Beyond Blue Home Improvement Thread

[geoff]

Hi everyone. I'm Geoff and have been a dedicated Volunteer on the forums for 13 years. I am proud to have stopped some of the stigmas that are associated with mental health as well as doing my best to help others too

Before my health went south I was a builder in all aspects of home construction and renovation. If you don't have a handyman around I hope I can offer you some tips that may be of help. I have had many years of experience in home renovation and will do my best to help you out if you are stuck and need some advice

I hope my experience may be of help to the people on Beyond Blue and make their life a little bit better. Even if you need help with the most basic painting job or putting up a shelf I can help there too with some tips

I will do my best to get back to anyone that has a question when I can as this is social yet important thread

Geoff

[geoff]

hi Meercat, Mathy is right again, the d/washer has feet to make it level, like your washing machine, freezer and refrig, so get a torch so you can see the feet, and then get a flat spanner to fit the nut and turn either way so you can get it level.
There maybe a cover plate on the d/washer held on by pushing it on or small screws, again use your torch and have a look.
It only takes practice to put both hinges back onto the vanity or maybe someone can help you, that'show the doors are originally put on, and yes it can be annoying when you're doing it for the first time.
You will have to remove the pebbles if you want to lay pavers, you can't put them on top of the pebbles they will keep moving.
Level the ground and fill in any holes with sand, then put brickies sand on the path and make sure it's even, and you can leave the waterproofing mat down, it's probably to keep the weeds away.
If you don't want to keep the pebbles someone will buy them off you, and if so, get them to do the heavy work of removing them by themselves, if they're cheaper than what the garden supplier sells them for, they will be snapped up quickly.
We'll turn you into a Handyman yet. Geoff.

[meercat]

Thanks Geoff. Il get down to see whats happening with the feet. Only concern, will i be able to get up..Ha!🤔

meercat xx

[blondguy]

Hi Geoff

I just need your help on re painting my kitchen. Is it really important that I clean all the walls and ceiling with sugar soap? Can I just paint over the walls and ceiling without the hard yakka?

What is the worst case senario if I dont? I have just finished painting most of my home with Dulux....and now just staring at the kitchen.....a bit stuck...

Any advice would be appreciated...Paul

[Mathy]

Hi Paul

Basically, you need the walls to be clean to ensure the paint sticks. I regularly paint walls without sugar soaping, with no ill effect.

Your problem is the fact that it’s the kitchen. Kitchen walls are a bit notorious for getting a bit greasy, no matter how fastidious you are about cleaning. I don’t paint kitchen walls without cleaning/sanding.

I hear your feelings about sugar soap - all that scrubbing, everything gets wet, you have to wait for it to dry.

So, 2 options:

1. Use one of those sponge mops you can buy for the floor, that use a lever to wring out - they at least make it a little less messy. Ok for the walls, a bit tricky for the ceiling, unless you buy one with a swivel head. Sugar soap is slightly abrasive, make sure you use a version that doesn’t require rinsing.
2. Buy a pole sander (essentially a sanding block on a swivel head) - use 180 grit paper and lightly sand the walls and ceiling (make sure you wear a dusk mask). Achieves the same result, vacumn afterwards and you’re good to go.

In kitchens, #2 is my choice, it’s quicker and, despite the dust, less messy. If you have splash backs and tiles, there generally isn’t too much wall in a kitchen. Ceiling is a bit of a nuisance tho’

If you want an “in between” approach, make sure that the wall around the stove/oven is really clean, anywhere near the dustbin and around the kitchen sink - those are the horror areas!

Lastly, you’re using Dulux, an expensive paint, you don’t want to be wasting either the paint or your time by not doing someprepping, and having it peel on you.

Cheers M 🙂

[geoff]

hi Paul, sorry I'm a bit late but Mathy has great advice as usual.
There is another cleaner to wash the walls, ceiling, range hooh filters, fan covers, bbq tops anying that's greasy and I always used another product other than sugar soap and a hint of its name well it starts with Tric-----, it comes in a yellow plastic container and is sold at all paint stores, it does a fantastic job, not only to clean walls, ceilingsa especially in the kitchen because the grease fumes spread, so the kitchen walls in the kitchen do need to be washed, not so much so for walls in the loungroom unless there is a smoker and the paint colours have been affected.
I also use the mop as Mathy has suggested, it's quicker, faster and cleans much faster than doing it by hand and hopping up and down a ladder.
If you don't clean the kitchen, sometimes the acrylic won't actually cover the walls, so in other words, it's like putting a bandaid on after you've had a hip replacement, it won't last.
If you use oil based paints it will cover the walls but still won't last that long, and when oil based flakes it's a pain to scrap, so you will have old paint that sticks and where you have scrapped it off so the surfaces won't be even, that looks terrible.
It's not hard yakka if you use the mop, just keep changing the water, but don't use that water for your plants, they'll be dead next day.
By the way, clicking your fingers won't work, it doesn't do a Jeannie or Bewitched won't work either, I'm sorry to say. Geoff.

[blondguy]

Thankyou Mathy and Geoff for taking the time to help out with your advice 🙂

I might go with option B and give the kitchen walls a light sand with the pole and swivel sanding pad using#180 instead of using a bucket and cleaner

Unfortunately I dont have Barbara Eden here to help me out....lol

Have a great day everybody

Paul

[geoff]

hi All I'm just wondering whether anybody has a this common problem, if you turn your tap on does the water come out from your handle, causing water to always be on top of your basin, but as soon as you turn the tape off the water stops, but you have to keep cleaning the top of the basin every time it's turned on. Geoff.

[white knight]

Safety tip

You might know of those long strips of galvanised steel used to allow shade cloth to grab onto.

When drilling through the holes of the strip into the mountt (in my casectiday it was 20mm steel tube) never hold the strip with your hand. Always use multigrips.

If the drill bit catches on the strip it can grab, then you have a dangerous cheese cutting mangled strip spinning at hundreds of revs a minute

Luckily minor cuts.

Tony WK

[blondguy]

and Duly Noted with thanks TonyWK....OUCH!......ewww!!

I have just learned an important tip....How is your hand...besides minor cuts Tony?

that would have been scary....for me anyway..

Paul

[Mathy]

Hi Geoff,

I have had this problem, can’t think that I’ve ever resolved it. Have you tried changing the tap washer?

geoff said:hi All I'm just wondering whether anybody has a this common problem, if you turn your tap on does the water come out from your handle, causing water to always be on top of your basin, but as soon as you turn the tape off the water stops, but you have to keep cleaning the top of the basin every time it's turned on. Geoff.