Tag: how-to

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Before and After Photos How To's

Simple Porch Column Plans – Wrap your ugly 4×4

Have you ever looked at a porch column that was nothing more than a 4×4 and thought it just didn’t fit the scale of the porch/house?   Even worse, you could have 2 2″ x 4″‘s sistered up to make the 4″x4″.  It isn’t too difficult to wrap your 4×4’s with some off the shelf lumber to give a look that will be more in scale with your porch/house.

I had a project a couple of years back and decided that I would simply wrap my columns with 1x pine.  Pine was used (rather than pressure treated) since this was a well protected corner of the house, the porch had a nice overhang and the wood was to be painted.

You might look at this plan/design and think that it was a waste of quite a bit of material and you could be correct.  However, pine boards are inexpensive.  If you are in the Buffalo or WNY area, check out LenCo Lumber (http://www.lencobuffalo.com).  LenCo has fantastic pricing on pine boards (side note… and MDF trim).  In our case, we had just torn out some pine storage shelves and had an abundance of free material that we were able to upcycle.

You could just wrap your column one time with pine and beef it up by 1 1/2 inches each way.  By following our plan you will be going one step further and giving your home a custom look with a raised panel style design.  Take a look below and take a look at the plan at Sketchup.  Keep in mind, this is not meant to be structural.  This is a decorative touch.

Tip: You should be sure to avoid direct ground, or flat surface contact with your pine.  The wood will wick up any water that it comes in contact with.  You can avoid (or delay) this by sealing the end of each board with a primer or sealer (I smear caulk on my end grain for protection).  In addition, you should elevate your bottoms by about 1/8″-3/16″ and then fill that gap with caulk.  This will add many years to the life of your porch columns.

You can find the full Sketchup Plan for the column here:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=36798078550e0ddfc3abcef1eab15ced

Take a look at the end result:

1-Search results for lombardy1-IMG_1050 2-IMG_1051 2-IMG_2351 3-IMG_1052

Categories
Before and After Photos Interior Projects

This DIY Board & Batten Will Make a World of Difference

Before and after board and batten entry

If you have a boring entry, or really any room, you can add a ton of character by simply adding a board and batten wall panel detail.  It is not expensive, but it is a classic look that adds a lot of charm to a space.

Your situation might differ depending on your existing baseboard and/or casing, but the 2 examples below should help you to create your own paneled wall detail.  Here are a couple of before and after pictures.

Give this project a try.  You will be amazed at the difference in feel that a board and batten wall detail will provide in a space.

Version 1: (original post)

Before and after board and batten entry

Version 2 (a variation for 1 wall)

diy board and batten wall panels

Sources:

Project Version 1: http://www.thenatos.com/2012/01/entry-way-re-do-yes.html

Project Version 2: http://www.sadalewis.com/2012/02/entryway-project-diy-board-batten-html.html

Categories
How To's

Fixing a Stripped Wood Screw

Fix a stripped wood screw
Fix a stripped wood screw

Anyone who has turned a screwdriver has probably experienced a stripped wood screw.  There isn’t much to it.  In fact, if you are hanging a door, you will marvel at how easy it is to strip the hole.  Fiixing that hole is not as difficult as you might think.  I have a few quick solutions for you to try.

The most common case of the stripped wood screw comes in the form of door hinges.  A door is heavy, is often abused, and the factory screw might only be 5/8″ – 3/4″ long.  There isn’t much for the screw to bite into, and in many cases it will be a material such as MDF.  It essentially turns to dust once crushed.  If you remove the screw and send it back in on a different thread line, you will destroy what little holding power was left.

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Fix a stripped wood screw
Fix a stripped wood screw

Here are the three methods that I use.  The method that I use can depend on the material and supplies that I have present.  It can also depend on how much time between returning the screw to the stripped hole.

