Center for home improvement
minor improvements
What Painting Tools Do I Need?
How Do I To Repair Drywall?
How Do I Repair A Deck?
The key to any painting job is having the right tools.
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These basic painting tools (tray, roller, cover, handle, and brush) are all you need for touch-up painting jobs.
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If you are like most homeowners you'll wind up doing some painting, finishing, or refinishing over the next few years. Even if you decide to hire a professional painter for the big jobs, consider investing in a basic tool kit for painting projects. You always can expand it later as need arises and your are more comfortable with your painting skills.
A basic painting tool kit will include these items:
- Paint brushes or paint pads for applying paint and other finishes to smaller surfaces (better brushes will cost more, but will last a lot longer and spread paint more easily and evenly)
Paint roller (frame and cover) and tray for applying paint and other finishes to larger surfaces (a better quality roller cover will last for years and apply paint more easily and evenly)
- Cartridge gun for applying caulking and other sealers
- Scrapers and sandpaper for removing paint and other finishes from wood, metal, or plastic
- A-frame ladder or sturdy stepstool for reaching higher locations
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Holes in walls made of gypsum drywall sheets are easy to repair.
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Dimple the popped nail with a hammer.
Apply drywall patch with a broadknife for a smooth surface, then sand and paint.
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Chances are drywall is all around you. It's the material that covers the walls in most homes built in the last 40 years. It replaced lathe and plaster wall material because drywall is easier—and faster—to install. It's also relatively easy to repair. You can do this!
Drywall is a manufactured flat panel made out of gypsum plaster and encased in heavy paper. Drywall is also known as gypsum wallboard (GWB), plaster board, or USG's Sheetrock®. A drywall panel typically is 4 x 8 ft. or 4 x 12 ft. in size and 1/4 to 5/8 in. thick. The panels are nailed or screwed onto the wall framing and the joints are covered with a special tape and joint compound. The wall or ceiling is then primed and painted. Sometimes texturing is added as a decorative element.
Drywall problems are relatively easy to spot. Nails sometimes pop out slightly from the drywall. Corners where walls meet get bumped and scraped and can be damaged. Tape can split. Dents, gouges and holes appear. All are relatively easy to fix.
To hide a popped nail:
- Use a hammer or screwdriver to drive a ring-shank nail or a screwdriver to fasten a drywall screw about 2 inches above and below the popped nail. Make sure the heads are below the surface of the drywall without breaking the paper. This is called dimpling.
- Carefully dimple the popped nail.
- Cover dimples with joint compound and allow them to dry as recommended by the compound manufacturer. Apply a second coat, if needed, and allow it to dry.
- Sand the area with fine-grit sandpaper, then wipe the surface clean.
- Prime and Paint the area, blending in with the paint on the rest of the wall.
To repair a small hole in drywall:
- Remove loose drywall plaster and cut away torn paper with a utility knife.
- Roughen the edges of the hole with coarse sandpaper, then wipe dust away from the hole.
- Cut a piece of wire screening slightly larger than the hole[md]or use a drywall patch screen[md]and cover the hole with it. You may need a coat of fresh compound or a string to keep the screen in place.
- Cover the screen with compound, then let it dry before continuing.
- Once dry, sand, prime and paint.
To patch a large drywall hole:
- Mark out a rectangle around the hole with a straightedge or carpenter's rule.
- Cut through the paper surface on the marked lines using a utility knife or keyhole saw.
- Cut a drywall patch two inches each direction larger than the hole. Remove the 2-inch perimeter, but leave the facing paper.
- Spread joint compound around the outside edges of the hole and along its inside edges.
- Place the patch in position and hold it in place for several minutes while it begins to adhere. Spread more joint compound as needed with a drywall knife.
- Once dry, sand, prime and paint.
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Decks are outdoor rooms that sometimes need repair. Fortunately, you know how to fix them.
A deck is an extension of your home's living space. It offers extra room for dining, entertaining, and relaxing in the sun (or shade). Decks need little maintenance and few repairs to keep them in good condition. Here's how to take good care of your home's deck.
A deck is a flat structure adjoining a house. It consists of a floor, horizontal joists, horizontal beams, and vertical posts. In addition, a deck typically has perimeter railings and stairs. Decks are constructed of decay-resistant wood (redwood, cedar), pressure-treated wood, or newer plastic materials, and are held together with fasteners.
Refinish a deck:
- Use a hammer to refasten protruding nails.
- Trim raised edges with a sandpaper block, electric sander, or plane.
- As needed, clean gray or dirty wood with a solution of 1 cup bleach in a gallon of water. Apply with a brush or broom.
- Use a pressure washer to clean the deck, being careful not to damage the wood with excessive pressure.
- Apply stain or wood preservative following the manufacturer's instructions.
- Apply wood sealer following manufacturer's instructions.
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Refasten protruding nails.
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Replace a deck step:
- Use a hammer and pry bar to remove the damaged step.
- Cut new stair treads to fit, using a combination square to cut the ends square.
- Place the new stair treads on the stringers.
- Drill pilot holes in the treads where the fasteners will go so that they don't split the treads.
- Nail or screw the treads to the stringers.
Add support to deck joists:
- Cut lumber to duplicate the size and length of the existing joist, using a combination square to cut the ends square.
- Install the new joist against the old one and nail the ends in place.
- Fasten additional nails, in pairs, every 18 to 24 inches through the joists.
- Finish the repair by staining or painting to match the deck.
Add bracing to posts:
- Measure diagonally from post to post and cut the first brace.
- Set the brace in place and nail the higher end to one end post.
- Fasten the other end of the brace to the opposite end post.
- Nail the brace firmly to all posts.
- If necessary, add a cross-brace between the posts to form an X.
- Trim off excess wood at the ends.
- Finish the repair by staining or painting to match the deck.
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