Fixing something after it gets damaged or broken.
5
votes
3answers
4k views
How do I fix a hole in a hollow door?
My son sometimes has a temper, and has been known to hit his door when sent to his room. He has actually done so enough to punch a bit of a hole in it. I'm trying to figure out what might be doable to ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Should I extend my house upward or knock down and build from scratch?
I want to expand my house upwards by adding another 1000ft2 level. I'm told that knocking the house down and build from scratch would be easier than dealing with all the issues. In my area I've been ...
5
votes
2answers
251 views
Should all charred wood be replaced in a home fire restoration?
My home was struck by ligtning and caught fire via the satcable going into the home; the vapour barrier became ablaze and started the home on fire;the fire company arrived and put the fire out. the ...
5
votes
2answers
138 views
Replacing damaged shingles
In a recent storm a few shingles were damaged and need to be replaced, so I figured this might be a good question for the site.
What's the proper procedure for replacing single asphalt shingles?
5
votes
2answers
785 views
Can water-damaged drywall be repaired, or does it have to be replaced?
We have a basement bathroom that has water damage from the bathroom above. The damage is old, so it has completely dried, however it has bubbled the paint so the damage is obvious.
Mold is not a ...
5
votes
1answer
216 views
What material to use to patch a hole near a heater?
The previous owner installed a base-board heater in the bathroom, but did a really poor job. Below the heater, there is a hole in the drywall where the wiring goes into the wall about the size of ...
5
votes
3answers
727 views
What can be done to fix a squeak in stairs?
This might be better suited as a community wiki, what do you think?
My parents house has very squeaky stairs. The house is over 100 years old, so it's to be expected. What can be done to fix a squeak ...
5
votes
1answer
192 views
How to repair fallen tile near kitchen floor?
One of the tiles adjacent to my kitchen floor fell down.
The tile itself is still in good condition but I'm not sure how to properly reattach it. I'm guessing it would be something like:
...
5
votes
2answers
120 views
What is the appropriate type of caulking around a kitchen sink?
The caulking around my sink has worn/rotted away and I've removed it properly, but I've been looking into what I kind of caulking to use, and there seem to be many different types, so I'm a bit unsure ...
5
votes
1answer
215 views
Can drywall be installed over lath?
We removed the plaster from several walls because they were friable and bulging, but chose to leave the lath attached to save time/work. We will screw 1/2 inch drywall onto the walls, but upon further ...
5
votes
1answer
604 views
How to fix a through hole in a concrete step?
Here're two photos of a through hole in a step in an enforced concrete staircase in an apartment building. The step is about one inch thick, the hole is about three inches wide and appeared many years ...
5
votes
5answers
326 views
What is a good tutorial on the use of a multimeter?
I am ashamed to admit, that despite my many electrical (mis?)adventures.. I have no idea how to use a multimeter. I have installed automobile sound systems, central air air-conditioners, and every ...
5
votes
1answer
143 views
How do I fix a leak in this roof?
A few days ago we had a good amount of rain that fell over a 36 hour period. During this time, a leak showed its ugly face. I got up into the attic, found the water stream and traced it back outside ...
5
votes
1answer
277 views
Beginner insulation advice
Background
I have a manufactured home from the 70's with metal siding, wood studded walls and fiberglass insulation on the inside. I had a clogged gutter, which caused water to run behind the siding, ...
5
votes
3answers
3k views
How can I repair a towel rack that was ripped out of the wall?
The towel rod has been ripped out of the wall. It looks like it was attached to the wall by two dry wall anchors which were not attached to the stud. Basically a very junky installation in my ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
What's the best approach to repair a wedge/corner crack in my foundation?
I've got a wedge/corner crack on one corner of my foundation. I'll try to post a picture of it as soon as I can, but here's a sample image of what I'm talking about:
However, my crack is more ...
5
votes
1answer
188 views
What is causing the SUPER loud noise from my dryer
I have a maytag gas dryer. It is about 20 years old. Model number DG7500
It sounds like an jet engine taking off. I've noticed that it starts off quiet than builds up to a very lour roar.
