Measure the hole before starting repair.
When you own your own home, seeing a hole in your drywall can be really frustrating. You've went through all the work to attain a mortgage loan, work forty hours a week to make the payments, and still everything seems to take time and money! But what if you had another option that didn't take nearly as much of your time and money? That solution is known as skillful home improvement. Even if you've never fancied yourself a do-it-yourselfer, with this article, you may just find yourself inspired.
First, repairing a small hole in your drywall will mean finding some necessary tools. In addition to primer and properly-colored paint, you'll want to find a wallboard taping knife at least half a foot wide, a drywall sanding block, wallboard joint compound, and a metal drywall patch with adhesive mesh. Note: you're going to want to measure the drywall hole size before buying the metal drywall patch.
Measure the hole in your drywall - since we describe it as a "small" hole, there's a good chance it's somewhere up to 8 inches. Once you've got it measured, go to your hardware store and buy the drywall patch mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Once you have this patch, you can simply peel it and apply it to the part of the wall with the hole in it.
Take your wallboard taping knife and apply the wallboard joint compound to the patch, being sure to fill all of the holes in the area. Give it a good two or three coats to make sure the entire area is well-covered and relatively smooth (if it's not perfect, don't worry; you'll be sanding it down once it dries).
After waiting for it to dry, take your sanding block and sand off the area so that it's smooth and consistent with the rest of the drywall. Don't worry about making mistakes, because you can simply fill those in and begin the process of filling in and sanding over again. It's frustrating, sure, but that doesn't mean you can't get past it.
With the area properly sanded and dried, you should be ready to apply the primer. Now you can put the primer on the area and wait for it to dry. Once it's dried, roll the paint on (much like how you would apply the paint on the rest of the wall) and voila! You have a fixed drywall hole.
Photo Credits: soxophone player
Originally posted 2009-09-30 03:55:55.
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Posted by Fix Handyman on January 26, 2010 in
Drywall, Handyman, How to Fix
Needs staining.
The wood deck is one of the hallmarks of the do-it-yourself home improvement buff, but what happens if you come across a home that has a wood deck that needs to be repaired? You may know a lot about building decks, but in order to fix one up and bring it up to your standards of quality, you'll have to think about things in a different way. Here are just a few tips for fixing and sealing a wood deck.
Test out the old deck. If the old deck is rotted and unfit, you'll simply want to replace it. Only leave a deck mostly in tact if you know that it's strong enough to function fully after being repaired.
It gets worse before it gets better: If you've ever cleaned out your garage before, you know that sometimes, home improvement means that things will get worse before they get better. If you really want to do a number on your wood deck and bring it up to snuff, then start out with a "it gets worse before it gets better" mindset. Take out anything resembling a loose nail. Destroy wood that has rotted and throw it out. If there's a part of the deck that doesn't look like it will mesh with a repaired one, get rid of it.
Sure, it might feel like you're building a new deck from scratch after this. But the end result will look more uniform and new if you really do a number on the old deck.
Replace what you've taken out. If you did a number on your deck, then you have more than a few holes to plug. If this is the case, you'll want to simply replace the old parts that came out with new ones. Make sure that every piece of wood in the structure is strong so that the entire deck will function like a new deck. When in doubt, take out an entire board and simply replace it with a new one.
Seal the deck. Seal the deck at the same point in which you would seal a new one.
Make the deck look uniform. After you've sealed the deck, it's time to make the deck look as uniform as possible. You can do this by staining all of the wood a similar color. Be sure to ask someone in the know about wood staining before you try it out - you don't want to end up with a mismatched deck. You can think about painting a deck if the staining won't work.
Photo Credits: tuchodi
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Posted by Fix Handyman on December 29, 2009 in
Deck, Handyman, 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
Cold showers?
If you're like me, you don't particularly like that first few minutes of taking a shower when the water is running and you're waiting for it to warm up. You'd rather simply jump right in, not waste any water, and get the shower over with so you can move on with your day. If you're sick of wasting water and wasting time - even if it's just a few minutes, a quick fix on your cold shower head can improve the quality of your life. Even if it's just those few minutes each day!
Here are a few tips to fixing that cold shower head and getting your next shower to be warm in an instant.
- Take a shower after you use water elsewhere. If you're really short on ideas but need to take a quick, warm shower, try this: shower in "batches." That is, take a shower right after someone else in the morning. Their usage of the water will ensure that it's warm for you right away, and you'll be able to climb right in without missing a beat. Just make sure that you don't wait at the door until they're finished! (One note: You don't only have to wait until someone else takes a shower. If someone is using hot water from the same water heater your shower uses, keep in mind that it could be a great time to take a shower if you need it.
- Install a tankless water heater. If you want to spend a few bucks so you don't have to wait until someone else has used hot water, but you don't want to break your bank account, either, try and install a tankless water heater. What is a tankless water heater? Quite simply, they are water heaters that work locally to cover some of your bathrooms - in other words, it's a water heater that doesn't heat up your whole house. This can be great for bathrooms if you have a family that needs hot water in the mornings but at different times. It's also less expensive than simply purchasing an entirely new water heater.
