t

*
;
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ri
;

Team:
EditodalandProduction T H EF A M I L YH A N D Y M A N
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EditorIn ChiefKen Collier
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Assistant
TomFenenga,BruceKieffer, RamonMoreno,
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SeniorEditors
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CoverimagebyTomFenenga ManagerAlice Garrett
Administrative
Text,photography for 207MoneySavingFixes,Updates
andillustrations & lmprovements PagelayoutTeresaMarrone,Bruce Bohnenstingl
arebasedon articles previouslypublished in TheFamilyHandyman magazine SeniorCopyEditorDonna Bierbach
(2915Commers Dr.,Suite700,Eagan, MN55121, thefamilyhandyman.com). For
information on advertisingin TheFamilyHandymanmagazine, call(212)850-7226' ProductionManager Judy Rodriguez
RickStraface
Publisher
207MoneySavingFixes, Updotes& lmprovements is publishedbyTheReader's Digest
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All rightsreserved.Thisvolumemaynot be reproduced in wholeor in partwithout Vice Retail
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A Note to Our Readers:

activitiesinvolvea degreeof risk.Skills,
All do-it-yourself toolsandsite
materials,
conditions varywidely.Althoughthe editorshavemadeeveryeffortto ensure
accuracy, the readerremainsresponsible for the selection anduseof tools,materials
andmethods. Alwaysobeylocalcodesandlaws,followmanufacturer instructions
andobservesafetyprecautions.

INTHEUNITED
PRINTED OFAMERICA
STATES
 1 Kitchens
6 10 simplecabinetrepairs 1 7 Stopfaucetdrips
10 Installa newsinkandfaucet 24 Fixa drippysinksprayer
13 Reglue looselaminate 25 Uncloga kitchenfaucetaerator
14 Convert woodcabinetdoorsto gtass Fixan erraticsinksprayer
16 Five-minuteLighting
makeover 26 Preventkitchendrainsfromclogging
Ro[[-onstainless
steel Repairchippedporcelain
Addkitchenrollouts Cteana stinkydisposer
Correcta crookedfridgedrawer

2 Bathrooms
28 Makeovera bathroom for 39 Hanga mirror
lessthan $500 40 Stopa runningtoitet
29 Upgrade yourbathroomwith 45 Cleana sluggishtoilet
newaccessories Hot gluefor tile accessories
30 Top9 bathroomupgrades 46 Restorefreeflow to a cloggedfaucet
33 Mount-anywhere grabbar anchors World'scheapest bathroom
34 Water-smart bathroom expansion project
35 Tightena fl.oppyfaucethand[e 47 Shower valveconversion andcover-up
36 0penshelvingfor bathroom storage Mounta towelbaron ceramic ti[e
Cleana ctoggedshowerhead
38 A newlookfor old tubs andshowers

48 Easywatersoftenerfixes 50 Stopwashingmachine walk

49 Extendthe Lifeof yourwaterheater 50 doorgaskets
Cleanrefrigerator

3 walls& Floors
Makeovera wa[[for lessthan $300 60 Basement wa[[waterproofers
Transform a roomwith trim andpaint FixnaiIpopsin drywall.
for lessthan $400 61 Fixsqueaky floors
Paintroltingtechniques 62 Cosmetic fix for carpet
Repair cornerbead Remove toughstainsfromvinylflooring
Fixbadwallpaper seams Restoredentedcarpet
Usealuminum for quickwallrepairs 63 Fixtooseseamsin viny[ftoors
Regrout bathroomwa[[tiLe 64 Remove candtewaxfromcarpeting
Stiffena bouncyftoor
2
 4 Windows
& Doors
66 Bringtired-lookingwindowsbackto life 73 Sitencea squeating hinge
67 Easy-to-i
nsta[[windowsi lts Fixa loosehinge
Windowcrankreplacement 74 2 fixesfor doorlatches
68 Louvered glasswindowfixes 75 Instatla stormdoor
69 Cleantoughglassstains 78 Fixa stickingslidingdoor
Stopdoorrattle 79 Freea stickingstormdoor
70 Adjusta stickingbifold door 80 Curesfor stickingdoors
71 Trima doorthat bindson carpet 83 Fixa dentedsteeldoor
72 Repairsptittrim 84 Replace a torn screen
Fixa loosedoorhandle 85 Adjusta stormdoor
Maskpet clawscratches