I googled ...
5
votes
1answer
133 views
Does flaw in asphalt driveway need to be repaired; and if so, how?
I put in a new asphalt driveway a couple of years ago. There is a visible "joint" where they stopped laying asphalt while waiting for a second load to arrive. At this joint a chunk of asphalt has ...
5
votes
1answer
621 views
Why is my (white) painted plaster going brown on the borders of the underlying plasterboard?
We've recently had our spare bedroom ceiling plastered, and there was a loosish bit of plasterboard that was secured by the plasterer before skimming the entire ceiling.
After painting it I observed ...
5
votes
1answer
911 views
Why is my shower faucet turning itself off?
My shower has a wall mount single lever faucet similar to this: http://www.cn-faucet.com/Wall-Mount-Single-Lever-Faucets-141.html
Over time, it has become more sensitive and now, in most angles, ...
5
votes
1answer
198 views
How can I repair a Palruf roof?
I've installed a couple of transparent Palruf PVC sheets for a treehouse roof. I've gotten some small (several inch) holes in it that I'd like to patch up. I have some small pieces of Palruf left over ...
5
votes
1answer
79 views
How can I repair rust damage on a steel shed?
I have a shed in my backyard that came with the house. It's made out of what I presume is steel sheet metal. Overall it's in good shape, but there is some rust damage on one side that is getting ...
5
votes
2answers
231 views
Should I fix my swimming pool with plaster or a clorinated rubber?
I have below ground swimming pool. The plaster is cracking and pealing off. I need to apply new plaster or another type of coating. I am wondering whether it would be easier to apply a coating of ...
4
votes
3answers
199 views
Septic Replacement: Can I Do it Myself?
I am looking at a property with a serious fixer-upper on it. I want to place a mobile home on the property while gutting out existing building to see if it can be renovated. My question is about the ...
4
votes
5answers
684 views
How do I repair laminate damage on a kitchen cabinet?
We have a kitchen cabinet that we accidentally attached a calendar to using tape. When removing the tape the surface came right off with it. My question is how to best repair this damage? It ...
4
votes
3answers
290 views
Advice for replacement/repair of an HVAC with a cracked heat exchanger?
My townhouse has a downflow 1994 Rheem 2.5 ton HVAC unit on its roof (combines both A/C and heat). We have had two issues with the unit and have been in the townhouse for a little under two years. In ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
How can I repair screws in furniture with stripped holes?
I'm trying to repair a piece of furniture from which several screws have pulled out, stripping the wood. It's a lift top coffee table, such as this. (This is NOT the model in question, this just ...
4
votes
2answers
60 views
Is a sealant needed in addition to caulking?
I've read on some forums (not here) that on top of the caulking areas exposed to water (in this case, my kitchen sink), a sealant should be applied.
Is this standard procedure? If so, are there ...
4
votes
5answers
5k views
How can I fix a stripped hole in an aluminum piece?
I have a tripod head that is made of aluminum. In the head there is a small hole that houses a small screw that secures a quick-release plate. After some time the hole stripped and the screw no longer ...
4
votes
1answer
330 views
How do I repair this broken pipe?
We just bought a house and while digging in the yard using a pick axe, I broke a pipe. Per my research, I need to put a joint there. The broken part is right next to the joint, so not sure how can I ...
4
votes
3answers
326 views
How can I repair/replace tires on a hand cart?
I have a few small hand-carts. One of them is the two wheel hand-truck/dolly, and one is a larger one on four wheels with an upright handle.
Both have leaky tires. Some of the tires have a slow ...
4
votes
2answers
614 views
How do I repair a broken wooden door jamb?
Is there a cheap and simple way to repair this damaged bedroom door jamb? The result should look nice, but need not be very strong.
Click any image for full size
4
votes
2answers
370 views
How should I repair drywall where heating registers used to be?
We recently had an asbestos abatement crew remove heating ducts in our house that had asbestos-lined duct insulation. Part of the process required them to remove the duct registers in the wall as ...
