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
Understanding a Flickering Light
When we think about some common problems around the house, we don't often think about the small stuff: leaky faucets, long-term wood damage, or burnt-out light bulbs. But this "small stuff" is actually the exact kind of home repair that will consume most of your time unless you understand what they're caused by and how to fix it. At the head of this list of the "small stuff" around your house? The flickering light.
A flickering light seems like a simple problem, but it can come from a variety of causes. If you're going to understand your home electricity systems, you'll need to know just how and why these different causes effect the light, and what you can do to ensure a safe and proper repair. Let's take a look at some of these causes.
First, it's helpful to understand that it's relatively normal for a light to flicker, usually due to the nature of voltage traveling through wires - the flow won't always be stable, especially if there are other factors that are taking away "juice" from the circuit. This is why many homes are designed with two different types of circuits: larger main circuits for the appliances that will use up larger amounts of electricity, and secondary circuits for simpler devices like light bulbs. Today's modern homes have largely solved the problem of noticeable flickering due to inconsistent voltage flow.
It's important to remember that a flickering light isn't necessarily a harmless problem. Circuit connections that are broken can lead to heating at certain points in the circuit, which obviously can lead to injury or even fires. That's why you won't want to let your light flicker endlessly - at the very least, inspect the situation. A switch that is failing can also have the same problem - if you are unable to find the problem there is a possibility you have not inspected the light switch.
Some problems leading to flickering lights are less sinister. There might be electrical effects from outside electrical loads which can even come from neighboring houses.
Because a light is not simply a bulb, but the result of electrical wiring and circuitry that go into your home, understanding a flickering light is about more than understanding the bulb. You have to know the potential dangers of electrical wiring behind the scenes and what a flickering light might indicate. If you have any doubts, call in an electrician to fix the problem and answer your questions. You can at least learn some things about lights that you'll be able to use in the future.
Photo Credits: PetroleumJelliffe
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Posted by Fix Handyman on July 24, 2009 in
Electrician, How to Fix
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