86 Removing radon 89 Fitteringout pollen

87 Testingfor lead SimpLe-to-insta[[sca[dprotection
Installa peephote in a door 90 Christmas tree safety
88 Addinexpensive doorand windowalarms Securetippy furniture
Instatla smal'lsafe

J Exteriors
& Decks
92 Instantcurbappeatfor under$200 106 3 garagedoorfixes
96 Deckrepairs 109 Replacedamaged vinytsiding
1 0 0 Deckrescue 110 Reptacea shingle
1 0 4 StripfLakingdeckstain 111 ReptacepLumbing ventftashing
1 0 5 Quickfix for leakymetalgutters
Bettertractionon concrete

112 Ridyour homeof pests 114 Stopmolesfromtearingup youryard

113 Sealup pipepenetrations
to keepout pests Keepraccoonsout

Products& Fixes
Energy-Saving
116 Stopthrowingcashout the window! 128 Cutenergybittswith a
120 Stopwindowand doordrafts program mablethermostat
121 Switchto CFLbulbs 129 Monitorelectricusage
122 Warmup a coldroom Stopa draftin 60 seconds
125 Furnacefilter reminder 1 3 0 Installa dimmerswitch
126 Heat-reducing windowfi [m 1 3 3 Insulaterimjoists andcut heatloss
127 Replaceyour weatherstrip

134 10 tips to save$$$on gas 14O Install a newcabinair filter

137 5 thingsto checkbeforea roadtrip 142 Recharge your car'sACand save$50
138 Reptace a brokentaitLightandsave$95 1U 5 thingsto lubricatebeforewinter
139 Repairand maintainweatherstripping Switchto winterwiperblades

3
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betodavto
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thefamityhandyman.com
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 'e
t\
t
kitchens
6 10 simptecabinetrepairs
10 Installa newsinkandfaucet
13 Reglue
looselaminate
14 Convert
woodcabinetdoors
to glass

rM
16 Five-minutelightingmakeover
Rotl-onstainless
steel
Addkitchenrollouts
1 7 Stopfaucetdrips
24 Fixa drippysinksprayer
25 Unctoga kitchen
faucetaerator
Fixan erraticsinksprayer
26 Preventkitchendrains
fromclogging
Repair
chipped porcelain
C[ean
a stinkydisposer
Correct
a crookedfridgedrawer

5
doors
Adjusthingeson
misaligneddoors
lf yourcabinetdoorsareout of squareandyou
haveEuropean-style hinges, you canusethisfix.
Eur ohingesar ed e s i g n efo d r e a s ya d j u s tm e n t.
D on' tlet t heirc om p l e xl o o ks c a rey o u ;a l l y o u
haveto do isturn a fewscrews, andanymistakes
y ou m ak ear eeas yto c o rre c t. T h eEu roh i n g e
s hownher eadjus tsi n th re ed i re c ti o n Oth s . e rs
adjustin two directions. Eitherway,it'sa trial-
fight.n the door screwsand the 1 Cnecf the fit of the door after
and-error process:Youmakeadjustments, close ! I mounting screwsbefore you make 3 eachadjustment.With doubte
the doorto checkthe fit,thenadjustagainuntil any adjustments.Thenadjustthe doorslike these, perfect the fit of one
it'sright. depth screwand side screw. door first, then atign the other door.
lf thedoorisn'tflushwiththe doorsnextto it,
adjustthe depth screw.Thisscrewmovesthe doorin or out. movesthe doorfrom sideto side.In somecases, you haveto
s v eth e d o o ra sy o utu rnth e m.B utw i th
S om edept hs c r ewmo l oosenthedepthscrew sl i ghtl ytoadj ustthesi d escr ew.
most,you haveto loosen thescrew, nudgethedoorin or outand lf thedoorisflushandparallel withotherdoorsbuttoo high
thentightenthe screw.lf yourhingesdon'thavedepthscrews, or low,usethe mountingscrewsto raiseor lowerthe mounting
startwiththesidescrews. plates. Loosenthe screwsat both hinges, slidethe doorup or
lf the door is crooked-not standingparallelto adjacent downandtightenthe screws. Somemountingplatesadjustby
doorsor squarewith the cabinet-adjust the side screw.This turninga singlescrew.

