Q. I have a Murphy Bed which was assembled on site by the vendor. The platform for the bed is too large to fit through the doorway and I thought I would take the two panels apart. Upon reading the instructions I learned the frame sections and center stiffener have double-sided tape affixed to the panels. The tape is a super glue contact adhesive and is almost impossible to move once it has touched another surface. Could you suggest a way to get the two panels apart?
LUKE, BY E-MAIL
A. A lot of companies are disassembling big pieces of furniture to get them into the house or room where they are quickly reassembled. I had a sleep sofa that was done just that way, to my eternal relief. I don’t understand why your Murphy Bed was not reassembled in the room that it was destined for. Call the company to do just that. If you want to do it yourself, I think you can buy Super Glue solvent where Super Glue is sold. Before you do that, make sure you get new tape from the company to reassemble it.
Three more ideas: Use the bed in the room where it was assembled. Or buy a sleep sofa that might be easier to get into the room you need it in. Or, if you own the house or condo, take down part of the entry to enlarge it, and then rebuild it to be wider than it was. Strangely enough, I did that to allow a player piano into my house, and the new doorway, without a door, looks smashing.
Q. I have a Caesarstone kitchen counter, which I think is a kind of polymer with quartz, and it looks nice. The only thing wrong is that is when I put a wet glass on the top, it leaves a ring. I can wash the ring away to clear it, but when it dries it comes back. How can I remove it permanently?
ALAN BERNS, JAMAICA PLAIN
A. Polymers like Caesarstone and Corian thrive on light abrasives, such as scouring powder, nylon pot scrubbers, and even emery cloth. So, rub the ring with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I think you will see it disappear.
Q. I had some grayish round growths on my driveway. The man who sealcoated it said the coating would cover it easily. It did for a while, but it wasn’t long before they appeared in the same spots. Now what can I do?
NATALIE SCHWARTZ, RANDOLPH
A. Those growths are lichen, a symbiotic pairing of mold and algae that is ubiquitous, growing on trees, big and small rocks, concrete and asphalt, and virtually any hard surface, living or dead.
They are harmless, not even hurting trees, but to some are unsightly. They are also hard to remove. Amazingly, they grew right through the sealcoating, which is a tar emulsion. What you can do is forget about them and do not reseal the driveway because it is mostly cosmetic. If you want to remove the lichen, wet it down very thoroughly or power-wash it, and scrape carefully with a wood scraper such as a spatula.
It’s for the birds
Here’s one man’s method of getting rid of the robins that were annoying Ted from Wayland, and leaving poop all over the place. I forgot to take his name, but he called: Buy a wooden whirligig, which will whirl in the wind and make clacking noises. My daughter bought me one at a gift shop and when I put it in the backyard, the birds never went near my neighbor’s feeder and the whirligig.
The Handyman is not happy with antibird things, but I suppose any port in a storm is good. And the robins will find happy hunting in another lawn.
Q. I own a two-family house and I live on the second floor, which is covered with vinyl-asbestos tiles. I don’t want to remove the tiles, but I want a wood floor. Could I put down an engineered floor? A ¾-inch floor would make the top riser 8¼ inches compared to the 7½-inch height of the other risers, way too big a difference for safe climbing and descending. I am rather short, which aggravates the problem.
4-FEET-11-INCHES
A. Any difference on that top riser is a hazard. I first suggested prefinished oak, but it’s too thick. So, engineered wood, maybe a ½ inch, will make a little difference — to eight inches — which is still too much. The only solution is to remove those tiles; they contain little asbestos so should not be too costly to remove. Chances are the floor is fir, so you can sand and refinish it.