Pro Handyman Blog

There really are some simple ways to make a room stand out from the others. By replacing some or all of your electrical outlets and switch covers, you can make a statement. Switch and outlet covers come in all flavors. The builder grade covers are white plastic, but you can go up from there.

You can buy outlet and switch covers made from all types of metals, stone, and wood grain to match surrounding woodwork. You’ve seen where in a kitchen, granite will not only cover the countertops but also go up the wall to meet the wall cabinets. You can buy (or order) granite cover plates to replace the white plastic ones that would stand out. You may need a box extender for this as the thickness of the granite will make it so the screws won't reach anymore.

In a living room, you can buy oil-rubbed bronze covers to match the reading lamp. They aren’t cheap but you probably won’t be doing the entire house in this style either.

Replacing the cover plates are easy. It’s always a good idea to turn off the power when working on outlets and switches, but this job only takes a standard screwdriver to remove the screws involved. Remove the old cover plate and tighten the screw until snug.

A typical handyman service sees plenty of curling or lifting vinyl flooring. Most often, it occurs at a transition point, for example where the vinyl meets carpeting, or along the bathtub or shower. If left alone, it will curl up and harden like a tax collector’s heart.

Repairing the edge of vinyl along a transition or a bathtub is similar. Getting the vinyl to lay back down can be challenging. First try to scrape up any old adhesive off of the floor where the vinyl has lifted, as well as the vinyl itself. Just be careful not to damage the vinyl. Then you can use a notched trowel (or make one out of a plastic scraper) and apply new adhesive.

For the transition area, you can always use a wider transition strip (or install one if it didn’t already have one). This will help hold the vinyl back down. Heat up the edge of the vinyl with a blow dryer to get it warm and pliable and then push it down into the adhesive. Immediately set some weight upon the edge to coerce it to stay down, and then secure the transition strip on top of it.

For the bathtub, use the same process, except instead of a transition strip, you can install a piece of baseboard along the edge, not only to keep the vinyl from lifting again, but to dress up the area as well.

Whether you are installing a shower door for a walk-in shower or a set of bathtub doors for a surround, there is a small step that homeowners overlook. Caulking the shower door track will help prevent water from getting under the track and leaking.

This important step is done at the beginning of the installation and creates a seal between the bottom of the track and the top of the shower lip or bathtub.

After you measure the opening for the bottom track and cut the track to fit, you will trace a couple of lines with a pencil on either side of the track. Remove the track and then you will lay down a couple of thick beads of caulking inside the two pencil lines. Replace the track setting it down into the caulking so that it lies inside of the pencil lines and compresses into the caulk. This will make it so that water won’t be able to get under the track and leak outside of the enclosure.

Once the track is in position, use painter’s tape and tape the track in several different locations to hold it in place until the side pieces are mounted to firmly hold it in place. Without the tape to hold it in place, the track will tend to move around until the caulking firms up.

A water heater leak can be terrible. They put a halt to the household’s normal business and cause secondary damage to the surrounding area. When the tank leaks you have to replace it. When you replace the water heater tank, it’s a good idea to invest an extra 50 cents on new washers.

If you screw the copper flex lines right back down on new nipples, you may not have a problem, but why risk it? The copper flex lines should last for a very long time, but the washers that go between them and the nipples get squished and distorted. In a pinch I have pulled them out and flipped them over for a fresh surface, but really you can’t do better than new washers.

You will probably have trouble digging them out of the nut at the end of the copper flex lines. Stick your finger in there and pry them away from the female end of the line. Simply press the new washer into the line so that it butts up against the bottom of the female fitting. Do this for both the hot and cold lines. You will also find, as a side benefit, that the flex lines will screw on to the nipples much smoother and easier.

For those of you that haven’t seen a door get kicked open, it would make you nervous to see how easy it is done. A well placed foot near the handle or deadbolt will force it open. Not that the hardware is weak or breaks. No way…it’s the wood that splits and allows the door to open.

The hardware is held in place with weak ¾ inch screws that barely bite into the jamb. At the very minimum, use long deck screws that penetrate not only the jamb, but the rough framing behind the jamb. If you want to go a step further, install an armored strike plate.

An armored strike plate is a thick metal plate that gets installed into the door jamb in place of the standard flat strike plate. An armored strike plate is much larger and has a pocket to accept the dead bolt’s latch. Long deck screws should be used here also to secure it to the door’s rough framing. This gets mortised into the door jamb so it lays flat with the surface of the jamb.

Even having an armored strike plate installed won’t make the door impenetrable. Where it may have taken 1 kick to open the standard door, maybe now it will take 3 or 4. But it is much more solid.

Shower faucet handles get damaged, particularly plastic handles. They are held in place with one screw and an aggressive turning when it has bottomed-out will crack it and necessitate replacement. That’s not to say that metal handles don’t get damaged, they can also get damaged if someone slams their hand against it to turn off the water abruptly. It’s just that plastic gets damaged more frequently because it is not as strong.

