Home Maintenance Tips
Good home design starts with good home maintenance. Decorative painting is fine, but a sticky dresser drawer needs attention first.
Worn Drawers
After years of use, the bottom rails of wood drawers sometimes wear grooves in the front cross members of dressers. A repeated build-up of Plastic Wood will give you a strong, wear-resistant surface that can be sanded smooth and waxed. The drawer will fit well and operate smoothly.
Socket Sense
One drop of oil on the thread of a light bulb will prevent corrosion between the socket and bulb. This is especially effective for outdoor fixtures.
Squeaky Madness
Are squeaky doors driving you mad? Here's a simple remedy. Cut a l/2-in. diameter circle of felt and punch a hole in the middle to form a felt washer. Put this under the top of the pin on the door hinge and saturate with oil. It will be squeaky-free for years. If oil gets sticky, a few drops of alcohol will soften it. Squeaky floors can be silenced from the surface by lubricating the board edges with oil. Be sure to wipe surface clean.
Fine Furniture Finish
For a super fine finish on newly stained or varnished furniture, dip a small piece of fine, black sandpaper into warm, soapy water and rub lightly over the surface. Keep it wet as you work. Wipe away all residues before applying clear furniture paste wax.
Resticking Veneer
Veneer lifting? Wrap a kitchen spatula with sticky-back sandpaper (3M), insert under the veneer, and rub back and forth to remove dried glue before regluing. Insert glue under the veneer, and then weight it down with several books.
Painting Around Hinges
When painting anything with a hinge attached, such as kitchen cabinets, coat the hinges with rubber cement. When the paint is dry, rub the rubber cement off the hinges with your fingers or a gum eraser.
Sanding In Tough Places
To sand chair rails or other curved areas before painting, place a strip of Press N' Sand paper on the palm of your hand and rub back and forth.
Wobble Away
Glue a button to the bottom of a wobbly chair or table leg.
Painting Tight Corners
To get paint into tight corners, cut the paintbrush bristles into a V-shape.
Copyright Leslie Linsley, author
Reprinted with permission, HouseNet, Inc.