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Repairing a pair of nice shoes can be an expensive proposition, depending on the brand of footwear and the cobbler you choose. However, most shoes are constructed in a similar manner, making them relatively straightforward to repair if you're not afraid to get out some tools and go to work. Re-heeling that favorite pair of captoes or loafers yourself can save you significant money you can put toward that new pair you've been eyeing.
Paint scrapes don't have to be a permanent addition to the aesthetic of your furniture. Remove paint scrapes from furniture with help from an experienced furniture restoration specialist in this free video clip.
Urine is a tricky smell to remove from material like cloth diapers. Find out about the best way to remove the urine smell from cloth diapers with help from an experienced clothing professional in this free video clip.
Removing paint from vinyl windows always requires you to take a few precautions so that you don't damage the vinyl. Learn about the removal of paint from vinyl windows with help from an experienced window cleaner in this free video clip.
Bloom, also referred to as "spew," is a chalk-looking substance. Find out how to remove bloom on leather with help from a third generation owner of Arrow Leathercare in this free video clip.
Not all gum removal methods are created equal when it comes to carpeting. Find out about the beset way to remove gum from a carpet with help from a carpet cleaning professional in this free video clip.
A sloped ceiling, common in attic rooms, can make a space look small and closed in. The secret to minimizing the slope's appearance is to fool the eye so it doesn't focus directly on the ceiling. Light plays a major factor in making a room look bigger and more inviting, but using the correct paint color, paint type and painting technique also can help to camouflage the slope so the ceiling looks higher and the room feels more spacious.
Vitex trifolia "Purpurea" is a native of Southeast Asia and Australia. It is known by common names including Arabian lilac or chastetree. Whether you use this shrub as a foundation shrub, a single specimen or group several together as a hedge, the fuzzy, lavender-tinged foliage and purple flower clusters are breathtaking. The fragrant flowers attract butterflies and bees. Arabian lilac is an evergreen broadleaf shrub; it drops old leaves in the spring when the new season’s leaves emerge, so it adds texture and interest to your landscaping all year. Pruning invigorates this shrub. Arabian lilac blooms on new wood, so…
Managing snow and ice can be a major winter chore, especially if harsh winter weather is a fact of life where you live. One conventional tool for keeping driveways and sidewalks safe and clear is coarse rock salt, which reduces the melting temperature of ice, forcing it to melt and run off even on a cold day. The process of spreading salt is easier with a homemade salt spreader, which is easier to move than a heavy bag of salt, but can still hold enough salt to cover a large area.
Well Tempered Lab produces musical turntables designed for the utmost in audio quality. Also available from Well-Tempered are tonearms -- the moveable part of a turntable that transmits the pickup and allows the needle to trace the record groove. There are, in particular, three tonearms -- the Well Tempered Reference Arm, the Well Tempered Classic V Arm and the Well Tempered Record Player Arm.
You can use a number of different products to strip that old wall paint right off the walls in your home. Learn about removing old wall paint with help from a home improvement expert in this free video clip.
Outdoor gutters fade in time. While vinyl gutters do not require painting, aluminum and steel gutters benefit from a fresh coat of paint. Rust-Oleum is a common choice for painting existing gutters, protecting them from the elements. Repainting outdoor gutters with Rust-Oleum requires some preparation ensuring the paint adheres well to the gutters and offering long-lasting beauty and protection.
Fascia boards are typically 1-by-8-inch lumber that is installed under eaves and behind gutters. They support the gutters and work as part of the attic ventilation system. Fascia also fills the opening under the eaves preventing rodents from entering the attic. Because fascia boards serve so many functions, cupped boards cannot be repaired, they must be replaced. It is possible to replace only the damaged sections of board, but if more than one area of fascia is cupped, it’s better to replace the entire board.
Whitewashing is a process that slightly alters the appearance of a wood surface with a sheer coat of diluted white paint that allows the wood's character to show through. Many surfaces from wood cabinets to wood trim are whitewashed to give them a fresh, airy look. You can whitewash your wooden countertop using the same methods used for other surfaces and finish it to be suitable for food preparation and other regular kitchen uses.
