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Do It Yourself Tips
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DOORS, WINDOWS & WALLS TIPS |  | | Successful Drywall Fixes | | | Use the rounded handle end of a screw driver or putty knife to pound a slight depression in dents or dings before filling with drywall compound. The resulting sloped edges of the hole are easy to cover smoothly. | |
|  | | Sticky Door Trick | | | Remove the lower hinge, fill screw holes with round tooth picks, then re-anchor the hinge slightly outwards from original position. This often fixes a door that rubs against the floor when fully opened. | |
|  | | More Durable Drywall Corners | | | Got some drywall to do? Rounded, plastic corner beads are more attractive and tougher than traditional, metal corner beads. | |
|  | | Retaining Walls that Endure | | | Always use geogrid as part of a new retaining wall installation. This structural mesh goes down in layers with backfilled soil. It greatly reduces soil pressure against the wall, extending the life of the retaining wall big-time. | |
|  | | Easy and Effective Soundproofing | | | Resilient channel are strips of sheet metal that hold drywall way from wall and ceiling frame structures. Installed correctly, resilient channel imparts a significant amount of sound resistance at a very reasonable cost. | |
|  | | East-Facing Bedrooms | | | Extensive, international studies show this to be a cross cultural design feature that significantly improves the ambience of a bedroom and the quality of waking there -- even if you're not in the habit of rising at the crack of dawn. | |
|  | | Easy DIY Wainscoting | | | A handful of suppliers now offer ready-to-install wainscoting kits. Bead board, raised panel and flat panel styles are available, even for use along staircases. | |
|  | | Simple Soundproofing | | | Thin lead foil is made especially for soundproofing walls and floors. Secure it before drywall or flooring goes down, and it offers the same sound resistance as a six inch thick concrete wall. | |
|  | | Masking Tape Makes Caulking Neat | | | Run strips of masking tape down each side of a joint you’ll be caulking, smooth the freshly applied caulk with your finger, then peel off the tape to leave a neat, professional looking result. | |
|  | | Fastening Things to Drywall | | | Threaded plastic drywall anchors hold much better than push-in anchors, especially with heavy items. Predrill holes in the drywall, then use a drill with screwdriver tip to thread the anchors into place. | |
|  | | Wide Gaps Best for Caulking | | | If you’ve got a choice, always choose to caulk joints about 3 mm to 5 mm wide. Narrower gaps expand and contract more relative to their width, putting more stress on the caulking. | |
|  | | Mineral Wool Versus Fiberglass | | | Better water resistance, better insulation performance and more pleasant to work with, mineral wool insulation batts cost about the same as fiberglass. Mineral wool is also easier to cut more precisely. | |
|  | | Neater DIY Drywall Joints | | | Professional drywallers sand joints only after all joint compound has been applied, but sanding after each coat dries is an easier option for do-it-yourselfers. It keeps joints neater, and highlights areas that need filling. | |
|  | | Secure Home Security | | | If you want an entry door that can actually keep out bad guys, go with an all-steel door and jamb. Regardless of how many locks are installed, standard wooden jambs break open easily with just a few hard kicks. | |
|  | | Tired of Fumbling With Keys? Consider Biometric Locks | | | A growing number of lock manufacturers are now offering residential deadbolts that use fingerprints to open. Register a couple of fingers with the system, then forget the need for keys or codes. | |
|  | | Wet Window Fix | | | A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) eliminates or greatly reduces wintertime window condensation while improving indoor air quality. Expect to pay about $2000 to have one installed. | |
|  | | Installing Vents and Pipes | | | When making holes through exterior walls for vents and pipes, begin by drilling completely through the wall with a long, 1/4” diameter “installer’s” drill bit. Read more... | |
|  | | Polyurethane Caulking | | | Although designed for sealing out weather, polyurethane caulking is also an excellent adhesive for use on non-porous materials. Use it wherever a flexible bond is best. | |
|  | | Selecting Correct Crown Moulding | | | Taller interior spaces require a steeper slope or “spring angle” for crown to look its best. Rooms taller than 9 feet need crown with a 52º spring angle. Shorter rooms use crown with a 45º or 38º spring. | |
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