T Adjustor replace tip tryou

have
a
& bad latches door that's
slightlywarped
Mostnewercabinets haveself-closinghinges thatholdthe and won't lie flat
againstthe cabi-
doorsshut.Others havemagnetic or rollercatches.A catch
net,try addinga
thatno longerkeepsa doorclosediseitherbrokenor out magneticcatch
of adjustment.
Catches arefastenedwith two screws, so at the trouble
replacinga damaged catchissimpleanda newonecosts spot.Oftenthe
lessthan51at homecenters. Adjustment isjustassimple, magnetis strong
but you mighthaveto readjust enoughto pull
the catcha coupleof times
the door in tight.
beforeyouget it right.Loosenthe screws, movethe catchin or
out,andtightenthescrews.lfthedoordoesn't closetightly,try
again.

:t Addbumpersto
tr bangingdoors
Tiredof listening to cabinetdoors
bangs hut ?P eel- a n d -s ti c k
door and drawer
bumpers area solution.
G e t a p a c ko f 2 0 a t a
homecenterfor 52.Make
surethe backof the dooris
c l e a ns o t h e b u m p e r sw i l l
stick,then placeoneat the top
cornerandahother atthebottom.

1 OS I M P L EC A B I N E TR E P A I R S
 qrawers
T

Replaceworn-out
drawerslides
lf slidesarebent,rollersarebrokenor rollerswon'tturn even
afterlubricating,replacement is the bestsolution. To keepthe
projectsimple, buynewslides thatareidentical (oralmostidenti-
cal)to the old ones.That way,replacement is an easymatterof
unscrewing the old andscrewing on the new.Remove a drawer
trackanda cabinet trackandtakethemto the homecenterwith
you.Whether you havepairsof side-mounted slides(asshown
here)or single,center-mount slides, there's a goodchance you'll
findverysimilar slidesat a homecenterfor 55to 515 perdrawer.
lf youcan'tfindthem,checkwitha cabinetmaterials supplier (in
they ellowpages un d e r" C a b i n e
Eqtsu, i p m eannt dS u p p l i es" ).

Lubricate
stickingdrawers
A f ewm inut es of c l e a n i nagn dl u b ri c a ti ncga n
makedrawerslidesglidealmostlikenew.Start
by removingthe drawersso you caninspect
th e s lidesY. ouc anre m o v emo s td ra w e rs by
pullingt hemallt hew a yo u t,th e ne i th e lri fti n g
or lower ing t he f r o n to f th e d ra w e ur n ti lth e
wheelscomeout of the track.Wipethe tracks
cl eanandc oatt he mw i th a l i g h ts p ra yl u b ri -
cant.Alsolubricate the rollersand makesure
th eys pineas ily .