Single stage urethane is a type of paint often used on cars to avoid the second step of applying a clear coat. In addition to being a timesaver, single stage urethane paint provides a durable, longlasting finish to your surface. Maintaining its shine benefits the appearance, while caring for the paint keeps it in good condition longer. You can get your single stage urethane shiny using simple steps and products that are both safe and effective for the surface.
Painting a surface is an inexpensive and generally easy way to change the look of a room or item. Unfortunately, several factors can cause bubbles to form on the latex paint, ruining an otherwise perfectly fine do-it-yourself project. With the right preparation, however, you can successfully roll the latex paint on the wood without bubbles forming.
Painting your kitchen cabinets or an old dresser is an inexpensive way to make over these and almost any other pieces of furniture. However, in your haste to finish the job you may have accidentally painted the drawers shut. Using brute force alone to open the drawers can damage the paint job and wood, creating an even bigger disaster. Use the correct technique and tools to perform this task and avoid ruining your freshly applied paint.
Unsightly chips on auto body panels compromise the overall appearance of your car, but removal and refurbishment is easy with the use of professional or DIY repair techniques. Car park damage, flying stones and keys contribute to the most types of superficial damage, and the chips they cause are usually small enough to repair independently. However, vehicle owners should always get body panels with large-scale damage refurbished by a professional accident repair specialist
In the past, tile was often set over metal lathe or chicken-wire backing. A hammer and chisel will remove newer tile installation, but when these tools are used to remove tile from a metal backing, the backing is often pulled up with the tiles making the task more difficult to complete. This is especially inconvenient if you prefer to keep the metal backing in place. Once the tile is removed from the surface, the metal backing can be removed.
Soffits sit on the underside of roof eaves and typically consist of wood, aluminum or vinyl. Although soffits have different designs, they all have holes that pull up exterior air into the attic space. This air provides ventilation and regulates the attic temperature. If you paint over a soffit, the holes clog with paint, preventing adequate ventilation. To remove and replace a painted soffit, you must cut through layers of paint first.
PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is made of plastic and vinyl and can be found in many products throughout your home, from ceiling tiles to pipes. With the right preparation it's possible to paint PVC, but homeowners are generally fine with the white finish most products come in. If you're doing a paint job and accidentally get primer on a PVC item, removing it is relatively easy. You can use inexpensive household products.
A leather headboard can instantly add a touch of elegance and sophistication to any bedroom. But a leather headboard with indentations can be more of an eyesore than a sophisticated embellishment. Indentations can form in leather from moving furniture, or may appear over time from general use. You can keep your leather headboard looking like it just came out of a showroom without treating it like a museum piece. Don't spend money having the leather repaired by a professional. All you need are a few things you probably already have around the house.
Plumbing repair and replacement usually involves lots of plumber’s tape wrapped around pipe threads in order to prevent water from dripping back out at the connection. Slip-on tub spouts don’t require plumber’s tape to be wrapped around anything, which looks a bit suspicious and like a leak waiting to happen. That’s not the case, though, as slip-on tub spouts are built to fit snugly on the pipe carrying water to the spout.
Galvanization is a process that serves to make metal stronger, more durable and more resistant to corrosion. Most items are galvanized using a hot-dipping or an electroplating process that coats the steel or iron with a layer of zinc. Iron and steel items that are designed for use outdoors, such as roofing and building materials, are frequently galvanized. Galvanization can impact the price if you sell iron or steel as scrap metal. Galvanized steel requires more processing during the recycling process, so the price paid for galvanized scrap tends to be slightly lower than the prices paid for nongalvanized scrap.
A stone fireplace makes an immediate visual impact within a space, likely making it a dominant piece of your room decor If your fireplace features out-of-date paint or stone that is simply in need of replacing, repainting or re-stoning the fireplace may prove a smart option. Either of these options can immediately transform the look of your fireplace, updating your decor element and giving your room as a whole a facelift.
