Category: Home Painting

After pulling up your old vinyl composition tile floors, you are very likely to be left using VCT adhesive residue all over the subfloor. This adhesive may appear easily or might be more stubborn, based on which kind of adhesive you have. To make the project manageable, determine which kind of paste remover will work on your distinct adhesive, either by requesting the manufacturer or using trial and error.

Precautions

Before you begin scraping at the adhesive or trying to dissolve it, then be sure that it doesn’t contain asbestos. In case the adhesive is out of the 1970s or earlier, it might be poisonous, and you shouldn’t do anything to it till you’ve had it tested by professionals. In case you haven’t eliminated the tile however, have these tests done before you begin. If the tile was set up after the 1970s, the adhesive ought to be safe, and you may begin experimenting with solvents or less toxic alternatives.

Solvents

Paint thinners, industrial adhesive solvents and mineral spirits can dissolve many kinds of VCT adhesive. Because solvent-based adhesive removers produce toxic fumes, ventilate the area as well as possible, wear protective gloves and clothing and do not pose any open flames to the room. Apply a solvent into a cloth, and sponge it over the adhesive. Allow the solvent to dissolve or soften the adhesive, then scrape up the remnants using a hand scraper. Although solvents are generally the fastest way to remove old adhesive, they are also the most poisonous, so if you have the time, think about using a different system.

Alternative Strippers

Many manufacturers of adhesive strippers also make environmentally friendly, less toxic alternatives. Some of the products use citric acid, which gives them an orangelike odor and makes them relatively safe to use. Other products use soy derivatives to dissolve adhesive. These alternative strippers work more gradually than the solvents, so check the labels to ascertain how long to allow them to work before scratching off the adhesive. Though these products release milder fumes, then you should still ventilate the room as you work.

Heat and Elbow Grease

Some adhesives do not need any kind of chemical stripper in any way. If you’re fortunate enough to have a glue that dissolves under heat, you can just blast the ground a section at a time using a hairdryer or steamer and then scrape up the resulting mess. This technique might require more physical effort on your part since the scratching might be harder work. However, you’ll avoid any potential toxic effects of chemical fumes, along with a hairdryer will not leave the area smelling funny for times how a commercial stripper can.

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Wood looks great in any color with correctly applied paint. Painters learn the secret to a fantastic paint job is prep. The current finish and the kind of wood ascertain what preparation is essential before painting wood. Plywood, particleboard and walnut walnut want more prep that quality hardwoods, but all kinds of wood can appear equally smooth under a painted wood finish.

Safety First

Wear a dust respirator and safety goggles or safety glasses with side shields while cleaning and sanding. Use a compound respirator when working together with the solvents on sealers, primers and naphtha. Wear rubber or plastic gloves for all wood finishing tasks, not just for the sake of your palms, but also to safeguard the wood surfaces from the natural oils of your palms. Keep the work area clear of debris, tools and cords.

Filling

Fill nail holes with wood putty. Avoid overfilling since putty expands. Squeeze extra filling off the surface of the hole with a putty knife. Fill large knot holes on flat surfaces with spackling compound and a putty knife. Use the spackling to create smooth edges and sharp corners on manufactured wood products and plywood. Use a gloved finger to disperse spackling over router-beveled edges. Allow to dry for a hard surface.

Sanding

Sand wood down to a smooth surface in stages, with a development of coarse, medium and fine sandpaper. Sand with the grain to prevent visible scratches from the painted wood finish. Sand fillings flush with the surfaces. Use a router with a matching bit to sand the spackling onto a beveled border. Use a vibration breaker or random orbital sander for flat surfaces. Sand hard to reach crevices with an oscillating tool fitted with wood sand paper attachments.

Finishing

Scrub new wood with naphtha to take out resin prior to finishing wood. Seal all surfaces with a shellac sealer to prevent oils and resin from soaking through the end. Allow to dry to touch and sand smooth before applying another coat. Apply a primer on the sealer and let it dry thoroughly before painting wood. Apply a couple of coats of paint allowing each to dry before applying the next.

