Box of Drywall Nails
Drywall can make a great surface for your home, but if you don't know how to work with it, it can be just as frustrating as most materials. This is particularly the case if you've got some annoying drywall nails on your hands. As drywall gets older and the wood changes, nails can sometimes change position, leading them to make bumps in the wall or even crack them open. If you want to fix those annoying drywall nails, this article will help you get started.
First, consult this article on "How Stuff Works" in order to check out the equipment you might be needing. A nail set will come in handy, as well as some basic tools like a hammer and sandpaper.
Next, you'll want to drive the popped nails back to where they were. If one is sticking out too far, simply remove it so that you can drive it back in again. You can use your nail set at this point. Remember that you're using your nail set, so the nail might go deeper than you originally thought it would be.
One of the reasons this nail might have popped out in the first place is that the change in the wood put pressure on it, squeezing it out of place. You can relieve some of this pressure by driving in a new nail about two inches above the old one onto the same stud in the drywall.
At this point, your drywall won't look very good - in fact, you will probably have two holes with nails in them. That's why it's important to be ready to cover up the drywall again. Clean out the area and then fill in the holes with a spackling compound. You can use your putty knife for this. Make sure the area is even with the rest of the drywall. After this spackle has dried, sand down the area and then apply primer and paint to match the rest of the drywall. Make sure that you touch up this area as needed, but allow it time to dry.
After these repairs, your drywall should look good as new, and hopefully with the repairs you've made, you won't have to worry about that drywall nail popping out again for a while. Doing these quick repairs should help you better understand how drywall works, as well.
Photo Credits: Bistrosavage
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Posted by Fix Handyman on January 21, 2010 in
Drywall, Handyman, How to Fix, Walls
Lopsided chair?
There's nothing quite so frustrating as sitting down and trying to do work, only to realize that your chair seems to be on a swivel. This is usually the case for wooden chairs, which often are broken apart because of poor glue, worn-down legs, and other strange causes. If you want to know how to fix an uneven chair, it's time to bring out some basic tools: glue, sandpaper, and a wood clamp. Let's fix that uneven chair.
First, you'll have to see exactly what it is that needs fixing. Where in the structure of the chair does the problem seem to be coming from? Is the chair so old that the entire frame leans one way, or can you simply wear down the other legs to make it even? The way you fix the chair will depend on your problem, so take a few minutes to really diagnose what's going on. If you need to, push the chair around and see where the swivel is coming from. You should be able to spot it pretty quickly.
Now that you know what your problem is, you'll have to ask yourself how to make it even again. If the structure of the chair itself has the problem, then you might want to see if you can take it apart and put it back together again. This is how many around-the-house items are fixed, so don't worry if you think you'll never see the chair back in its original condition. If you're able to take apart the chair, you should have better insight into why exactly it seems to be on a swivel.
If the problem is with the leg height itself, you can use something to prop the chair up as an unattractive temporary fix. But if you plan on keeping the chair for the long haul, you'll want to get all of the legs even. You can wear down the bottom edges of each chair leg with sandpaper or even steel wool. Be sure to check the chair repeatedly to see how even you're getting it. You can also use a saw to cut the other legs down to size, so make sure you bring the chair outside or in your garage so you can collect and brush away any sawdust.
If your chair repair required the use of glue to re-set the chair's structure, you'll need to keep the chair drying overnight. If you have work to do and need that chair, see if there's a temporary solution you can set up before fixing the chair itself. But be careful - you don't want it falling apart on you!
Photo Credits: WayTru
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 13, 2009 in
Furniture, Handyman, How to Fix
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