Pro Handyman Blog

Having handyman make your gate that self closes is nice. The dog won’t accidentally get out and it keeps small kids in the backyard and not wandering the neighborhood. Plus, if you have a swimming pool, a self-closing mechanism is a requirement.

Probably the easiest way to install these self closing coil mechanisms is to mount one side to the block wall and the other side to the gate itself. You will secure the mechanism to these and then place it under tension to close the gate.

For the wall, use Tapcon anchors. Place the mechanism where you want it and mark the holes. You can drill a pilot hole using the correct sized bit and drill into the block. Then screw the Tapcon anchor through the mechanism and into the block wall.

Hold the mechanism up to the gate and use a self-tapping screw to secure the mechanism to the gate. The mechanism has two holes at each end, so use 2 tapcon anchors on the block wall side and 2 self-tapping screws on the gate side. The mechanism will be under constant tension and the more fasteners is has the better.

Tension the coil so that the gate closes and latches when held open at a 45-degree angle. You will twist the top of the coil and then place a pin in the head to hold the tension.

If you have a crack in your ceramic tile grout line and it bothers you enough to fix it, I hope you have some matching grout laying around. It makes life much easier. If you have to go hunt for a match, you might get lucky and find one or you may consider re-grouting the entire floor, or staining the grout to match. You also may have an underlying problem with the base that the tile is laying on.

The quick cosmetic fix is to dig out the area you want to repair. There are a variety of tools to remove grout, from motorized Dremel-type tools to hand tools that dig and gouge out the old grout. By the way, this is the worst part of the job. I like the grout grabber which looks like a screwdriver with a triangular carbide head on it. Scrape the old grout with it and it carves a groove ready to re-grout.

Mix up some grout according to the manufacturer’s instructions and let it slake for about 10 minutes. Stir it again and use a float to stuff it in the grooves. Wipe it off in a diagonal motion and again let it rest for a few minutes. Use a damp sponge (ring it out) and wipe away the excess grout. You can make the grout lines appear however you want. Some people like to leave more grout in and some people like to have the edges of the tile stand out a little. The choice is yours.

Keep wiping and dunking the sponge in clean water to remove excess grout. You will want to change water frequently. When the dampness on the floor dries, a haze will appear. Use a white cloth and buff off the haze for a beautiful finish.

Garage door remotes break and sometimes get lost. At some point you will have to replace it and reprogram the remote. This isn’t difficult to do, but there are some differences depending upon which style of garage door opener you have.

The old style garage door openers use dip switches. These are tiny levers in succession that provide communication between the garage door opener and the remote control unit. These switches are located in two areas and the positions of the switches must match in both the garage door opener unit and the remote. Look for the switches on the back on the garage door opener. You will probably have to remove a cover, and usually they are located under the light cover. On the remote, remove the battery cover and you will see the switches. Move the switches to either the up or down position in whatever configuration you like. A pen or pencil is good for this as the switches are too small to move with your finger. The only rule is that the configuration of each switch must match at both the garage door opener and the remote control unit.

On the back of newer style openers is a “smart” button. To reprogram this type of opener, clear the old memory by depressing and holding the smart button. The light next to the button will typically have a fast blink to it, but it may stay illuminated (different manufacturers have slightly different sequences). Press the remote button and it the light should turn off. The remote should be programmed.

If your kitchen faucet sprayer leaks when you turn the water on, it may be time to replace it. Some faucets have a pull-out spout and some have a sprayer mounted on the side of the faucet base. Both are similar to repair or replace.

If your sprayer is leaking where it attaches to the hose, you might be able to unscrew it and clean it up a bit. There is a rubber washer where the two connect (you’ll see it after you unscrew the head). You can try to clean up the washer and maybe flip it over. If that doesn’t work, try installing a new washer, and if that doesn’t work, replace the sprayer head.

