Standard Plaster Patch Will Fill the Bill for a Hole in the Wall

Q: In our dining room is a horrendous hole in the plaster wall about 4 inches square. It was caused when a chair was pushed into it. The hole is too big to patch with spackling paste. What else can be used?

L.I.

Costa Mesa

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A: Try a standard plaster wall patch, designed for covering larger holes, suggests Rich Zelle of Fullerton Paint & Flooring. It’s basically a thin metal plate with a mesh fiber tape around the edges. Place that over the hole.

Then take a joint compound, and, with several light coats, sand and feather the compound around the patch until you don’t see a lump.

For a hole in drywall, cut the hole out until it reaches the studs, then cut a piece of drywall to fit, screw it into the studs and cover it with joint compound.

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Q: Our concrete patio floor was painted with a concrete paint, but it’s peeling. What’s the best way to remove it?

B.S.

Yorba Linda

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A: If you’re going to be repainting the area, and you really want the new paint to stick, consider shot-blasting the concrete, says Steve Willsey of the Orange Paint Store.

Shot-blasting will remove any old coatings and will profile the concrete for new coatings, giving the surface the texture of 80-grit sandpaper. Next, coat it with a good urethane or two-part epoxy paint.

The downside of shot-blasting is that renting a machine or having the job done can be expensive, upward of $600 per day.

Sandblasting will also remove the paint and is less expensive but is somewhat messier.

Chemically you can remove the old paint using a paint thinner or stripper.

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Q: Our garage used to be covered by ivy but now that it’s gone, we’re having a difficult time removing the little roots that attached the vines to the walls.

G.B.

Garden Grove

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A: Unfortunately, while ivy-covered walls look nice, they’re a nightmare when you’re going to paint or change the look of your house, says contractor Dave Green of Santa Ana.

The roots attach to the walls with a kind of cement that is very tough to remove.

If you’re dealing with stucco, the best way to go at it is with new brushes; scrub hard on the surface. If they’re on wood siding, you might try a medium-grit sandpaper to scrape them off.

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Q: I’d like to replace the sink and counter in one of my bathrooms with onyx. How does one determine its quality? How is it cared for?

M.B.

Cypress

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A: There are two types of onyx, natural and faux, says Rich Haagsma of Faucets ‘n Fixtures in Orange. Each is evaluated and taken care of differently. Natural onyx, like most real stonework, is expensive and is often best purchased through a dealer who regularly works with it so that any problems can be identified quickly.

Be very careful with the type of cleaners used on natural stone because it can be easily harmed.

For faux stone, a micro-thin gel coat is sprayed onto a mold that eventually becomes a counter top. Find out what kind of warranty it comes with and what types of cleaners or sealants should be used. Generally, you’ll need to avoid cleansers or harsh chemicals that could wear down the thin upper coating.

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Q: Occasionally when we flush one of our toilets the water in the bowl rises very high before it drops down to normal. It’s come close to overflowing. If it was blocked, wouldn’t this happen all the time? What’s causing this?

R.E.

Anaheim

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A: You may want to run a plumbing auger through the toilet to try and clear the pipes, says plumber Steve Koos of Huntington Beach. It may be slightly blocked so that if a large amount of debris is trying to get through, the bowl backs up.

Make sure that the material you flush is dissolvable: no dental floss or feminine products.

* If you have a question about your home or garden, A Helping Hand will help you find the answer. Send questions to John Morell, Home Design, The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.