Home Sweet Home Magazine - Sept 2021

Cracked Decking and Fencing

hours, and then scrub it with an abrasive tool. You can also try a paste made frombaking soda and water. A layer of salt followed by a coat of lemon juice may also do the trick. If homemade remedies don’t do the job, move onto commercially- available items, but use common sense and all safety precautions since these chemicals are toxic. If you want to avoid chemicals altogether, you can use a grinder or an abrasive brush to scrape the rust away. Another option is to apply a rust converter to the rust. This doesn’t eliminate the rust but keeps it from corroding further. The home maintenance list is always long, but remember the goal is to keep your structure in good shape to avoid even bigger problems in the future. Tackling the crumbling, cracks and corrosion nowmeans an increase in home value, a more enjoyable space and less time and money spent down the road.

gently scrape away loose pieces. Preparation is the most important step here, so make sure no peeling areas remain. Then, apply a thin layer of wood filler to protect the damaged area. Once dry, sand it down and apply a primer, followed by your house paint.

When it comes to cracks in siding or crumblingmortar, repairs are necessary to protect the surface behind it. An unsealed siding will allow water to damage inside the walls of the home. A cracked fireplace box could allow a spark to ignite the wood backing behind it. But for cracks in decking and fencing boards, it’s a matter of integrity. That means that cracks weaken the boards. This can be dangerous for decking, especially for elevated decks. Nobody wants their deck to collapse beneath them. With this inmind, it’s critical to replace boards with significant cracks. For fencing, cracks often start near a nail and spread across the board. This weakens them, making it easier for pets to escape or unwanted guests to enter the yard. Replace any rotten or heavily cracked boards each year before winter comes around. Cracked Paint The job of paint and stain is to protect the surface, so when the paint is cracked or peeling, it means it’s no longer doing its job. Fortunately, it’s an easy repair, as long as it’s only on small portions of the house. To repair cracked or peeling paint on a wood surface,

Metal Corrosion

Rust and corrosion can’t be reversed. That means it’s crucial to deal with it immediately in order to slow or stop the deterioration. As a homeowner, battling rust might not come to mind at the top of your maintenance list, but it can happen anywhere inside or outside your home. We’re talking about pipes, metal siding or roofingmaterial, tools, buried tanks, furniture, and grills, among other things. For smaller items, like a piece of piping, you can submerge it in white vinegar. Allow it to soak for 12-24

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