Archive for the ‘House’ Category
Get those dents out!
Aluminum is one of the most valuable metals we have for use around the house: light, strong, cheap, and durable. It's useful enough that many people use aluminum siding as the exoskeleton of their house, using it to protect them from the elements and seal off as much of the environment as possible. But there is one disadvantage to aluminum: it can dent. When it does dent, especially in your home siding, what exactly can you do?
You're about to find out some of the best dent removal tricks out there. What will you need? Start with a drill, a sheet metal screw, a flat washer, a pair of pliers, metal filler, sand paper, and metal primer.
It's a tall order, but you should be able to retrieve many of these items at a relatively low price at a local hardware store. Once you have your tools and supplies ready, it's time to get down to business.
The process of removing a dent in aluminum siding is essentially to drill a hole, use that hole to pull back the dent, and then cover up the hole so that it looks like nothing was ever there. You can begin by drilling a couple of small holes (one-eight of an inch in diameter) and screwing in the sheet metal screw you have with a sheet metal washer partially into the hole. This will give you some leverage with which to pull the aluminum dent out. Pull on the screw with the pliers, protecting your hands. The washer will protect the rest of the aluminum on your siding from the pliers.
Once you've pulled out the dent, remove everything and take a look at the holes you drilled. It's time to fill them up with metal or body filler, also making sure to fill up any of the residual dent so that everything is relatively smooth. It will probably take a couple of coats of body filler in order to make sure that everything is smooth.
After those coats have dried, sand everything even. Clean out the scrapings so that the area is dry, and then apply a metal primer. After this primer has dried, apply some metal paint to the area - everything should look properly covered, as if the dent and the holes were never there.
Voila! You've fixed your own aluminum siding. Now you'll have a couple of extra supplies and tools around the house if you need to make similar repairs somewhere else.
Photo Credits: D. Bjorn
Originally posted 2009-08-05 06:00:34.
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Posted by Fix Handyman on March 12, 2010 in
Handyman, House, How to Fix
Rock Wool Insulation
With winter here - as well as the heating bills - it's important to understand how a home uses its energy. In particular, it helps to understand how
your home uses its energy. Essentially, there are two different ways: efficiently and inefficiently. If your home isn't up to snuff in its energy efficiency, you'll want to keep reading this article. It won't only save you headaches, it will save you money.
One of the first principles in energy efficiency is keeping the energy you're producing, and this is often done through insulation. Much of the energy your home is using is for generating heat. If you're losing heat to the outside world all the time, then your energy bills are going to stay sky-high. You'll essentially be using more energy to keep the same amount of heat other people have. If your home is old, it will help to check the insulation you have in your walls, learn about crucial points in which you can save much of your heat, and learn ways to test for "heat leaks."
Consider installing more energy-efficient windows and doors to amp up your home's ability to insulate, as well. If you're buying a home, ask about having these installed right off the bat.
Another way to change how energy efficient you keep your home is to purchase equipment that will simply use less energy off the bat. New, modern heaters, air conditioners, and washers/dryers will be able to do much of the same job using less energy, helping you save on your monthly bills. Of course, these appliances can cost a heavy sum upfront, so it might take a keen eye for shopping and perhaps a bit of sacrifice in order to make your home energy-efficient. Key appliances like refrigerators, washers/dryers, water heaters, and dishwashers are some of the appliances to think about. If you want to upgrade to a more energy-efficient appliance, you might consider selling the old one, as well, in order to offset the costs.
Optimizing your home's insulation and the equipment that use energy are great places to focus on reducing your energy uses. You can also use conservation as a way to stave off your energy usage, but if you want to maintain your lifestyle with less energy, you can do that, as well. For many people, simply utilizing both strategies reduces the most energy use possible.
Photo Credits: iLoveButter
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Posted by Fix Handyman on January 26, 2010 in
Energy, Handyman, House, How to Fix
Red House covered in Snow
When it comes to winter-time activities around the house, many homeowners think of one thing: snow, snow, snow. Clearing snow out of the driveway and making sure it doesn't weigh too heavily on the roof are definitely the right activities, but what about making sure your home is prepared for the cold? Here are some quick tips and strategies that will help you run a home with an eye on maintaining it through the winter and saving money.
Keep an eye on your pipes. Pipes can freeze during the winter, so you'll want to stay on top of your plumbing system as soon as you can. When you find a relatively warm day, go out and check the pipes for any freezing, and make sure you know where to locate all of yours. It will help to read up on solid pipe safety as well as how pipes generally work.
Make sure to winter-proof your home. Winter-proof? Yes; be able to keep snow and cold outside, where it belongs. You can do this by making sure your insulation is working properly, both on a larger level (are you preserving as much heat as possible?) and on a specific level (are there any areas you need to better insulate?). Make sure that your doors are weather-proof and that your windows stay tightly locked and closed.