Like so many aspects of home improvement, fixing your cold shower head starts by looking at your problem from its cause. You really can enjoy hotter showers if you use a little imagination and get proactive with your home improvement.
Photo Credits: sburke2478
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Posted by Fix Handyman on October 6, 2009 in
Bathroom, Shower, home repair
Got a dry lawn?
Sure, you can read plenty of do-it-yourself articles that focus on home improvement and fixing different appliances and fixtures in your house, but what if your lawn is the thing that needs repair? If you've just gone through a dry month and need your lawn to go from brown to green in a hurry, this post is for you. We'll take a look at some tips and techniques for getting your lawn looking, well, alive again.
- First, be sure what the source of the problem is. If you're not sure that it's the dry weather that's making your lawn brown, you'll want to figure out if it's a shortage of water or an abundance of hungry insects that's making your lawn go brown. If your lawn is brown in patches, there's a good chance that it's something other than the dryness - or at least not the dryness totally - that's effecting your lawn. If your entire front and backyard are both brown, you're probably looking at simple dryness. Hint: a good way to test this is to take out a clump of your lawn and look for the roots. If the roots are eaten up, you have bugs to blame. If not, the weather is probably the factor.
- Next, you'll want to make sure you apply the appropriate amount of water to your lawn. Look up your individual grass type or at least climate and try to find out the typical amount of water your grass needs to look green. You don't want to under-water your grass, but you don't want to over-water it either. Note: making sure you water your grass the proper amount doesn't necessarily mean that you'll want to conserve water. It seemly means that you'll want to find the right amount of water for your grass type - it might be high or low.
- Finally, you'll want to make sure you have strong blades of grass with strong roots. This is achieved by mowing your lawn with a high setting, meaning that you'll leave tall blades of grass. Why? The shorter the blades, the less need they have for strong roots to provide them with strength and nutrients. If you have longer blades of grass on a regular basis, the roots will grow strong and give your grass blades a healthy, attractive look. Remember that the more roots there are, the more water they'll need.
Photo Credits: Bill Hails
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Posted by Fix Handyman on September 28, 2009 in
Handyman, How to Fix, Landscaper, Lawn
Let's fix that cabinet door!
One of the primary rules of home improvement is simple: conservation. If something is broken, you'll want to fix it instead of replace it. This is true for most of your household items, whether you're talking about an old bed or a faulty cabinet door. Rather than go through the trouble to replace a broken down cabinet door, it's important to see if you can fix it first. You might be surprised how often you can.
When you're working with a cabinet door - or a door of any kind, for that matter - you'll be focusing on hinges. A door hinge essentially joins two structures of wood together to form the opening and closing we recognize as a door. If there is simply a problem with the wood itself, your woodworking skills will come in handy, but you won't have to worry about the hinges. If the problem in your cabinet door rests in how it actually swings, you'll be focusing on the hinges.
Take a look at the hinges first: what appears to be the problem? If there are loose screws, you can tighten them right away. Once you test-swing the door a couple of more times, you should be able to tell if this fixed the problem. Many broken hinges will continue to remain loose even after the screws are tightened. This implies a problem with the hinge itself. For example, if the screws are tightly locked into the wood, but the hinge is not tightly locked to the screws, you'll need to repair the hinge holes that the screws are attached to.
How can you do this? You can try to take out the screws and fill in the holes with glue, reinforcing them with small pieces of wood like toothpicks. This essentially helps re-build the loose area of the hinge so that you can re-insert the screws after the glue has dried. If there is still a problem, it might be with the quality of the wood itself. You might need to move the hinge up or down to a stronger area of the wood, though you may also want to consider the possibility of replacing the doors altogether.
Of course, since one of the primary rules of home improvement is to conserve, make sure you properly diagnose the real problem with your hinges by exploring the various possibilities first. If at first you don't succeed, try again.
Photo Credits: Greg_e
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 18, 2009 in
Furniture, Handyman, How to Fix
Clean out that debris!
If there's one thing that separates the do-it-yourself professionals from the amateurs, it's the ability to conserve. Using old things in new ways is the hallmark of the savvy home improvement fanatic, and nothing is when it comes to gutters. If you have an old gutter and want to install a modern rain removal system, there's no reason you can't teach the old dog new tricks and make it work it better ways. It will save you money and time, so why not?
The first thing you'll want to do with an old gutter is to clean it off - cracked-on dirt, debris, and dust can hide some leaks and holes that you need to know about. Be generous with the house and scrub the thing so that it looks as new as it can. After you've let it dry a little, try running some water through it as a test. If there are any leaks or holes, it's time to make sure that those leaks are no more.
In order to repair a leak or a hole in your old gutter, you're going to need to re-seal it. Gutter sealer from your hardware store (if you have caulk-like substances around the house, you might be able to use those) will fill the cracks and trap the water like the gutter was originally meant to. Be sure to check the overlapping on these old gutters, as they are sometimes less efficient than modern ones and may need to be sealed themselves.
