Workbench Creations

Now that I've detailed the major portions of the work we did fixing up our new home, it's time to discuss basic home maintenance and repair. If you want to make things easier on yourself and potential future owners of your house, follow these tips!

Tip # 1: Don't paint over outlets and switches

There's nothing worse than having to spend hours chipping away at 5 layers of paint on electrical outlets (trust me, I've done it). So either don't do it, or if you truly hate boring old outlet covers and you really feel the need, I recommend paintable outlet covers. We decided to buy some because it would cover over the painted outlets, but I still ended up chipping off paint because there were so many layers, you couldn't physically plug things into them!

Unfortunately, this doesn't help with switch covers, because if there is already paint on the switch itself, you'll have to chip it off or buy a new switch. I'm still contemplating buying new white switches to go with my new white switch plates, as all the outlets and switches were off-white.

Tip # 2: Don't bother patching holes if it will end up uglier than the original hole in the wall

There is absolutely no reason to do a terrible patch job, because it's so easy to get it right! For smaller holes, like nail holes, just a little spackle and sanding will do. For larger jobs, cut out a square of drywall larger than the hole, then using this as a template, draw on the wall around the hole. Cut where you've marked, and the drywall square will fit in the hole.

If there is a stud behind the hole, you're in luck as the drywall square won't fall through while you're working. Otherwise, you have a couple options - you can fit a piece of 2x4 behind the hole and screw it into the surrounding drywall for support, or if the hole isn't too large, you may be able to use some of your drywall tape behind the patch to keep it in place.

Once the drywall section is in place, use some drywall tape and spackle a couple of coats, feathering out to the edges and sanding in between coats.

Tip #3 : Don't make painting a chore

Painting is actually something I enjoy, but I've got to admit, painting a whole house has tested my patience once or twice. Luckily, I learned a few things along the way...

• Patch holes and smooth bumps in 2 stages: once before you prime, and once after you prime. You might not be able to see all the imperfections before you get that first coat of paint on. However, this is very important-- if you do patch after you've primed, make sure you get a coat of primer over that patch before you paint it, or it can have a different sheen or texture than the rest of the wall!

• If you need to prime and paint a whole room (ie both walls AND ceiling) try to work in this order:
  prime the ceiling, prime the walls, paint the ceiling, then paint the walls. This way, the only time you have to be careful about your edging is when you put your final coat of paint on the walls. I made the mistake of doing one room prime walls, paint walls, prime ceiling, paint ceiling, and I was miserable!

• If you have problems with some of the fuzz coming off the paint rollers you're using (it took me a while to figure out this was a problem and it led to sanding and repainting of a couple walls)... either don't buy the cheap stuff, or take some painter's tape and stick/unstick it to the entirety of the roller before you use it. This removes the lint fuzz and can save you a lot of effort in the long run.

Tip #4 : Don't waste money on heating bills

Caulk around windows to better winterize your home. We chipped out the old putty inside and replaced it with new, and also caulked around the windows on the outside. My advice here? Do the outer part of the windows when it's still warm outside!

If you live in a house with single pane windows, taking the time to seal around your windows will definitely help energy efficiency. As well as putting up the storm windows for the winter, we'll also be putting up plastic window insulation, which is very easy to install.

What basic home repair tips have you come up with?

Home Renovation for Newbies, Part 1: Don't Panic

Home Renovation for Newbies, Part 2: Prep Work

Home Renovation for Newbies, Part 3: Demolition Time

Home Renovation for Newbies, Part 4: Starting to Rebuild

Home Renovation for Newbies, Part 5: Bathroom Remodel