Safety: Always use the correct
Personal protective equipment when working in buildings especially
older premises. Falling off ladders is not a laughing matter, when
working at heights do not take chances.
Asbestos is already the second cause
of death after - smoking, and ahead of road deaths in some European
countries and is likely to take the same position in the US. So when
doing DIY or working in old buildings use a dust mask that will be
effective for very fine particles.
Easy Sawing. Use a candle to lubricate your saw, rub on both
faces and you will find cutting a lot easier D.E.
Artex
removal. You can remove it yourself with a preparation
available from some DIY outlets, it is called X-Tex and you apply it,
allow it to soak in and then scrape it off. Please note that some older
Artex contains Asbestos so it is always a good idea to get a sample
checked out by your local council. Ray Watkinson Canterbury
England. Caution
with this material and under no circumstances should it be sanded off
without a check to see if it contains asbestos. Asbestos is a deadly
substance which can, in most people cause an incurable cancer called
Mesothelioma -- Ed
Wallpapering Tip Don't throw away excess wallpaper when your
room is finished. When it comes to your next job, this can be used to
cover the pasting table, allowing you to rip it off when you're done,
and no gooey mess to scrape off. Definitely makes a difference. --
Lorraine
McCloud
Patching Walls: Use Baking soda and white glue; mix some
white glue with baking soda to make a paste but not too thin or too
thick just enough so it is spreadable consistency. This will harden in
a few hours depending on the heat and humidity in your home, when
hardened it can be repainted; works Great! -- Darrel
Clean Cuts. If, when cutting fibreboard you want a
splinter-free finish then use masking tape and cut thru the tape - a
better cut will result. -- Amin Newton. Birmingham
England
Mixing Epoxy. Keep your lollipop sticks,
they make excellent spatulas - for mixing two part compounds etc. -- Xavier
Lorrimer London England
Taps wrap your pliers with electrical tape to avoid
scratches -- "Sacknoff"15 Oct
2002
When
painting and decorating put old socks over the ends of the ladder --Vanessa
Echols
Plastering.
I find that plaster will set much quicker when I use warm water to make
it. -- Barry Taylor
Sawing.
To stop plywood splitting when I saw it I lay masking tape on the area
I am about to cut. -- P.B., Atlanta.
Hinges:
Use Vaseline rather than oil as it will not run and dirty the
paintwork. – Anon
Window
Putty. To stop birds from eating freshly set window
putty I find that some black pepper mixed into it does the trick. I
store unused putty wrapped up in foil and in a tub so it lasts longer
as well. -- N.T.K. Shaw
Cleaning power saw blades. For woodworkers who
need to clean their stains off power saw blades, use Easy Off Oven
Cleaner. No need to pay for an expensive product. --- Fred
Minner Delavan, Illinois
Safety
Building
sites can be very dangerous places. Never allow your children
loose on one. Holes in the ground are to be
avoided. Our teenage son was found buried up to his neck when an
excavation collapsed. Fortunately he survived almost unhurt - - Sam
Catkin - Denver - Colorado
Electrics Always use a qualified electrician for any
electrical work. Not a DIY subject. -- "Dawn
Parsons"
Use
RCD's or Residual Current Devices when using dangerous
appliances such as lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, drills and
sanders. These cut the mains electricity connection when a cable or
flex is cut, or an electrical tool malfunctions, reducing the risk of
electrocution. -- Kevin Albertson
Ladders
Safety: The ladder rule is - the foot of the ladder
should be one measure out for every four measures in height. Ladders
should be placed on a firm level surface, and the top should be resting
on something solid, and not on guttering or a window-sill.
Scaffolding:
Scaffolding towers must be erected on firm ground. If the tower is more
than 3.25 meters high for a 1.3 meter square base it must be tied to
the building. -- Anon (UK Regulations - Ed)
Cleaning
Oil Base Paint spills. When you use oil base
paint, and you get as much on you as what you are painting. Instead of
using paint thinner. Try using baby oil. -- Bonnie Smith,
Removing Dry Paint From Skin Before
painting major projects, coat your hands & forearms with
Vaseline. To easily remove dry paint from skin: Simply wash with a
foaming brillo pad. Quick, cheap, simple & safe. They are
softer than you would think. Mask eye areas with medial cloth tape or
similar. Sam from The Hoosier State, USA.
18 Nov 2003
A piece of
string tied across a paint tin can support the wet brush and it can
also be used to wipe off excess paint - - Davie
No film on the surface of
paint. I find that if you store partially empty paint
cans upside down...the film that inevitably forms on the surface of the
paint is then on the bottom when the paint is used again, making it
much easier to keep film particles off of your finished project. --
"Shelia R. Heidel"
Loosening
rusted screws, soak overnight in lemon juice. A tissue
wrapped round the area keeps the juice where it can do its work - - Davie
The bag of
silica gel that you get with your next consumer electronics
purchase should not be thrown out. Put it in your
tool box and keep them shiny -- Andy Baxter London England
Rusty
Bolts. Try Coca-Cola, the phosphoric acid in it eats away the rust.
