Thank goodness we finally got some rain here in South Texas. And with all the rain we have had this last month I thought you would love to know about a great product that will fix a leak on your roof. It’s called “Through the Roof” and it comes in different sizes and containers. It’s available in caulking tubes, quarts, or gallons. The gallons are a liquid and brush able, so you can seal around pipes with either the caulking or the liquid. But if some of the flashing around the chimney has lifted up or the flashing around a skylight has lifted use the caulking tube. If you have an area where you have some missing shingles use the quarts or the gallons to seal up the area, because you can brush it on. Sometimes you have rain coming in through the brick or the rock mortar on the chimney, use the liquid “Through the Roof” for that project. “Through the Roof” can also be applied over a wet surface so if it’s raining, you don’t have to wait until it’s dry to make a repair. This product can save you thousands of dollars in roofing repairs and what I really like about it is that it is clear so when you do make a repair you can’t see it like roofing tar that is black.

Q: Our whole house has popcorn ceilings and walls. I read your column about removing it from the ceiling with a backhoe, will this work with our painted walls too? Also, can you offer a DIY texture that we can apply to a few of the walls to give them a great updated look?

A: You can remove the popcorn ceiling with a straight hoe but not the walls. That has to be sanded. You can prime the walls with a Coronado product called Grip N Seal. Then when you select your new paint you can use “Add a Texture” right in the can and then paint it on. The texture comes in a fine, medium, and coarse. I always recommend Coronado Tough Walls in a flat because it’s scrubbable. When you put the “Add a Texture” to the paint you do both texturing and painting at the same time.

Q: What is the best to paint an exterior steel entry door?

A: Use top of the line Latex Acrylic

Q: The exterior second story of my house in Bellaire is Hardy Plank. The North side is mildewed. I have access to a high pressure pump. What would you recommend to clean it and prevent it from reoccurring. I read your column regularly and collect your articles, I like your straight answers and the solutions given to the questions. Keep it up- I am a fan!

A: Never use a high pressure pump, it is not good for your paint and it puts more moisture into the wood for the spores to attach to the paint thus more mildew. Use a product called Jo Max. Here is how you use it: Put 1 part Jo Max 3 parts Clorox in a 2 or 3 gallon pump up sprayer and spray the mildew. Wait a couple of minutes and rinse off well with water from your hose. Start at the top of the wall and rinse 10’ to 15’ at a time. It works and costs very little money or time.

Q: Our fireplace is not on an exterior wall, but located in the interior of the house. Following several heavy rains this year , we have experienced water leaking down the brick that caused a white-ish discoloration. I don’t know if it has been stained from the sheet rock overhead or from the mortar between the bricks. I’m sure the bricks were coated with a product that gave them luster at one time. But the area in question no longer “shines” like the undamaged brick. I’ve had several professionals in to correct this problem but none of them seemed eager to take this job on. Is there anything you can recommend to remove the film and restore the original luster? Any suggestions would be most welcomed!

A: You have another problem, to find the leak that is allowing water to get to the brick. So here is what you should do. Seal the rock or the brick on top of the roof with “Through the Roof” in the quart liquid or the gallon. Just seal the outside and top by brushing and sealing the brick or rock and by putting a heavy caulking where the roof meets the chimney. Next check and see if we can wash the brick with a product called T.S.P. it is the best cleaner for this project. And then email me!

Got a question for Johnnie? Tune in to Johnnie's radio show Saturday mornings on KKYX from 11-12 or call (21) 341-1573. Reach him on the web at www.AcmeLumber.com.