While reading the email this week, I was amazed at the new questions that I received.  I decided that I would share those with you this week.  All names have been changed to protect the innocent.  HA!

Question:  I read your column in the Clear Lake Greater Houston Weekly and have found it very useful.  I have an old cedar chest that no longer has the cedar odor.  Is there an oil or something I can rub in it to once again make it smell like cedar?
Answer:  Cedar Oil is a product that we have carried for a long while.  You get the oil and put 1 oz in 5oz of boiled linseed oil.  You can brush it on all the cedar wood surfaces.  It will regain the cedar smell that you loved.  You can apply it to cedar chests, and cedar closets.  It will be like a new cedar chest!

Question:  I have a Henkel Harris solid mahogany dining table that was built in 1969.  I have just received it from my aunt.  The table has fine scratches and a few dents.  I know that I can do nothing with the dents in the rim.  However the scratches bother me as does the finish on top.  The table seems to be dull and / or has uneven finish.  Anything I can do to brighten it up and lessen the scratches because I do not want to refinish the top if I can help it. 
Answer:  If the scratches are fine, you can just use Feed and Wax.  Put it on a soft cloth and act like you are dusting.  Feed and Wax is excellent for old wood finishes that have lost the luster that they once had.  You can use it on your table, natural wood cabinets, and paneling.  And it smells like citrus.  When you are done, you will swear that you are in an orange grove. 

Question:  I have a slow leak in a PVC pipe in the yard.  Is there a tape that will seal the pipe?
Answer:  The product is called Magic Wrap.  It looks like electrical tape, except that when you pull on the Magic Wrap it stretches to 3 times its length.  So when you are fixing your pipe, pull the Magic Wrap while you are wrapping the pipe.  It will melt into one continuous strong fix for your sprinkler system.    

Question:  For the past several months, sometimes when we run the water in the house, take showers, and especially flush toilets, we hear a noise that sounds like a distant fog horn.  I cannot trace it back to any of our 4 bathrooms and it only lasts about 5 seconds.   Got any ideas of why this is happening and how to stop it?  
Answer:  You have lost your air cushion.  Here is what you need to do.  Go outside and turn the water off at the street.  Go and turn all the faucets on inside and outside the house.  Then go turn the water back on.  Now, go and turn off all the faucets.  You should have the air cushion back.  Sometimes you have to do this twice. 

Question:  We have baseboards that we have painted white in a spare bedroom.  They were in good shape but the knots in the wood showed through the paint.  The bedroom hadn’t been painted in several years, so we just painted that bedroom.  We painted over the baseboards with 2 coats of an off white oil paint.  At first the knots were covered, but after a month or so, to our disappointment the knots started showing through again.  How can we cover these knots up?
Answer:  You have to put a primer on the baseboards.  I would sand the oil based paint, first.  Then use a Bullseye Primer.  This will cover up the knots that continue to bleed through.  Then after 2 coats of primer, you can paint with your choice of paint.  Now you should not have any problem. 

Question:  I need to replace a ceiling fan, but it has to be a hugger because of the light fixture.  The noise that my old fan makes  is terrible.  I want a 4 blade fan, because I have found that a 5 blade is noisy.  Can you suggest one?
Answer:  Regency Ceiling Fans make so many different fans.  Go to their website and check out all the fans.  I know that many of their fans can be used as a hugger fan, and 4 blades is not a problem.  Regency Fans have a life time warranty on the motor, and triple capacitors will keep it silent.  I have never seen a better fan.

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.happyhandyman.com.