows and insulated so well that I hardly hear anything — even the fierce nor’easter winds of January and February. I’m thinking of getting one of those white- noise machines or maybe opening a window just a tad.
Q: We have a furnace in our attic, so keeping the attic cold enough to prevent melting is very difficult. We get huge icicles and ice dams but no leaks because we have ice and water shields on the entire roof. Any suggestions on what to do? Is the shield reliable to prevent leaks? Can we let the icicles grow or knock them down? — Anonymous
A:A hot-air furnace in the attic is the dumbest thing to foist upon hapless homeowners since vinyl siding. Many architects are arrogant and don’t seem to care about what happens to houses that have such furnaces in the attic. You cannot ventilate the attic enough to cool it. Try to relocate the furnace on the second floor. The ice and water shield is reliable, although nail holes might eventually leak.
I ran a real attack on the concept of furnaces in the attic a few years ago, and I got no comment from any architect, so I think I am right in condemning furnaces in attics. As for icicles, knock them down regularly if they are hazards to walkers, and to keep them from pulling down gutters.
Peter Hotton: photton@globe.com
