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Q. I put a rubberized mat on the tub floor, and everything was fine until I picked it up. It left a stain which I cannot feel with my fingers, and cannot remove. Also, how can I remove black stains from a rubber material scraping against vinyl siding?
For the tub floor, try this: Wet the bottom with hydrogen peroxide, then sprinkle lots of cream of tartar on until it becomes wet with the hydrogen peroxide. Wait overnight, then scrub and rinse. For the rubbery black scuff on vinyl, rub with a rubber cement solvent.
Q. My floor is scratched a little, so it needs a relatively light sanding. I only have to do the perimeter border, with the rest covered by the rug. How best to do this without removing the finish to the bare wood?
Sand the border with medium sandpaper, then again with fine. This will make the floor look horrible, but two or three coats of an oil-based polyurethane varnish will darken it nicely and all blemishes will be gone. If you don’t want to darken the color, use a water-based varnish.
Q. Our neighbor fed the birds, and then pigeons came. We closed off the porch joists, and they gathered on our roof, defacing it. What can we do?
A good cure is to cover the roof with needleboards: stainless steel needles that prevent birds from roosting. Two companies make them: Nixalite of America, East Moline, Ill., www.nixalite.com, 888-624-1189, and Ecopic, Birmingham, Mich., www.ecopic.com, 313-647-0505.
Q. I have a Dansk cutting board that is cracking and coming unglued in one spot. It is like a butcher’s block with small pieces. Can you tell me how to repair it?
You can reglue the board with one of three kinds of glue: Super Glue, Gorilla Glue, Rhino Glue. I have used them all, and I suggest you use Super Glue.
