handyman tagged posts

Thanks to the Toolbox Tomgirl for this issue of Tips from the Pros, about how long appliances typically last.

“Fake it ’til you make it.” I have no idea who said those words to me first. I remember hearing them when I was a kid and thinking they were so stupid. Some adult must have made them up to make me feel better about some sport I was trying to play. I always sucked at sports. I had no skill and was the sister of the captain of the football team. That should tell you enough.

When I became an adult and wanted to become part of the man’s world of construction those words were REALLY important to me. I had to fake it because I had a lot to learn and I didn’t want to look like an idiot. I knew I had to at least “look” like I knew what I was doing...

Thanks to the Toolbox Tomgirl for this episode of Tips from the Pros, about painting a room.

Have you ever walked into a room and saw, black…if not a very deep burgundy wall color….what was your first reaction!?!? Maybe, scream…run away…thinking – “How will I ever be able to cover this up!?!?”

First, let me start off by saying that if you are going over a dark color you will need to use a primer to cover the old color, or you will get a blend of the two colors (old + new) and it may not look like what you were expecting. (And yes, I know this from experience – the wall turned out like baby throw up….yuck.) Also, spackle and fill any nail holes or imperfections. Be sure to sand smooth your areas and use a tack cloth to remove the drywall dust)...

Thanks to Toolbox Tomgirl for this episode of Tips from the Pros staying safe while keeping warm this winter.

Although I personally have converted my wood burning fireplace to a pellet stove to supplement my electric heat, I want to offer some safety tips to those of you that are still using wood stoves and fireplaces. Because more than one-third of us are using wood burning stoves, fireplaces and other fuel burning appliances as a primary heat source, I feel it important to know some basic rules. Also, statistics show that heating fires account for 36 percent of residential home fires in rural areas every year.

With that said, please consider the following:

1. Have your chimney, wood stove (and pellet stove) heating flues inspected and cleaned annually by a certified and licensed chimn...