Changing Stair Pads Has More Downs Than Ups

Question: We recently moved into a 3-year-old townhome that has good carpeting, except on the stairs. When climbing them, I can feel the wood underneath, and I believe whoever installed it didn’t use much padding, which gives the carpeting a “cheap” feeling. Is there a way to bolster the padding by the stairs?

R.U., Laguna Hills

Answer: “Unfortunately, you’re looking at a pretty big job if you’d like to change the stair padding,” says Kevin Barbee of Monnig’s Floor Covering in Anaheim.

“A lot of tack strips are usually used to hold down the carpeting on stairs, making it difficult to remove and replace. By pulling it out you’ll leave a lot of holes in the carpet. It can be done, but it’s a great deal of work, and you’ll need to rent a kicker, which is used by installers to put carpeting in place.

“I’d consider having a professional do the job or live with it until you’re ready to change carpeting in the entire house.”

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Q: I’m going to have to replace the faucet in my kitchen sink soon, and looking at it I’m wondering how I’m going to get a wrench up into the locknuts. Any suggestions?

D.F., Fountain Valley

A: “What you’ll need is a basin wrench, which is designed for that kind of job,” says Larry Hohenstein of Amco Building and Plumbing Supply in Costa Mesa. “With a basin wrench, what you have to do is put the wrench in place and then open it with your fingers. When it’s set on the nut, you can turn it.

“If the nut won’t turn, you might try spraying some graphite lubricant in there to try and loosen it, then trying again with the basin wrench.”

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Q: I’d like to paint my kitchen cabinets, but do I really have to remove all the doors to do a good job?

G.C., Lake Forest

A: “It’s harder, but if you’re out to do a good job, you really do need to get all the hardware off,” says Allen Howell of Imperial Paint in Anaheim. “The tough part is in the stripping; it’s almost impossible to strip around small pieces of metal hardware.

“If you’re going to paint them, you may as well do it right, and for that reason you should probably take the doors and the hardware off. When the doors are off, they’re a little easier to work on since you can lay them out horizontally, and the good workmanship when the project is finished will show when you take the time.”

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Q: I’ve got an old asphalt driveway that needs to be resurfaced. It appears that the asphalt is just poured onto the driveway and brushed in. Is it that easy?

R.E., Yorba Linda

A: “It’s not hard to reseal an asphalt driveway, it’s just that the preparation may take some time,” says contractor Rick Webb of Santa Ana. “If you have any holes, now is the time to patch them.

“Patches are easy to put in, and you just level them off with a shovel, then put a board over the patch and run your car over it to flatten it out. After it’s dry, you should clean out the driveway to get rid of stones and dirt. Then follow the directions for applying the sealant. Usually it’s just poured and brushed into the driveway with a heavy-duty garden push brush.”

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Q: I think something is stuck in one of the soil stacks on my roof. Is there any danger if I push a snake or a rod down there?

E.Y., Anaheim

A: “As long as you do it right, there shouldn’t be a problem,” says plumber Al Marantz of Costa Mesa. “The biggest danger comes from the fact that you’ll have to work from the roof, which can be slippery, especially if you’re up there early in the morning. When you’re sure the surface is dry, climb up and work a plumber’s snake down the stack. With any luck, you should be able to push through any obstruction.”