Repaira broken
drawer box
Don'tput up with a broken
cornerjoint on a drawer.
Fixit beforethe whole
d r awerc om esapart.
Remove the drawer
a n dt h e n r e m o v e
t h e d r a w e rf r o n t
from the drawer
box, if possible.
Mos tf r ont sar ef as -
te nedby a c oupleo f ';
s c r e w si n s i d et h e b o x .
W o o dg l u e w i l l m a k ea
strongrepairif there's wood-
to-woodcontactat thejoint.
Removenails,staplesor
l f t h e w o o da t t h e j o i n t i s I
I screwsfrom the loose
coated,useepoxyinsteadof joint and scrapeawayold glue Predrillt/76-in. holesfor nails, apptywoodglue to the joint
woodglue. with a utitity knife. and nait it togetherwith 7-t/2-in. finish nails.

A KITcHENS
details

,;'.-'i
Glueloose Fillstripped
f,:{
knobs screwholes
Anyhandleor knobthatcomes Whencabinetdoors,catchesor drawerslidesaren'tworking
l o o s eo n c e i s l i k e l yt o right,stepone is to makesurethe screwsaretight.lf a screw
c o m el o oseagai n.P ut turnsbut doesn'ttighten,the screwholeis stripped. Here'sa
a p e r m a n e nst t o p quickremedy:
to this problem Remove thescrewandhard-
witha tinydropof w a r e .D i p t o o t h p i c kisn g l u e ,
threadadhesive, jamasmanyasyoucanintothe
s u c ha sT h r e a d holeand breakthemoff.Either
Lok(about53at f l a t o r r o u n dt o o t h p i c k w
s ill
h o m ec e n t e r s ) . w ork.l mmedi atelwy i peaw ay
D o n ' t w o r r y ;i f g l u ed r i p sw i t h a d a m pc l o t h .
you wantto re- Youdon't haveto wait for the
p l a c ey o u r h a r d - gl ueto dry or dri l lnewscrew
waresometime in the hol es; j ust go aheadand rei n-
future, theknobswillstill s t a l lt h e h a r d w a rbey d r i v i n g
comeoffwitha screwdriver. screws rightintothetoothpicks.

*-G,-,1
, Clgan a yucky
d.%Touchup nicks ri=.*r
s'ii and scratches ; Gutting board
lf y ou hav es h a l l o ws c ra tc h eosr n i c k sh, i d e if youlovetheconvenience of a woodencuttingboardbutdon'tuseit because it's
themwith a stain-filled touch-upmarker. Dab stainedand grungy,try thischef-approved, two-stepprocess. Simplyscourthe
on the stainandwipeoff the excess with a rag. boardwith a lemonanda pileof koshersalt,thenapplymineraloil.Thecoarse
Butbeware:scratches canabsorblotsof stain kosher saltisanexcellent
abrasive,andthecitricacidkillsbacteria.When
thestains
andturndarker thanthesurrounding finish.So aregone,rinsethe boardandlet it dry.Mineraloil helpspreventthe woodfrom
startwitha marker that'slighterthanyourcab- absorbing stains.
inetfinishandthenswitchto a darkershadeif
needed. Fordeeper scratches, usea fillerpencil,
whichfillsandcolorsthescratch.lf thecabinet
finishis dingyand haslotsof scratches, con-
s i d e ra w i p e - o np r o d u c tl i k eO l d E n g l i s h
Scratch Coat.Theseproductscandarkenthe
finishslightly, soyouhaveto applythemto all
yourcabinets.

CUTTING BOARD

$
.-ry 1 nppty mineraloi] to the
3 boardand wipe off the
{ Scourthe cutting boardwith a lemonand excess.After a few hours,
I koshersalt until the boardis clean. apptya secondcoat.

Buyer'sguide
All the cabinethardwareand productsin this articleareavailable
at homecentersand
hardwarestores.Fora largerselectionof hinges,catchesand drawerslides,checkout
Woodworker's Hardwareat (800)383-0130;wwhardware.com.