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Drapes using a rubber backing can provide your utility bill with a slight reprieve. In the summer, the curtains protect rooms from sunlight and heat to keep them cooler, while during colder months that the drapes block drafts and supply an extra layer of insulation to maintain a house warmer. The most element that offers these benefits, however, requires extra care and gentle treatment when you wash the drapesthe plastic backing.

The Washing Machine Method

Set your washing machine into the gentle cycle, then fill it with cold water and add the appropriate amount of detergent. The packaging to the detergent will generally dictate how much to use, or you can judge the measurement according to previous experience. For darker curtains you might want to utilize a color-safe detergent to help prevent bleeding or fading. Promptly remove the curtains after the cycle has finished, because prolonged exposure to the moisture from the washing machine could lead to mildew to form.

Hand Wash Outside

Hand washing the curtains is a gentler method than washing them, and is preferable when the status of the rubber backing on the curtains is weakened or there aren’t any signs of rubs or rips. Hang the curtains on a clothesline outside to supply the easiest access to all or most of the fabric at a single moment. Saturate the curtains and lightly rub in laundry detergent using a sponge or your hands, paying special attention to regions where stains or dirt have accumulated. Then rinse the curtains until each of the soap has washed away.

Hand Wash Indoors

If hand washing the curtains outside isn’t a feasible option, you can use a bathtub filled with cold water instead. In the same way, you must first boil the curtains in the water, then wash them with laundry detergent and rinse them until each of the detergent has been eliminated. Since the bathtub doesn’t allow for much distance, it will take a bit of maneuvering, shifting and sometimes folding over of larger, bulky curtains to be certain everything is properly washed, but it could surely be done.

Remove Wrinkles

No matter how you washed them, the drapes should be left to dry thoroughly either on a flat, clean surface or hanging from a clothesline or sturdy curtain rod. Avoid any harm to the rubber backing by preventing the impulse to ring or twist out excess water. Due to the agitation cleaning the curtains might have caused, you could be left with a couple of wrinkles. For any wrinkles that don’t naturally disappear in the drying process you can iron the fabric side of the curtains on a low setting. Take precaution not to leave the iron on any one place for too long — you do not wish to expose the rubber backing to heat.

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The process of acid-washing your pool eliminates unsightly stains as a result of algae buildup and hard water. Once your water starts to appear murky and unusually black or green, it is very likely your pool could use an acid-wash to wash this up. While you’re able to perform this process yourself, it is ideal to leave it to a professional service to prevent damaging the plaster surface of the pool.

The Pool from the Black Lagoon

Without routine maintenance, your pool water will start to allow the development of algae. Algae growth that sits in your pool for months or more at a time will stain the porous plaster from this pool so intensely that you won’t be able to eliminate it with routine scrubbing. Generally, if you can not find the bottom of your pool through the slimy water, then it has been sitting long enough to warrant an acid-wash. After scrubbing it another indication your pool requires an acid-wash is the rapid growth of algae. Spores can seep deep within the plaster that is and continue.

Scrub a Dub Dub with Acid from the Tub

To acid-wash your pool, you’ll need to drain all the water out of it, using a pump. Wet the walls with a hose of the pool. Mix equal portions hydrochloric acid also referred to as muriatic acid water and — to spray the surfaces of the pool. Scrub the acid mixture into the plaster surface for about 30 seconds, with a brush. Wash away the acid with water to stop it. Based on the depth of these stains within the pool, you may need to replicate this process. Once full, neutralize the contaminated water with soda ash and then pump the rinse water out of the pool.

To Acid-Wash or Not To Acid-Wash

Your pool generally only requires an acid-washing each five to seven years if you frequently treat and take care of the water in it, recommends the Bratton Pools site. Acid-washing your pool often can harm the plaster coating within the pool since the acid strips off a little layer of it every time you do it. Rather than acid-washing a slightly cluttered pool, manually scrub it with no acid or with a chlorine alternative to prevent damaging the plaster. This could be enough to wash out the pool. Be aware that you should never acid-wash vinyl-lined pools, which only require cleaning with solvents and conditioners.

