The value of a home is enhanced when it appears well maintained. Unfortunately, few prospective buyers look below the floor into the sub area. And although the sub area is just as important to properly maintain, the areas that are most thoroughly scrutinized are those that are readily visible during a quick walk-through.
The list of what to do to improve value is infinite, but refinishing a light fixture is one of the single most cost effective home improvements you can do, and believe it or not, you can expect as much as a one-thousand percent (or more) return on your investment.
One of our readers recently reported that her two large entry light fixtures looked as though they were ready for light-fixture heaven and that replacement would cost a little over $800. She took our advice, and within four evenings (a few hours each sitting) and an investment of $35 in materials and equipment, made her old fixtures look brand new.
Even the best light fixtures (made from solid brass) eventually corrode to a point where they completely lose their smooth, shiny, new-looking finish.
Reviving old, tattered brass is easy. Brass is a relatively soft metal, and even the most badly oxidized surface can be polished to its original sheen.
The steps are easy. First disassemble the fixture to its smallest component. This will make working on ornate fixtures much more simple. Even though the brass is tarnished a thin protective coating (usually clear lacquer) must be completely removed. Use paint remover to do this. Since the clear coating is almost invisible there won't be much satisfaction in performing this step. Omitting this step will make the sanding and polishing steps far more difficult.
Once the clear, protective coating is removed, sandpaper is used to remove the oxidized surface layer of the brass - including any pitting that may exist. Yes, the sandpaper will scratch the surface, but a second sanding with a finer grit will bring you one step closer to the polishing phase where metal polish is used to remove all traces of the sandpapering phase and to once again bring the surface to a high sheen.
The grade of sandpaper required will depend on how badly corroded the surface is. Eighty-grit should be used for deeply pitted surfaces, one hundred fifty-grit for moderately pitted surfaces and two hundred-grit for lightly pitted surfaces. In every case, four to six hundred grit wet and dry sandpaper dipped in water should be used for the final sanding.
Although hand polishing is acceptable a polishing wheel is faster and easier to use. No, you don't need to purchase a fancy bench grinder with a bunch of exotic polishing wheels. All that's needed is a common household drill with a polishing pad attachment. It can be mounted in a bench vice or clamped to a workbench or heavy piece of furniture (old furniture please - the clamp may leave marks). Polishing rouge (comes in the form of a large crayon or stick). It is applied to the polishing pad (while it is rotating) and the brass surface is held against the spinning pad to remove scratches and buff the yellow metal to a bright, golden sheen. Then, a coat or two of Brasso liquid brass polish can be used to bring out the final luster of the metal and remove all traces of the polishing rouge.
Finally, spray on a new protective coating of clear lacquer or a clear polyurethane paint such as Flecto Varathane to seal the shiny brass and protect it against oxidation. It is important not to touch the surface of the brass with bare hands between the polishing and protective coating stages. Wear soft white cotton gloves during and after polishing. The oil in your skin will cause the brass to rapidly discolor. If you aren't careful here you may get the opportunity to see your fingerprints on the surface of the light fixture within a few weeks.
Once the clear coating has had a chance to dry reassemble and remount the fixture. Then count how much money you've saved.
QUESTION #1 - COLUMN #7 Q. I would appreciate your advice, regarding what to do about a newly installed furnace.
When I turned it on for the first time, an unusual amount of debris came through the floor-vents (gritty dirt, aluminum foil pieces, stuff that looks like fluffy pieces of wool and sooty stuff too).
Assuming that the incident was a one-time thing, I cleaned up the mess and gave it no further thought. Much to my surprise, debris continues to spew out of the ducts. Although to a lesser degree, the strong blower from the furnace scatters dust everywhere.
I have been living in this house for more than thirty years and have had two other furnaces before, without all this happening. - Loenora T., San Francisco, CA.
A. It sounds to us like you have two problems: a sloppy furnace installation and a sloppy furnace installation. As a matter of fact we can almost guarantee that the installer you hired would probably be better off doing gardening.
The initial shower of debris (aluminum shavings, insulation, etc.) indicates a mess left in the duct pipes and adjacent air distribution cans that can only result when the installer isn't careful about cleaning up during installation.
We feel that you should ask the contractor to come back to do a proper vacuuming of the ducting - at his expense. You didn't leave the mess - he did. He will have to remove all of the register covers and feed a commercial (high-powered) vacuum hose deep into the ducting to clean up the mess that was left. Doing the job properly might take two visits. One to get the heavy debris and a second trip to get what comes loose after the first cleaning.
It would also be wise for you to check the furnace filters. If they were installed incorrectly or if they have gotten dirty prematurely (as a result of the grubby ducting), then during operation, the furnace will constantly generate a thin layer of dust from one corner of the house to the other.
The same thin layer of dust will result when a filter is the wrong size, has been installed backwards or is a cheap brand. Make sure that the filter being used is recommended by the manufacturer of the furnace.
Next time - hire a different contractor. And don't recommend this one to your friends. In construction - a slob today is a slob tomorrow.
QUESTION #2 - COLUMN #7 Q. A dirt odor comes through the furnace vents. I was told to put bright lights in the area and that doing so would kill fungi that are causing the smell. Please offer suggestions - lights sound a bit far fetched. Also, there is lime growing between our vinyl flooring and the cement making the flooring lumpy. What is the procedure to prevent this from happening again? - Doris, Castro Valley, CA.
A. Just call us far-fetched... when we're through with you, you'll think Star Trek The Next Generation is old hat.
First of all, the reason for the fungus that's among us is because water is where it shouldn't be - the sub area to be specific.
The net affect of water in the sub area can be compared to aphids on roses or termites on wood. Damp soil can result in fungus growth, wood rot, rusty heat ducting, premature house settlement or excessive house movement - not to mention the bad odors you're experiencing.
The culprit here is either damp soil or standing water below the floors in question. The trick is to get rid of the water by making sure that you aren't over-irrigating and by insuring that the grade around the perimeter of your home slopes away from the foundation.
Preventing the water from getting under the floor is the only proof-positive way to prevent mineral salt laden water from seeping up through your concrete, evaporating, leaving mineral residue and causing your linoleum to become bumpy. Even if you were to remove the linoleum, scrape it clean, use an epoxy paint to seal the concrete and then install a new layer of linoleum, hydrostatic (water) pressure might still be great enough to break through the epoxy paint sealant.
With a wood floor, it is possible to deal with the moisture so that it doesn't cause damage while measures are taken to prevent from getting under there in the first place.
This is where the light-in-the-sub area suggestion makes sense. A bright light bulb literally is a real fungus killer. It is important however, to remember that fungus does not die from bright lights alone. Foundation ventilation also should be improved (add more foundation vents), and until the water problem has been eradicated it would be wise to place a fan down there too. This will improve air circulation, which will in turn aid in drying out the soil. How long? For as long as it takes.
If getting rid of the moisture is out of the question, then install a layer of polyethylene (plastic) sheeting over the wet soil. This is done so that steam vapors that emanate from the damp soil will be caused to condense on the layer of plastic instead of the wood floor above. Remember: wet wood becomes rotten wood - and very few home maintenance chores are as expensive to repair.
Once the fans and lights are down there - add some furniture. Who knows you might be able to make a few extra bucks on rental income - just kidding. And good luck!
