WHITBY FREE PRESS, INTRIORS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUAJW 10, 1988) AEA EPirst, aid for damp basements Are you bothered with leaks or scep- age thirough your basement wafi or floors? If so, both problems cari be solved. However,' they are flot the easi- est jobs in the world and sometimes rmnding the solution can be a long and frustratingrocess. Te obvious problem The first Uing to do is to look outside the leaking wall and see if there is an obvious reason for thc leak. Does a sidewalk or driveway siope down to- ward tihe house wall? Is there a downs- pout in thre immediate area that is chan- neling water toward thre leaking spot? Is there a siope to thé back yard that invites water to rest against thre house? These are ail situations that cari cause water to fmd its way into your base- ment. Incidentally,ý.water has a strarige way of finding an opening somnetirees yards away from what would seem to be thc other problem spot. h other words, if thc walk siopes ini toward your house 3 yards up from your basernent do flot discount that as thc cause of thre prob--i lem. The tirst stcp is to closcly inspect thc exterior of Uic house and correct ail of thre above-mentioned situations when they appear. Ariother thmnk to look for is extenior watcrprooting on Uic basement walls. How to repair bathroom tiles Q. "Ail thecttues arc commng off oi bathroomn wall. Cari you give us sorne do-it-yourself idcas or tips for repairing these?" A. The tles arc probably coming ofl Uic wall because Uic plaster-or plaster board behmnd thcm has become wet and rcmaincd wet. What happens is.that Uic plaster soffens up and then Uic tiles just let go. First, remove Uic loose tile with a broad, stiff putty knifc. Then repair Uic plaster wall by replacing Uicedarnagcd arca wiUi a new picce of water-rcsistant plaster board or 3/4-inch plywood. Before replacing Uic old tile, you'il have to rernove Uic cement ftom Uice back of the tile. Sanding or scraping wil dd i ejob . This black, tar-like coating- should extend up Uic wall weil above ground level. If tins is not Uic case, water can seep into Uic concrete or block anid seep down to enter Uic house at a Iower level. is material is not'expensîve anid is easy to apply but Uic tough part is to dig away Uic soul from Uic house wall in order to apply a new coating. If al Uic extcriorproblcms seem to be fixed you can look inside. Tis may be Uicernost difficult'problern to fix. You may want to re-cover Uic basement walls. There arc many cement-like wall coatings on Uicermarket. These products will prevent mirior scepage but will be of no value if there are cracks or holes in your basernent walls. Often Uiesecracks do not appear until several years aftcr Uic house is built and are usuaily due to settling of thre surface rather than poor workmanship. If you have a large crack in Uic wal Uic first thing to do is to enlarge it. That's tight enlarge it! Undercut Uic edges of Uic crack so that Uic patching comnpound you use will have something to dling to. There arc mnany epoxy and latex cernent prod- ucts on Uicermarket Uiat are excellent for tuis job. Your local hardware dealer will be able to advise you on, which product wiIl best fil Uic bill for your problern. Once al Uic holes and'cracks have been filled in this manner.you may want to apply one of Uic "waterproofing" paints that are now available in a wide range of coors. Many arc available in dry forrn and have to be rnixcd with watcr before application while others are applied directly from Uice can. BANISTER'S, in what ýwas formerly to have been built in 1853., known as the Richardson house, believed Free Press photo FURNITURE STORE' Ban isters rn century home, A former home at least 135 years mercial rezoning. old now provides a perfect setting Rooms inside are used as room for' Banisters, a furniture store settings in displays which include just west of Durham Rd. 23 in south traditional, furniture. A 1,000-sq. ft. Ajax addition also iras furniture. Owners Dan and Donna Shev- Tire Shevciruks irad a furniture chuk sougit to keep the house, once store in Oshawa for. three years known as the Richardson home, as before relocating to the south'Ajax close as possible to its original con-' area, enabling them to> keep their dition when they obtained a com- Oshawa-area Iclientele and yet at- tracting. iiew residents of west Durham Region.> Tire house is in an area that once was part of Whitby. Whitby ar- chivist Brian Winter says, the irouse can be traced back as far as 1853 to the Ricirardsons,, a prominent wealth from family that came from Pickering.