For a pull-out spout, the parts are pretty specific to the faucet. If you need to replace the head, you may have to order the part from the manufacturer so that the color and finish is correct. That’s why it is better if you can repair it. If the spout dribbles out of the end, you should be able to unscrew the aerator. It is a delicate job to remove this as it is sometimes flush with the end of the spout. Once you have the aerator out, clean it up with a mild detergent and an old toothbrush. You want to make sure the holes are clear of any debris and scale deposits. Once it is clean, reassemble it and screw it back on to the spout. You should have great pressure and no leaks.

If you have had it with your sliding screen door don’t lose hope. These are found on your sliding glass door or on French doors in particular. The neat thing about these screen doors is that when you don’t want to open the doors to ventilate the room, they retract into a jamb and disappear. This makes it so your view out of the window is not obscured by the mesh of the screen. When you want to engage the screen, you simply pull it out of the special jamb where it resides. It’s almost like a window blind that operates horizontally rather than vertically.

You can buy these at most home centers and they are straightforward to install. The jamb (its like a tube) sits vertically on one side of the door opening. You must mount this tube so that it is plumb on the side of the door jamb. This is held in place with a series of screws.

At the top and bottom of the opening, you will install the rails that will act as guides for the screen as you pull it out. You have to install these perpendicular to the tube so that the screen pulls out and retracts easily.

These types of screens work great on French doors where you can’t have a frames sliding screen door. With a disappearing screen door, you can pull it out and open both sides of the French doors. When you want to close the doors, you can retract the screen to preserve your view.

When you notice water leaking from behind your refrigerator plumbing, most people immediately think that the fridge is bad…until they pull the unit away from the wall. In many cases, it is not the refrigerator that is leaking, but the icemaker line from the wall to the fridge.

Slowly pull the refrigerator away from the wall and look for the leak. It is easier to find the leak if you turn off the water, clean up the water on the floor, and then turn the water back on. It may be the valve at the wall, the icemaker line that carries water from the valve to the refrigerator, or the refrigerator itself. If you can trace the leak into the refrigerator, I would call in a service technician if you aren’t familiar with it.

If you can trace the leak to the valve or the line itself, it is probably going to be an easy repair. If the line is leaking, you can replace it with either copper, plastic, or a braided stainless steel line. My first choice would be the stainless steel line as they usually carry a 10 year warranty against bursting, and they simply screw onto the fittings at both the valve and the refrigerator. If you choose plastic or copper, you will need a compression nut and ferrule and tighten to secure.

If the valve is leaking, try tightening it slightly to see if you can get it to stop leaking. You can also try to replace the packing under the nut. At worst case, replace the valve after you have shut off the main water supply.

If you have a house that has the acoustical texture (aka popcorn texture or cottage cheese) on your drywall ceiling, you know what a pain it can be if you get a stain on the ceiling. A lot of older houses have this texture and it is repaired differently that typical orange peel or knock down texture.

When you get a leak on your popcorn-textured ceiling, sometimes the texture will peel off of the drywall and sometimes it will stay but turn brown. It will look as if someone spilled coffee on your ceiling. Assuming it was just a one-time leak, the area will be dry but unsightly, but make sure the source of the leak was fixed before you start repairing the ceiling as you only want to do this repair one time.

If the popcorn texture is still on the ceiling but you have a stain, try sealing the stain with Kilz or some type of stain sealer. Use a spray can rather than rolling or brushing it on the surface as popcorn has a tendency to fall off of the ceiling when disturbed. You can spray on a few coats after each has dried and then paint it to match, or paint the entire ceiling.

If you have popcorn texture that has fallen from the ceiling, you can seal the area and use a spray can product to patch the area. You can buy popcorn texture in a can. One such product is called “Up Shot” and you hold the can away from the ceiling and squeeze the trigger in short bursts as you move the can. It’s a good idea to go light on the trigger as you don’t want to make a stalactite on your ceiling. Once you have a good blended patch, you can paint it after it dries.

