Drywall/ Plaster Repair In the city where I do most of my rehabilitation work, all the houses are 90 to 100 years old. Cracks and holes in the plaster are common. Often, holes in ceiling plaster are the result of water infiltrating either from the roof, or from a split plumbing line. Holes in walls are often the result of vandalism, but could be the sign of more serious foundation issues. Once the root cause is fixed I normally patch the area with inch drywall. Perform this task by placing a piece of inch drywall over the hole (lathe must be present behind the drywall). Secure the drywall to the hole with at least 2 drywall screws. Insert your roto-zip near the edge of your hole and cut the drywall by pressing the rotozip blade against the remaining plaster. Once your piece is cut, secure it with multiple drywall screws, mud the gaps, tape, re-mud then sand to a smooth finish. When dealing with floors bellow ground level if Basment Waterproofing is needed call a professional like before you Repair the walls.
Basic Water Pipe Repair Usually the hardest part of water pipe repair is finding the leak. You do this by turning on the water, listening for falling water, then visually inspecting where the water is coming from. Once you find the leak, cut out the old section of pipe and cut a section of new pipe to replace it. It is very important to dry the ends of the pipe and rough up the end of the old and new sections of pipe with your sandpaper. Apply flux to each section of pipe and to a coupler that will be used to join the pieces. Put the new section in place. Heat the coupler with your butane torch and apply solder around the edges of the coupler. Once it is sealed all the way around, allow the solder to dry and move on to the next leak.
Drain Repair Clogged drains are a very common problem. When a working drain gets clogged, Draino or a quick snake will often do the trick. If that doesn't work, unscrew the drainpipe and inspected for clogs. In a vacant house, a clog can become impenetrable. If you encounter such a clog, you need to cut it out and replace that section of drain. Once the clog is cut out, cut a similar length of PVC pipe to replace it. Either connect the new pipe to the old with PVC connectors or with a fernco connector. If you use the PVC connectors make sure that you clean the old pipe thoroughly and apply PVC cement to ensure a proper seal. Many plumbers apply pvc cement or pipe dope even if the pieces they are putting together are threaded.
Replacing Light Fixtures Remove the old fixture by unscrewing the wire nuts or by cutting the wires. Strip off a section of the wire casing and attach you new fixture with wire nuts. Be sure to tape off any exposed wire with electrical tape. Since each fixture will come with its own set of instructions, be sure to read those instructions thoroughly to insure proper installation. Electricity can cause severe injury if you do not follow instruction implicitly. You should always use an amplitude meter to insure that power is off to the fixture to avoid electrocution.
Window Installation Carefully remove the old window, making sure not to damage the wood frame. Once the window is removed place wood shims on the sill and level the shims. Once the shims are level secure them in place with screws (drilling pilot holes will keep the shims from splitting). Put the new window in place. At the sash, place more wood shims between the wood frame and the window to fill that gap, and then secure the shims in place by screwing through the window frame and into the wood frame. Repeat this step about six inches from the top and six inches from the bottom of the sides. Once the sides are secure, make sure you can easily open and close the window. Fill the gaps around the window with expanding foam insulation.
Refinishing Wood Floors First remove the old carpet. Then remove all of the tack strips, staples, nails and quarter round molding. Once the floor is clean, run your drum sander with the grain of the wood. It is very important that you keep the drum sander moving at all times though. If you leave it sit it will quickly eat into the floor, leaving the finished floor wavy looking. Start with 36-grit sandpaper, then 80-grit, and then 100-grit. Once the main body of the floor is sanded, do the edges with an edge sander using the same grits of sandpaper that you used on the main floor. When all the sanding is complete, sweep the floor, and then vacuum the floor. Apply your choice of stain or apply polyurethane directly to the wood. Finish with 2-3 coats of polyurethane. Replace the trim molding along the floor.
