Easy Steps On Tiling Your Kitchen Floor

Tiling is one job that most people would rather not learn how to do since it can be scary that you make some mistakes in the process. However, it is actually a lot easier than what many might think. In fact, it can save you a whole lot of money contrast to hiring a professional for the job. As long as you know the do’s and don’ts, then this task is a no-brainer for you.

Choosing Your Tiles

To start off, you have to choose the tiles that you want to use. You may get surprised with the number of variety choices when doing this. Tiles may come in different sizes, colors, textures, materials and finishes. There are times that you may encounter tiles with odd sizes. This is done on purpose by companies so that you would have to buy extra.

Choosing a tile highly depends on you. It can also depend on how you want the room to be and the over all design and feel of the room.

Measurements And Computations

You also need to measure out your floor area. You also have to deliberate on whether you want the tiles to go under any kind of fittings and units. Generally, it is better if you tile under the fittings. This is because if you would have to move appliances in the future, like a fridge, then you do not have to lift it up over the edge of your new tiles.

When you have chosen what kind of tile you want to use, you need to do some computations. You have to get your floor’s width and divide it by the width of one tile. This is to know the number of complete rows that you’ll have. Also, this can help you decide the optimal wall edge to place your cut tiles against.

Application

After doing the math, you can now start applying tiles on your floor. Be sure that you have an even coverage of adhesive placed on your sub-floor. The type of adhesive to use would depend on your sub-floor or the surface you are tiling. If it is a concrete floor, then you can use a rapid setting adhesive. However, be sure that you do not spread too much of the mixture at once, since it can set as fast as 30 minutes.

If it is a wooden sub-floor, then you need a flexible adhesive. You can know if an adhesive if flexible if it is written on the bag or the tub. If you have slate, then you need to use gray adhesive. If you’ll be having marble, then you need a white adhesive. This is so that no color coming from the underside would bleed and ruin your design.

Grouting

When you are done fixing your tiles on the floor, and after you have allowed enough time for it to dry, then you would have to do some grouting. If you have natural tiles, like marble, slate, limestone, granite, travertine, and porcelain, you need to seal them first before you can grout them. You have to use a specialized impregnating sealer so that they will be waterproof and can be more resistant to dirt and staining.

Mix up the grout and apply it using a grout float to your tiles. Try to work over the gaps until they’re all filled. If you have white marble tiles, then you
need to use a white grout instead of gray since the gray kind can stain the marble.

To finish off, wipe out the excess grouts that are bulging from your tiles using a sponge. Also, use a grout finisher or your finger to smooth out the grout lines. After this, stand back, relax and chill while you wait for your work to dry up!

Easy Do-It-Yourself Paint Repairs

Paint is considered to be the clothes of your house. Although paint problems may look ugly and major, you can actually be saved from the obligation of calling a professional painter and spending huge amounts of money on them. You yourself can be your very own Picasso in doing paint retouches of your house.

Break Down

All kinds of paint, whatever brand it may be, can only last for a specified number of years on your wall, before the break down process starts showing. When you are experiencing paint break down, it basically means
that the first or primary layer on the surface is weakening.

This problem is commonly experienced in old houses that have several paint layers. When the break down process starts, paint will start cracking and peeling from your wall or your wood surface. Because of this, your wood or drywall will be exposed.

To fix this, try scraping or pressure washing your surface. After that, fill any holes using putty if it is wood or spackle if it is a wall surface. After filling in, get a sand paper and fine sand the surface.

When you’re done, wipe of the dust and let it completely dry. Basically, when you pressure wash or when it is raining, 24 hours should be allotted for the surface to dry. Once you’re sure that it is dry, and then you can start painting.

Moisture Build-Up

Another cause of paint cracking is moisture build-up, leak or excessive condensation.

Most probably, you can find mildew and mold along with this problem. This kind of problem is often experienced in the bathroom. However, it can also
occur in other parts of the house because of leaky roofs and close outdoor shrubs. Your paint can sag down due to the moisture. But in this case, you won’t see any chipping debris.

If moisture build-up is the cause of your pain cracking, then you would have to do another remedy. Since you will be targeting on the mildew, and if it
is an interior surface that you are fixing then you can make use of a solution that consists of three parts water and one part bleach. If it is an exterior
surface, you can wash it off using an exterior solution intended for pressure washers.

Both of these can be bought at your local shop. You can also try renting a pressure washer from some stores that provide services like these during the weekend.

Fading Color

The last most experienced paint problem would be fading color. This is usually experienced with surfaces on the exteriors of the house. However, it
can also occur indoors when specific colors were used for the walls. Paint color fades when it exposed too much to the sun.

To avoid this kind of problem, most people would try no to use bright and bold colors such as deep red. If you have an affinity for deep colors, but don’t like the fading ones, then try to look for hues which have a ruddy or golden tone with them.

You can try consulting a paint associate about this. Try to find out how much red oxide or yellow oxide colorant was mixed for the specific color that you want. Basically, if the paint associate says that each colorant has about 1 ounce or so in the tint base to create the color, then you have spotted a color that can resist fading for a very good period of time.

Easy Cartridge Faucet Repair You Can Do!

Repairing a modern type of cartridge faucet can be one of the easiest home repairs that you can do. In general, anybody can do this, with or without
experience with plumbing. In fact, you can even coach someone over the phone about the whole process and still get good results. All you would need is pay close attention, and you would be done in no time!