You can replace the handle easily enough, as I said, just one screw holds it to the stem. You don’t have to buy the exact handle either. Just keep in mind that as long as you stay with the same manufacturer, the new handle will fit. In other works, if you have a Moen faucet, you can use any Moen handle. Don’t try to install a Delta handle on a Moen faucet as they each have a different mating pattern.

The screw to remove the handle is going to be located under the plastic cap. You can use a standard screwdriver and slide it under the cap to pry it off. Then just remove the screw, replace the handle and screw it back on.

For metal handles, there is usually a setscrew located on the underside of the handle. Remove the setscrew and the handle should pull right off.

Let’s be honest, wallpaper installations are not one of my favorite things. I’ve done it many times, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Along the way I’ve learned a few things I will share.

There are times that no matter what, wallpaper seams just won’t behave. You are supposed to butt the seams together and roll them just once using only light pressure so you don’t squeeze all of the glue out of the seam. This works most of the time. For the times that it doesn’t work, use small amounts of wallpaper adhesive and work it into the seam areas. You can try a small syringe and place a few dabs where you need it, or you can use a cotton swab. If you use a cotton swab you may leave some fibers in the adhesive, but they won’t be noticeable when it dries.

If you are hanging the paper and you see small bubbles, don’t worry. They should disappear after a while. If they don’t go away, you can use a sharp razor blade and cut a small slit in the bubble to push out the air. You may want to use add some paper adhesive just to make sure it stays down.

If you don’t have an attic ladder, you are missing out. Depending on how your attic is framed, you may have to stoop or you may be able to walk in there. Here is an article on how to install an attic ladder. It takes basic carpentry skills and tools that most homeowners already have.

After the attic ladder is installed, you will have a gap around the perimeter of the ladder. This gap will span from the attic ladder frame to the edge of the drywall that you cut to install the ladder unit. It is a little unsightly, but you can cover the gap with trim molding.

This type of carpentry trim job doesn’t have to be perfect as the attic ladder is usually not in a conspicuous place. A lot of times it is in the garage, and people just aren’t as concerned with how it looks as they would be if it were in, for example, the living room.

You can buy a length of door trim or baseboard molding…whatever profile you like. Use a miter saw (power is better) and cut the lengths at 45-degree angles. A finish nailer works great for this but you can always resort to a hammer and 4d finish nails. The most important thing about installing trim molding around the attic ladder is that the molding must not interfere with the operation of the ladder. So make sure you give a little room between the nose of the trim and the ladder.

If you feel froggy, you can caulk around the perimeter of the trim and paint it to match.

When you close your door and it latches, can you still move it back and forth? If so you need to make a few adjustments. You see this a lot with closet doors, which probably is not a big deal. But for an exterior door you need to secure it properly.

If your door wiggles somewhat you are going to see a gap (and probably daylight). If you have thick and stout weather stripping around the door, you may not have such a pronounced back-and-forth movement as the weather stripping will push back against the door.

The real fix here is to adjust the strike plate towards the exterior of the door. This will close the gap and mate the exterior surface of the door with the weather stripping. It will also eliminate any play in the door.

Moving the strike plate a small amount is tough because the screws tend to wander back into the old holes. So you really have to fill the old holes and re-drill some new ones. Remove the strike plate and use some golf tees slathered in wood glue. Jam them into the old holes and let the glue dry. Cut the golf tees flush with the surface of the door jamb and move the strike plate into its new position. Mark the holes and pre-drill them with a small bit. You will have to chisel out some wood to accept the new door strike plate and latch location, but this is an easy job. Then screw the latch into its new location. Your door should close and latch securely.

If you have ever replaced a kitchen sink, or even a strainer, you know that they can be very difficult. These basket strainers stay locked onto the sink for years until someone decides that it is time for them to go. I always recommend using a new sink strainer when replacing the kitchen sink, but if you are doing a repair or just want to upgrade the strainer, it can be challenging to remove.

When working under the sink, you will need to remove the piping leading from the strainer. When you try to unscrew the basket nut, typically the entire strainer will move along with the nut, so you won’t be able to remove the strainer. Here is a trick: grab a pair of pliers. From above the sink, turn the pliers upside down so that the jaws are facing up and the handles are facing down. Place the ends of the handles through two of the holes in the strainer. You will have to slightly open the jaws for this. Once the pliers are inserted into the basket you can place a large screwdriver horizontally into the jaws of the pliers. You have just created a handle to hold onto to prevent the basket from turning as you unscrew the basket nut.

You can use this trick when you re-install the new strainer too. Just use a bead of plumbers putty under the lip of the strainer and push it into the hole. You can hold the strainer still as you install the friction washer, the rubber washer and the basket nut.