Question: My husband and I are planning to finally build our “dream deck” off the back of our home, and want it to be an inviting area for barbecuing and a gathering place for our family — but also want it to add to the value of our home.

I’ve been doing a little online research about plastic decking boards. They really are attractive, and the advertising claims synthetic decking doesn’t need any maintenance.

What do you think of synthetic decking versus real redwood?

Your Handyman: A well-planned deck will not only add to the value of your home but will also enhance your family’s quality of life by creating a new living space for meals, family gatherings or a quiet private space to relax.

There are many brands of synthetic deck boards to consider that offer colors and styles that cannot be created with traditional redwood or pine decking.

The first major brand of synthetic decking was Trex, which often is used by people as a generic name for this type of deck board.

However, there are some potential problems with synthetic decking that you should factor into your design process that often seem to be a little understated in the manufacturer’s sales brochures.

One concern is how do you repair a scrape or gouge caused by someone dragging a piece of furniture or an umbrella stand across the deck, or repair a burned spot caused by a ground-out cigarette or a spilled charcoal briquette?

A properly installed redwood deck can easily be sanded and resealed while a gouge or burn in a synthetic deck is a permanent problem that can’t be sanded out or filled without making the damage even more noticeable.

Another possible concern is moisture if your deck is in a shady area or located in an area with high humidity near the beach.

Most synthetic decking has a textured wood grain pattern on the top surface that can hold moisture in a shady location where unsightly mildew and slippery algae can grow, creating a new maintenance chore for the homeowner.

Irregular fading was a past issue with some synthetic decking brands that I believe have been resolved, but I have seen numerous older decks that have had many boards that had faded, creating a mottled sort of appearance to the deck.

I personally prefer the look of redwood for decks but should add that the price of quality redwood decking has really gone up substantially over the past 10 years.

If your contractor submits a bid for redwood, be sure to have him list the grade of redwood he is bidding on and then go to the lumber yard to take a look.

There are several grades of redwood deck boards, with the higher grades being the most attractive, but there are big jumps in price as you go up to the higher grades.

Also make sure that, no matter what decking you select, your contractor will fasten the boards from the bottom and there will be no screw heads exposed on the surface, which is the preferred installation method.

Exposed screw or nail heads detract from the look of any deck, and on a redwood deck they make sanding and resealing difficult to the point of almost being impossible.

With both synthetic decking and redwood decking, the framing structure of joists, beams and posts that support the deck boards will have to be made from regular framing lumber that is susceptible to water and termite damaged.

Only the actual decking boards are available in synthetic materials. I have seen recent ads for synthetic decking supports made from steel, but I have not seen them in use.

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Question: Our home was built in the 1920s and several of our bedrooms have terrible cracking in the ceilings that we have tried to patch over but the cracks keep coming back.

It really looks bad, and we want to permanently fix the cracks. Any ideas?

Your Handyman: This is a very common problem in older homes that were built on raised perimeter foundations in areas with expansive soil.

Expansive soil is very common in the Santa Barbara area. It heaves up in the winter when wet and then settles and cracks in the summer when dried out — and the house moves in lockstep with the soil supporting the older foundation.

Your plaster ceiling cracks are the tell-tale signs of these seasonal slight settling movements.

Patching this type of cracking, as you have found out the hard way, can be a challenge, and I suggest that you give up on the patching and install a new drywall ceiling.

A layer of new ½-inch drywall can be fastened to the old plaster ceiling by screwing through the new drywall and the old plaster and into the ceiling joists.

After texture is applied to the new drywall ceiling to match the walls, along with a coat of primer and a color topcoat of paint, your ceilings will look new and the plaster cracks are gone for good.

You might also consider the installation of a beautiful new crown molding as part of this project, which are common in homes of this period as a nice finishing detail.

Your new ceiling will also provide a little additional insulation value as an added benefit, helping to keep the home a little warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

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Question: It has been more than 12 years since the walls in our home were painted and they are way overdue for touching up.

We had a can of the original paint stored in the garage and I carefully touched up all the scuffs and marks with a good quality paint brush, but it looks terrible after the paint dried.

Is it possible to do a little touching up that will look good, or do we have to bite the bullet and hire a painter?

Your Handyman: A successful painting touch-up job requires that the color and sheen of the paint matches, and that the application method matches.

Paint that has been up on the wall for more than a few years, and exposed daily to sunlight, is going to gradually fade and sometimes will also become a little chalky depending on the quality of the paint.

A can of paint that has been patiently sitting on a shelf in the garage for a few years has settled out to the point where it is unlikely that it will be an acceptable match.

Take the old paint can to a paint recycling center and get a quart of new paint that is color matched by a paint store (not a paint department).

The paint store will need a sample at least the size of a half-dollar to get a good match, and you can carefully cut out a piece of the painted surface with a utility knife to be used for the color match.

Cut the sample out in an out-of-the-way place on the wall, and then simply patch it with some spackle it and paint with the new paint.

Your walls were probably painted originally with a paint roller, so it is important that the touch-up is done with a roller, too.

If you use a paint brush to touch up a rolled wall, the sheen will be different, and the touched-up area will not exactly match the rest of the wall.

Paint stores sell disposable touch-up roller kits — for about $2 — that are very convenient and easy to use.