Home Maintenance Questions and Answers - Recent questions in Interior Walls

follow up/answer to question from admin....

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 01:28:18 +0000

I have a gas furnace & it was purchased just before I bought the house (November 2006)...so just about 6.5yrs old. Thanks much, Carrie

floor in master bedroom slopes toward center -- should I walk?

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:15:21 +0000

I put this in the category of interior walls because it may be about the absence of one. Sorry no pics.

Am considering purchase of a DC row house built in 1900. On second level, the floor in master bedroom (carpeted, no hardwood underneath...surprisingly) slopes upward--noticeable to feet--as you walk toward the side wall from the center of the room (when standing in back of room, away from windows/exterior). I pointed it out to the listing agent. He said this might have been caused by settling following removal of a wall on ground level that was bearing some weight. (First level now has open floorplan: no wall separating living area from dining area, which he observed was not the way homes were configured a century ago.) So we went down to the ground/first floor and looked up. There are no exposed beams, but there seems to be some type of joist across the ceiling in the area in question -- and there is some bowing, not lots but noticeable to the eye.

So, do I go through the trouble of writing and negotiating a contract, hiring a home inspector (which I'd do in any event, of course), and getting his/her opinion on this, or do I just walk awy and look for another house?

(Online in one spot, I saw a sloping floor discussion that read: floors slope for all sorts of reasons, none of them good. ... On the other hand, I've also read some sloping dismissed by inspectors as settling of no concern.)

The house was given a major renovation in 2008. So it looks like new other than this one matter.

Wall board around new window is wet and stains on curtain, GFI breaker keeps going out on same wall.

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:05:41 +0000

This is a modular home, had to make extensive repairs to this wall because of water damage. Replaced wallboard, studs, window and wiring.

ghosting on the ceiling,air fliter black,windows and floors black

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:45:03 +0000

Why is the main floor of my house covered in soot?

Tue, 01 May 2012 21:17:26 +0000

The main floor of my ranch style home is covered in soot. I have base board heating, instant hot water and a wood burning fireplace. My furnace has been checked and I did not have a puff back or a cracked heat exchanger. I have had every professional out here to check my home and no one can figure out the source. Please help!

How do I know if ceiling stains are from candle soot or mold?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:57:12 +0000

My tenant has burned many candles recently. The ceilings and part of the walls have dark stains, but she claims it is from moisture. How can I know which is correct?

brown? not black soot on walls and ceiling

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:54:17 +0000

hi there

i have read you advice on the ghost marks and soot stains on walls BUT your info talks about BLACK soot stains. My walls and ceilings are BROWN or BEIGE.

We had a new high efficiency gas furnace installed in June of 2004. In 2006 we did major cleaning and washed walls and ceilings and repainted the ceilings (everything was brown) We assumed it was from old gas furnace and the ductwork.

We are both on disability and old age so we havent been able to clean walls and ceilings on a more regular basis but this year the "brown" just drove me nuts and had to start cleaning. ( still doing the one room - taking a week so far bit at a time) and intend on repainting when cleaned.

My question here is -- is the "brown" same as what you talk about for the "black" soot stains? Your description for around pictures or anything hanging on the walls all fit. The stain layers are uniform coverage ... not in patches or streaks. It looks like beige walls and ceilings instead of white that they should be. This is through whole house not just ONE room.

When they installed new furnace they took out the chimney and vented outside. The ductwork was NOT changed or cleaned at that time. Is it possible this crappy stuff is still coming out of the ductwork?

We never burn candles so that is not an issue. We do both smoke but in 43 years of living in different places we have never encountered this problem but at this house.( 20 yrs here). We do not smike in upstairs rooms or kitchen or bedroom yet the walls and ceiling discoloured there also.

Would appreciate your comments on this.

We have dark marks on EVERY wall of our townhouse!

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:30:39 +0000

Jenny
Submitted on 2011/11/20 at 7:41 pm

It sounds like those things described in your stains on walls article might be the cause of our problems. We have dark marks on EVERY wall of our townhouse. they seem to be in line with the framing and nail holes. The marks are also on our ceiling, especially the bathroom ceiling. It was discovered a couple of years ago that the bathroom fan vent was ventilating into the attic (an error from the condo corporation & the previous owners)so we assumed that that was the problem, now I am not sure.

