Here is a photo of part of the floor as it starts to chip. Some sections are worse but that photo didn't turn out. It is indeed just where there is hard filler that is breaking as the boards move. We actually knew this was going to happen... our reason for filling the cracks was partly so that when we painted, no paint would seep into the cracks... just in case some future owner does want to refinish, they won't have a reason to curse us as they struggle with paint between the boards! My husband would have used latex caulk, but I couldn't cope with the application process for that, and I did this particular job. As to how I painted, it was a bit of an accidental selection: latex primer, latex floor paint, alkyd floor paint. I know, bad sequence, but again I didn't want to work with alkyd but ended up with it as the latex (which was flat) simply didn't work out. Again though, it's a light use floor and I don't mind - this is a case where ANYTHING would be better than the original (dark, dingy) condition. I did finally find, much later, a glossy latex floor paint from Behr at Home Depot, but other than that, believe me, it doesn't exist. Oh dear, I just noticed that there is a grid showing from a rug underlay I put there... need to repaint! I know exactly what you mean about the half-finished look! We've lived with it for 18 years, the kids have grown up with it and now that they are pretty independent we are just now getting going on some finishing things. And while it has gnawed at me to not have things done, I think we have in the long run made better decisions because of the delay. This has been useful from such things as selecting paint colours to the design of replacement windows. We know the space really well in all lights and seasons, we know what our needs are, and we know what of the partially finished things we have valued and what has not worked. So I wouldn't counsel you to rush. Any decisions you're not sure of and don't have to make yet, defer until you are sure, or, as with the floor, don't do anything irreversible if you can help it. We still haven't refinished most of the stripped moulding, for example, because we're not sure yet how we want to do that. But at least we're finally getting it up! We did do one thing I really regret, namely to replace a section of original fir wainscoting with new pine, and worst of all, we discarded most of the old fir. Curses! I hate the pine, and although I would not have wanted to live with the unstripped fir all these years, I would now love to still have it and be able to strip and restore it. I do have some, but not enough. KarinL

If you are really perfectionist types but don't want to pay a painter, maybe try to find a drywaller just to come and do those repairs. If he's only there under and hour it may not even cost more than 100 dollars. 6 estimates is too many to get when you are looking for painters. Try asking friends if they know any that did work for them. That is the best way. Yes, painting is a loser a job that anyone can do, but still these guys at least want to make a living, even though it may not be enough to raise a family and all this, they still want to pay the rent. There are however rip off contractors and gougers out there too so I understand that and this is true of any business. Anyway, what I do with drywall repairs when there is tape coming loose is this: first, I address the repair and decide if I want to use mesh tape or real drywall tape. Mesh tape is easier for a DIY'er because it will stick by itself because it has adhesive on it. Drywall tape has to be embedded into a layer of wet drywall mud. I would buy both at the store and use what you like best...both are cheap. First, you cut out the failing tape with a very sharp utility knife. I always make sure to make the cut perfect and totally through the paper so that when you pull on it to remove it you don't end up pulling out a bunch more than you want. If it is a seam in the center of a wall or ceiling, it's easy to just cut out the bad, then sand the area to remove any debris, use a drywall knife/blade to fill the area with drywall mud, and then embed the tape into that and skim over lightly. This will be your first coat. After this is dry, you can lightly sand again and lay on another coat of mud. Remember that the tape is sitting on top of the drywall, unless there is a real seam there, so you may need to 'float' the drywall mud over the top of that tape to disguise that there is a hump there. This is where the pro really shines and the homeowners get lost because they may put way too much mud on and then have to sand forever to get it all smooth and of course it rarely comes out looking perfect. Just keep in mind that whatever mud you are applying, this will need to be sanded and sanding creates dust and isn't a very fun job so the idea is to minimize the sanding step if you can by applying the mud properly. If the failing tape is in a corner, sometimes I may just use my utility knife to cut out just the portion that is failing and then just fill that with mud and skip the taping step entirely. It depends on the size of the repair and the integrity of the tape. Every repair is different. Also, there is no guarantee that the tape will never fail again. If there is movement behind the wall in the studs (which there always is) any repairs you do can come back and you may have to do them again. Every house has these recurring nail pops, cracks, etc. where even if the repairs are done perfectly, they can still return. Some repairs do stay repaired forever though. It just depends on a bunch of factors as always. Good luck!

Sure, why not.

You can use Jomax or there are some green products that are eco-friendly you can get. You mix the Jomax with bleach and spray it on with a garden sprayer, or if it is only a small area use a squirt bottle. Let it sit for a few minutes and then power wash the area. Areas with heavy mildew may require two applications. If you don't have a power washer you can use a scrub brush and then hose it off. You want to spray your nearby plants with water first so that you don't kill your plants with bleach.