4
votes
1answer
150 views
How can I fix drooping vinyl siding?
I have vinyl siding on my new home. Starting about a week ago, one segment of siding detached on one end and is drooping. The other side is attached just fine.
I tried snapping it back into place, ...
4
votes
1answer
188 views
How to fix numerous holes in drywall?
I bought a property for relatively cheep, the one bedroom has about 8 holes or so ranging from about 2-3 inches and others 4-8 inches most of which are in a 4 foot square area. I don't know the exact ...
4
votes
1answer
199 views
How should I fill in decorative “gashes” in wood siding?
Our house has old siding with decorative holes:
At first I thought this might be termite damage but a house inspector examined it and confirmed that this is purely decorative style. I'd like to ...
4
votes
3answers
827 views
Repair gouges in a particle board desk?
A few years back, I bought a $500 studio producer desk. It's made of particle board and has been through more than a few moves and has received a proper beating over the years:
Is there any way for ...
4
votes
2answers
141 views
How can I replace a board in floating wood floor?
I have a condo with a concrete subfloor so I floated an engineered wood floor above it. It's not a "click-lock" floor, it's a glued T&G install.
A contractor recently did some work in the unit ...
4
votes
1answer
336 views
How should I repair flaking paint?
I have just removed some frog tape from a painted wall and it has taken the paint off down to the plasterboard (4 layers, 2 undercoat and 2 topcoat).
How should I go about repairing the damaged ...
4
votes
1answer
346 views
How can I replace the seal on the bottom of my shower door?
I am trying to replace the seal on the bottom of my shower door. Any ideas what it is called and/or what I could replace it with? The "Shower Door Company" of Atlanta, Georgia made the door, which is ...
4
votes
1answer
536 views
How can I fix a toilet that flushes incompletely?
The toilet in one of our bathrooms routinely flushes incompletely. It does not clog or back up, but it takes several fill/flush cycles to get all the "material" to go down. It just seems to be weak ...
4
votes
1answer
133 views
Refastening a cabinet door
A cabinet door in my kitchen detached from the cabinet- the screws are about 1/2" long and weren't enough to hold the door in place. The screws are short to keep them from poking out the back side of ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How do I repair a canned light that's falling down?
I apologize if the term is not "can light", but I don't know what these types of lights are called.
Anyhow, the "can" of one of our lights has fallen out from the drywall ceiling (just a bit), and ...
4
votes
4answers
6k views
What is the best quick repair for a drain pipe?
In particular, a cast iron drain pipe. It doesn't have to be pretty, but needs to be effective and should last until it can be fixed properly.
4
votes
1answer
294 views
What should be on my pre-purchase house self-inspection checklist?
I’m looking at several homes and may purchase one, but realized that I’m probably missing important details when trying to identify potential money-pits. I have a simple checklist so I can save the ...
4
votes
1answer
849 views
How can I temporarily fix a cracked bathroom sink?
Last night I managed to drop something onto my bathroom sink, which now has a large crack in it and is obviously leaking when I turn the tap on. I know I will have to replace the sink, but I cant ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I repair a section of carpet that a cat scratched up?
Much to my displeasure, my (wife's) cat has torn up a large section (2'x6') of carpet. Eventually we would like to sell the house and this would definitely be noticed. Is there any way to repair the ...
4
votes
1answer
680 views
How long do evaporator coils last in a home AC system?
I was going through my blog roll this morning when I saw that someone had asked this elsewhere. I figured it would be a good question to ask.
In general, how long do evaporator coils last in a home ...
4
votes
1answer
447 views
How to quickly fix botched latex paint area on exterior door?
I need some help here. We recently primed and painted an exterior wood door. The second coat of latex paint was still semi-wet and I accidentally touched an area of the door with my fingertips which ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I further diagnose my central air conditioning compressor fan motor and capacitor?
I have a 15 year old Bryant Central Air unit in my house. Yesterday it stopped working. Here is what I have checked.
The breaker in the basement is not tripped.
The furnace works fine from the ...
