Around your house

Gardening

Things to do this week

Thin plantings of carrots and beets to avoid overcrowding. Keep asparagus harvested for continued spear production. Control asparagus beetles as needed. Isolate sweet, super sweet and popcorn varieties of corn to prevent crossing. Set out tomato plants as soils warm. Place support stakes alongside at planting time. Begin planting sweet corn as soon as white oak leaves are as big as squirrel ears. Control caterpillars on broccoli and cabbage plants by handpicking or use biological sprays such as B.T. -- www.mobot.org

Home improvement

Removing vinyl from concrete

Q: I had two layers of vinyl installed on a concrete floor. I got off the top layer, but the bottom seems stuck. How do I remove it?

A: Using a razor knife, cut the vinyl into long strips. Try for strips about 1- to 2-feet wide. Once in strips, just pull off the vinyl until all that's left on the floor is the paper layer. Soak the paper with hot, soapy water and scrape it up using an industrial-strength floor scraper with a replaceable surgical steel blade. After you have removed as much of the paper as possible, use a product called Kleen Strip, a vinyl adhesive remover, on what's left. Make sure to have plenty of ventilation while using Kleen Strip, and wear rubber gloves, boots and safety glasses. Placing a sheet of plastic over the wet floor will reduce evaporation and allow the stripper to do its job. You should then be able to use the floor scraper to remove the remaining softened residue. -- AP

Home tips

Keep record of home's history

Knowing one's medical history is important in case of an emergency. So is knowing the history of your home in case of household emergencies and repairs. These might require matching colors, or locating the same brand of materials, or knowing when and where things were purchased and who did the original installation or work. Some warranties may still be in effect. Even if they're not, the original dealer might have knowledge, and maybe even key parts in stock, that can be invaluable in an emergency. When you buy a new home, gather all the info you can and, while they're still available, construction drawings, too. When buying an older home, ask previous owners about colors used and product brand names, and for any warranties or literature they might have. This could be really helpful information for remodeling or repairs. As you go along, be sure to record everything you do. Save scraps and samples, product labels and keep all manuals and literature in an archive box. Today's home history is tomorrow's helping hand. -- AP