Help For the Handyman

Help With Home Repairs

Helpful tips for those of you who want to do your own home repair and upkeep. Whether painting walls, putting in new windows, hanging a TV, hooking up a garbage disposal or hanging a ceiling fan, I hope this article will be helpful.

Never try to scrape off wallpaper when you intend to paint walls. Your walls will end up looking like a mountain lion has attacked it. Scraping can ruin the drywalls and take days of work to refinish before you can begin painting.You wont need to get every scrap of wallpaper removed before you paint.If your wallpaper is thin you can often get away with just lightly scraping off peeling parts and air bubbles. Never scrape down into the drywall and avoid costly refinishing. Use a high grade primer before painting.

If the paper is thick, scrape parts that come off easily. You might still have to apply a skim coat of drywall mud and sand it down before applying paint.

Now prime your wall and paint it a lovely color. Take into consideration the color of furniture, curtains and all your accessories before choosing your paint color. Some colors that go well together are orange and tan, pink and purple, blue and white, green and yellow, and gray with pale blue. Make a few pillows of contrasting colors and there you have a completely different look.

Putting in new windows is definitely something most home owners can do. Be sure to get your measurements exactly right is the first thing to remember. Measure twice to be sure you have it right. And don't even think about starting the process until you have read the instructions that come with your new windows several time. Now, ready set go. Put in your new windows.

If you decide to put in a ceiling fan, remember that the electrical box which holds the light in the ceiling cannot hold a large fan. The fan must be wired into the electrical box but your fan must be supported by a metal support fastened into the joist above the ceiling.

Before hanging a new TV on the wall, use a stud finder to locate the studs.Or if you don't have access to a stud finder, drive a long nail into the wall where you think there is a stud and make sure it feels solid. If there is any give or bounce, keep looking.

Another good suggestions for do it your selfers is to keep a sharp eye out for mold. Periodically check for water leaks. Especially for clogged, broken or misplaced sprinkler heads. If you make those little repairs early it can prevent bigger issues down the line.

Hooking up a garbage disposal is something else a do it your selfer can accomplish, but it's not one of those jobs that is intuitive. Many disposals have a hole that you're supposed to plug in the dishwasher drain, but that hole is blocked by a plug you must remove first.You can remove the plug, which is easy to do with a screwdriver and a hammer- before hooking up the dishwasher or you will have dirty dish water splashing back in your face.