Q. I share a driveway with my neighbor. We had the old concretereplaced by asphalt. After a short time, the surface started flakingwhere tires turn on it. The contractor told us not to turn our tires,and that he will heat the asphalt, reroll it, then seal it. Is thisacceptable?
MIKE CATALDO, Melrose
A. It is, more or less, but the contractor's admonition, not toturn your tires like that, reminds me of an old Punch cartoon inwhich a British sailor complains to the ship's doctor, "Doc, my armhurts when I go like that." "Then don't go like that," said the wilydoctor.
OK, so it's an old joke. It does make a certain amount of sense,though.
Power steering has made it easy to turn your tires while standingstill, which is pretty hard on fresh asphalt. Maybe you should havestuck with concrete, but since it is done, heating and rerolling is agood idea and will probably cure the problem. But do not seal it;that is 90 percent cosmetic and might be liable to wrinkling andpulling off if you move your tires again.
Q. I got three bids, ranging from $600 to $1,200, to put downmosaic ceramic tile on a kitchen floor. I noticed that some of the -inch plywood underlayment is rotting out. How can I prepare the floorfor the new tile?
ROGER BUSSWELL, Rowley
A. Your best bet is to take up all the -inch plywood, andinstall Durarock, WonderBoard, or other kind of 1/2-inch-thickconcrete board. This will give a firm foundaton for the tile and willkeep the floor on the original plane. You could do this part yourselfor let the tiler do it.
Another method is to apply mortar to the old floor, bringing it upto the proper height, then apply the mosaic tile.
Q. The plastic sleeves holding bolts for a toilet paper bar andtowel rack bracket are losing their strength, and the units aresagging. I cannot move the holes, which are 1/2 inch in diameter, sohow can I make the brackets hold properly when I remount them?
AL COOLEY, Needham
A. It sounds as if the holes were enlarged by the flexing ofthe bolt, since the towel bar and paper holder receive a certainamount of handling. Ergo, the fixtures come loose.
What you need is a sturdier wall. The plasterboard or plaster wallis not thick enough to hold the bolt properly. You could fill thathole with joint compound, let it set, and redrill a hole for theplastic sleeve, but it would work loose again.
I suggest this rather drastic move: Remove enough of theplasterboard or plaster to allow insertion of a horizontal 2 " 4between two vertical studs to be toenailed to each stud. Replace theplasterboard and finish off. Now you can mount the fixtures directlyon the wall with screws going into the 2 " 4.
Drastic? Yes, but permanent and safe.
Another technique, perhaps not quite as drastic but still a pain,is to cut out the plasterboard or plaster and insert 1/2-inchplywood in its place, nailed or screwed to the studs. Finish thisoff, and you can mount the fixtures directly on the plywood.
Q. My garage is detached from a Victorian house, and hassliding doors. When I opened it recently, one of the pulleys, dated1907, failed. Where can I find a replacement part of a track with newpulleys for that sliding door?
TRACKLESS, in Canton
A. If it is only one pulley, you might be able to have ametalworker make a new one. Check the Yellow Pages under"metalworking" and other related work. Or, try the Stanley Works inNew Britain, Conn., which has a catalog of hardware that includessliding barn-door tracks, which, if not exactly like yours, could beadapted to your garage. The handyman used a Stanley barn-door rack onhis garage in Connecticut many years ago. Call 860-225-5111 forlocations. You may have to get the whole track, not just a pulley.
Q. My concrete stairs have no railing, which I think is ahazard. Can I put a wrought-iron railing on one side of those steps?Trouble is, the concrete is finished. Can I drill into finishedconcrete?
JULIE MARTIN, Stow
A. You can do the work yourself, with wrought iron or aluminunpost and rails, drilling into the concrete and setting the posts intothe holes, then filling the holes with hydraulic cement. Yes, you candrill holes in concrete. It is not easy, but possible.
In my opinion, however, you are better off having it done for you.Some years ago, the handyman had two rails, one on each side of thesteps, installed for about $600. That may seem high to the averageperson, but as a high-quality job, it is not. The man who did thehandyman's rail is John Gregory La-
Rocco, J.G.L. Welding and Metal Fab. of Weymouth, 781-335-8625. Ido not know how far afield he goes, but you can always find out.Callin your questions on 617-929-2930. Globe Handyman on Call PeterHotton is available Tuesdays, 1-6 p.m., to answer telephone questionson house repair, renovations, and fixing up. The handyman chatsonline about house matters Thursdays, 1-2 p.m. To participate, pointyour Internet browser to http://www.boston.com and use the keyword:Chat.
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