There was mould in one corner or the bedroom (above the garage) when we purchased the house that has been taken care of. Can candle soot cause the markings on all the walls of our home?

We have electric baseboard heat, and the areas of the wall above the heaters are black as well?!?! We are hesistant to repaint until we know what the problem is and I am concerned that there is a bigger issue (mold?) and how it affects our new baby’s health.

Stains on walls after hurricane

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:07:07 +0000

Melissa says:
September 5, 2011 at 11:06 pm

I also have this issue. I was supposed to close on a house this Tues, where the stains were not apparent previous to 1st inspection. Now after Hurricane very apparent. House is in PA and there is also a tree shading these areas, found out these rooms have hardly ever been ventilated.

The lines are all over upstairs showing all studs joints and beams. My realtor in an effort to close and have us deal with this issue on our own has tried to make us not do a second inspection, which of course is outrageous. I am concerned that the owner will paint and try to hide this from our second inspector.

The carpets are also surrounded by a black soot. This house is only 16 yrs old. Can I walk away from this house or what…I am currently in temp housing with my 2yr old and husband,,,we have sold our home in FL and moved here, of course not expecting this.

These new finding were not on the original report and have not been evident prior to now. We have a real estate lawyer, who has worked mostly with our agent in the past regarding documents. However I have contacted him regarding the matter. Our agent has proved to be questionable in her ethics all of a sudden. We really need more expert advice on if we can walk away from this matter.

Thank you so much.

How to prevent and remove stains on walls?

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:02:59 +0000

Carrie says:
June 30, 2011 at 4:30 pm

I don’t recall these stains when I bought the house 4.5yrs ago, they seemed to gradually appear. It was often very cold in the winter when I 1st moved & I was told & shown there was no insulation (in/through crawl to attic area), so I had insulation blown (w/some layers laid) in these areas.

The stains are the worst in the room I’m in the most however they appear to be in most, if not all rooms (bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.). Thick black dust/soot hangs on ceiling fans, drapes, blings, lays on shelves, stacked towels, t.v.s, windows (mostly white surfaces & glass). I’ve stopped burning candles. It looks horrible, people ask if I had a fire or have mold.

I love my house but this makes me wonder what I missed, didn’t check or if I got suckered; makes me concerned for me & my Pugs lungs/breathing/health. Please, any help you can give would be very greatly appreciated.

I want to paint but don’t want to simply hide/cover, I want it resolved. Is there a type of specialist or professional that I could call to consult with and possible assist with pevention & removal?

Thank you so very much

Get rid of soot by repainting the room with staiblocker

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:55:20 +0000

Anna Ageyev says:
March 25, 2009 at 2:39 pm

Is it posible to get rid of soot by repainting the room with staiblocker and stuff. We have a tree growing on the other side of the wall, really close it touches the siding, we think that is the problem so we will cut it off. And we have that only in that room. Any suggestions? Thanks

How to clean ghost marks, stains on walls, soot stains

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:48:51 +0000

Chuck Monner says:
January 24, 2009 at 9:06 am

Soot seems to be my problem. I have only electric heat, baseboard and storage units, but my wife burns many candles. The problem seems to me is magnified by my use of room humidifiers, is that posible?

Would air pruifiers help? What works good to clean with? The soot realy shows up at nails on outside walls, and at the corners of outside walls where the trusses are.

For a garage addition, can I run a 4" main through a 2 x 6 wall to connect with the house main

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:50:24 +0000

I am converting one side of my two car garage into a studio that will have plumbing for a full bathroom and kitchen sink. As the studio will be on the far side of the garage, I will need to run the main sewer line across the remaining garage space and wanted to run in a wall versus jack hammering up the concrete floor. I would also need to raise the studio floor to accommodate the plumbing.

Perhaps I only need to run a 3" to the main?? It will be 15' from the bathroom and kitchen studio addition

Thank you

Mary