-- BB W New Mexico. .
Rusty
Screws. If you are trying to remove a very rusty screw,
use the tip of a very holt soldering iron to heat the head of the
screw. The heat should expand the screw head and loosen the rust.
-- Andy Baxter, London England
Stuck
Screws. If a screw was too tight and the slot gets
ruined don't worry, because there is a little trick to rectify this. If
the screw head is above the surface use a junior hacksaw blade to cut a
new groove. -- J.R. Tippins, Springfield.
Rusty
Bolts If you are trying to remove a very rusty bolt, and
you don't have wd-40 or anything like that to loosen it, then you can
use Tabasco sauce. Just shake a small amount on the bolt and wait for a
few minutes then you should have no problem taking it off. -- Gerry
Glass
jars - Storage. The ones with with metal screw tops make
excellent storage for screws and other small parts. Drill a
hole in the top and screw it to the underside of a shelf, the jar is
then screwed up in to the lid, Voila! --
Davie,
Try not to
run a line of nails along the same wood grain, otherwise the wood could
split. -- Anon.
If
you have to then I suggest that you drill several guide holes in
advance -- Davina Martin
To stop
nails from splitting wood drill a small guide hole beforehand.
-- H Corbett
Nails. To help stop a nail from splitting the wood drill
a pilot hole or turn the nail over and tap it with a hammer putting a
blunt point on it. This helps collapse the wood rather than split it.
-- Theresa & Jim Grace
The
blunted point works well but if you are really near the edge of the
piece of wood you should drill pilot holes before hammering in the nail
-- S Dust
Woodworking. Hammering in a nail? avoid bruised fingers by
putting the nail in to a piece of cardboard first. -- Richard
Burchill Detroit
Stripping
Wallpaper. Don't bother using expensive stripping
agents, I find that using a small amount of wallpaper paste mixed with
warm water, and a bit of washing-up liquid works just as well. Soak the
paper in this for a while, the washing-up liquid acts as a wetting
agent, and the paste holds it in place. -- A Kaviani
Wallpapering:
An angled nail in the end of the paste brush will stop it falling all
the way in to the paste can -- Ian Richards
Reading
the tip about how to stop the brush falling in the can I thought I
would give you my tip. Tie a piece of string through the middle of the
can from handle base to handle base so that it is across the can
through the middle. This way you can place the handle on the side of
the can and rest the brushes on the string support you have just made.
-- Declan Keegan - Kent, England -- "Signe"
When
papering over old wallpaper, I find that I have to add varnish or
lacquer over any greasy spots to stop them coming through to the new
paper. -- S Clarke
A cheap
and easy way to strip wallpaper is to add vinegar to warm water, the
acid in the vinegar reacts with the wallpaper paste making it easier to
scrape off. -- SAM "Gareth Price"
If you
need to apply a patch of wallpaper, tear the paper rather than cutting
it. The join will be much less noticeable that way -- Sam
Clark London England.
If you
want to remove old wallpaper try this. Use a squirt bottle and fill it
with 3/4 warm water and 1/4 fabric softener and it will not hurt the
paint. Let it soak for about five minutes and don't let it dry, you
have to use a plastic scrapper to just peel the wallpaper away. To
remove some glue off of some surfaces use Windex with ammonia and that
will do the job. Let it soak. If you have a Window and it was tinted
this excellent to use for the glue just wiped off with a paper towel.--
Margaret :) ;)
Drilling.
To help judge how deep you are drilling I find that you can mark the
drill bit so that the exposed part is the size of the desired depth of
hole. You can mark the drill with pen or crayon, or use a bit of
masking tape. -- Jim McIlroy Yardley-Gobion England
If you are
drilling ceramic tiles or other glazed surfaces I find that it is best
to mark the spot to be drilled with clear adhesive tape. This helps
hold the drill in place. Never use a hammer action drill. --
Robert H Fahey, Ohio
Drilling
Masonry: When drilling masonry always withdraw the tip
every 5 seconds or so to stop it overheating. If you don't keep the tip
cool it damages the drill. -- Mat Hyde, Georgia.
It is
even better if you can squirt water in the hole. As well as
cooling the drill the water actually helps the drilling process -- Ed
Drilling
sheet glass/mirrors Mark your spot with a felt tip, then
make a small well from putty over the marked spot. Fill this well with
a touch of light oil. Drill slowly using a carbide tipped drill bit.
The oil keeps the drill bit cool and makes the job that little bit
easier. If you are drilling through glazed tiles it helps if you use a
masonry nail to score the point of drilling. The bit will not slip off
the glazed surface. Finally, if you have drilled a hole through a
glazed tile and inserted a rawlplug, make sure the plug passes through
the tile before you insert the screw. This way the tile will not crack.
Happy DIYing -- Alan Brighton"