Some may be loose and some may be tight fitting, depending on how uniformly the original holes were drilled. It is tough and dangerous to be up on a ladder re-drilling a bunch of holes, so buy several different sizes and use construction adhesive to fit the loose ones and a hammer to tap in the tight ones. Paint them to match the house for best aesthetics.
Another way to stop the birds is from inside the attic (yes, a nasty chore for sure) if the vent holes are accessible. Buy some very heavy gauge screen, or hardware cloth, as it is sometimes called, and staple it from inside the attic with large-gauge staples.
Q: In your Sunday (June 6) column you offered advice about shower tile. I'm curious about two things. If shower tile is rarely put over greenboard drywall nowadays, what do tile layers use? Is there any instance in which replacing old greenboard with new is the only option?
A: You may have read my column on Sunday, but it only appears here in The Seattle Times on Saturday. By Sunday it's usually bird-cage liner. Elizabeth Rhodes, the Sunday real-estate columnist, doesn't have my receding hairline or surly attitude, therefore we aren't mistaken for each other often. But I'll let her know. (She probably won't take it as a compliment.) But you're right, that was me who wrote about tile showers.
The products used are generically called tile backer boards. Several companies manufacture these widely available cement-based products. The key is that they are much stronger initially, remain stable when wet, and don't swell or crumble as "water resistant" green drywall does.
Bang your fist hard on a tile wall with backer board beneath and you go to the hospital for X-rays. Try the same thing on a tile wall with drywall beneath, and you won't be hurt. Good thing, because you will then need to repair said wall. No, there's nowhere and no time I can think of when only green board would be appropriate behind tile. Backer board is also used under tile floors to give it a stable base, lessening the chance the grout will crack.
When setting tile on a wall, remove the drywall and put the backer board in its place. Tile backer comes in different thicknesses; the most commonly used is 1/2", same as drywall. Tile backer sheets are generally 3 feet by 6 feet rather than 4 by 8 like conventional plywood or drywall. If they weren't, you'd also need hernia surgery to go with that newly broken hand, since they're so heavy.
Q: Ten years ago we installed a sump pump in our basement since the bathroom and washtubs are below grade. This has worked well. However, the lid is rusting badly. I have called sump-pump troubleshooters in the Yellow Pages. They have no idea how to obtain a lid because they only service the pumps. They suggest I call a plumber. The plumber says he only services the pumps. It seems a Catch-22. Meantime, the lid rusts away, and I fear pieces will fall into the pump and cause trouble.
A: The pump you have is not a sump pump but is called a grinder pump, also lovingly referred to as a sewage-ejector pump. There is a big difference between this and a sump pump, which generally pumps relatively clean ground water. You need to get a different plumber, one who can order parts for you. You may be able to buy the lid yourself if you can find a model number somewhere and order from a plumbing-supply house. If you can't find a plumber with the requisite knowledge, a side sewer or septic company may also be able to help you. |
