Preparing the kitchen for a new range hood

Question:  Dear Jake: I would like to know what is the best way to install a custom wood hood above my kitchen stove if a soffit presently exists? Should I cut out only a portion of the soffit where the hood is to be placed, or should I leave this job to an expert. Although, I have repaired and remodeled some things around the house, I have never tackled this type of job. The soffit is above my kitchen cabinets and goes all the way to the ceiling. I have removed the old kitchen hood, and there is a 240 volt electrical outlet in the attic above the stove. Please help!!

Jake's Answer:  I am assuming that the new hood requires the additional height that the removed soffit would provide.  If this is the case, I would hire a professional to do the job.  The removal and subsequent repair work could get a little complicated.  You wouldn't want a less than professional look surrounding your new hood would you? You probably won't need the 240V for the new hood, but you could covert it to a 120V if necessary.  Good luck!

The order of remodeling work

Question:  We have a lot of \"someones\" giving advice.The hardwood floors have been covered with carpeting for 40 years. They are in excellent shape but will need to be refinished. Although we were careful, there are some holes from the tacking boards and staples. What do we fill those holes with? Second, do we paint first or do the floors first? Someone told us to do the ceilings first, then do the floors. Paint the walls and baseboards last.Someone told us to use Kilz primer before we paint. Should we wash the walls first, fill in the nailholes, use the Kilz and then paint? I figure all the closets can be painted first too and get them out of the way. What\'s the proper order so we\'re not wasting time and energy.

Jake's answer:  In regards to the hardwood floors - the floor re-finisher will have filler that they will apply prior to sanding the floor.  This will take care of all the tack board holes. 

In regards to the order of work:  Do the painting first.  This will include prepping the walls and ceiling, which includes filling all holes and imperfections then sanding them smooth.  You should then prep the wood trim, which includes sanding, filling nail holes, caulking cracks then sanding again.   We never wash the walls unless they have a mold on them.  Kilz is a good product for priming and sealing the walls.  You can have it tinted to your wall paint and maybe get by with just two coats.  Your next step is to paint the wood trim, then the ceiling and then the walls.  I would work the closets in with the rest of your work.  Good remodeling to you!

Re-insulating a camp

Question:  i bought an unfinished camp where R38-backed insulation was used in the walls. 2x6 should i replace it with R19 before installing pine interior? thanks

Jake's answer:  Yes, that would be a good idea.  The R-38 would not compress into the 2 x 6 cavity to allow you to install any type of material over it.  I don't know where this camp is located, but it is rare to have R-38 called out for the walls.  Good luck

Removing a stone fireplace

Question:  We recently bought a house that in the great room contains a double sided stone fireplace. The structure is rather large and cuts the room in half. Ideally, we\'d like to have one big room. How feasible is it to get rid of a stone two-story, double sided fireplace? Or at least cut part of it down so it isn\'t so obtrusive? Any other ideas to deal with it? Thanks!

Jake's Answer:  These fireplaces can be quite obtrusive with today's lifestyles.  We have removed a few fireplaces over the years.  It's a fair amount of work and requires some muscle.  Just start at the top removing the stones until you get below the first floor level.  You will then infill the roof, ceiling and floor.  Make certain that the builder didn't attach any of the roof load, ceiling load or floor load to the stone.  If your house was built in the 50's or later it is likely they didn't. 

Changing a down draft to an overhead vent

Question: We bought a house with a down draft cooking island. We want to chang it into overhead hood. Can we put a vent pipe into the ceiling that leads to outside of the wall? Is this a silly idea or possible? how big the project is? who can do this usually? all suggestions are welcome! Thank you very much!

Jake's Answer:  "Silly" you ask, I don't think so.  There are so many cool hood vents on the market today.  Google hood vents and take a look at what is out there.  You can't go wrong.  Yes, you can put the vent pipe in the ceiling, this is how it is often done.  To get to the outside wall you will have to run the vent pipe parallel to the joist.  A professional kitchen remodeler can do this type of work.  It will include quite a few trades:  drywall, carpentry, sheet metal work, electrical, painting and general cleanup.  An overhead vent actually works better in my opinion.  Good luck and good cooking.

New hardwood over old hardwood?

Question:  Can 3/4\" oak floor be install over existing 3/4\" oak floor?

Jake's Answer:  The short answer is:  I wouldn't do it.  Oak flooring is not real stable and is subject to a considerable amount of movement due to the changing humidity level in the house.  You may experience buckling or cupping if installing hardwood on top of existing hardwood.  If the floor level allows for it, you could install a 3/8" underlayment over the existing hardwood then install your new hardwood.  I assume the existing hardwood must be in pretty bad shape to be installing new hardwood over it. 

Modifying an A-Frame house

Question:  We live in an A-frame home with the master bedroom on the second floor (loft). Because we are in a loft, it doesn\'t afford us any privacy from the rest of the house. What are our options in putting a ceiling in this room? The current ceiling goes up about 30 feet. The room is huge at 21\' x 21\'. It\'s really the only thing we don\'t like about this house. Can you offer some suggestions?

Jake's answer:  Have you considered erecting a wall at the bedroom to provide some screening between the lower room and the bedroom?  This wall could be full height to the ceiling (roof) or it could be only partial so as to provide some privacy but keep the open feeling that comes with an A Frame.  You could add a ceiling which would actually add to the structural strength of the house.  This ceiling  could be a coiffured style to add a little interest to it. 

Painting a brick fireplace

Question:  Hi, We are in the middle of a remodel. I currently have a white brick fireplace where the brick goes from the floor to the ceiling. We want to paint earth tone colors of tan on the fireplace wall as accent color and the rest of the room a kind of buttery brown color. We would hate to paint the brick. What do you think?

Jake's answer:  Paint it.  If the brick is white then it must already be painted.  There is no reason to have this rather large accent piece not matching the other decor in the room.  Go for it - you'll be glad you did. 

Transitioning Pergo to Carpet

Question:  We recently had pergo fooring put in our dining room and kitchen. We had a professional do it. He had to angle the trim which meets up with our carpet. Now about 4 months later, the trim, which is wood and bought from the flooring place for pergo floors, is coming loose all over. We asked him about it and he suggested super gluing it where it came loose. We did and it is again loose and so is the rest of all the trim around the carpet. What can we do??

Jake's Answer:  Have you gone back to the  company where you bought the flooring to see if there is any other type of trim/transition piece available? If there is not, then you will have to have a custom trim piece made up.  A carpenter can usually do something like this.  A transition piece like this that relys on glue to withstand foot traffic is subject to failure.  Another idea might be to use a carpet trim/transition piece to join up with the Pergo.  This is done by a carpet installer. 

Converting downdraft to an overhead vent

Question:  I would like your advice on converting an existing downdraft range hood to an overhead hood. Is it possible to use the existing vent line running through the floor (slab) then make a connection to new ductwork going up the wall to the overhead? Have you ever heard of this being done? Any links would be appreciated. Thank you for your response. Leonard

Jake's Answer:  Leonard, yes, you can convert your venting.  It seems you most likely will have to do some floor demo to redirect your duct up through the wall, if the existing comes up through the bottom of the cabinet.  Assuming that the existing vent line is a 3 x10 or 3 x 12 this should fit in your wall cavity. A couple of things to consider is the duct size requirement of your new range hood and the number of elbows you will have in the line.  Most venting situations have a limit on how many feet the line can run until it is discharged outside.  This information is usually included in the hood specifications.  I do not know of any links, try Googling it.  Good luck.