Acid Is a Dangerous Thing

Even though you are able to acid-wash yourself with substances found in any pool supply shop, if you do not understand what you are doing, you could seriously harm your pool or injure yourself. When acid-washing a pool, then you need to wear protective equipment because of the caustic nature of the chemicals, which can burn your skin and cause respiratory damage if inhaled. For safety reasons, always execute an acid-wash with one other person serving you. Improperly washing your pool with acid may not just harm the plaster, but could cause discoloration. Consult with a professional pool cleaner concerning acid-washing to prevent problems with your pool.

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It may have been there for weeks, or you might have recently caused it yourself. But once you notice, it’s just like the elephant in the room. The dent on your own coffee table appears to raise and get deeper. If you can’t take your eyes off it, then it’s time to get involved and manage it just like a professional. Woodworkers employ a simple trick to eliminate ugly dents. If this does not work, you can always get out power tools and eliminate it the traditional way.

Eliminate the Iron

Apply a drop of water into the dent by means of a cotton swab. Fill the dent completely.

Fold a small cotton fabric four times or till it’s around the size of a quarter in diameter. Place the folded fabric right on the dent.

Put on the tip of a hot iron into the cloth directly over the dent. Hold the iron in place until steam stops rising the fabric gets dry. Examine the dent.

Repeat Steps 1, 2 and 3 in case you can still find the dent.

Eliminate the Sander

Sand the surface of the table with an orbital sander using 100-grit sandpaper. Sand back and forth above the table parallel with the grain till the finish is eliminated. Change the sandpaper as needed once it fails to function correctly.

Apply wood putty into the dent using a putty knife. Use sufficient force to create a smear of putty that fills the dent and extends above it by 1/4 inch around the perimeter. Allow the putty to dry.

Sand the camel and putty smooth using a hand-sanding cube using 120-grit sandpaper. Sand with strokes parallel to the grain.

Apply a wet coat of matching stain into the tabletop with a soft fabric. Wipe off the stain immediately using a dry cloth. Allow the stain to dry.

Spray the camel using one coat of lacquer and allow it to dry. Sand the camel with 180-grit sandpaper. Spray the camel with another coat of lacquer.

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Bathroom drains are subject to clogs from gathered hair and soap scum. Chemical drain cleaners can be found to clear your drains, but the harsh chemicals are tough on pipes, especially older ones. With eco-friendly home treatments, you can keep your drains running freely and prevent costly plumbing penalties.

Clearing Drains

Remove the stopper by pulling it upwards. If the stopper doesn’t pull out easily, it may be held in place with a pivot rod. Look under the sink for a nut which retains the pivot rod set. Unscrew the nut. Use pliers when it’s tough to turn. Pull the pivot rod out to release the stopper.

Clear hair trapped across the stopper. Wash the stopper with dish soap and water.

Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup white vinegar to the drain. It will begin to foam.

Place the stopper back in the drain to cover it. Wait five minutes until the mix stops foaming.

Remove the stopper and pour boiling water to the drain to clear away debris. Reinstall the stopper. For a pivot-rod type, line up the pivot rod with the slot in the stopper. Replace the nut to the pivot rod and tighten by hand. Run water in the sink and await leaking across the nut. If there’s any leaking, tighten the nut further using pliers.

Clearing Stubborn Hair Clogs

Remove the sink stopper in the drain (see step 1, above).

Bend a wire clothes hanger to form a little hook which will fit down the drain. Reach down the drain with the clothing hanger to fish out hair.

Flush the drain with hot water. Replace the stopper (see step 5, above).

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The time for the latter might be today for black kitchen appliances if it’s correct that design tendencies enjoy a replay after which a heyday. After years of conveyor facades steel is now sharing center stage with basic black. If you are falling again to the look of the bold kitchen color, but not enough to buy a dishwasher, then you can make a quick update and stick one or paper that is pre-sized to match your own appliance.