1 o S I M P L Ec A B I N E TR E P A I R S 9
 Installa new
slnkand
faucet eadyto replace yourworn-outsinkandfaucet?Here
you'lllearnhowto dojustthat.This stainless steelsink
hasan extra-large bowlto accommodate big potsand
ismadeof heavy18-gauge stainless steelwitha well-engineered
cl a mp ing s y s t emT.hisd e l u x es i n kc o s t5 6 0 0b, u t to p -q ual i ty
sinkswithfewerfeatures areavailable foraslittleas5200.
Whilethesinkisout,it'saneasyjob to replace thefaucet.The
faucetshownherecostaboutS150. Similar faucetsrangefrom
5 1 3 0 t o5 3 0 0 .
Installing a newsinkandfaucetis easier thaneverthanksto
the simple-to-cut-and-assemble whiteplastic(PVC) drainparts
(Photo7)andnearly foolproof flexible watersupplytubes(Photo
6).Someplumbingexperience wouldbe helpful, but evenwith-
outit youcanreplace yoursinkandfaucetin lessthana dayusing
a fewbasictoolsthatyouprobably already own.You'll needlarge
groove-joint pliersfor the drainfittings(Photo1),a fine-tooth
sawto cut the plasticpipe,a setof open-end wrenches or two
adjustable wrenches to loosen andtightenthesupplytubes, and
hexheadnutdrivers forthesinkclipsandtheclamponthedish-
washer drain.lfyouhavea plastic laminate countertop andneed
to enlarge theholeforthenewsink,you'llalsoneedajigsaw.

Buya newsinkthe samesize

asthe old
Measure youroldsink.The standard sizeis33 x22 in.andabout
7 in.deep.lf yoursis thissize,you'llhaveno problemfindinga
newoneto fit the samehole.lf youwantto installa sinkthat's
largeror deeperthanyourcurrentone,firstcheckthe cabinet
widthbelowto makesureit'llfit.Then decidehowto enlarge the
hole.lf yourcountertop is stone,tile,solidsurface(Corian,for
example) or metal,you mayhaveto hirea proto enlarge thehole.lf
itt woodor plastic
laminate,enlarge theholeyourself withajigsaw.

Tipsfor removingthe old sink Removethe trap and other drain parts by looseningthe
I
Gettingthe old sinkout is usually
harderthanputtingthe new I slip-joint nuts with targegroove-jointptiers or a pipe
onein.Oldplumbingpartsarelikelyto becorroded,andthesink wrench.Disconnect the disposerfrom the sink by stickinga
maybegluedto thecounterwithcaulkor caked-on gunk.Sinks large screwdriveror disposerwrenchinto the ring near the
aremountedin several ways,but herearea few generaltipsfor drain and twisting it counterclockwise.
Closethe water vatves
and disconnectthe tubes leadingto the faucet. Hotdthe shutoff
removing yours:
valvesteadywith one wrenchwhile you loosenthe supplytube
Placea bucketunderthetrapto catchwastewater whileyou nut with a secondwrench.Removeany clips hotdingthe sink in
loosentheslip-joint
nuts. and Lift the sink out.

IO KITcHENS
 Partsandsupplies
putty(S2)
I Plumber's
caulk(S3)
I Tub-and-tile
(onlyoneif you're
I Twobasketstrainerassemblies
each)
a disposer;S13
installing

You'llneedthe following t-1/2-in.PVCdrain parts:

I OneP-trapassembly (5S)
I Oneendor centeroutletwastekit (55)
I Twosinktailpieces (52each)-onlyoneif you'reinstalling
a disposer.lf youhavea dishwasherandno disposer,get
a special'dishwasher'tailpiece
(53)thathasa tubeto
connectthedishwasher drainhose.
I Onespecial'disposer"waste arm(S3.50),
if youhave
a disposer.
I Twoflexiblewatersupplytubesfor kitchensinks(S4each).
Matchthe nutson the endsto the threadson yourfaucet
andshutoffvalves. Alsomeasure to determinethe right
length.Buyeverythingat a homecenter,hardware storeor
plumbingsupplier.

