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

[Birdy77]

Hello Geoff,

I have an idea for Music Freak's garden edging.

MF on a scale if one to ten of being "handy", I'd be hovering around a 1. Maybe 1.5 if I'm lucky. And I don't know the proper terms or whatevs (unless "whatevs" is a proper term, which I think it should be).

I have been making some edges for my vegetable garden. I have been using scrap planks from old pallets (free). You can also get scraps of timber fencing etc from the tip, depending on the rules of your particular tip, sometimes you can scavenge for free, sometimes they have a buy-back section where they'll charge you a very small amount if you take some of their crap off their hands. It's where I got my outdoor furniture.

Anyway, an idea for garden edging, get 2 or 3 planks of timber (3 might get close to your requirement of 30cm high) cut to equal length. Screw them together (like, cut a couple of short pieces of timber and place them going vertical, if your longer pieces are horizontal, and screw each long plank to the short plank).

To make them stay in place, all I have been doing is hammering in a short piece of garden stake or similar every, say, 40 cm so that the edging leans against it. When you backfill with soil it should stay in place. This is easy for me because I am hammering it into Soft-ish soil. If it's concrete, that will be a problem.

Geoff, this is so hard to describe so that it makes sense. I wish I could just post a photo.

I think this post if mine is a big fail, I'm sorry MF, it's very hard to put into words.

But I hope the idea of free/very cheap timber from the tip might have been a help.

Thanks Geoff.

🌻birdy

[Elizabeth CP]

I need to attach a knife rack in my kitchen. It will be attached with a screw in each end. I want to attach it over tiles. What is the best way to drill a hole in tiles. Do I need to worry about attaching to studs? Thank you

[Music_Freak]

Thanks Birdy - makes perfect sense to me - you did great explaining. It can be hard can't it?

Anyway, here I go trying to explain something to Geoff...

I bought a garden fork today and didn't buy a shovel because I have an old one. Only problem is, the whole handle, I think, (I think they're called D handles) and the shovel part are loose. Any idea how I'd fix it. I thought of jamming twigs in where it's loose (the shovel end) and going stupid with duct tape to hold everything in place, since I've gotten splinters from using it before. Probably not the best idea...but I would like a short term fix at least, if you can think of something

I could replace it, but thought I'd ask 🙂

[geoff]

Hello Birdy, I think that's a great idea, and Elizabeth and Music_Freak I will get back to you tomorrow if that's OK.

I'm logging off now as I've been on the site since early this morning.

It's terrific for all of you to be on this thread.

My Best to All of You.

Geoff.

[Music_Freak]

Hi Elizabeth,

Not sure if you'll read this before Geoff returns, but I was at Bunnings the other day enquiring about what you're wanting to do, and the man said buy a glass and tile drill bit in the size you're wanting (I think I bought the wrong size - whoopsie. What do you suggest Geoff?), rather than a masonry bit as Geoff suggested because as the guy put it, “using a masonry bit is where amateurs come in needing new tiles and grout from us”.

If you read back a little, you will see what Geoff said to me about the whole “ordeal” (I'm worse than an amateur)

I'm convinced that tradies wouldn't have an issue using a masonry bit, but I chose the “beginners” option, because I'm clueless

Hope this helps 🙂

Hey Geoff, if I wanted to attach a shower caddy type thing to tile, do I need to do anything special for a wet area? Not directly under the shower, to the side, but still possibly wet, meaning the tiles get sprayed by the shower.

[Music_Freak]

Hey Geoff,

Another quick question, if I bluff my way through Bunnings and go back to buy masonry bits, do I do the masking tape trick and go super slow with it to be successful? (ie: no cracks in the tile) The reason I ask is, I'll get way more use out of masonry bits than a glass and tile one.

I will read back since I can't find screencaps but any tradie tips are greatly appreciated 🙂

[Music_Freak]

Hey Geoff,

Disregard my last post, I found the screencaps.

But perhaps both Elizabeth and I (and anyone else who may happen to read) could benefit from a step by step “dummies how to” for drilling into tile?

Sorry for being a pain, I'm just nervous/anxious I guess. So DON'T want to have to repair cracked/shattered tiles...

[Music_Freak]

Hi Geoff,

I just had a bit of a play around with my drill...all the buttons and moving parts (using the instructions) and to me it seemed remarkably easy. I feel a little silly for being so nervous now 🙂

I'm thinking I could bluff using a masonry bit with your advice. After all, I think that's what all the online advice/videos use. Stuff Bunnings - I think the guy saw me coming!!

[blondguy]

Hey Music_Freak (excuse me for jumping in here Geoff if thats okay)

You are not clueless at all. You have been on the forums for a very long time and you are doing well

I am not very handy at all....Geoff and TonyWK are the guru's around here.

You are spot on with the Bunnings Staff....they are a huge help. If memory serves Geoff mentioned using a masonry drill bit and to place some tape on the surface before drilling (so your drill bit wont go all over the place)

I would be using a masonry drill bit on ceramics as the professionals do it too

There is no such thing as a dumb question on the forums no matter where you post MF 🙂 I still ask heaps of similar questions that you do!

Great move too to familiarize yourself with your power drill too....Becoming familiar with a power tool will provide the confidence you need before you start using it. Geoff will be back 'on the air' at his usual time frame approx 3am tomorrow morning

Great to have you as part of the forum family MF 🙂

My Kindest

Paul

[geoff]

Hi Birdy, a terrific idea and spare pallets can be found everywhere, maybe start at your hardware store, a paint store that sells paint only and there are many stores that would love someone to take them, just take a crow-bar or hammer maybe a hand saw or chainsaw if you own one.
They aren't hard to dismantle.

Hi Elizabeth, a knife rack is easy to attach it's about the same as what I said to MF on 2/4, but you can try and find a stud, so knock on the plaster there will be a hollow noise and then a solid noise, that's where the stud is.

What you can do is hammer a small nail just above the tiles or the grout where you have found that hard noise, bingo, so find where the grout is where you want to place the knife rack, then with your drill, place a small masonry drill lightly drill, just to break the tiles where the screw is going, if you don't then the tile may crack.

Don't be put off by what I've explained, it's rather easy and once you have it, then you can do it again.

Where you want to screw your other screw maybe in the middle of the tile.
WILL continue Geoff.