  1. Toothpicks and glue.
    This is a method that my father showed me some 30 years ago.  Don’t over-think this one.  Slip a toothpick or two into the hole and snap them off where they exit the hole.  If the hole is all the way through the material, you may want to wedge a couple in there.  Adding some wood glue to the hole isn’t necessary, but I know that if I need to pull the screw from that hold in the future, it will hold my repair in place.  (Again, don’t over-think it, it could be Elmer’s white glue, construction adhesive, etc).  If you don’t have any toothpicks on the job site (who does) simply shave some material from a shim, or any other wood that you have nearby.  If you are a golfer, and the hole is large enough, grab a golf tee.  It might just be the perfect size to fill. If you do use a tee, you might want to drill a pilot hole so you don’t crack your material.
  2. Sawdust and glue.
    This method is more for filling a hold that you wont be using any more. Mix up some glue and sawdust (more saw dust than glue) and pack it in the hole. If you have the same saw dust as the material, you will end up with a close color match.  Once packed, dust the surface with a bit more of the sawdust to get the color a bit closer.
  3. Sandpaper.
    This is a method that I realized was very effective.  During the finishing stages of a recent project I had 3 stripped screws on a door hinge.  I didn’t have any wood handy and happened to have a bit of sandpaper.  I simply tore the sandpaper and rolled it up so that I could slip it into the hold. It worked perfectly.  The grit on the paper was facing out and did a terrific job in biting the wood.  The paper on the back worked great to allow the screw to turn in and seat.
There you have it… 3 simple solutions for securing a wood screw in a stripped hole.  Seems like such common sense to most of us who do this type of work.  It wasn’t until I helped a neighbor with a project that I realized many people have no idea how to correct these issues.  In fact, he asked if he needed to replace the door!
Good luck and thanks for reading WNY Handyman.

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Categories
How To's

How Do I Cut Crown Molding?

How to cut crown molding
How to cut crown molding

I have heard this question many times.  How do I cut crown molding?

Quick note for everyone. Buy more crown molding than you think you will need.  The extra 10′ of molding will be a lot less money than the time and money you will spend on gas.

I still remember the time I asked a worker to put crown molding up in a room only to come back 2 hours later with 1 single piece of molding up in the room.  I asked what was taking so long.  He told me it took him over an hour to adjust the 2 angles on the saw.  Unfortunately, I assumed he know the “simple crown molding trick“.  Crown molding can be incredibly tricky unless you know the trick.

The simple trick to cut crown molding:

  1. Angle your mitre saw at 45 degrees
  2. Place your crown molding on the saw upside down at the angle that it would be placed against the wall/ceiling
  3. Make your cut
  4. Place and adjust
The key is STEP 2.  Place your crown molding upside down on the saw at the angle that it would be placed against the wall/ceiling
View the video below and click on the image for a larger view of the diagram to cut crown.

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How to cut crown molding
How to cut crown molding
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Categories
How To's Interior Projects

Simple chair rail detail

This short guide will give you a method to build a simple chair rail that is inexpensive and easy to build. The end result provides a much more finished look that your typical off the shelf molding can. With the cost of molding today, the price per square foot should be about half (50%, 1/2) of what you would spend for molding and will look like a custom job. Hey, it is a custom job.

chair rail molding - custom and simple

Tools needed:
Router
Router Bit (chamfer bit, cove bit, or any other profile you would like to see)
Table Saw (optional. Purchase your lumber in the exact width -1″x2″ nominal- if you don’t have one)
Hammer
150 grit Sand Paper

Material Needed:
Pine board: For each 8′ of wall length, you will need 1 8′ 1″x4″ pine board. As knot free as possible without spending too much.
2″ finish nails
Paint (trim color of your choice)
Caulk (I prefer White Alex Plus Acrylic Latex Caulk Plus Silicone)

When you begin, you should already have your wall surface material in place. In this case, you can see that we used a Ply-bead material.  Once that is secured to your wall, you will add your face material.  This must be nice and level as it supports that cap and provides you with the nice visual level line.  Your cap piece will be secured to this.  If you desire a profile on this piece, do so before securing.  In our case, we routed a 45 degree chamfer on the lower edge.  When you ease the edge of a trim piece, it gives a much nicer (and more professional) visual.

You should either have a level line, or level as you go.  The length of your run will probably determine which way you go. If you are doing a 20′ long room, snap a level chalk line, or use a laser level to create a line to follow.  Secure your 1″x2″ to the wall using your finish nails.  The 2″ face should be against the wall and your profile (chamfer or other) should face down.

Once secured, you are ready for your cap.  The cap pictured is simply a 1″x2″ piece of poplar.  You can use any type of lumber, but I prefer poplar due to the lack of knots and ability to hold paint very well.  Set your piece down upon the face molding that you just secured and press so that it is flush with your wall.   Just about any wall will have some waves or imperfections.  You can take much of that out by pressing your lumber cap in toward the wall.  If you are using a white paint (like me) you will be able to cover anything that exists with a nice smooth bead of caulk.

Once your cap is in place, simply secure with finish nails by nailing into the face piece below (the 1″x2″ piece).  You should angle back to avoid exiting out the face.

There you have it.  A simple chair rail detail that is inexpensive, professional, and custom looking.  Good luck with your own chair rail. Get creative and consider incorporating moldings into your face piece. The room that the 1×2 cap piece provides will allow you ample depth to experiment.