I mountthe new faucetto the new sink. Fottowthe instruc-

6 tions providedwith your faucet. Protectyour countertop
with cardboard.

Q S.t your new sink in the countertopto checkthe fit, then 1 nott ptumber'sputty into a 712-in.-diameterrope and place
t?
J trace aroundit with a pencil. Enlargethe hote if necessary. it aroundeachdrain opening. Pressthe top half of the
Removethe sink and apply a bead of mitdew-resistanttub-and- basketstrainer assemblydown into the plumbe/s putty on one
tite caulkjust to the inside of the pencil [ine. Set the sink back side. 0n the other, pressthe disposerdrain down into the putty.
in the hole and use a nut driverto tighten the clips that hotd
the sink down.Tightenthe clips just enoughto closethe gap
betweenthe sink and countertop.Don't overtighten.Cleanup
the excesscaulkwith a dampcloth.

I N S T A L LA N E W S I N K A N D F A U C E T II
 BASKET

( nssemUlethe undersinkhalf of the basketstrainer

4 Conne.tthe water supptyvalvesto the new faucet with
rJ assembtyand tighten the large nut with groove-joint \f ftexible braidedstainlesssteel sink connectors.Hand-
ptiers.Hotdthe basketwith your handto keepit from spinning. tighten the connections.
Thenturn them an additionalquarter
Reassemble the disposerdrain and tighten the three screws. turn with a wrench.
Cleanthe excessplumber'sputty from aroundthe drain open-
ings and polishthe sink with a dry cloth.

] loosely assemblethe new

, PVCdrainfittings. Hold up
and mark partsneedingto be
cut. Thensawthem with a fine-
tooth wood saw or hacksaw.
Slopethe horizontalpipes
down slightly toward the drain
in the wall. Hand-tightenatl
the fittings and turn the nuts
an additionatquarterturn with
large groove-jointptiers.

Remove the disposer (Photo1).Placepaintcansandboards Tipsfor installingthe new sink

underthedisposer to supportit asit comesloose. Followthestepsin Photos 2 - 7 to assemble, installandconnect
Usea pairof pipewrenches to separate drainpartsthatwon,t yournewsinkandfaucet. Somesinks, likethestainless steelsink
yieldto largegroove-joint pliers. Don'tworryaboutdamaging shownhere,require clipstightened frombelowto holdthemin
thepipes;you'll bereplacing themwithnewplastic partsanyway. place(Photo3).Mostcastironsinksareheldin placebytheirown
Addshutoffvalvesif yourhot and coldwatersupplypipes w ei ghtanda beadof caul k.Fol l owthe mounti ng i nstruc t ions
don'thavethem. provided withyoursink.
Working carefully, slicethecaulkaroundthesinkwitha utility Whenyou'refinished withtheinstallation,turn ontheshutoff
knife,thenslipa stiffputtyknifeunderthe sinkt lip andgently valvesand checkfor leaks. Thenrun waterin both bowlsand
pry up t o loos enit . O n s o m eo l d s i n k sy,o u m u s tre mo vethe checkthe drainsfor leaks. Mostleakscanbefixedbytightening
mounting clipsfromunderthesinkbeforeyouliftit out. theconnection. lf thisdoesn't work,you'llhaveto takethe leaky
Gethelpliftingouta castironsink. jointapartandinspect it for missing or misalignedparts.
I2 KITcHENS
-