Laying Tile Start by removing the old coverings whenever possible. Once the old covering has been removed put down a cement backer board over the entire area to be tiled. Fill in the joints of the backerboard with mortar. Begin tile installation by troweling on a thin application of mastic over a three to four foot area. Set the tile in place and push gently to secure the position. Continue in this fashion until the tiles are all in place. Allow the mastic to dry for 24-hours before grouting. If you are laying a natural stone tile be sure to seal the tile prior to grouting. If you don't, the tile will appear hazy. Remove all tile spacers. Mix the grout and push the grout into the seams using a rubber float. Immediately wipe up excess grout with a damp sponge. After an hour or so, wipe down the tile with a piece of cheesecloth to get rid of the haze on the surface.
Texturing a Ceiling Texturing a ceiling is one of the simplest jobs you will do on a home, yet it gives the room a finished look. Dip a texturing brush with a long (4 foot) handle into a bucket of top-coating mud. Push the brush into the ceiling in a random pattern. After it dries finish by painting with a white ceiling paint. (Note: This project can be messy. Either do it before you put your floors in or cover them completely. )
Painting a Room Prior to painting any room, always inspect the surface of the walls. Take the time to fix any small pinholes or cracks with spackling paste and sand to s smooth finish. Once the walls are smooth, look for gaps between the walls and the trim. Fill the gaps with caulk and smooth the caulk with a wet finger. Paint the trim first with a white semi-gloss paint. Next, apply one coat of latex primer to the surface of the walls using a roller. After the primer dries apply your paint. A flat latex paint is the best choice for hiding small imperfection in your walls surface. Two coats of paint will generally provide complete coverage. To edge the walls, apply painter's tape to the trim, and brush the paint onto the edges. After you have painted the edges, remove the painter's tape and you're done.
Landscaping The exterior is the first impression people will get of your house. Take time to remove all the overgrown 1950's era plants and replace them with smaller more modern looking plants. After removing the old shrubs, cultivate the bed and mix in organic materials like manure, compost or peat moss. Arrange your new plants on top of the beds. Once you are happy with the arrangement, remove any burlap or plastic and plant them. Be sure not to bury the root balls of shrubs. You want to plant the shrub with just a little of the ball showing above the ground surface. Follow spacing instruction on the containers so that your new landscape doesn't look like overgrown in two years. After planting the large landscape in this fashion, take time to plant flowers around your new plants and enjoy your new look.
Basic Water Pipe Repair Usually the hardest part of water pipe repair is finding the leak. You do this by turning on the water, listening for falling water, then visually inspecting where the water is coming from. Once you find the leak, cut out the old section of pipe and cut a section of new pipe to replace it. It is very important to dry the ends of the pipe and rough up the end of the old and new sections of pipe with your sandpaper. Apply flux to each section of pipe and to a coupler that will be used to join the pieces. Put the new section in place. Heat the coupler with your butane torch and apply solder around the edges of the coupler. Once it is sealed all the way around, allow the solder to dry and move on to the next leak.
Drain Repair Clogged drains are a very common problem. When a working drain gets clogged, Draino or a quick snake will often do the trick. If that doesn't work, unscrew the drainpipe and inspected for clogs. In a vacant house, a clog can become impenetrable. If you encounter such a clog, you need to cut it out and replace that section of drain. Once the clog is cut out, cut a similar length of PVC pipe to replace it. Either connect the new pipe to the old with PVC connectors or with a fernco connector. If you use the PVC connectors make sure that you clean the old pipe thoroughly and apply PVC cement to ensure a proper seal. Many plumbers apply pvc cement or pipe dope even if the pieces they are putting together are threaded.
Replacing Light Fixtures Remove the old fixture by unscrewing the wire nuts or by cutting the wires. Strip off a section of the wire casing and attach you new fixture with wire nuts. Be sure to tape off any exposed wire with electrical tape. Since each fixture will come with its own set of instructions, be sure to read those instructions thoroughly to insure proper installation. Electricity can cause severe injury if you do not follow instruction implicitly. You should always use an amplitude meter to insure that power is off to the fixture to avoid electrocution.
Window Installation Carefully remove the old window, making sure not to damage the wood frame. Once the window is removed place wood shims on the sill and level the shims. Once the shims are level secure them in place with screws (drilling pilot holes will keep the shims from splitting). Put the new window in place. At the sash, place more wood shims between the wood frame and the window to fill that gap, and then secure the shims in place by screwing through the window frame and into the wood frame. Repeat this step about six inches from the top and six inches from the bottom of the sides. Once the sides are secure, make sure you can easily open and close the window. Fill the gaps around the window with expanding foam insulation.
Refinishing Wood Floors First remove the old carpet. Then remove all of the tack strips, staples, nails and quarter round molding. Once the floor is clean, run your drum sander with the grain of the wood. It is very important that you keep the drum sander moving at all times though. If you leave it sit it will quickly eat into the floor, leaving the finished floor wavy looking. Start with 36-grit sandpaper, then 80-grit, and then 100-grit. Once the main body of the floor is sanded, do the edges with an edge sander using the same grits of sandpaper that you used on the main floor. When all the sanding is complete, sweep the floor, and then vacuum the floor. Apply your choice of stain or apply polyurethane directly to the wood. Finish with 2-3 coats of polyurethane. Replace the trim molding along the floor.
Laying Tile Start by removing the old coverings whenever possible. Once the old covering has been removed put down a cement backer board over the entire area to be tiled. Fill in the joints of the backerboard with mortar. Begin tile installation by troweling on a thin application of mastic over a three to four foot area. Set the tile in place and push gently to secure the position. Continue in this fashion until the tiles are all in place. Allow the mastic to dry for 24-hours before grouting. If you are laying a natural stone tile be sure to seal the tile prior to grouting. If you don't, the tile will appear hazy. Remove all tile spacers. Mix the grout and push the grout into the seams using a rubber float. Immediately wipe up excess grout with a damp sponge. After an hour or so, wipe down the tile with a piece of cheesecloth to get rid of the haze on the surface.
Texturing a Ceiling Texturing a ceiling is one of the simplest jobs you will do on a home, yet it gives the room a finished look. Dip a texturing brush with a long (4 foot) handle into a bucket of top-coating mud. Push the brush into the ceiling in a random pattern. After it dries finish by painting with a white ceiling paint. (Note: This project can be messy. Either do it before you put your floors in or cover them completely. )
Painting a Room Prior to painting any room, always inspect the surface of the walls. Take the time to fix any small pinholes or cracks with spackling paste and sand to s smooth finish. Once the walls are smooth, look for gaps between the walls and the trim. Fill the gaps with caulk and smooth the caulk with a wet finger. Paint the trim first with a white semi-gloss paint. Next, apply one coat of latex primer to the surface of the walls using a roller. After the primer dries apply your paint. A flat latex paint is the best choice for hiding small imperfection in your walls surface. Two coats of paint will generally provide complete coverage. To edge the walls, apply painter's tape to the trim, and brush the paint onto the edges. After you have painted the edges, remove the painter's tape and you're done.
Landscaping The exterior is the first impression people will get of your house. Take time to remove all the overgrown 1950's era plants and replace them with smaller more modern looking plants. After removing the old shrubs, cultivate the bed and mix in organic materials like manure, compost or peat moss. Arrange your new plants on top of the beds. Once you are happy with the arrangement, remove any burlap or plastic and plant them. Be sure not to bury the root balls of shrubs. You want to plant the shrub with just a little of the ball showing above the ground surface. Follow spacing instruction on the containers so that your new landscape doesn't look like overgrown in two years. After planting the large landscape in this fashion, take time to plant flowers around your new plants and enjoy your new look.
About the Author:
Erin Cureton is the lead partner of Cureton Property Alliance. Erin is also a leading fundraiser for the Medina County St. Vincent DePaul Society. He highly recommends Cleveland Ohio Carpet Cleaning
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