I know a lot of people that read this article have commodes that when you sit on them they rock back and forth.  Well they make shims made from real hard plastic that can be placed under the toilet to level it out.  Guess what they are called?  Yep, that’s right “toilet leveling shims”.  People put all kinds of things under the commode like wood shims and they will rot in no time at all.  Then after shimming the toilet use “poly seam seal” to caulk around the bottom of the toilet where it meets the tile, it will never mildew.  The other great thing about “poly seam seal” is that it is an adhesive, and comes in a squeeze tube that makes it easy to apply.  After shimming and caulking the toilet, rocking and rolling will never be a problem again, plus you won’t have sewer gases in the bathroom either.

Now to the mailbag….

Question:  Johnnie, my husband and I are debating refacing our kitchen cabinets after receiving an estimate of 35,000 for new cabinet installation.   Evidently you save about 50% when just refacing over having new cabinets installed.  We have 60ft of cabinets.  We have looked at websites that advertise that you can reface the cabinets yourself.  Is it really that easy?  Our cabinets are very sturdy oak and we just want to update them and add a granite counter top and new appliances.  What do you think?

Answer:  Great question!  I have an answer for you.  I bought a 17 year old house that needed a lot of work and one of the projects I had was to refinish the wood cabinets in the kitchen.  Usually that means sanding them down and putting a light stain on and sealing them with a varnish.  This was a big house, so it had lots of cabinets like yours.  I knew the cost would be high if I had to refinish the cabinets.  This was a house that I wanted to fix cosmetically and resale- so the big ticket of refinishing the cabinets was not in the plan.  I talked to the painter and showed him a product that I had just seen at the Ace show and was real impressed with.  They were showing how taking an old piano and wiping it down with this product made it look like you had just refinished the piano, amazing.  The product is called “Restore A Finish” and it will restain the wood right through the varnish in seconds.  If I hadn’t seen it in action I wouldn’t have believed it.  After the “Restore A Finish” they used a companion product called “Feed and Wax” and it put a protective coat over the wood that restored the luster of the wood.  So I handed the products over to the painter and asked him to try them first and if it didn’t work, to go ahead and refinish the cabinets.  I came back a week later and walked into the kitchen and was disappointed that he had refinished the cabinets.  He happen to walk in right after me and I asked him why didn’t he at least try the “Feed and Wax” on the cabinets like I asked?  He laughed and said “it is the Feed and Wax”.  They looked brand new.  A neighbor came over also and asked how much it cost to refinish the cabinets because his cabinets were in the same shape- boy was he happy about the news that I told him.  So before you refinish, reface, try the Restore A Finish and the Feed and Wax.  If it doesn’t give you the look you want, then call the cabinet maker. 

Question:  Johnnie, we have a deck that is about a year old.  We would like to put a cover over it.  Our carpenter has suggested we consider a metal roof.  We understand it comes in different colors and is now being used in houses.  What is your opinion?  What is the downside?  We would like something less expensive.

Answer:  The downside is that a tin roof is very hot and stays hot for a long time.  Trees make for a much cooler deck, alittle messy when the leaves fall but much cooler.    

Got a question for Johnnie? Tune in to Johnnie's radio show Saturday mornings on KTSA (5500 AM) from 9-11 or call 828-8907. Reach him on the web at www.AcmeLumber.com.