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Pecking away at the pesky woodpecker problem

Handyman on call

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February 05, 2012|By Peter Hotton

Q. My son bought a house that has wallpaper in every room, and all of it is on unprimed plasterboard. Some of the vinyl paper came off, but the backing stayed. Trying to get any of it off results in gouges and all kinds of blemishes, impossible to cover. Could he skim coat the wall that has so many gouges?

PEG COHEN, Sharon

A. Skim coating the gouges can work, and if it is only one wall that is messed up, it’s worth a try. For the rest of the rooms, he can paint the walls. And that goes for untreated paper, vinyl-coated paper, and vinyl paper; the latter is a little like a tight-woven canvas. Always use latex, and apply thin coats. First, an enamel undercoater or primer sealer, then one or two coats of an eggshell finish wall paint. If the primer sealer and finish coat are white, you may not need a second finish coat.

You may get some wrinkling of the paper because the paint softens the paper, but this most often goes away after it dries.

Q. I had some pine stair treads installed, and the installer left me the pieces he cut to make them fit in the stairway. They are made in China, and with all the news on defective things, I am concerned about their quality. I noticed they consist of four strips glued together. Is the glue OK, is it strong enough? If they delaminate, are the strips strong enough to span the width of the staircase?

MARY MURPHY, West Roxbury

A. I think everything is OK. Made in China is not always bad, and I think your laminated treads are good. The glue will hold, and the treads are strong enough to span the width (2 1/2 feet plus) of the staircase. In fact, I suggested you look at the stairs underneath, and you found three stringers that hold the treads, more than enough for long, reliable service. They are unlikely to delaminate, and if they do, the strips are strong enough to span the staircase with. You can Google Chinese laminated treads for more info.