Photo: Ian Spanier Tackle Your To-Do's
Caring for a home is more like a marathon than a 100-yard dash. Trying to sprint through myriad repairs in the days before you host a dinner party or the in-laws come for a visit only leads to frustration. And, like a winded runner dropping out of a race early, you won't finish. But if you pace yourself, taking on just one project a weekend, you'll always be working with fresh legs. Thanks to the following quick and clever solutions to 52 of your home's most niggling problems, you'll be moving on to more relaxing weekend pursuits in as little as 5 minutes.
Photo: Ian Spanier Chairs are wearing away the floor finish.
And felt stickers work loose in no time. Hammer in tacks with attached felt pads for dining chairs or anything you move around a lot, or rubber pads for sofas and stuff that stays put.
An air bubble is marring your wallpaper job.
If it's less than 1 inch across and you don't feel any debris inside, such as a paint chip, you can forgo the standard procedure of slicing an X into the paper and brushing adhesive behind it. Instead, use a syringe (about $5; at paint stores) to poke a pinhole that releases the air and allows you to inject adhesive right where it's needed. To get a clean cut in vinyl paper, make a small slit with a utility knife before inserting the syringe.
Plaster walls look rough.
Brush on a matte paint rather than the usual eggshell. The ultra-flat sheen helps hide imperfections in the surface; any amount of glossiness reflects light and highlights unevenness.
Old picture holes are glaring black dots.
Overfill holes with a lightweight patching compound. Once dry, smooth with a damp sponge. Unlike with sandpaper, there's no dust and no damage to the wall paint.
The cupboard door won't stay shut.
The old spring or roller latch is worn out or covered with paint. Order a heavy-duty magnet catch (about $4; rockler.com) and install it in just a couple of minutes. Works great for medicine chests, too.
Scratches are ruining the look of woodwork.
Hide marks in furniture, trim, and floors using Minwax markers (about $5 each, in nine colors; at hardware stores). They provide pinpoint stain application.
A double-hung's sash cords have snapped.
Pop out the old pulleys and use spring-loaded replacements with a retractable steel tape that eliminates the need for both cords and weights. (Standard Balances start at about $39 per pair; pullmanmfg.com). Watch a video of TOH contractor Tom Silva installing the pulley system at thisoldhouse.com/bonus.
Window sash locks don't align.
If the meeting rail on the front sash doesn't drop low enough to sit flush with the rear one, the problem may be that the upper sash was painted shut without being pushed fully against the top jamb. To release it, cut the paint-sealed seam with a window-opener saw.
It takes superhero strength to move the sliding patio door.
Chances are, debris has jammed the wheels. Remove the operable door by turning the adjustment screws at the bottom, then clean the wheels and tracks, and spray with silicone lubricant. Get detailed steps for a sliding-door tune-up at thisoldhouse.com/bonus.
Photo: Don Penny/Time Inc. Digital Studio Your screens are ripped or rusty.
The hard part of screen replacement is figuring out the size of the spline that holds it in the frame. Make it easy by measuring the old rubber gasket using an architect's template (about $6; staples.com). The plastic rule has holes that correspond with common spline diameters represented in decimals of an inch, such as .125 and .175.
A casement window's crank is stripped or jammed.
You could open the crank cover and attempt a repair, but it's easier and usually more effective to replace the hardware. Select the right crank for your window size and model at swisco.com.
A door swings open or closed on its own.
Pull out one of the hinge pins, lay it on a sturdy work surface, and hit the midpoint of the shaft with a hammer. Then reinsert the pin; the blow will have bent it slightly, providing enough resistance to prevent the unwanted movement.
Painted hinges look bad and spew tiny chips.
Leave the door hanging and use two opposing rubber doorstops or wood shims set on the floor to stabilize it. Remove one hinge at a time and strip the hardware. Learn how to safely remove paint without chemicals using an old slow cooker at thisoldhouse.com/bonus.
Photo: Ian Spanier A window rattles in the wind.
The sash lock's cam mechanism is misaligned or broken. To suck a double-hung's sashes together and eliminate rattling—and drafts—remove the center latch and install two new ones instead. Arrange them so that the latches are fully engaged when the cam is turned about halfway.
A vintage windowpane is cracked.
Standard replacement glass won't match the wavy look of the original panes, so you can either swap in a piece from the back of the house and put the new glass there or order a historic reproduction from bendheim.com. For the how-to on replacing a pane, see thisoldhouse.com/bonus.
Paint on the door is sticking to the finish on the stop.