Clean front of your dishwasher together with the household cleaner you normally use to eliminate dirt, oil and dust. Stick to this surface cleaning with a thorough cleaning. Mix a 50-50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle, squirt the surface and wipe with paper towels.

Measure the dimensions of your dishwasher and write the amounts down. Cut a large piece of peel in case your newspaper isn’t already pre-cut, following the cutting lines onto the back of the newspaper and stick paper. Magnetic dishwasher covers can be found in types that are low-tack.

Hold the cut paper up against the front of the dishwasher. Peel back this paper’s corner and press it up against the corner of this dishwasher. Smooth the upper part of this newspaper to this dishwasher’s corner, smoothing the paper as you do exerting pressure. Pick up the newspaper and make some alterations now before covering the remainder of the dishwasher and going down.

Peel the paper down since you smooth the paper moving to the left from the center to the right and then from the center and operate from the middle of the dishwasher side. This method should help minimize the creation of any wrinkles or creases in the newspaper. Continue to flatten the newspaper using the fabric that is soft till you reach the base of the panel.

Measure back from your work and examine it. Do not worry over the presence of an air bubblejust pop it and flatten it with the fabric. If the stick and peel paper is misaligned unpeel it from the corner and attentively reapply it. Flatten the most tiny of wrinkles using a charge card. Make any alterations as soon as possible; many peel and stick papers”cure” within a few hours.

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A soggy mattress soon takes about a musty odor, and within a day or two, may even begin to grow mold deep inside it. Needless to say, not each wet mattress is salvageable. If the bed was at a flood, the water likely was contaminated with biohazards and dangerous substances or fuel. In that case, even if you could sanitize the inside of the mattress sufficiently, mold from Persistent moisture could invade unseen. Mattresses that prevent complete saturation — such as the ones wet from spills, rainwater leaks, water used to put out a minor fire or similar origins — can be salvaged, as long as you operate fast and dry them thoroughly.

Blot the humidity up if the spill or wet area was minor and little. Use a clean, absorbent cloth or towel and then apply as much pressure as possible to force the moisture from the bed, to the drying pad. Follow using a hairdryer, set on high. Hold the hairdryer a few inches in the bed surface and then apply heat for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Allow the area to cool down completely before deciding if it’s dry or not. After 30 minutes, then proceed to another drying method.

Sprinkle clean kitty litter over the mattress surface. Apply pressure on the litter to force moisture from the bed and in the absorbent littler. Put a cloth or towel over the litter before pressing, if you would like. Wait an hour or two and press again. Suck up the litter using a vacuum. Repeat with fresh litter if moisture remains, then vacuum. Follow with heat from a blow dryer or proceed to another drying method if moisture remains.

Flip up the bed, on its side, and securely prop it in position so there’s at least two feet of air space on both sides. Put a fan in the end, blowing down both sides, or utilize two fans to point straight at the bed on each side. Open windows in the room and flip on ceiling fans, as applicable, to make just as much air movement in the room as possible. Turning the heat up, with a space heater — set as a safe distance from the bed — or similar steps also help quicken drying.

Otherwise, take the bed outside. Establish a platform, if at all possible, such as concrete blocks or sawhorses, to break the bed on and allow maximum air movement. Otherwise, turn the bed on its side and securely prop it up. Allow the mattress to remain outside in the wind and sun until it’s dry. Speed the drying procedure using a couple fans, hooked to extension cords, pointed in the bed. Return the bed inside once it’s totally dry.

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Sink cabinets are subject to water damage. No matter how well maintained the sink pipes may be, badly water constantly ends up inside the cabinets, causing unprotected timber to grow mold and decay out. There is no way to safeguard a cabinet from all harm, but a fantastic polyurethane finish will go a very long way to maintaining the wood.

Preparing the Cabinet

Begin prepping the cabinets using a hardwood cleaner-bleach to remove all the dirt and grease accumulation. As soon as you remove all the dirt, mold and grease from inside the cabinet, let the cabinets set for 24 hours before applying a heat lamp to finish drying out the timber. Once the wood is totally dry, then sand the wood smooth at measures. Start the sanding procedure with a tough, 100-grit sandpaper, then a 150-grit sandpaper and finally a 200-grit sandpaper.