Canvas ceilings are constructed from a stretched canvas material that is attached directly to the ceiling and whitewashed with calcimine paint. Calcimine paint is constructed from zinc-oxide, water and glue and was used widely to cover walls and canvas ceilings throughout the 19th and 20th century. The most effective way to restore your canvas ceiling is to clean and remove the loose and peeling calcimine before trying to prime and repaint the surface.
Peeling furniture such as wooden chairs with loose and chipped paint or wooden tables on which the veneer has become blistered or separated can mar the entire look of a room. Repair peeling furniture yourself and take time to prevent future peeling by adding primer as a paint base. Understanding how to address peeling furniture issues will save you money and help keep your furniture in good shape for years.
While the doors to your laundry room area may conceal unattractive laundry equipment, if they're worn and faded, they may be an eyesore. Spiff up your laundry area doors with a coat of paint, making them either blend in or stand out. Choose a paint color that suits your taste to give these doors an updated and fresh look.
A floor-to-ceiling fireplace demands attention based on sheer size alone. If your fireplace isn't ready to take center stage in your home, remodeling it is an option to change the look. You don't need to completely replace the fireplace to update it. Highlight the best features of the floor-to-ceiling fireplace while making changes to the other elements. Common options include painting or covering the existing fireplace material with something new. The changes make the fireplace look new without the expense of completely replacing the unit.
Years of moisture, dents and repainting can lead to uneven walls. The elements work against each other, revealing unsightly cracks and bubbles on what was once a smooth surface. A fresh layer of paint hides the uneven layers temporarily, but the problems often return with time. Prep work is required for a long-lasting solution to fix uneven walls. With the right tools, you can get your walls back into shape for years to come.
Drywall, or sheetrock, damage comes in two basic forms -- crevices and gouges. Paint alone can fix neither. You must use joint compound. To seal a crevice, embed paper drywall tape in joint compound over the crevice and perform several subsequent coats to hide the tape. To fill depressions, press a large amount into the divot or gouge. After you finish the repairs, use painting tricks to hide remaining areas of light damage.
Removing paint from windows is a tedious chore, and the older the paint, the more difficult the process becomes. Hand-scraping is usually the most efficient method to remove small splatters of paint, but if an entire window is coated with paint, a chemical stripper is the more practical option. Most strippers contain fume-producing chemicals, so open nearby windows and run fans for adequate ventilation.
Stair risers, also called toe-kicks, can sustain a great deal of wear. They are the vertical pieces between the back of one tread and the front of the next tread. When people walk or run up a staircase, they often kick the risers unintentionally, working them loose and causing damage. Stair risers can be restored to improve the overall appearance and wear of a staircase.
Sterling silver is a durable and valuable material. It is used to make a plethora of objects, including eating utensils, jewelry, serving trays, vases and coins. If you own a sterling silver mug and it has been painted, or perhaps has a paint spill on it, it should come off without damaging the silver. Note that it might not be paint on the mug but varnish, in which case you should try cleaning the mug with a silver cleaner or polish first.
Neither traditional DRYLOK nor latex-based DRYLOK are made for use on floors. While they do waterproof, the finish does not hold up to foot traffic. The company does not recommend using DRYLOK on floors that require waterproofing, even as a primer with additional layers of paint on top.
Chalk paint is a product put together by furniture painter Anne Sloan. It has a matte finish that shines with buffing. It is the matte look that led Ms. Sloan to describe the paint as chalky. This design is more of a brand name than a specialized formula. In other words, it will affect your bag when it splashes in the same way as any standard paint. Leather requires some delicate handling and care to avoid damaging the soft material when you need to clean the paint off.
Grape popsicles can make a very visible stain when dropped onto leather furniture or clothing. Since leather can't be tossed into the washing machine, other stain removal techniques are necessary. Fast treatment is the key to eliminating the stain completely because the longer it remains on the material the deeper it is likely to be. The spot left behind by a grape popsicle isn't oily, which makes it easier to remove than many other types of stains.
Leather is a durable, stylish and practical material for furniture, car seats, shoes and other clothing items. Leather is expensive, and you want your purchase to last a long time. An imprint in leather can be caused by the item being folded tightly or stored improperly or if something heavy is left on the leather long enough to cause a crease. If the imprinted area is not too deep or big, you can often remove the mark with humidity or heat.
