Today’s Homeowner Radio Show | June 4, 2022

This week, we’re talking about cleaning copper pipes, solving a paint cracking mystery, and resurfacing a concrete patio.

Cleaning Copper Pipes

It’s normal for a copper pipe to develop a green patina over time. When copper is exposed to air and water, it oxidizes and turns a light green color.

And whether your home has a basement, a slab foundation or a crawlspace, one thing is certain: your copper pipes will be exposed to air and water.

Oxidation isn’t a matter of if, but when. While this natural process is nothing to worry about, a lot of buildup and corrosion might corrode the copper. 

To clean the pipes, mix one teaspoon of salt, a cup of vinegar, and enough flour to make a paste.

Then, scrub the paste on the copper pipe to remove the buildup.

Skip to [skipto time=43:42][43:42][/skipto] for the full segment on the Today’s Homeowner Radio Show.

Solving the Mystery of Cracking Paint

Paint on every wall in Judy Stringer’s Orange Beach, Ala., condo is cracking. However, while she sees the problem, she’s not sure about the cause.

Judy has tried sanding and repainting the walls using a bonding primer. But that didn’t work.

She keeps the air conditioner on consistently, so there’s no moisture problem.

Also, she’s spoken to her condo association, and none of the neighboring condos have this problem.

To us, this sounds like an adhesion problem. That it’s happening on all the walls and no other neighbors have a problem indicates it’s a not paint problem. 

The original wall surface was probably not prepped correctly before it was painted.

Judy tells us that after Hurricane Sally hit the Alabama Gulf Coast in 2020, there was damage to a bedroom window. A contractor replaced some drywall around it and painted it.

Now, this is the only spot in the condo where the paint does not peel.

This indicates that the problem is with the drywall.

Fortunately, you don’t have to replace all of the drywall. You can veneer over it with quarter-inch drywall, one room at a time.

Skip to [skipto time=49:33][17:36][/skipto] for the full segment on the Today’s Homeowner Radio Show.

Q&A With Quikrete

Question: My wife wants to make our patio into a fancy outdoor living space with new furniture and an outdoor kitchen.

We have enough space, but the concrete itself looks terrible. It’s full of little divots and rough places where you can see the rocks in it. 

Do we need to just bust it up and start over or is there a way to fix it?

— Burt from North Carolina

Answer: Even though concrete is a durable material, over time, with traffic, weather and chemicals, the surface can lose its luster. 

But there’s an easy solution. 

The folks at Quikrete make a product called Re-Cap Concrete Resurfacer that’s designed to solve your problem. It can be applied as thin as sixteenth of inch or as thick as a half-inch. 

First, though, you’ll want to fix any deep pits or cracks using Re-Cap in a thicker consistency and let that cure for about 24 hours before applying Re-Cap to the entire surface. 

Then, you simply spread it out over the whole patio with a squeegee and any small divots will be filled in. 

As it dries, you can add a slip-resistant surface by gently pulling a push broom across the re-surfacer. 

Once it’s dry, your patio will look like a brand new slab with consistent color and texture throughout. Learn more about Re-cap at quikrete.com.

Skip to [skipto time=1:10:45][1:10:43][/skipto] for the full segment on the Today’s Homeowner Radio Show.

Also in this episode:

• Keeping Leaves Out of a Drain
• Replacing Plexiglass Windows
• Repointing Brick on a Historic Home
• Creating an Even Concrete Porch Surface
• Sealing a Metal Shed

Best New Product

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Other Products and Links Mentioned

• Quikrete Re-Cap Concrete Resurfacer (This is an affiliate link. If you purchase this product, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.)

Further Reading

• How to Give New Life to an Old Concrete Patio
• Shaving Cream Carpet Cleaning Trick
• How to Refresh a Cast Iron Bathtub with Peeling Paint