For countertops with ceramic tile, you have probably noticed that the corners can get beat up. When I say beat up, I mean they get chipped, cracked, or broken right off. Replacing them is a matter of finding a good match, securing them and grouting.

The key to a good finished product is to find the right color and style of tile. These corner tiles are called “V-Cap” tiles and are rounded over so you don’t have to cut two pieces to form the 90-degree corner. You must, however, make sure the surface of the new tiles matches the old tiles. The thickness should also be the same or you may find yourself grinding off some of the counter’s sub-top or adding mortar the get the height just right.

When you are ready to secure the tiles, you can use either thin set mortar or mastic. Use a notched trowel and lay down the mortar or mastic and set the tile in it. You should feel it smoosh in to the mortar or mastic. Make sure you get the height and spacing right. Some tiles have built-in lugs to keep the spacing uniform, and others you will need to use plastic spacers.

After the tiles are set and the mortar or mastic is dry, you can mix up the grout. Use a float and push it diagonally into the grooves and wipe it off with the float. Let this sit and then use a damp sponge to clean off the rest of the grout and dress the grout lines. Finally, wait until a haze builds on the tiles and use a clean white cloth to buff the haze off of the tiles.

If you’ve ever had a loose toilet from the base of the toilet bowl to the floor, you know you’ll have to break out the tools. If you are lucky, you may be able to tighten the bolts that hold the bowl to the floor, but this is more of a rarity. Chances are, you will need to re-set the toilet and that means replacing the wax ring and bolts.

Here is some information on how to replace the wax ring and toilet bolts. After you have removed the toilet and installed the wax ring and bolts, you will have a somewhat unsightly area where the toilet bowl meets the floor. A lot of homeowners install a bead of caulking along this area which makes for a nice appearance. Caulking will tend to smear if you apply too much, and if you have ceramic tile and grout as your flooring, the caulking can get caught in the grout and is very difficult to remove.

You might try plaster of Paris. I know, most of us haven’t used is since grade school, but for filling in the gap between a toilet bowl and the floor, it’s flawless. Plaster of paris dries quickly so you have to work fast. Mix up a batch and lay some down on the floor along the area where the toilet will sit. Then place the toilet down and secure the bolts. Use a wet sponge and wipe away the excess plaster of paris. You can wring out the sponge in a bucket of water as you go. You will be left with a seamless installation that will make it difficult to tell where the toilet ends and the plaster of paris begins.

If you have grown tired of your old security door and want to replace it, you will have to remove the one-way screws. These are screws that are not meant to be removed. They have a domed head with the slot cut in such a way that you can only tighten it, not loosen it. One-way screws make it difficult for an intruder to remove the door rather than defeating the locks.

Removing these screws appears difficult for obvious reasons, and if you don’t have the right tools, they are. There are several ways to remove one-way screws and each will take no more than a few minutes to do. You will re-install your new doors with the one-way screws that come with it.

You can buy a specialized tool to remove these, but you have to use low torque settings and slow speeds in a drill driver to hope that they work.

Since the head of the screws are dome-shaped, they have plenty of meat there in which to cut. One way to back the screw out is to take a hacksaw or grinder and cut a slot into the head of the screw. Take it slow, keep a steady hand and cut a new slot perpendicular to the old one. Make it deep enough so that a screwdriver will have enough metal to turn against, but not so deep that you split the head.

Another method is to make two opposing sides of the head flat so that you can use a wrench to turn out the screw. You can use a file or a grinder to flatted the sides. Realize that you will damage the old door frame by filing down the screw, but you are replacing it anyway. If you want to protect the old frame, you can set a piece of sheet metal or roof flashing over it. Once the sides are flattened, you can use vise grips or channel locks to remove the screw.

You can also flatted the top of the screw head and then use a screw extractor to remove it. One type of screw extractor, called an “EZ Out”, involves drilling a hole into the top of the screw and then inserting the reverse threaded bit and backing it out.

Your final alternative is to cut off the screw heads. This will leave you with the exposed shank which you can grab with vise grips and unscrew.