While damp walls can affect the appearance of paint and wallpaper, the biggest danger is mold. There are over 50 types known to cause sickness in humans such as infections, sinusitis and asthma. To help ensure your walls are dry, you can tank them. This is a form of waterproofing, and when done correctly, ensures moisture does not invade your walls.
If you've had the misfortune of staining your favorite suede coat with puffy paint, there's no need to panic. It's entirely possible to salvage your coat without spending a ton of money cleaning it professionally. An effective do-it-yourself alternative exists that will remove the paint stain. This stain-removal method is also effective on a variety of suede items.
The standard protocol for painting a room suggests painting from the top down to the bottom, meaning that you should paint the ceiling first. After painting the ceiling, move on to the walls to apply the interior paint color of your choice. If you encounter painting mistakes as you work, you may need to get rid of the wall paint on the ceiling. Catch your mistakes quickly before the paint dries for best results.
Painting a room is a simple way to improve its appearance. As careful as you might be, it's easy to leave accidental paint drips. If latex paint has gotten on your untreated grout, the stain doesn't have to be permanent. With the right techniques and supplies, you can successfully remove latex paint from your untreated grout without damaging the grout.
The beauty of coved ceilings is in the gentle curved lines. Instead of a 90-degree angle where the room's walls and ceiling meet, the wall curves into the ceiling, leaving rounded edges. The curved area, or cove, is usually created with plaster or polystyrene over a wooden frame set into the corner. Like any wall or ceiling, coved ceilings may crack, requiring restoration.
Broken dish mosaics are one way to decorate a trivet in a creative and eco-friendly manner. Trivets, sturdy heat-proof flat surfaces, are useful items in the kitchen that will keep your counters and tables safe from damage from hot pans and casseroles. Inexpensive ceramic dishes found at thrift shops can be broken and recycled into these mosaic trivets with ceramic grout found at building supply stores. Lumberyards will often cut the round plywood trivet bases to order.
Paint is not permanent. Paint will crack on some surfaces, due to moisture and temperature changes, needing to be replaced. Make a mistake painting and it can be reversed, making it a versatile option in home decor. However, your approach to paint removal might differ depending on the type of paint you are trying to remove and the surface you are removing it from. Gentle approaches to paint removal are best, allowing you to preserve the surface underneath.
As the most common type of vandalism, graffiti plagues communities by devaluing public and private property. Vandals use spray paint or permanent markers on concrete building walls, freeway overpasses and street curbs. The porous nature of concrete soaks up paint, making it one of the most difficult surfaces from which to remove graffiti. Proper techniques can remove unsightly graffiti from concrete and keeping property graffiti-free lessens the likelihood of further vandalism.
A properly applied layer of spray paint should be smooth and attractive instead of riddled with small bumps. The bumps occur due to reasons such as improper cleaning of the surface before application or a rushed job. Sometimes the bubbles are simple enough to repair without a lot of work, but other times it’s necessary to completely redo the entire paint job to save it.
Appliance installation follows the same general process no matter what you're replacing, with each stage playing an integral role in how the machine functions. Missing a step could result in mechanical errors or the risk of fire or shock from the unit. If you plan to install a new appliance yourself, be sure to read through the manufacturer's directions for specific requirements, in addition to what the general process is.
Foley Belsaw is a Missouri-based manufacturing company that specializes in making grinders, sharpeners and chainsaw equipment for commercial and residential use. The company also has a training school for locksmithing. The Foley-Belsaw 297 is an electric-powered lawn mower blade sharpener. The 297 sharpens both smaller push-mower blades and larger blades like those on riding lawn mowers. The 297 uses a spinning wheel to sharpen the mower blades.
The Honeywell TH5000 series of digital thermostats can be wired to run your gas, oil or electric heater, and your air conditioner. The thermostat has a battery for power, or it can be powered through the wires coming from the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. You must disconnect the power to the furnace and air conditioner before disconnecting the old thermostat or wiring up the new Honeywell TH5000 series model. If you can't find the power switch on your furnace, turn off the power to the house at the circuit breaker box.
