A small change can make a big difference in a room. With many of the cookie cutter 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom homes that have been built over the past 15-20 years, one appears to be just like the next. If you are looking to set your home apart things like crown molding and chair rails won’t cut it anymore.
A classic look such as a cofferred ceiling, or other designs are taking it to the next step and helping a home to stand out.
One thing to keep in mind with this design change. If your ceiling height is below 8′, this might not be the best idea. Even a couple of inches can make a room feel much smaller. If the room started out small (12’x12′ or less) this will make it feel much more cozy. If the room is large, and the ceiling height is only 8′, this will make the room feel small (especially if you are going with a dark stain).
For many, the search for inexpensive kitchen cabinets draws them to the Internet. If you are like me, you LOVE a bargain (don’t we all). I had some idea of what I wanted when I started searching for my project. I was happy to hear that one of my favorite suppliers of RTA cabinets had the color and style that I was searching for. The RTA Cabinet Store was able to supply me with my cabinets.
Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of the RTA Cabinet Store. If you order from there (after clicking through from WNY Handyman) we will receive a commission on your order. Because of that, we are happy to answer any questions that you have regarding your RTA cabinet purchase. Obviously, the company has its own support system, but if you would like some advice from someone who has used a variety of suppliers I would be happy to answer any questions that you have. Please post in the comments so that others are able to benefit from your questions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Installation of wood siding is foreign to most. With today’s building materials, traditional wood lap siding has gone by the wayside. The cost of lumber has skyrocketed in recent years. Because of that, vinyl became an easy alternative. Who can argue with the low maintenance. of a vinyl siding?
The need for wood siding will come into place if you have a traditional lap siding home and are putting on an addition, adding a window or door, or replacing rotting boards. The following are a few quick tips when installing your wood lap siding.
Get your caulk out. Unlike vinyl siding, wood siding will need a bit more attention paid to the weatherproofing. Wood siding will move a lot depending on the weather. Anything you can do to keep water away from wood will be well worth the effort.
Wood siding at a window. I am going to assume (as many of the DIY shows do) that you have an easy transition here. Let’s look at a traditional window with a trim piece that is 5/4 lumber (true 1″ thickness). In this case, we are going to simply butt our wood siding up to the window trim. Be liberal with your caulk. If this is a patch job and you didn’t have the opportunity to weatherproof the window, be sure to lay a nice bead of caulk down where the window trim meets your sheathing. Your wood siding can set down into that wet bead of caulk. This will seal up the trim, and the end of your siding piece. Again, keep water out! You don’t always need to but the siding right against the window trim. A 1/8″ gap is acceptable as long as that gap is made water tight with caulk.
Minimize the number of joints in your siding. A joint is an area where water can/will penetrate. Spend a couple extra bucks to have 16′ boards delivered rather than tossing 8 footers in your SUV. The clean, joint free, run is also more pleasing to the eye. If you do have a joint, be sure to stagger it. What I mean by that is that you should not have the joint from one row in close proximity to a joint from the row above or below. You will just give water a place to penetrate with ease. When you do have joints, I like to seal the end with a product suck as a water repellent, or even a caulk.
Inside Corners: When doing an inside corner, the method that should be used is to install a corner piece that the siding can butt up against. Don’t attempt to do an inside miter. It won’t work out. Period. Use a square piece of 5/4 in your corner and but each run of siding up to that.
Siding Outside corners (see the picture for details. Click picture for larger view): We decided to write this article due to the poor job done on an outside corner by someone working for us. Don’t ever just nail up your siding (without a miter or a corner board)! This looks horrible, is not water tight, will be a home for insects (bees) and will deteriorate quickly. When doing a corner, you can miter the joint. An outside corner miter needs to be precise and has a specific nailing pattern. It isn’t my favorite corner joint treatment, but it can provide a pretty amazing look if done very well. The typical method is to attach corner boards and then create butt joint as was done at window trim, or an inside corner. Your corner trim boards need to go up prior to your siding. I have seen some lay down the siding and then cover the corner with a trim board, filling the large gaps with caulk. Not a good method.
One other thing to keep in mind is the nailing of your siding. When you lap each course, the nail from one row should fall just above the upper piece of the siding below. Take a look at the graphic for more. You should only be nailing through one course of the siding. This will allow for some natural movement rather than binding the siding down which can cause unwanted results such as cracking, binding, loosening of fasteners, etc.
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