Handyman Helper

When Painting....Store Your Brush!

2009-02-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

When painting with oil base or acrylic paint,

you may need to take a break!

Store your brush in a plastic ziplock bag

making sure to zip tight!

If you will be gone from your project more than an hour or two.....

put that bag and brush into the freezer!

Your brush should stay nice and pliable in the ziplock bag

and

be ready to return to work when you need it!

If you have frozen it.....

let it thaw out and then put it back to work.

This saves time and mess of cleaning a brush

everytime you need to stop working:)

When replacing broken glass pane in window....

2008-07-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Cover the entire broken pane with masking tape on both sides!

Then proceed with a hammer....breaking the remaining glass.

This will allow you to pull out the remaining glass in one large piece
and
keep mess to a minimum!

I would recommend using a pliers to remove glass....

keeping your fingers out of the mix:D
or
wear gloves!

Painting Over a Wall that was Previously Wallpapered

2008-07-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

When painting (Latex) over a wall that has been stripped of wallcovering,

ALWAYS

remove ALL existing wallpaper paste!

If you fail to remove all the residue on the wall,
the paint will either slip off the surface or eventually flake off in pasted areas.

If you are not sure if old paste has been removed,
paint the wall with oil base paint to seal it,
this will work as a primer and can be painted over
with your latex paint!

This Blog is getting the feminine touch!

2008-07-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~

My hubby has been so busy that he has not had time to keep up with his blog......SO......I decided to do it for him:D I am sure this will de-masculate the information to a small degree, but I will try to write it with a touch of "Testosterone".....LOL!

Stay tuned for more helpful hints and economical ways to get the job done:)

CLEANING PAINT BRUSHES

2008-03-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

ONCE YOU HAVE CLEANED YOUR PAINT BRUSH AND ROLLER.... SOAK THEM IN HOT SOAPY WATER OVERNIGHT. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED WHAT COMES OUT AFTER A GOOD SOAKING! I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME AND IT WORKS... ROG

sealing counter tops

2008-03-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

IN ORDER TO PROTECT YOUR COUNTER TOP FROM WATER DAMAGE & TO KEEP IT FROM SWELLING UP AT SINK OPENING, I PUT SOME CAULK ON THE EXPOSED PARTICLE BOARD BEFORE I SET THE SINK. WORKS REALLY WELL. ROG

INSTALLING A VENT FREE FIREPLACE

2008-03-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

THIS IS SO SIMPLE TO DO.
NONE OF YOUR PAID HEAT GOES UP THE FLUE. I DID HAVE A OPENING IN MY BASEMENT WHERE IT WOULD FIT, BUT IT CAN GO ANYWHERE. YOU CAN BUILD THE HEARTH OUT OF PLYWOOD AND 2X6'S THEN COVER IT WITH TILE. HOME DEPOT OR LOWES SELLS MANTLE KITS.... REAL EASY TO PUT TOGETHER. THE ONLY THING I HAD OUTSIDE HELP TO DO WAS TO RUN THE GAS LINE TO THE FIREPLACE. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE, YOUR HEATING BILLS WILL GO DOWN. ROG
.

To plane a door edge and seal!

2008-03-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

WHEN A DOOR STARTS STICKING IN THE DOOR JAMB YOU WILL HAVE TO USE A PLANER. START ON EDGE OF ONE END OF THE DOOR & STOP ABOUT TWO INCHES FROM OTHER END. START OVER FROM OTHER END & DO THE SAME UNTIL THE DOOR FITS. IF YOU DON'T DO THIS, YOU WILL TAKE BIG CHUCKS OF WOOD FROM THE ENDS OF THE DOOR.
REMEMBER TO ALWAYS SEAL OR PAINT THE EDGES OF DOOR BEFORE INSTALLATION....OR THE DOOR CAN WARP! SWELLING CAN TAKE PLACE DUE TO HUMIDITY IN THE AIR. SEALING TAKES AWAY THAT POSSIBILITY!

LET ME KNOW HOW THIS WORKS OUT. ROG

CUTTING DOWN CABINET

2008-02-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

WELL HELLO THERE..... JUST FINISHED A TOUGH JOB. MICROWAVE CABINET WAS TOO LONG (36"), SO WE HAD TO CUT 6 INCHES OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF THE CABINET TO GIVE US ENOUGH COUNTER HEIGHT UNDERNEATH. WE SECURED THE SIDES OF THE CABINET USING METAL STRAPPING MADE OF DRYWALL METAL STUDS & GLUE. WE USED SHORT METAL SCREWS TO FASTEN IT FROM THE INSIDE SO THAT THEY WERE HIDDEN FROM THE OUTSIDE SURFACE. LOOKS GOOD AND JOB IS DONE. ROG

(note: This occurred when the owner had purchased the wrong size cabinet before we were hired onto the job!)

Unique Use for "Bondo"

2008-02-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

I HAVE BEEN USING BONDO FOR REPAIRING ROTTEN WOOD ON WINDOWS & DOORS
FOR YEARS. NEVER HAD ONE PROBLEM. IT DRIES FAST, SANDS EASY. YOU CAN PAINT
OVER IT IN MINUTES. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE FOLKS, IT IS A WINNER.! 40 YEARS OF
USING BONDO IT NEVER FAILED ME. ROG

Handyman Cartoons

2008-02-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

Just stumbled upon this site and thought everyone may get a kick out of it. It has a lot of handyman cartoons that are pretty funny.

Handyman Cartoons link

Enjoy,
rog

Hello and Welcome!

2008-02-17T16:40:00.001-08:00

Hello, my name is Roger and I am the Handyman Helper. On this newly created blog we will cover topics ranging from best practices, time saving tips and reviews of products and services.

I look forward to any and all feedback and/or any requests.

rog