Around the kitchen. Wooden drawers sticking? Humid air causes wood to swell. Remove the drawer and rub the rails and bottom of the drawer with wax paper or cooking oil for a quicker slide.
Around the dorm. Got to do a quick camouflage of small nail holes in the wall? Give them a spackle with white toothpaste.
Pipes frozen? Use a hairdryer to defrost. Don’t focus the heat on one spot. Keep the warm air moving. Prevent frozen pipes during extreme cold snaps by keeping a small stream of water running from a faucet at the lowest part of the house. Also wrap an electric heat tape around the water pipes.
How do I remove paint on my hardwood floors? There are splatters everywhere! Also, how do I go about re-sanding and re-sealing those hardwood floors professionally? - Messy Painter
Dear Messy Painter,
How you remove the paint depends on how embedded it is in the wood. If the stains are on the surface you can wipe them away with paint remover applied with a paint brush, using light brush strokes. You can also use stain removing products. If the stain is deep into the wood then gently rub with a fine grit sandpaper. Go slow. Be patient. That done, sand and refinish the floors. You can sand and reseal the floors yourself and still have a “professional” look simply by taking your time and reading the directions on the product packages and the equipment guidebook. You can rent sanding equipment and materials from the hardware store. Neighborhood hardware stores always seem to have people with great advice and experience if you need a live body. Talk with them. One important tip when using a power sander is to keep the sander moving. If you rest in a spot you can gouge the floor.
I have a brick facade on my house and I want to drill two holes to put up a decorative hose holder. Will I split the brick using a masonry bit? - Yvonne
Dear Yvonne,
Your best bet is to …
