Dear Maintenance Men:
Dear Maintenance Men:
I have a burn mark on the sheet vinyl kitchen floor in
one of my units. Is it possible to patch this? I do have a little extra flooring
material set aside from when it was installed.
Loretta
Dear Loretta:
Having the extra piece is a big help.
If you have a tile pattern in your flooring, it is much easier to patch.
Cut along an existing pattern line, carefully peel the damaged section
out and clean the sub-floor of any glue and debris.
Use flooring mastic to glue the new piece and place a weight on the
section to ensure a proper bond. Use
a seam sealing compound all around the perimeter of the patch. This will keep
water out and stop the edges from curling.
If your floor does not have a pattern to follow, us a very sharp hole saw
and by hand or slow drill motor, cut just the depth of the flooring.
Peal the damaged part out and follow the above directions.
Dear Maintenance Men:
We have a building with aluminum windows.
The built-in locks are not working properly and these windows are no
longer manufactured. What can I do
about replacing these locks?
Sam
Dear Sam:
This is not uncommon with aluminum windows. Often the replacement of a spring clip will fix the problem. But, I would not waste time fiddling with these locks. Go to any hardware or glass store and purchase a handful of window “Thumb Locks”. These are small “L” or angle shaped pieces of aluminum with a thumb screw for attachment. Be sure the thumb screw has a pointed tip. For extra security, put a thumb lock on both the bottom and top rail of the window.
Dear Maintenance Men:
Twice a week, we have a garbage truck empty our
building’s trash bin. The problem
is that the concrete driveway area where the truck picks up and empties the
trash gets badly damaged. We have
patched the cracks and even dug out the area and poured new concrete.
But, eventually the cracks come back the area starts to sink and break
up. What can I do to stop
this cycle?
Marty
Dear Marty:
This problem can be frustrating, the new generation trash
trucks are much heavier and can carry heavier loads than the trucks 20 years
ago. Adding to that problem is that
our buildings seem to generate much more trash than before.
We have had the same problems ourselves so we understand.
The best solution is to create a landing pad for the trash truck to use. The pad should be at least one and half times as wide as the
trash truck and at minimum half as long as the truck. It would be best to make the pad the full length of the
truck, but it would be costly. The
concrete should be a minimum of six inches thick, but it would be best at eight
or more inches. The perimeter
foundation of the pad should be at least 18 inches deep x 12 inches, this will
keep the edges from cracking. Six
inches of crushed stone should be used as the base for the slab.
Heavy-duty rebar or heavy mesh will add strength to the slab &
foundation. Contact a local
concrete supplier for specifications on the size of rebar, mesh and strength of
concrete needed. This landing pad is
not cheap, but it should last near forever.
We feel sorry for a future handyman who’s job it is to remove the
driveway!
Dear Maintenance Men:
How can I get a rust stain out of my concrete patio? The
previous tenant must have never used their barbecue briquette lighting chimney,
because I’ve found a neat round rust stain right near where the grill was
positioned.
Nancy
Dear Nancy:
Rust stains often penetrate deeply into the concrete and
can be difficult to remove. Cleaners
containing oxalic acid can be helpful (A colorless crystalline organic acid used
as a bleach & rust remover). If
the stain is deep, use a poultice (a clay like dressing).
Mix 10 or 12 ounces of sodium citrate with two quarts of warm water. Add
glycerol and make a stiff poultice with talc or diatomaceous earth and trowel
over the stain. Leave the poultice for a few days and then remove. If
that is too much like high school chemistry and the stain is not too big or
deep. Use Naval Jelly rust remover.
This product can be found at any hardware store.
Brush the jelly over the stain and allow to stand for an hour or until
the stain is gone. Wash with clear
water. Be careful when using any acid cleaners on concrete as they may
etch the surface.
Bio:
Jerry L'Ecuyer is the owner of JLE Property Management & Buffalo
Maintenance, Inc. and is a licensed contractor & real estate broker.
He is currently on the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Education
Committee for the Apartment Association of Orange County. Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional
since 1988 and can be reached at (714) 778-0480 or jerry@JLE1.com. Frank Alvarez is the Operations Director for Buffalo
Maintenance, Inc. He has been involved with apartment maintenance for over
14 years. Frank can be reached at (714) 956-8371 or visit the office at, 202 E.
Broadway in Anaheim, CA 92805. Please view our web sites at:
www.JLE1.COM & www.BuffaloMaintenance.com