Small holes and leaks aren't the only ways you can salvage an old gutter - even the big gaping cracks can be fixed if you have the right materials. If you have two old gutters, for example, you can use the metal of one of them to replace the metal of the other; if you use some roof cement you should be able to press one piece of metal to the other, sealing it off and making the old gutter like new. It might not be the prettiest gutter in the world, but you don't exactly have to put it out front for everyone to see.
Remember that gutters are rarely used for decoration: their primary function is simply to move water in a way that keeps the house dry and interacts with the natural environment. When you come across an old gutter that you think might have some life in it, don't necessarily toss it away instantly. Instead, ask yourself more practical questions, like what you can do with the metal, whether you can salvage the gutter, and where it might belong if it can be salvaged. It's up to you to make the most of your possessions. Will you?
Photo Credits: Mitia dd
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 13, 2009 in
Handyman, How to Fix, gutters
Fix your Patio Roof.
One of the most common problems you'll come across in your home improvement is rust. Rust seems to be everywhere, unless you know how to prevent it and how to get rid of it. Oftentimes, the rust will show up in the places you ignore the most - areas like the patio roof, where rust is frequently an issue do-it-yourselfers have to address. So how can you repair your patio roof without doing damage to the patio?
If you're going to be up on your patio roof, you need to address some basics thanks to the theory of gravity. First, you'll need to make sure that your ladder leading up to the roof is secure - have someone else hold it for you to make sure. You'll also want to tread carefully, knowing that your weight is not insignificant and can pose a risk if you're dealing with a particularly weak roof. The higher your roof is, the higher your risks are, so be prepared.
If your patio roof is infected with rust, then you're going to want to clean the roof off as much as possible before you begin work. Brush and sweep away debris, leaves, and other unwelcome contaminants that would get in the way of your tools and the rust on your patio roof. You'll want the roof to be as clean as possible when you begin your work so that nothing interferes later on.
Next, you'll want to use a pressure washer to help you scrape off rust and mildew from the roof. A mixture of three parts water to one part chlorine bleach can be a very effect cleaner - just make sure you don't get it in your eyes or near anyone else, for that matter. This should be a very effective cleaning that will help remove any excess materials you don't want on your roof, paving the way for a smooth foundation. If any parts are still stubborn, you'll want to use sandpaper to actually widdle away at the rust.
Applying a roof sealant will help protect against any holes that might have been brought about by the rust, so apply a coat of sealant next, being careful to make it even. Let this sit and dry for a long time. In order to make sure that the roof is dry, wait for a clear weather report with high pressure systems.
After you've completed the repairs on your roof, be sure to visit it occasionally, checking on the progress of any rust and making sure there are no leaks or potential holes developing. The better prepared you are, the less you'll have to deal with these problems in the future.
Photo Credits: bossco
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 6, 2009 in
Handyman, How to Fix, Patio
Midnight kitchen raid anyone?
Your pantry cabinet in your kitchen can come in a lot of different shapes and sizes: while some people have simple shelves, others will have full-on walk-in pantries. But no matter how big your pantry is, there's no escaping the potential for a breakdown or the need for repairs. The question is simple: will you be able to repair it yourself? After you read this article, you will.
First, it's important to realize that there are essentially two different types of breaks. The break is either superficial or structural. For example, a scratch on your pantry door would fall under the "superficial" category, in that it diminishes the attractiveness of your pantry but doesn't mean you can't still us it. Structural damage, such as a broken shelf, can be a little more substantial and might even effect your quality of life - daily life, that is.
The best way to fix most items around the house is to understand how it is put together - and then take it apart. You'll have to take apart most items down to the point of the problem itself so that you can make the necessary repairs and build it back together again. That's why it's important to properly diagnose what's wrong with your pantry. If you can't get to the problem, you'll have to do some removing, including actions like removing screws. Hey, it's not home improvement without getting your hands a little diry!
Common structural problems with pantries involve broken or stuck sliding mechanisms (for shelves and doors), broken hinges on doors, and broken shelves. Oftentimes, you'll be able to make the repairs simply by re-attaching something to where it originally belonged. If there is more extensive damage, however, you'll have to look into repairing the parts themselves and, failing that, replacing them.
You can replace virtually everything in your pantry if you understand how to find each part. If you know what kind of wood to use and how to get it properly colored and stained, you can replace a dented piece of wood. If you know the specific parts to door hinges and slides, you'll be able to order many of those online or find them in a hardware store.
What you do to fix your broken pantry will largely depend on the problems you face. But don't fret; what's important about your do-it-yourself home repair isn't always the problem, but the can-do attitude you bring to the table. Don't let your pantry be broken for weeks and then months on end: it's time to stop the procrastination and to get things done!
Photo Credits: la fattina
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Posted by Fix Handyman on July 31, 2009 in
Handyman, How to Fix, kitchen
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