Basic Handy Repair Tips 1

Neater Paint Rolling - "Cutting in" along the ceiling with a brush is an essential first step when painting a wall with a roller.

"Cutting in" along the ceiling with a brush is an essential first step when painting a wall with a roller; a roller can't paint up against adjacent surfaces. Unfortunately, telltale brush strokes often remain around the perimeter of the room once the paint dries.

To hide the evidence, simply slide the sleeve off the roller cage about 1 in. so it extends past the protruding knob. You'll be able to roll very close to corners and ceilings and paint right over the cut-in brush strokes. To avoid messy fingers, slip your hand inside a plastic sandwich bag before grasping the wet sleeve.

Perfect Paint - Show how your choice will really look on the wall

Manufacturers' paint chips are fine for distinguishing one color from another, but they're way too small to show how your choice will really look on the wall. For a more accurate indication, cut up six same-color paint chips and tape them together. Then tape the chip to the wall and view it several times, in both light and shadow, over several days. Torn between colors? Make up a big sample of each and tape them up. Don't post them too near each other, as the color from one will reflect on the other.

Perfect Paneling Seams - Getting perfectly tight seams between the sheets

Plywood paneling provides a quick, affordable way to cover up old walls and transform the look of a room. However, it's often difficult to get perfectly tight seams between the 4 X 8-ft. sheets. If there's any gap or space, the wall behind the paneling will peek out.

Here's an old carpenter's trick that can help hide imperfect seams: Hold a sheet of paneling in place and mark a vertical pencil line on the wall along the edge of the sheet. Then, paint a 2-in.-wide stripe down the wall centered on the pencil line. Choose a paint that matches the color at the edge of the paneling, which is often darker than the paneling face. A brown or black broad-tipped marking pen will even do for dark paneling. Now if there's a gap between the sheets of paneling — or if one appears in the future — the paint stripe beneath will effectively hide it.

Tight-Fitting Floor Boards - A tip for laying tongue-and-groove flooring

When laying tongue-and-groove flooring, a hammer and wood block are commonly used to tap the boards tightly together. However, it often becomes hard to swing the hammer when installing the last few courses because there's often a wall in the way. The solution is to grab a flat pry bar and a scrap piece of 1 X 4 and another scrap of 2 X 4. Stand the 1 X 4 against the wall and lay the 2 X 4 on the subfloor between the 1 X 4 and the floorboard.

Slip the pry bar between the two wood blocks and push back toward the wall to force the flooring in place. You can exert a tremendous amount of pressure with this technique, so be sure the 1 X 4 is in front of a stud, otherwise you could shove it right through the wall. To install the next course of flooring, trim down the 2 X 4 block to fit, or turn it sideways. For the final course, remove the block entirely.

Screen Door Secret - It's not much of a stretch to get a drum-tight, wrinkle-free screening when replacing the screen panel on a door.

It's not much of a stretch to get a drum-tight, wrinkle-free screening when replacing the screen panel on a door. After removing the old screen, lay the doorframe on a flat work surface and slip a 1x4 block under each end. Clamp down the middle of the door to put a slight bow in the frame.

Next, attach the screen to one end of the frame with staples or rubber spline. Move to the other end, pull the screen snug and flat - but not too tight - and fasten it. Then release the clamps; the doorframe will pull the screen tight as it straightens. Finish by securing the screen sides to the frame.

Temporary Tacker - A quick way to make staple removing easier.

A stapler, unlike most other fastening tools, often is used for temporary jobs, such as tacking up a poster-board sign, drop cloth or plastic window covering.

To make it easier to take down the item, tape the stick from an ice cream pop to the bottom of the stapler before stapling. That way, each staple will stick up a little so you can easily pull it out later with pliers.