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(Continued from page 8) They are wholesalers so they may not sell them to you directly; you may have to have your local building mate- rial supplier order them for you. Make sure, however, that they are the style and color that you want. Cracked wall Q. One of our basement block walls developed a horizontal crack and a slight bow along its full length. The soil around here is heavy clay, so we had it removed and replaced top to bottom with pea stones to relieve the pressure. Remove rust from oil tank before painting notified that you can get imitation wood foam beams from Win-Kit Co., Reinholds. Pa.A 17569; telephone 215-267-5551. The wall is no longer bowed but the crack comes and goes, disappearing in summer and reappearing in winter. Our contractor wants to install seven steel beams but the insurance inspector says they are not needed. - Grosse Point Shores, Mich. A. The clay is still pushing against the stones as it expands in winter. Try covering the pea stones with a geotex- tile fabric and adding soil sloping away from the house for several feet if there is room to add it between the present grade and the siding, respect- ing the local building code require- ments for clearance. Depending on how you can accom- plish that, you may be able to keep the clay drier and reduce the pressure it exerts on the block wall. The beams do not appear to be nec- essary and would probably not help; they may even cause other problems. Fastening wood with screws Q. Please settle an argument Explain the correct method of fasten ing two pieces of wood with a screw. A friend says to hammer the screw into the wood up to the last quarter inch, then use a screwdriver to finish the job. My method is to drill a pilot hole in both pieces, then drill a hole the size of the shank of the screw in the piece to be fastened to the other, drill a countersink for the head of the screw and fasten the screw with a driver. - Eighty Years Old in Stone Harbor. NJ. The best finish to apply would be three coats of polyurethane varnish with light sanding between each coat but the old finish must be completely removed or the varnish won't stick and you’ll end up with a real mess. Bleached butcher block Q. I placed coffee cups that had A. Hey! I don't want to get in the middle of a fight with two oldtimers, so I'll give you my method instead. Drill a hole the size of the outside diameter of the screw in the piece to be fastened to the other and drill a countersink; drill a hole the size of the shank of the screw in the other piece, rub soap on the threads of the screw and drive it in. That is if you are still using standard screws. Get a real thrill and use drywall screws and a variable speed electric drill or screw gun with a Phillips head bit. No drilling. no countersinking! Sheer Heaven! Can this be done and what should I use? - Bristol, Vt. A. You should ask the store from which the parquet floor was bought if the finish is really wax and if it can be removed with mineral spirits and with- out the need of sanding. Wax noor Q. My kitchen floor is covered with six-month-old waxed parquet squares. I would like to remove the wax and apply a more durable finish that won't show every scuff mark. been soaked in bleach on my butcher block top and wiped the top with a dishcloth that had also been in the bleach water. I now have light circles and streaks on the block. What can be done? - Ogema, Wis. A. One of two things, which ever will work best. Clean the entire top with a sponge dipped in a similar bleach mix to even out the color and OmAlbqlb-dmxnthbwins bmummm MLp-ylsmmfamavth hhuerftetrhysari_yetr" 'rv-p-rot-"""" warn-L Cola-1M: mm” mumuhbmm mam-mm “gunman-4mm qmwwu‘m ”use Countrywide Town Centre Realty Inc. Oakvllle Town Centre S t 04900 St99,000 L S2a9,000 1 HINT Just call Countrywide. S1iuirt'2"gisG't'ul,l coat it with mineral oil when dry. Or apply mineral oil daily to the lightened spots until they blend in. Rusty tank Q. Our oil tank is pretty old and very rusty. A friend said I should paint it with Rust-Oleum paint. - Milwaukee A. That's not a bad idea but not necessary. Remove the rust first. (Henri de Marne, a remodeling f l 280 North Servlce Road West Oakville. Ontario, L6M 252 (All contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, is now a housing consul- tant and president of Henri de Marne Associates Inc. Send ques- tions to him in care of this newspa- per. Those of general interest will be answered in this column.) Copyright 1993, United Feature Syndicate, Inc. “in Beautifulaxmtryranchwith excelksttviewstofezzret. Cher 1.7arres,3+1 bedroom, 2 baths, finished lowerlevel, newbroadkxxqt. AMusttoSee! l _ 338-1069 A $239,900 m tif Us C: