Drywall/ Plaster Repair When rehabbing old houses, 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 (see basic water repair section) cut a square area and replace with inch drywall. Once your piece is cut, secure it with multiple drywall screws, mud the gaps, tape, re-mud then sand to a smooth finish.

Basic Water Pipe Repair If you are working on a foreclosed home that has sat over the winter it is important to inspect for burst water pipes in the basement and walls. The hardest part of the repair is finding all the leaks. 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. Rough up the end of the old and new sections of pipe with your sandpaper. The easiest solution is to buy a Shark-Bite coupler and push into place. No flame is required for this repair..

Drain Repair Clogged drains are very common. A snake should be a staple in your tool box. Drains work by using the force of gravity to expel wastewater down and out of the house. Improperly working drains can be the result of improper pitch in the drain line or a clog. If a clog is found in the drain line, such as hair or grease, remove the drain, remove the clog, replace the drain and test.

Replacing Light Fixtures When I am working on electrical fixtures, I like to turn off all power to the house. If this is not feasible or if other people need power to perform other work, I just turn off the circuits one by one as needed. Be sure to check the wires with a voltage meter to insure the power is off. 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.

Window Installation To measure your window, open it all the way and measure from inside of the window casing. Buy your new window as close as possible. Remember, you can make up for a window that is too small, but it is much harder to expand an opening for a window that is too big.. Next, 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 Almost every house I buy has stained, smelly tattered carpet covering stained hardwood floors. Rather than re-carpet the floors, I like to refinish the hardwood. 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. Make sure that you get a thorough explanation from the rental yard on the operation of the drum sander and that you understand it completely before you begin this project. Working a drum sander is a lot like working a self-propelled lawn mower. 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. I 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. After vacuuming, I suggest a damp mopping. Once the floor is dry apply your choice of stain, Allow to dry then coat with 2 - 3 layers of polyurethane. Replace the molding.

Laying Tile The key to a good tile project is a good foundation. Whether you are tiling a wall or floor, the foundation must be plumb or level and the surface must be flat. Start by removing the old coverings whenever possible. Once the old covering has been removed put down a cement backerboard over the entire area to be tiled. Be sure to secure the backerboard with screws designed for this application. 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. Place a spacer next to the tile and position the next piece. 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 (travertine, slate, marble) 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 paper towel or 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.

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The ideal paint for interiors is a Quality Platinum Sheen paint, It can be tinted and comes in white as well as a wide range of colours at your local distributor to your requirements. It is a high quality, high sheen, very washable, silky smooth paint, ideal for interior use. To ensure good even colour distribution for raw plaster it normally requires Two coats on a quality PVA undercoat.

Liquid Naturals are uitable for all surfaces exterior nd interior. A unique blend of acrylic and selected natural minerals, Liquid Naturals paint creates a rich combination of density and uniform colour giving and ensure outstanting coverage and opacity. Liquid Naturals withstands temperature extremes, is suitable for all surfaces and and will not flake or peel.

This product, Liquid NAturals has unique characteristics which allows the product to breathe and eliminates the risk of delamination of the paint from moist surfaces unlike conventional acrylic paints. Primers and undercoats are not required and makes this a cost effective option. Streaking on parapet walls and fascia panels are normally eliminated by Liquid Naturals which is a common occurance with cement based products.

Over a short period of time Cement Naturals develops a unique naturally mottled finish and is available in Coarse, fine and ultra fine textures. The exciting aspect is that each application is unique. Its soft appearance belies its extreme durability and water resistant strength and high resistance to the effects of the sun, rain, wind and salt air.

A specially prepared Portland Cement based exterior paint, coloured with iron oxides, Africote's Cement Naturals is available in powder form.This durable economical water resistant coating is suitable for application on all masonry surfaces such as sand and cement plaster or bagged brickwork. Ivory Cement Naturals used internally for a rustic homely appearance.A major advantage of Cement Naturals is its ability to be applied directly onto masonry surfaces without an undercoat. PVA and other gloss paint, patched and dense concrete surfaces, must be pre-coated with a slurry coat which is also available from the Africote range.

Internally, Ivory Cement Naturals are used for a rustic homely appearance. The ability of Cement Naturals to be applied directly onto masonry surfaces without an undercoat is a great benefit. Other paints like PVA and some gloss paints must be pre-coated with a slurry coat which is also available from the Africote range.

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Oil paintings require several considerations before an artist can begin. Knowing which brushes to use for the paintings is important, in addition to lighting, ventilation and more. It is common for most artists to be satisfied with their profession. Anyone who has an interest in painting as a hobby or a profession should consider these specific factors if they want to be successful.

Using cheap brushes should never be done with oil paintings. The bristles on cheap brushes shed onto the canvas. Artists often find themselves picking bristles from the painting. This can ruin a painting and smudge the paint. Anyone who has an interest in painting should consider purchasing a nice set of paint brushes for their artwork. A variety of flat brushes and a few small round ones for detailing is the best variety of brushes.

Nylon brushes should be considered also as a part of your collection. When painting with acrylic as a base, most professional painters only use nylon brushes for the acrylic, not for the oil paints. Nylon brushes should only be used with acrylic paint. Nylon brushes should not be used with oil painting on canvas. Under painting oil paintings with acrylic is a common practice with artists because it saves time because it the drying time is much faster. The oil paints can be directly applied over the acrylic.

It is important to take care of your paint brushes. Veteran painters definitely know how to take care of their brushes. If you're using expensive brushes, you will need to heed this advice because it will give your brushes a much longer shelf life. Clean and store your brushes properly or they will get ruined easily. Make sure to use a preserver together with a specific brush cleaner for your brushes.

When painting with oil paints it is important to have appropriate lighting. When the lighting in the studio is poor an artist will only strain their eyes. Natural light provides the best light for painting. Light coming in from the windows of a room usually provides the best natural light. The natural light coming from the outdoors is usually preferred which is why most artists like to have a makeshift studio outside. If there isn't enough light in a room while painting oil paintings can look significantly different when exposed to natural light. It only strains the eyes when there is insufficient lighting in a studio.

When creating oil paintings ventilation in the room is another important factor. Oil painting thinners and cleaners are used by most artists in the studio when painting artwork in a studio. The chemicals in these types of things are very toxic. People with respiratory problems have problems breathing when they use improper ventilation. Eyes watering and other problems will occur when exposed to the fumes of these chemicals. Opening the windows and doors are very important when it comes to providing the proper ventilation..

The hobby of oil paintings requires many considerations. A nice set of paint brushes is essential so they will not fall apart. Acrylic paint requires nylon brushes. Always clean and store the brushes properly. Appropriate lighting in the studio ensures good eyesight and ventilation keeps your lungs healthy.

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