Prepare your mud room for maximum moisture. The mud room often gets the worst treatment during winter, especially if you have children who love playing in the snow and love bringing that snow back indoors with them. Make sure you keep your mudroom as the focus of where you'll be bringing in all of the moisture from outside, and that your mudroom is able to handle it. The better organized and clean you keep it, the better the rest of your house will handle the winter. It's generally a good idea to focus as much of the ucky winter stuff in one room, as this will allow you to control it in one place.
If you're a new homeowner who isn't too experienced with winter, you may find yourself a bit overwhelmed at first. But if you work on tackling one problem at a time, and actually take action to prevent many problems winter can cause, you'll be well on top of it. Use failures as a learning experience, and you should be just fine.
Photo Credits: Allen McGregor
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Posted by Fix Handyman on January 19, 2010 in
Handyman, House, How to Fix
Painting the wall.
One of the most frequent themes in home repair and decoration is painting. Just go into your local hardware store and you'll see how much is dedicated to paint - from the brushes to the cans, to finding the ideal mixture of a paint color for your room. So when your home has an amateur paint job in one of the rooms, it definitely sticks out. How can you paint like a professional without paying professional prices for an expertly-crafted paint job in your favorite room?
If you want to paint like a professional, you'll have to prepare like one. This separates the professionals from the amateurs. If you want to put up a professional paint job in your home, start with preparing by removing light switch and outlet covers, removing other hardware that can get in the way, removing fixtures that can get in the way, and taping off the edges that you can't quite get rid of. Preparation for your paint job is crucial, so make sure you don't slack here. Once you've done a good job preparing for a professional paint job, you'll find that the rest of the job feels as easy as "connect-the-dots."
After a first-rate job of preparing the room for painting, it's time to put on the first-rate paint itself. First, put on a coat of primer if you feel like you need it. Let the primer dry - and make sure that you've applied the primer to all of the areas you plan on brushing and rolling paint onto. With the primer ready to accept your paint, start working from the top-down: start with the ceiling, move to the walls, and then handle areas such as the finishing paint near windows.
As you paint, make sure to be generous with your paint, but consistent. Don't slop paint on and spread it around like it's jelly; instead, just be sure to do a thorough job. Being thorough is exactly what separates an amateur paint job from a professional job, so be sure that you follow through on this point.
Be sure to let your paint dry before you evaluate it. You might find that your paint job is great and ready to go! If it needs another layer of thickness, apply another coat and let that dry. Once you're finished, put the room back in its original order and enjoy a fresh coat of paint and the new color you've applied.
Photo Credits: Patrick Goossens
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Posted by Fix Handyman on October 22, 2009 in
Handyman, House, How to Fix
Fix Household Problems
As the son of an optometrist, let me tell you: it's not uncommon at all for people to get things stuck in their eyes. Some injuries are worst than others, but one thing that most of them have in common is that they're preventable. Simply wearing goggles alone - even when tackling a problem you don't think requires them - can go a long way toward preventing eye damage.
Since our eyes are so important to us - you're using them to read this right now - you have to make sure that whatever project or repair you're undertaking around the house, that you protect your eyes. Here's a quick guide for doing just that.
The first thing to do and the most obvious is to buy a pair of safety goggles. These goggles should adequately wrap around your eyes and give you plenty of clear viewing. Some safety glasses or goggles can simply be attached like a pair of sunglasses, while others can be tightened around your full head. It's usually recommended that you have a pair of goggles that won't come off of your head without a fight - if you find yourself unable to use your arms to put your goggles back on, your eyes can become vulnerable again.
Next, you'll want to remember that it's best to avoid rubbing your eyes whenever you're handling a chemical of some sort. If you've ever touched a particularly hot pepper and then touched your eyes, you know exactly how uncomfortable it can be to get the wrong chemical in your eyes. So make sure that your hands are clean and thoroughly washed before you start rubbing your eyes again - and, in general, it's best to avoid rubbing them all together.
Taking care of your eyes is important because your eyesight is one of only five senses. Our eyes are particularly sensitive, which usually gives us the instinct to protect them naturally, but you'll want to bring in your own level-headed thinking to a home improvement situation. Even if you don't think that your eyes are at risk, a sudden blow of dust or sand can change your mind very quickly. If your task puts your eyes at risk to be exposed to chemicals or debris, it's best to wear safety goggles or glasses as a measure of eye injury prevention.
Photo Credits: One-Fat-Man
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Posted by Fix Handyman on October 20, 2009 in
Handyman, House, How to Fix
House Problems?
Huh? Fix a problem you can't fix? Actually, it can be done, and people do it all the time. It's called outsourcing, and it's the same thing you do when you build a home and buy food. You don't have the time to take care of every single thing in your life, so you trade money for it instead. When you have something you need fixed but don't know how to fix, you call in a contractor.
Working with a contractor can be a unique experience, and the more experience you have, the better you'll be at it. But you could also use a few tips that can help you along the way. Here are some great strategies for dealing with contractors.