This "blocking" can occur when you close a door before the paint has fully dried. Apply wax to temporarily hinder adhesion. To fix it, sand around the door's edges and repaint using 100 percent acrylic latex with good block resistance.
The gate drags across the lawn.
Pick up Stanley's anti-sag kit (about $11; lowes.com). Run its cut-to-length cable from the bottom of the latch side to the top of the hinge side, then tighten its center turnbuckle to eliminate the droop.
Photo: Ian Spanier The entry set's deadbolt sticks when you key-in.
The lock needs lubrication, but not with oil, which can attract dirt over time. Squeeze in graphite powder to lube the lock without creating future gunk-ups. And while you've got the tube handy, give any other squeaky hinges or sticking locks around the house a squeeze too.
Rain cascades from the gutter like a waterfall.
The likely culprit is a clogged downspout. Flush with water, then use the hook end of a coat hanger to dislodge any remaining clumps. If that doesn't work, go at it with a hand-cranked pipe snake.
Little cracks in the driveway widen each year.
That's because water gets inside the fissures and freezes, pressing against the surface. Come spring, dig out any infiltrating crabgrass and dirt, and fix the cracks for good. For asphalt, use a cold-pour filler, such as QPR Asphalt Crack Filler (about $11 at lowes.com); for concrete, use Quikrete Concrete Crack Seal (about $10; acehardware.com), then seal the whole driveway.
Grass alongside the walkway washes out during big rains.
Swap your old pavers for permeable ones, such as those made by Eco-Stone. Pores in the surface or special seams between pavers allow water to move through the material and the compacted stone and sand below, preventing washouts.
The lawn is turning brown.
This is often due to insufficient watering. An easy way to tell if your lawn is thirsty, before it's too late, is to look at it through polarized sunglass lenses. If it appears blue-gray instead of green when it's in direct sunlight, turn on the sprinklers.
The blades in your porch ceiling fan are droopy.
Even all-weather fan blades can eventually lose their rigidity after years out in the humidity. Besides looking bad, this can cause the fan to wobble. But you don't need a new fan—just order a replacement blade kit from farreys.com.
The tree-swing rope is rubbing away bark.
Rehang the swing using eye screws that go all the way through the limb and are secured with a washer and nut. Drilling into the limb is less damaging than wrapping a rope around it.
Rainstorms lead to water in the basement.
Odds are, your gutters are dumping their loads too close to the foundation. Extra long kickouts at the bottom of down-spouts are tripping hazards. So route the water underground using Flo-Well's easy-to-install dry well (about $130; ndspro.com for dealers and installation instructions).
You always forget to turn off the basement light.
Screw a First Alert in-socket motion detector (about $20; amazon.com) into the fixture and leave the wall switch in the on position. The light will illuminate as soon as anyone approaches, then automatically turn itself off. The device is also handy in attics and closets.
A crack in the foundation lets in moisture and possibly critters.
You could fill the fissure with hydraulic cement, but it will split open again as the foundation shifts. A more durable and flexible solution is to use an epoxy system, such as Polygem's concrete repair kit (about $78; store.polygem.com).
Learn how to make the repair at thisoldhouse.com/bonus.
Learn how to make the repair at thisoldhouse.com/bonus.
Photo: Don Penny/Time Inc. Digital Studio The finish has faded from your fence.
You don't need to buy a fancy paint sprayer. A $13 landscape pump sprayer makes easy work of the job.
The butcher block smells like garlic.
To sanitize a wood countertop, wash with a solution of 1 teaspoon of bleach in 1 quart of water. To eliminate odors, pour some coarse sea salt onto the surface and scrub it into the wood using the face of a cut lemon.
The mirror fogs up when you take a shower.
Treat it with Rain-X antifog wipes (about $4; at auto supply shops), which are made to improve windshield visibility.
Your toilet rocks.
If tightening the bolts on the base doesn't stop it, buy some plastic shims from a hardware store and slide them under the toilet to stabilize it.
You're tired of flashing the neighbors.
Rather than leave the bathroom blinds closed at all times, apply an attractive window film (about $79 to about $115 per roll, enough for two windows; 2jane.com). It'll create privacy without blocking natural light.
Photo: Ian Spanier Your stainless steel is covered with watermarks.
Forget about pricey products specifically designed for stainless, and grab your WD-40 from the utility closet. It will remove and repel fingerprints, watermarks, and stains. Just be sure to wipe away excess with a cloth.
The grout is cracking in the tiled shower.
