Dear Glenn: I have a wooden deck that is only four years old, and I have stained it using Olympic Solid stain. I have several spots that are not in a high-traffic area and the stain constantly blisters and peels despite recoating it every year

I have tried everything I can think of to get the finish to adhere properly, but so far nothing I've done seems to work. The blistering areas are not very large -- less than 6 inches each -- but it looks terrible. The deck faces the east and there are no trees or houses behind us, just 75 acres of wide open field. What can I do to remedy the situation permanently?

Jack, Britton, Mich.

Dear Jack: After you scrape and wash down the deck, use a moisture meter (less than $30 from General Tool, (800)-697-8665, www.generaltools.com) to see how much moisture is in the wood. It should be less than 14 percent. The day before you are going to restain the deck, wash the wood down with a solution of Mill Glaze Away Stain Prep, (800) 663-9274, www.biowash.com.

It's a powder you mix with water. This will change the surface tension of your deck wood. It will allow better stain absorption. The spread rate is critical to this project. Do not stretch the stain.

Dear Glenn: I purchased my first home in February. It had a leak in one of the walls in the kitchen, which has since been repaired. My question is about insulating that wall. Now that it is down to the brick and studs, I have to put in new insulation, but I am getting conflicting advice. Should I go with foam insulation or the regular roll type? The quotes I have received for foam range from $400-$700 just for that one area of approximately 70 square feet, which I think is pricey, but some people I have talked with suggest putting up felt and roll type insulation. What's your advice?

Cathy, St. Clair Shores

Dear Cathy: I would recommend going with the foam insulation. Once it is in, it stays in. Dow Froth Pak is a do-it-yourself product. You can get it at Wimsatt Building Materials, (800) 497-9000, www.wimsattdirect.com. You'll save even more money when you take advantage of all the tax credits and utility company rebates on this energy saving project.

Dear Glenn: We live in an old farmhouse that has four different roof lines. The back end of the house was ripped off in the 1950s and rebuilt. This roof line comes into the original house perpendicular and lower to the rest of the house. There has always been a small leak somewhere in the valley of the two roofs, which in the last year has gotten to be seriously worse. We also have an occasional serious leak in our porch roof which has been converted as an extension to our living room. Can you suggest a person or company that does the water leak scan?

Betty, Ida, Mich.

Dear Betty: I would call Bob Carey at Infrared Services of Michigan, (810) 329-9033, www.ismichigan.com. They are a full-service infrared imaging and inspection company.

Dear Glenn: We painted the color lock siding on our house six years ago with a primer and Weatherbeater Ultra (polyurethane added), 25-year-guaranteed paint. The integrity of the siding is still good, but we have accumulated mold on the south and west sides of the house. We would like to repaint with your recommendation on how to deal with our mold problem.

Susan, Altoona, Pa.

Dear Susan: There is no bleach in Eco-Wash by ConcrobiumXT, (866) 811-4148, www.concrobium.com. So it will not harm the paint. If the surface is in good condition then no painting is needed.