QUESTION: The carpet runner on the stairs in my 125-year-old house has been removed, and I plan to put on a new one, but I cannot strip the steps and risers, so I have to paint them as well as the railings. What kind of paint can I use? Home Depot suggested a floor or deck paint.

ANSWER: A deck or floor paint is OK to use. Check with the store to see if you need a primer. And be sure to sand the old finish heavily to reduce gloss and roughen the finish so the primer and paint will stick properly. Paint the treads a relativley dark color and the risers a light color to make a nice contrast. Paint the railings and spindles the same color as your woodwork.

The deck paint is not needed for the railing and spindles. Use instead a latex enamel undercoater and an eggshell finish latex paint as the final one or two coats.

QUESTION: I have regrouted ceramic tiles. When should I seal the grout?ANSWER: If the grout is on floor tiles, seal as soon as possible after the grout sets. You want to do it soon because if you wait even a few days, the floor grout will get dirty, and sealing it would show the dirt forever. After sealing, reseal once per year. If the tiles are on the wall, there is no need to seal the grout, except in a shower stall.A couple of tips . . .When Maureen from Quincy asked where she could find reflective paint, the Handyman was stumped, and said that light-colored, shiny paints are as reflective as any. Guess again, Handyman. There is reflective paint around, said Steve Jerzylo of Hyde Park, who called to say that Babels in Norwood Center carries it. It is metallic, and expensive, like $8 for half a pint, but it looks good, said Jerzylo.And, when Cornelius Finley of Cape Cod asked how to hang pictures on a concrete wall, the Handyman forgot one type of fastener designed for concrete walls.John Clough, proprietor of a former Better Homes Hardware store in South Weymouth, came to the rescue with this e-mail: "I used to sell what was called a Hard Surface Hanger which consisted of a plastic hanger with four hardened pins in a square cluster which were driven in (concrete) with one strike of the hammer."

QUESTION: I am repairing some of my old windows, and I wonder if I can use chain instead of rope to hold the weights. How are the chains attached? Also, I am considering replacing my 1978 boiler. How long should a boiler last?ANSWER: Use chain, by all means. It will last 100 times longer than rope. Be sure to buy sash chain, solid brass with flat, triangular shaped links. Attach the chain to the side of the sash with a staple or bent-over nail. Attach the chain to the weight with copper wire.A boiler should last 40 years, but its endurance is less important than its efficiency. Have your dealer check the efficiency of the boiler (not the burner).

QUESTION: I need to hang a swing on my porch. The ceiling above has some sort of plastic covering, so I cannot see the studs (rafters) above. I got a stud finder and was able to mark the positions as shown by the studfinder. I tried to drill a pilot hole into the stud but my drill goes straight through the plastic. I can't find the stud. I can't take off that sheet stuff on my ceiling. Is there a stud up there? How can I find it?ANSWER: I could never get those stud finders to work, so I gave up and used my knuckle to find studs and rafters. Yes, there are studs (rafters) up there, but they may be going sideways, not from back to front. Or, there might be strapping nailed to the rafters and the plastic stuff attached to the strapping; your probe may not have gone deep enough to reach a rafter.Never say can't; you can take off that plastic/vinyl sheet stuff. Check to see if it was stapled or nailed on. It has to be attached some way, even if it is suspended. You may have to take off only a part of the material; once you expose what's behind the ceiling, you will know what to do.If nothing works, you could install one of those porch swings with its own frame.Then you can start swinging.Handyman on Call Peter Hotton is available 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions. Call 617-929-2930. Hotton also chats online 2 to 3 p.m. Thursdays. Go to www.boston.com. Hotton's e-mail is photton@globe.com