ToolBeltTerri: 2009

Monday, November 30, 2009

Refurbish Outdoor Furniture

Posted in | 11:35 AM | by ToolBeltTerri

In this time where money is tight, it doesn’t make any sense to throw away things just because they don’t look brand new. These chairs were made by my father-in-law. Since he is no longer with us, the thought of getting rid of them would break my heart. So I want to show you how to make them look as good as new.

The first thing you need to do is sand it. You have to remove the loose paint from the furniture. If you just painted over it, it would start chipping immediately because it has to bond to a solid clean surface. This project has a lot of individual pieces, so I removed the thinner pieces of wood.It will make it easier to sand. I also marked the pieces so that I can remember where they go when it is time to put it back together. I used 100 grit sandpaper to start. Note: the higher number on the sandpaper, the finer the sand, and the smoother the finish. 100 grit is pretty rough, but it works pretty well on this type of outdoor furniture.

Once it is sanded, you need to clean the surface of dust. You can buy tack cloth, but for this project, I just used a damp cloth. (Just make sure the furniture is dry before you try to paint it.) And when I say “damp”, I don’t mean “wet”!

Now that it is sanded and clean, this is a good time to tighten and replace any screws that are loose. Take you screwdriver and check all the screws. If you try to tighten a screw and it just turns, remove the screw. Take a wood toothpick or a piece of a wood shim and tap in into the hole. Now you can either use the same screw or use a new screw and it will hold tight. This is one of my favorite tricks. (Taught to me by my father-in-law.)

The piece is now ready to paint. Be sure that you are using an exterior paint. Also if a piece has been painted with oil based paint, you MUST use oil based paint. If you use a latex paint over oil based paint, it will just peel off, and this is a rule that works both ways. You can’t use oil over latex. I used a paint brush instead of a roller. Rollers will really only work over the flat surfaces, so it is just easier to use a brush. Also, don’t use a brush that is too narrow. It will take you a long time to paint that way.

Another good trick is to make sure that you put two or three coats of paint on the bottom of the legs. This will help to keep the wood from absorbing moisture and rotting the wood.

Once you have painted all the pieces, and it is completely dry, it is time to put it back together again.

Now it is as good as new! I should get another 8 to 10 years out of this, and every time I look at it, it was
well worth the effort!

Happy Fixing!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Changing An Electrical Outlet

Posted in | 11:00 AM | by ToolBeltTerri

If you live in an older house like I do, one of the biggest eye sores can be your electrical outlet and switches. These are not very hard to replace as long as you take a few simple safety precautions.

Today we will attack the outlet. I was moving some furniture around the other day and found one little lone plug that did not get replaced in the remodel. This is lucky for you because you can watch me replace it. This time we will only work with a correctly functioning outlet. We will cover a non-functioning outlet later because that is a whole different animal.

Before you start, READ EVERYTHING! Make sure that you are confident you understand the directions. I am NOT a licensed contractor. If that alone makes you uncomfortable, STOP, but I have easily replaced 100 of these. I think I can walk you through it. =)

What you will need:

1- 15 amp grounding receptacle (this is a standard plug)
2- A new cover plate for the outlet (optional)
3- Straight and Phillips head screwdriver
4- Needle nosed pliers
5- Electrical wire strippers (you may not need these, but you won’t know until you remove the old receptacle)

If your receptacle does NOT look like this, DO NOT proceed.

First, turn the power off to the outlet. Do this by plugging a light or a radio into the outlet and turn it on.

The light that I have used, checks to see if everything is wired correctly. This is handy because before you start, you know that there are no problems with the wiring. You can buy one of these at any home improvement store for about $5 to $7.

Now, go to your breaker box and one by one turn off the circuit breakers until the radio or light has turned off. Once it is off, it is safe to handle the wires. I know it still makes you nervous to touch them. I still feel that sense of hesitation even though I know I won’t get shocked. It’s normal.

Take your straight screwdriver and remove the cover plate from the plug.

You will see that the plug is held in by two more screws at the top and bottom of the plug. Remove these screws also. Pull the receptacle so that you can see the wires attached to it.

There should either be 1 black wire, 1 white wire and one green or copper wires attached, or there should be 2 black, 2 white and 1 green or copper wires attached. There might be more than one green or copper wire. (If there is, someone was just lazy, and it really doesn’t make a difference. IMPORTANT! IF NEITHER OF THESE TWO CONFIGURATIONS IS WHAT YOU SEE, SCREW THE PLUG BACK INTO THE WALL AND PUT THE COVER PLATE BACK ON. THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL NOT WORK FOR YOU.

Time to remove the wires. Make sure that, when you pull out the receptacle, that there is enough wire to work with. If the wires are too short and barely come out of the receptacle box, you may want to choose not to replace it at this time because if you have to cut the wires, you may not have enough wire to attach it to the new receptacle. If everything looks good, the wires will come off one of two ways. If you have plenty of wire, just cut the wire right at the receptacle. (easy) If the wires are pushed into small holes in the back of the plug, it is easier to just cut them. They don’t pull out of those holes very easily, and you may damage the insulation around the wire trying to pull it out. If the wires are bent around the screws on the side of the plug, you may choose to loosen the screws and pull the wires off. My suggestion, just cut them =).

Separate your wires. Black on the right side, White on the left and Green or Copper at the bottom.

If you need to strip your wires, take your wire strippers and strip the insulation from the wire. ONLY A HALF OF AN INCH.

Look at the new receptacle. You need to identify certain parts. The Green screw is for attaching the ground wire. (The green or copper wire.) The side of the Brass or Gold color screws will be marked “HOT” wire. This side is for attaching the Black wire or wires. The side with the Silver screws may or may not be marked “WHITE”. This side is for the white wires. Make sure that you understand where all of these parts are before you begin.

First, bend the top of the green or copper wire at the top to make a hook at attach it to the green screw at the bottom of the receptacle. Tighten the green screw to hold the wire in place.

Now attach the white wire or wires to the silver screws. This can be done one of two ways. You can attach it in the same manner as the green wire or if it is available on the receptacle that you purchased, you can simply push the wires in to the holes in the back of the receptacle. Whichever manner you choose be certain that you are attaching the white wires on the side with the SILVER screws!

Attach the Black wire or wires in the exact same manner as the white wires. Be certain that the Black wires are being attached on the side with the BRASS or GOLD colored screws.

You will notice that I chose to wrap my wires around the screws. I just prefer this method.

Next, make sure that no matter how you attached the wires, that you tighten ALL the screws on each side.

Now push the receptacle and the wires back into the box. (There is no delicate way to do this.) Attach the receptacle to the wall, and put the cover plate back on.

Here is the moment of truth! Plug a light or a radio in, and turn in on. Go to your breaker box and turn the circuit breaker back on. Check the light or radio and make sure it is working. If it is, you follow directions well.

If it is not working, you did something wrong, and you need to go back to the top and start over!

Happy Fixing!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Keep Your Vacuum Running

Posted in | 3:37 PM | by ToolBeltTerri

Little things can make all the difference. You can prevent a lot of larger problems from happening if we take care of little things along the way.

Today I'm going to show you how to do that with your vacuum.

For some reason we are afraid of removing screws. I don't know why that is but we see screws and freeze. Don't be so afraid. The only time you should NEVER remove the screws in something, is if it is still under warranty. Oh, and NEVER remove more screws than you can remember where they go!

The underneath side of most vacuums is basically the same. There is a plate over the beater bar. It is important to clean the bar on occasion. Hair, thread and other things that your children are too lazy to pick up before they vacuum can get wrapped around the bar and cause it to be less effective.

I have a cat Spunky who can shed his entire body weight in hair in one week. My beater bar can get pretty covered in a short amount of time.

First thing you do is remove the screws from the plate covering the beater bar. (Don’t misplace the screws.) Once the plate is off, you can slide out the bar. On one side, there is a belt around the bar. Slide the belt off the bar. Take a pair of scissors or your box cutter and remove any debris from the bar. While the bar is off inspect the belt to make sure that it is not cracked or starting to tear. If it is starting to tear, then you need to find a replacement for it. Usually any store that sells your brand of vacuum will have a replacement belt.

Now look to where the belt attaches to the vacuum and make sure that it is also free of debris. If hair and debris get wound around that bar, it can overheat your motor and you run the risk of ruining the motor.

It is also a good idea to run something flexible through the hoses to make sure that they are clean. Don’t use anything that is sharp so you don’t poke a hole in your tubes.

Now just attach the belt onto the vacuum, and slide the beater bar back on it. Slide the beater bar into the vacuum. (There are usually slots that it will slide into, so you may have to turn it to slide it back in.) Place the plate back over the bar and replace the screws.

This simple maintenance will help extend the life of your vacuum.

Happy Fixing!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Replacing A Lockset

Posted in | 1:45 PM | by ToolBeltTerri

I needed a new lock set for my garage, so you get to watch me put it in. Yay!

First things first. Here is a little info about lock sets….I think they are really about personal preference. There isn’t a certain brand I like better than the other. (Unless they want to pay me to tell you that there is, but they don’t. If they did, I would tell you that they are paying me.) If it’s exposed to the weather, make sure that it’s tarnish resistant. If you don’t, you will want to replace it in about 3 months. I also looked at the “Kwikset smart key” (you can re-key it yourself). Not sold on it. From what I could understand from the brochure, it gives you two sets of keys and you can key it to either set. Just don’t lose the tool to re-key it. I wouldn’t waste my money. (Sorry Kwikset) So pick out one that you like and let’s get started.

Here are all the pieces. Don’t be scared it’s not that bad. You will need a Philips screwdriver (the one with the x ).

Before we actually put it in the door, put all the pieces together so you are comfortable with how they fit. Start with the Dead Bolt.

Take the piece with the dead bolt in it, (the long piece) and put it with the piece that has the pin sticking out. (You can see the pin will only fit one way through the hole. You may have to turn the pin, and notice the dead bolt is marked “UP”. Make sure it is “UP”.) The two outside holes should line up with the holes on the lock. Now take the back piece of the lock and slide it over the pin and line up the holes on it to those same holes on the dead bolt piece. That is just how it will fit in the door.

Now for the door knob, take the part of the handle with the pin sticking out of it and slide the long piece over it. (Just like the picture shows.) Now place the other side of the handle onto the pin. Again, that’s how it will fit in the door.

So let’s go put it in!

Remove the old lockset. Just unscrew it at the dead bolt or handle, and pull both sides out. Then unscrew the piece in the middle of the door, and slide it out. Now take out the strike plates in the door jam. Demolition is now done. =)

Here is al little trick. After you remove the old lockset, to help the new screws fit tighter, we need to fill the holes. If you have a wood shim, brake of a piece of the thin end, and with your box cutter, make small sticks. (If you don’t have a shim, wood toothpicks work just as well.) Put them in the hole that the screws were in. They should be snug. Brake them off so they are flush. This will help the screws “bite” and hold tight. That is a good trick anytime you are replacing wood screws.

Take the dead bolt piece and push it in the hole in the middle of the door (Make sure you place it in the “UP” position.). Take the piece with the key lock and the pin and push it in the hole on the outside of the door. (Remember to line up the holes. Your key hole should be vertical.) Place the back side of the lock over the pin and line up the holes. Take the longest of the screws (like the picture) and screw them into the holes in the lock. (You may have to fish them around a little to get them to line up, but don’t force them.)

Don’t tighten the screws all the way just enough to hold it together. Now take the small wood screws and screw them into the center piece. Now you can snug up the screws, but don’t get them too tight. Your lock will be hard to turn if it is too tight. Last, put the strike plate back on with the longer wood screws.

The door knob is basically the same procedure.

Put the center piece in first so that the angled part is toward the outside as shown. Put the part of the handle with the pin through, lining up the holes, and put the other side of the handle on over the pin. Snug it all together, and put the other long screws in. Again, don’t tighten it all the way. Put the small screws in the center piece, and snug up all the screw. Now, put the strike plate on with the small wood screws. (The bent side goes toward the inside.)