Your Place: Hardwood floors can be refinished 1-2 times

Question: Is there any way to redo engineered floors? They are 12 years old and are showing wear, with pitting and scratches.

They have been cleaned and polished with Bona Hardwood Cleaner periodically, but need something more.

Answer: According to the website BuildDirect, the ability to refinish depends on the thickness of your hardwood layer.

This means that 95 percent of hardwood surfaces are never refinished. With the high-quality finishes that are offered and the extensive process that refinishing a floor entails, damaged areas are often removed professionally.

If sanding is desired, typically the professional sanding procedure removes 1/32 of an inch. Thus, if your floor has a 2mm layer, you can sand the floor once or twice.

Q: We moved into a new home about 12 years ago. We have noticed pink residue in our toilets and sinks since.

I called New Jersey Water, and they had no information.

Have you seen this? Do you have a suggestion on how we could find out what this may be?

A: Two good explanations come from a plumbing company in Colorado and a Virginia water authority, among others.

The pink residue is a slimy anaerobic bacteria, generally harmless in your home, although they do cause problems in hospitals and other places where people are immune-deprived. In those situations, the bacteria can cause urinary tract and wound infections.

Anaerobic means oxygen is not required to sustain life. The bacteria feed on fatty substances such as the residue of soap or shampoo. The color is created when the colony expands.

The experts recommend cleaning the pink with chlorine bleach and a plastic-bristled brush, being careful not to scratch the porcelain or damage the flapper and other parts of the toilet with the bleach.

For hard-to-reach areas, try an old toothbrush dipped in bleach, being careful to wear gloves and to protect your eyes from the harsh chemical.

For more information, check out these links: http://pattersonplumbing.com/how-to-prevent-pink-stains-in-toilet-bowls/ and www.serviceauthority.org/fogpink.html.