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Show Friday. September ?'l ,: !T ' 17, 1999, THE DAILY HERALD, Home Magazine H . 1 LJ': I ". I v f H c!,: '''! Page 13 T marfis the spot when fixing damaged vinyl floor tiles By GENE AUSTIN Knight Ridder Newspapers One of our vinyl floor tiles is damaged and needs to be replaced. How can J remove and replace the tile without harming the tiles around it? A. Start by cutting a large X through the center of the damaged tile with a sharp utility knife. Warm the tile with a heat hair dryer to gun or soften the adhesive. Work the blade of a putty knife under a section of the cut X and carefully pry and peel pieces of the tile loose, working from the center toward the edge. Removing the tile in this manner will prevent any damage to the edges of surQ. gun-typ- e rounding tiles. When the damaged tile is removed, clean any tile particles, dirt and old adhesive from the underlying surface, wliich is called underlayment. Even a small piece of dirt can disfigure a tile by making a bump in the surface. If these are e tiles, peel the paper backing from a new tile and carefully fit it in place. For good adhesion, press the tile down with a rolling pin or a wallpaper seam roller. If the tiles are not spread vinyl tile adhesive on the underlayment with a notched spreader, wliich leaves small ridges of adhesive. Press the tile into place with a roller and immediately clean up any adhesive around squeezed-ou- t the edges, following directions on the adhesive container.. Put a weight on the tile, such as a couple of bricks with a piece of cardboard or newspaper underneath, and leave the weight in place overnight e, Fireplace cleaner Can you recommend a product or method to clean the sooty face of a brick fireQ. place? A. Special cleaners for fireplace masonry and glass screens are sold by many fireplace dealers. To locate a dealer, check imder "fireplace equipment" in the yellow pages. A mail-orde- r source of fireplace masonry cleaner is Improvements, (800) a bottle of spray-o- n cleaner, item 119032, is Have an exterminator use a pesticide to eliminate the insects in the wood. The woodpeckers will probably lose interest in the shutters, and the holes can be plugged with wood putty to prevent new insect attacks. Hang plastic owls or snakes near the area of attack. The fake birds and snakes are available in some garden-supplstores. Temporarily cover the I.DWT-YOUJISa- ? Q& A --y-J 642-211- $6.99. Homemade cleaners frequently work as well as or better than products. Here's one system: Spread thick mats of newspaper and plastic sheets around the fireplace to protect the floor. Wear rubber gloves and goggles. Mix one cup of TSP (trisodium phosphate, sold in paint stores) in a gallon of warm water. Moisten the bricks with water from a spray bottle, then scrub with the TSP solution and a stiff brush. Rinse by sponging with clear water. Very dirty bricks may require several scrubbings. Here's another formula that sometimes works when others don't: Mix one quart of hot water with yellow laundry soap, such as Fels Naphtha. The mixture may need to be heated to completely dissolve the soap. Cool the mixture and add a pound of pumice powder (sold in ammopaint stores) and nia. Mix thoroughly. Apply a thick coating of the mixture to the bricks with a paint brush. After 30 minutes, scrub off the coating with a stiff brush and warm water, then rinse. When a brick fireplace is cleaned, applying a masonry sealer will make it easier to clean next time. Masonry sealers are sold at most home centers. store-broug- ht 12-cu- . ters. I hesitate to replace the shutters until I have a solution. Can you help? A. The woodpeckers are probably drilling for insects that infest the shutters. The ultimate solution might be to replace the wood shutters with vinyl shutters, but here are some other treatments: area being attacked with a metal screen, sheet metal or plastic netting. Plastic netting, sold at garden centers, should be hung several inches away from the siding. Wind chimes or other noisemakers, or using a hose to squirt water near the birds, will sometimes frighten woodpeckers away. Woodpeckers are protected by state and federal laws, and they should not be harmed. y ERA Mo 11 LEiK , era 590 W. State, Pleasant Grove p 12-cu- REAL 785-501- I OREM- - Ita. Great starter home. "Tr. .mlf"r L" on our concrete driveway. Is there any way to remove the stain? A. Paint remover is the best bet. Apply a remover, let it work for a while, then scrape it off Several applica- 1 Rsal Estate School! FREE! Estate is going crazy New uian Real inow'sihe time to start yournewcareerwithurtmitedpotenSalwe I staid tak no1 Caii see if you qualify for Listing free licensing school. Beautiful 4 bdrm, 2.5 bth. less than yr old. Must sell! 158 S 1990 W. Call Sherri ERA Momrtiiniind OREM- - wln-laapt or shopstudioart craft bldg, you decide 2 story, 40x24 ft extra family area to live in or play in. If you're in the dog house you still have a place to stew & stir. For needing room. CtM Dm FRA MnnntainL.nrt7M.Vin John Jr I Rambler & ERA e tions of remover, and some scrubbing to get paint out of the pores, might be needed. Wear goggles and gloves. Listing - PRICE REDUCED $84,900. Great little starter home Located in good neighborhood. Needs some TLC. Price is as is. Call Orvil ERA MoanUlnlifM' AF- 1 OREM- - paint New Starter home on ac in Salem. Sli3.500indudes$1500carpetingallowance. 2 bdrm1 ba Great potential Call Lori today ERA Motirtaiilaftd SALEM- - rfjmtl Mitl'Qmi . Q. We spilled white $99,900 3bd 3 SMlJ I Recently upgraded. Good neighborhood Great buy. Call 0ml 36-- 1 1 60. ERA Motirtainland Paint remover paste-typ- New Listin9 p ESTATE New ima Land 785-50- 1 (ante 3 New I Listing New Listing Listing see starter townhome. 3bdi2ba. Many extras. Perfect location $1 14.900 Call 6 ERA MamtslilMt' Jeff PROVO- 4 craft Wdg. you decide 2 story, 40x24 ft extra family area to live in or play. If you're in the & stir, Dog house you still have a place to stew for families neeoVig room Cal Dm 3(1 4160. - Must Est area. 4oa7 3ba. Great condition. ERA Only $144,900. Call Jeff MMrtalRftM' OREM- - I FRAMmmtanalnd Q. Woodpeckers love to drill holes in our wood shut- - 35 The Maples at Brookside APbtnrwdC immunity WdDD A Or M MAPLETON- - 4 bdrm. 3 bth. , ,tnasje,suite to die for! Custom arcnespulWwnicrtes." Spacious kitchen wdecorative loft & gorgeous entry. Job relocation. Must Sell! 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