Seal the Wood

Now you’ve got a beautiful, smooth, wooden surface to utilize, make confident the wooden surfaces are completely free of any sawdust before you apply the sealer. Vacuum out the cabinet using a shop vac or even your family vacuum when it’s a wand attachment. Then, to guarantee that the wood is totally dust free, wipe it down with a tack cloth after vacuuming. Once the surfaces are dust free, brush on the sealer and let set for 24 hours.

Applying the Polyurethane

Polyurethane comes in two kinds, an oil base and also a water base. Don’t use the water-based selection, although cleaning your brushes subsequently is merely a matter of washing them out with soap and water. You want to work with the oil-based polyurethane for the best protection against water damage. Brush on the oil-based polyurethane protective finish using smooth, long strokes, tilting each breath to completely cover the timber. Do not forget to cover the edges of the gaps around the pipes. Apply at least two coats of the polyurethane, allowing 24 hours to elapse between coats.

Seal All the Openings

To completely protect the inside of your kitchen sink cabinet, you will need to seal all the gaps where the sink’s hot and cold water pipes enter the cabinet and where the waste pipe exits the cabinet. The easiest way to do so is to simply fill the holes with an expanding foam insulation available in aerosol sprays in any hardware store or home center.

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A mattress that got a little wet or stained may be reconditioned by cleaning and freshening it. Before you tackle the job, be sure that the mattress is worth saving and healthful to conserve if the mattress was submerged in water or covered in mould, it’s ideal for your health to discard it and purchase a new one.

When to Recondition a Mattress

In some cases — when the mattress is fairly new and the harm or wetness is limited to a small area — a bed is worth salvaging, for instance, if a baby or dog made a mess on the bed or even if a beverage spilled onto it. If the mattress was submerged in flood water, it ought not be reconditioned, since the water can contain toxins or germs that remain behind even following the mattress dries. A mattress covered in mould should also not be salvaged; the mold can cause or exacerbate health concerns.

Spills and Moisture-Based Problems

Act as quickly as possible when dealing with any kind of moisture affecting your mattress — the longer the liquid sits, the deeper it may travel in the mattress, resulting in potential bacteria or mould growth and lingering smells. Blot up the liquid when possible with paper towels or old absorbent towels, then swapping them regularly until no more moisture comes up. If the liquid is anything apart from clean water, wipe the area of the spill with a slightly damp sponge or cloth to help prevent stains and smells. For items that might result in odors or bacteria, like spilled glue, wipe the area again with a few drops of a mild dish soap combined into 2 cups of warm water, first wringing the majority of the moisture from the sponge or cloth. Wash the fabric, wipe the area again to remove soap residue, and blot any remaining moisture with fresh towels or paper towels. Pick out the bed outside or open the windows and turn on a fan or two to dry the bed before placing any bedding atop it.

Odor Issues

Sprinkle baking soda over a bed that smells less than brand new to help absorb and remove the odor; that may also be done after cleaning liquids. Vacuum up the baking soda after it stays for 20 to 30 minutes with an upholstery brush attachment. If the odor affects the sides or opposite side of the mattress, treat those areas as well, propping up or switching the bed to do so. If possible, set the mattress out to a dry, sunny day for at least a couple of hours to help the whole bed air out. This also can help remove inherent moisture the mattress absorbs while you sleep about it.

Easy Fix for the Uncomfortable Standard Mattress

If you have an old-fashioned innerspring bed, failure to rotate or flip it could make it feel a bit uncomfortable or cause it to prematurely wear out. Rotate the bed so the head area sits in the foot of the bed at least twice a year to keep it in top form. If your mattress may be reversed, flip it at least once every year to prolong its life and the degree of relaxation it gives. Do not turn a pillow-top or memory foam mattress, as these are designed not to be reversed.

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