This can be due to house settling or grout that was never sealed, allowing water to get in and break it down. Scrape out the old grout and replace it with Bostik Tru-Color premixed grout (about $76 for a 9-pound bucket; sears.com), which contains urethane to make it more flexible and eliminate the need for sealing.
Laminate kitchen countertop edge banding is peeling.
Brush contact cement onto the laminate and the substrate, and let it dry. Then press the laminate in place and clamp it tight using blue painter's tape.
Photo: Ian Spanier A towel rack is loose.
Only the most meticulous homeowners save the little hex keys that come with their hardware. So buy yourself a about $13 Allen wrench set. Before tightening the setscrew, remove it and apply a dab of Loktite Threadlocker Blue 242 (about $6; homedepot.com), which will hold it in place—without preventing removal later on.
Your beloved vintage medicine-chest mirror barely casts a reflection.
Remove the glass from the cabinet door, strip the old silvering from the back, and use a silvering kit to make it shine again. Just take note: This is an exacting job and supplies aren't cheap (about $176; angelgilding.com).
The grout is stained around the sink.
You can remove stains by bleaching with a grout pen, but that can leave the grout color uneven. Hide that problem by darkening all the grout with a grout colorant in a soft-gray or beige hue.
The bathtub caulk is moldy.
You've got to remove every bit of old grout so that the new material forms a seal against the tub and tile. If moisture gets back there, mold will form again. Use a 5-in-1 tool and a plastic razor to cut it out, and caulk remover to loosen any remaining bits. Then apply new acrylic latex caulk containing mildewcides.
The heat mat under the tile floor warms up too slowly.
Connect the mat to a programmable thermostat so that the first person awake in the morning doesn't get cold feet.
There are mildew spots on the bathroom ceiling.
Replace the wall switch for your exhaust fan with a mechanical timer and set it to stay on for 30 to 60 minutes after every shower.
Your two-prong outlets won't accept plugs for new electronics.
If you have BX cable (most two-prong systems have this metal-wrapped wiring), the sheathing can provide a ground, allowing you to swap in a three-prong outlet. But that only works if your home's electrical system is grounded. To be safe, just swap the outlet for a GFCI one.
A single-lever faucet is dripping.
Turn off the water and remove the faucet from the sink. Then smear Vaseline on the O-ring and replace the faucet. This isn't a cure, but it'll stop the drip until you get a new O-ring—or an entire faucet.
You're always fumbling in the dark.
If there's no switched outlet in the room, add a wireless one for a table lamp. Leviton's Anywhere Switch (about $24; amazon.com) has an adapter that plugs into an outlet to receive the fixture's plug, and a battery-powered switch that fastens to the wall.
A radiator isn't getting hot.
Paint or rust may be freezing the bleeder valve. Trying to free it with a radiator key usually just breaks the key, which is made of soft metal. Instead, use needle-nose pliers to gently work the valve back and forth until it opens. That'll release pent-up air so that the radiator will fill with hot water again.
A compression faucet has a slow drip.
With the water shut off, open the faucet completely, tighten the valve-assembly hex nut, then close the faucet again. This will realign the valve so that it will close fully.
The wall outlet shifts when you plug in your coffeemaker.
This happens when the outlet isn't sandwiched tightly between the electrical box and the cover plate. Lock it in place using plastic electrical-outlet spacers (about $3; at hardware stores) that work like shims to bring the outlet flush with the wall.
The toilet is running.
Call Korky Toilet Repair's Flapper Finder hotline (800-528-3553) for technical service. Read them your model number from inside the tank, and they'll send you all the replacement parts and instructions you need to stop the gurgling.
Photo: Don Penny/Time Inc. Digital Studio A switch cover keeps coming loose.
Get longer cover screws at the home center. For ones in decorative finishes, such as the antiqued bronze screws shown here, try kyledesigns.com.
Photo: Ian Spanier The light hums when it's dimmed.
Dimmers work by flickering lights on and off so fast that we perceive less illumination, but that can cause the filament to vibrate. Upgrade to rough service bulbs, which have stronger filament supports. Find them at thelightbulbstore.net.
Water pipes bang when the washer kicks on and off at the start of each cycle.
Install pipe hangers along the supply lines in the basement to secure any loose sections. Wrap pipes in insulation where they penetrate floors or walls.
A set of ganged light switches isn't aligning with the cover.
Loosening the screws, shifting the switches, and retightening the screws is doing it the hard way. Just place a flathead screwdriver against the attachment tab of the switch you want to adjust and tap lightly with a hammer.
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