Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romero’s radio show with questions about everything from preventing fires in their chimneys to getting rid of tree roots invading their sewer system. His goal is to provide answers that suit the specific lifestyle wherever someone lives in Arizona.
QUESTION: I bought a house that was built in 1975 that still has builder-grade windows and insulation. It’s a slump-block masonry home. What do I have to do to insulate it properly?
ANSWER: You might find out if there is any insulation in the walls by drilling a hole down low in the wall to see if anything comes out. If it’s a slump-block home, the builder may have poured vermiculite in there. You may want to call a contractor to fill your walls with foam. Foam is affordable and filling the walls will make the house cleaner and quieter. If you’re interested in replacing the windows, install fiberglass frame units; they’re more durable than vinyl products. It would also be good to get a quote on having the old insulation in your attic removed and having it replaced so you will have an R-38 rating in the attic.
Q: I have a shower with tiles on the walls and floor. Over the years, the grout has gotten discolored in many areas. I’ve tried to bleach out the problem spots with no success. Can I do this job by myself?
A: If you want to give it one more try, visit a tile distribution showroom and ask to buy professional grout cleaner. If that still does not work, you may need to use an epoxy sealer stain on top. That can help you make a great permanent change in the color of all the grout. But you can also call a professional floor cleaning company.
Q: I have stained concrete floors in my house and I want to lay tile on top of them. Can I put the tiles right down on top of the floor, or do I have to rough up the surface first? It’s stained, not painted, and I don’t think it was ever waxed.
A: If it’s not waxed, you just have to use a concrete cleaner on it first. Any concrete cleaner you use will etch the floor for you so that you can put down the tile. If you’re planning to do this job by yourself, you should try tiling a closet first to see how the tile will look and to make sure you have a strong bond. To be on the safe side, you could also hire a contractor for a service fee to ask him how you need to do the job.
Q: I put down $8,000 worth of artificial turf in my yard last year. Now when I walk across it, the turf feels lumpy like there’s something underneath it. When I lift up the turf in some areas, I can see holes in the soil. I think it could be mice or rats. I’ve been trying to get rid of them for four months. The turf company doesn’t seem to have any answers; so, what do I do next?
A: I think you need to call in a pest control specialist.
Q: I want to help my mother-in-law prune her rose bushes. But some canes are as thick as my wrist and are really tall. How can I do it?
A: It’s possible you may have to use a chainsaw if the canes are that large and are six feet tall. Usually, you prune the canes to about 12 to 18 inches off the ground. You want to leave about five or six really good branches. Of course, you don’t need to prune them all at once; you can just try to get some of them every year. Sometimes really big old rose bushes only have a couple of canes to prune.