First, consider a contractor's reputation among the most valuable referrals you can get. You should make sure that a contractor is accredited, sure, but you also want to make sure that the contractor takes each individual job seriously and is willing to go the extra mile for his or her clients. You find out a contractor's reputation by researching them online, but even more powerful is the word-of-mouth reputation that you can find by asking around - in person. Does the contractor have a history of making people happy? Then there's a good chance you'll end up happy with the work they do, as well.
Next, be sure to watch out for potential scams. Make sure that they have general liability insurance so that you're not responsible financially for any damage they might do to your home. Will your home be damaged? Probably not, but there are bad contractors out there who can make life miserable for you. You'll screen out most of these bad contractors by following the "reputation" rule, but you want to make sure you're covered financially in either case.
Once you've got a contractor confirmed and hired, be willing to be on top of them to get your problem fixed, especially if you need the repairs to happen quickly. You're hiring the contractor, after all, and many times a contractor will try to get away with being as lazy as you allow them to be. Stay on top of them, and remember that since it's your money on the line, you get to call the shots.
Photo Credits: pnwra
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Posted by Fix Handyman on October 19, 2009 in
Handyman, House, How to Fix
Get your home looking great!
Your home should look beautiful - not only because you live in it, but because you want to show a level of respect and responsibility when it comes to the things you own. Well, or the things you're paying off each month. Either way, if you want a home with beautiful siding, siding spots simply won't do. If you plan on selling a house with siding spots, it might be a good idea to take a Saturday afternoon to fix them. Here's how you can do it.
First, identify all of the spots you plan on fixing. Knowing how much fixing you're going to be doing will allow you to know how much primer and color-matched paint you're going to need. If you still have paint of the original color, make sure you have enough; if not, try visiting the hardware store to have the color matched.
Next, you'll have to find a way to grind the spot smooth. Whether this is with sandpaper or a small power grinder, you might want to get in touch with your hardware store and see what they recommend. If you already have a small power grinder, you shouldn't have too much trouble leveling the surface and preparing it for priming and painting.
Wear the surface down and try to make the level relatively consistent with the rest of the siding. Once the surface has been properly worn down, continue the "prepping" by cleaning out the area of dust and paint chips. You don't want to apply primer and paint over this debris, to try to clean each spot as thoroughly as possible.
Now that you've got a clean spot to paint over, apply your primer. Apply thinly but try to make sure that you also apply evenly and thoroughly. This will allow for more paint to stick to the area and completely fill in the spot.
Once the primer has dried from your siding spots, apply the paint. Use oil or latex-based paint for your siding, and - voila! You should be clear of siding spots.
You'll find that having a home clear of siding spots will help you feel more confident when it's time to sell it. You want your home to look as good as possible when you're selling it, and siding spots simply aren't in the cards. If you're simply taking care of your home for your own sake, you'll feel proud of yourself and might even ask, "what's next?"
Photo Credits: iLoveButter
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Posted by Fix Handyman on September 14, 2009 in
Handyman, House, How to Fix, paint
Painting the outside of your home?
In order for you to understand how to fix your paint job, it will be important for you to first understand how paint applies to your home's exterior in the first place. Remember that oftentimes, simply painting over a problem with the old paint job won't do the job - at the very least, it will only cover up the problem. If you want a paint job that is smooth and covers no hidden problems, this article is for you.
Fixing exterior paint jobs is all about understanding how paint sticks. Either you'll want to be removing paint, or applying paint in a way that it provides a thick uniform coat and doesn't chip off. In order to accomplish this, you're going to need a few tools: paint and a paint brush, sandpaper, paint primer, and possibly a paint scraper.
In order to fix your exterior paint job, you're going to have to answer one crucial question: how large is the area you're looking to coat with a new paint? Some people only want to fix an area where the old paint job is chipping and falling off, using the same color to coat over it. Others are looking to replace the paint job altogether, starting from square one on the exterior of their home.
If you're looking to fix a small area on the paint job, make sure you have the right paint color before beginning. Call your contractor to see if you can find out the specific paint used - you might also be able to chip off a piece of the paint job and bring it in to the hardware store for color matching. This might not be perfect, but the closer the color is, the less the old paint job will be noticed.
Next, chip off the old paint using a paint scraper - be careful not to damage the wood itself. If you can't chip certain areas of the paint off, try to sand it down with the sandpaper. Make sure that you sand the entire area to get it as uniform as possible. Once you've sanded off the area, clean it out - there will probably be a lot of wood debris in the area.
Next, apply your primer. The primer itself needs a uniform coating, and will require some time to dry. Make sure you follow the primer's directions and allow it to dry before applying the new paint. Once you've done that, you're ready to apply your first coat of paint. Well done!
Photo Credits: eye of einstein
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 25, 2009 in
Handyman, House, How to Fix, paint
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