General Problems

The most common problems encountered in cartridge faucets, is usually caused by a problem in the interior cartridge, which usually wears and tears over time. Nevertheless, there is no need to worry since this type of faucet was created with simplicity of repair in mind.

Getting Started: Purging The Lines

To start off, you need to purge your water lines. In order to do this, you should turn off the entire water source that is running to your faucet. Try looking beneath your faucet and there you can see the shut off valve that cuts of the water source. If you don’t have one somewhere near your faucet, then you would have to turnoff the main valve.

If you have to deal with the main valve, take note that it would take you longer to purge. Most households have a shutoff valve feature that is
directly placed under the sink, so it is the least of possibilities that you need to shutoff the main valve.

After you have cut the water source, turn on the faucet. Let the water keep on running. Try to wait until all the water in the pipes has emptied, and
before you proceed to the next step, double check first if the water lines are really empty.

Working On The Faucet

Now, to start working on the faucet itself, you need to remove the sink handles. You would have to unscrew them. Locate the protective cap and pop it off. This is where you would usually find the screw. You can use
a butter knife or a screwdriver to do the trick. While doing this, try to be very careful so that you do not scratch it. In this way, it would still look nice after the job. Now you can start unscrewing the knobs until you completely remove them.

If you already know which type of cartridge it is that you need, then the better. If you don’t you can simply bring your old one to your local hardware and people there will be able to help you out.

Once you get the new cartridge, go back and install it. Then, replace the knobs. When you are done with this, try testing out the water. If the test runs smoothly without problems, then you are done.

However, if you experience some water leaks during the test, you have to do some adjustment again. Turn off the water source and take off the knobs once more. Try to check and ensure that you placed the cartridge in the right position. If it’s not, then try to maneuver it into the right place.

Put the knobs back into place and turn on the water source again. Try the water test once more. If this time it runs smoothly, then you have reached success with your repair. If you are still experiencing problems, then you may have a problem coming from a different source.

Easy And Safe Gas Furnace Repairs That You Can Do

A lot of people consider the furnace as one of their home’s most important equipments, which is very much true most especially during cold winter months, when getting some heat intake is very important. Additionally this is the very reason why knowing how to fix your furnace incase some troubleshooting problems arise can be very invaluable.

On And Off Problems

If your furnace keeps on turning on and off, this is usually just a simple problem with the unit’s heat anticipator. To start repairing, simply locate your thermostat and open it. When you open the box, you will see inside a small disk that is located in the middle. Take a good look at the disc. You will see that it has a number of calibration notches.

Take a closer look and you will find the word “LONGER” on it. Then, try to find a small handle that touches a wire. Once you locate that small handle, turn it towards the word “LONGER”.

After completing the steps, turn on your furnace and let it run for a few hours. If it works alright, then you’re done. However, if the furnace is still turning on and off, just repeat the steps given above. Continue doing so until the problem stops.

Shut Down Problems

This problem is also an easy one, which is similar to the first problem. All you have to do is remove your unit’s thermostat cover, then follow the said steps in the first problem. But, in this case, what you have to do is turn the clockwise to “SHORTER”, instead of moving it toward “LONGER”. This should fix your problem. If it doesn’t just repeat the steps until you get it working.

No Heat Generation If your unit is not generating heat, then the problem is most probably the pilot light. Try to checking out your pilot light and see if it is turned on or if it is out. If you found it to be out, then you would have to relight it. In case you do not know how to relight it, simply consult your unit’s manual or contact your manufacturer. This is a relatively easy task that you can do by simply following some simple instructions.

No Air

If your unit is running but doesn’t blow any air, then here is how you repair it. First, you should turn off the power of your unit. Also, you should turn off the gas from the gas valve which is serving your furnace. Then, remove the door of your furnace cabinet so you can have access to your blower.

When you already have full access, check out the number that is stamped on the belt of your furnace. Then, go to your local shop and get an exact replacement of the belt.

Once you’ve got the replacement belt, then go back to your furnace cabinet and install the new belt. Generally, you can just slip it on your motor’s smaller pulley then put it on your motor’s blower pulley. Try rotating the blower pulley using your hand, while you hold the belt in place. Be careful
from having your fingers caught though.

If you get this right, you should be able to get the belt right in place. If it looks a little too tight, then you may need to adjust the motor mount so there can be more slack in the fixture. After adjusting, try to retighten the tension again, once you have the belt in the right place.

It would be better to check your manufacturer’s specifications regarding the proper tension needed for your unit. Generally, your belt should deflect at least about an inch whenever you press it down.

Everyone wishes they had their own live in handyman, but sadly this is not always possible. But don’t panic, you can still do certain jobs around the house that are easy for anyone to do.

• Repair things quickly before they end up damaged beyond repair.
• Research how to do something on the internet. Believe it or not how to do most things are on there. You can even see how to change your oil in your car on Youtube.
• Everyone can fill holes in plaster and use a paint brush. Stop making excuses. 
• Most repair jobs take more manual labor than skill.

One little leaking tap can cost you big time if you have to call a handyman to do the job. They all have a minimum callout fee you know! A leaking tap is usually a matter of replacing a washer so what I did was when I was buying the washer, I grilled the hardware salesperson for all the details on how to do it. The hardware was trying to run away from me, however in the end I saved between $100 and $200. Now whats wrong with that?