Well just about the time I think there is just nothing new to write about – something really great comes along.  How many times have you said to your self I wish I could get the white grout lines in the kitchen and bath white again?   But you just never get around to it.  Well when I was in Houston at the last show I saw an item that I just about flipped over.  It looks like a big fountain pen, but instead of writing with it you just paint over that ugly looking grout and make it white again.  I mean it looks just like new!  It’s called Grout Aide and it is an anti bacterial formula that is permanent on most surfaces- non toxic, odorless and each pen covers about 200 sq ft.  (That’s a lot of grout!) And cost less than $6.  Its USA made and for more info call 570-383-3062 or just check the website www.acmelumber.com  in a few weeks. 

Now to the e-mail

Question:  I took up an old vinyl floor and every tile came up but there is a back adhesive still left on the floor – how do I get it up?

Answer:  Franmar Chemical makes a product that will take latex adhesive and oil base adhesive up is called Bean E Doo.  It’s no odor and completely safe because it’s made from Soy Beans.  Nothing works better.  They also make a great paint remover called Soy Gel- it’s so great you can strip furniture inside the house.  My daughter stripped her dining room table in the dining room- and all she did was cover up the rug with a drop cloth. 

Question:  I have a fiberglass tub that has a dimpled type surface on the bottom of the floor of the tub and there are some stains that have accumulated down in these dimples that will not come up and the tub and tub enclosure have because dull looking.  Is there anything I can use to get rid of the stains in the bottom of the tub and is there anything that will help to brighten up the tub and the enclosure?

Answer:  Because fiberglass has a clear coating you have to be very careful what you clean the surface with.  So use a regular dishwashing liquid and soft brush.  Then use Stone Tech Stone Polish to brighten up the surface.  It’s the only thing I know of that does a good job.  Check it out on there website www.stonetechpro.com  for more info.  There # is 888-786-6343. 

Question:  The rack on top of the stove in our little camper is covered with some sort of plastic coating.  In places the plastic coating has peeled away over the years and there is rust forming where it is gone.  Do you have a suggestion on how to repair the rack?  It must be able to with stand the heat from cooking.

Answer:  The best product to kill rust is called Rust Cure.  Spray it on, wipe off in an hour and wait a week to cure- no more rust. 

Question:  My home has a second floor game room with a high vaulted ceiling.  During the summer months warm air rises to the peak and causes spots of mold.  Reversing the ceiling fan to circulate the air doesn’t keep the mold from returning.  Bleach temporarily removes the mold but it reappears after about a year or so.  Is there a product that can be applied to the ceiling to stop the mold from coming back?

Answer:  Remember there is one thing about mold it only grows where there is dampness.  Reversing the fan keeps heat on the damp surface.  To get rid of the dampness with hardly any cost just turn the heater on and go away for the weekend- and if the house was damp when you left it won’t be when you get back.  AC units also take moisture out of the air inside the house. 

Question:  We recently had hardwood flooring and porcelain tile installed throughout the first floor of our house.  We must have gotten some of the flooring adhesive on the bottom of our shoes and tracked it onto the carpeting upstairs.  Nothing we have tried has removed the footprints.  Is there anything we can use that will remove the adhesive without damaging the carpeting?

Answer:  Bean- E- Doo to the rescue!

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.