Mar 22, 2014 5 min read

Q. We have a mirror that has been glued/cemented to the bathroom wall for seven years. What is the safest and best way to get it off? The man who installed it said it would have to be smashed off. It certainly has stayed in place, but we have a new one ready to go up. It is quite large – 40 by 30 inches.

A. Removing a big mirror like yours is a two-person job, and does not necessarily involve smashing it, which is hazardous to your health. Here is how. Wear sturdy canvas gloves. Nail a piece of wood on the wall to hold the mirror at its base if and when the mirror loosens. Then run a hair dryer on medium to high to warm up the mirror and soften the glue.

Start across the mirror along the top edge and insert a long-handled chisel or pry bar at the top, then pull gently until the mirror gives a little. Lower the hair dryer as you proceed downward. If this seems daunting, hire a demo expert.

Q. I recently purchased a ranch home in Hampton Falls, N.H. The attic area is 2,100 square feet. I am having all the old insulation removed and TAP insulation installed to a minimum of 14 inches, to bring the attic to an R-49.

For an additional $600 I could have more insulation added to bring it to R-60. Do you think this is a good idea? I have oil heat.

A. Considering your cold-climate location and expensive oil heat, an extra $600 for R-60 is worth it.

Q. I am planning on blowing insulation into my 1885 stucco house. Contractors said they cannot do it from the outside because it is hard to patch the holes drilled into the stucco.

Instead, they will blow it in from the inside, and it is very invasive undertaking from what I can tell. Is this technique OK? Is it as effective as blowing it in from the exterior?

A. The contractors are right. It is not good to cut holes in stucco because repairs would show like a sore thumb. Blowing insulation in from the inside is good, and not really invasive. The only problem is that it is difficult to cover the holes, and the insulators are not plasterers. You might be obliged to cover or repair the holes yourself. But it is just as effective to do it from inside as from the outside. You will save heating fuel.

Q. Do you have an opinion about cleaning the ducts in one’s home? The pre-winter push is on but I fail to see the necessity. Also, I had my maple floors sanded a year and a half ago and there are a few spots where the urethane has worn off and the floor looks worn and grayish. How could I touch up these areas?

A. I have seen recent ads in the Globe that tell of cleaning ducts for maybe $10 a duct. I had my ducts cleaned by a professional company for a lot more than the first outfit you suggested. I suggest you call a duct-cleaning company whose main (or only) duties are cleaning ducts.

As for the kitchen floor, it should not have shown signs of wear and graying in just 18 months. I am guessing that only one or two coats of polyurethane were applied. If you can’t do it yourself, I suggest the floor finisher come back and sand the floor lightly, then apply at least three coats of a water-based polyurethane varnish.

Q. I had replacement windows installed recently, and didn’t know the installers had to cut part of the inside sill for everything to fit. Now I discovered a gap of about 1/4 inch between the bottom frame of the new window and the inside sill. I think six to eight windows are involved. Can I fill those gaps? With what?

A. In this case, the installers discovered one or more gaps and had no idea what to do, so they ignored them. Or they simply missed them.

I don’t think they are causing any air leaks, but you can fill them with an adhesive caulk, smoothing it out at the top. For bigger gaps, you can fill with glued wood strips, then paint. The caulk can also be painted.

Q. Just had new walls hung and plastered. The wife went and primed them just two days later with Kilz2. Am I in trouble? Should I have waited or used a different primer?

A. You’re not in trouble for the Kilz2 or anything. While priming is not generally needed on plaster, no harm done and you can paint the walls with one or two coats of an eggshell finish latex paint.

Q. I have a bluestone patio that I put in a few years ago. Shallow pieces are flaking off the stone and look terrible. Is there anything I can do to smooth it out to make it look “normal?”

A. I can’t quite see them as ugly; that is the nature of stone. To fix the problem, and if they are set in sand, turn them over. They should not be mortared.