*HHfnate
loose
n d c a p sa n do t h e rl a m i n a t e d g e ss o m e t i m ecso m e
looseandcanget brokenoff if not reglued, but aslong
asthe particleboard backeris in goodcondition, thefix
iss im ple,
Scrape off chunksof debrisor driedlumpsof gluefromthe
endcap.lf the countertop is newer, firsttry to ironthe endcap
backon witha medium-hot ironto reactivate theglue.However,
in mostcasesthe loosepiecewill needto be reattached with
contactcement.
S andr oug ha re a sw i th m e d i u m-g ri sa thenappl y
t n d p aper,
thecontactcement(Photo1).Opennearby windows to dissipate
thefumesfromtheglue.Afterbothsidesarecompletely coated,
keepthemseparated witha toothpick(Photo2) untilthe adhe-
siveistacky. Carefully rejointhetwo sides, starting at thebackof
thegluedarea(Photo3).Contact cementbondsinstantly, andif
the wrongareasaccidentally touch,you'llhavegreatdifficulty
pulling t hema p a rt.
Finally, rubawayanydriedgluearoundthe edgeswithyour
finger.lf yourendcaphasbroken, scrape it offandtakea pieceto
a homecenterto finda matching replacement piece. 1 Spreadcontactcementon with the applicatoror a dispos-
able naturat-bristtebrush,coveringal[ edges.

Keepthe two sidesseparateuntil the gtue is dry but stilt a

little tacky-usually in about 20 minutes. 3 Align and then pushthe laminateedgebackagainstthe
particleboard,applyingpressurewith a smoothblock of
woodfor a goodbond.

R E G L U EL o o s E L A M T N A T E l 3
 onvert
woodcabinet
doorsto glass
pairof glassdoorscanadda designer touchto any
kitchen.They canturnan ordinary cabinetintoa
decorative showcase or simplybreakup another-
wisemonotonous row of soliddoors.Thisalterationis only
for frame-and-panel cabinetdoors(seeFigureA),whereyou
canreplace the insetwoodpanelswithglass.Converting the
two doorsshownheretakesabouttwo hours.
To get started,removethe doorsfromthe cabinetsand
removeall hardware fromthe doors.Examine the backside
of eachdoor;youmightfinda fewtiny nailswherethe panel
meetsthe frame.lfso,gougeawaywoodwith a utilityknife
to expose the nailheadsandpullthe nailswith pliers. Look
j ust one l eftovernai lw i l l chi pyourexpensive
careful l y;
routerbit.
Cutawaythe lipsusinga routeranda 112-in. patternbit
(PhotoI ).A patternbit (S12)issimplya straightbit equipped
with a bearingthat rollsalonga guide.Mosthomecenters
and hardwarestoresdon't caruypatternbits.To find a
checkthe yel l owpagesunder" W oodw or king"
retai l er,
or orderone at pricecutter.com (888-288-2487). Be sure
to choosea bit that hasthe bearingon the top,not
at the bottom.
U s e a n y s t r a i g h t ,s m o o t h
material(solidwood,plywood
or MDF)to maketwo 3-ll2-in.-
w i de gui des.To al l owfo r t he
1-in.cutting depthof the patternbit,
pl yw oodand MD Ftogethert o
ickguides. Position the guides1/2in.from
edgesof the lipsand clampthemfirmlyin place
overthe door.Supportthe outeredgesof the guideswith
stripsof woodthat matchthe thickness of the doorto keep
FigureA themlevel(Photo1).Beforeyoustartrouting,makesurethe
Paneldoor profile dooritselfisclamped firmlyin place.
Most cabinet doorsare madetike this one: A raised or flat panel Setthe routeron the guideandadjustthe cuttingdepth
fits into groovesin the rails-and-stile frame. To removethe so that the bit just touchesthe panel.Cutawaythe lipson
panet,just cut awaythe lips on the back side of the door. two sides, then reposition the guidesto cut awaythe other
two.Withthe lipsremoved, lift the panelout of the frame.lf
the panelisstuck,a fewlighthammertapswillfreeit.

I4 KITCHENS
 Clamprouter guidesto the backside of the door.Runa
pattern bit alongthe guidesto cut awaythe inside lips.

Q s"t the glassinto the frame and secure

r, it with glassctips placedno more than
12 in. apart.Thenreinstatlthe doors.

Buyingglass
Mosthardw arestorescar r yclear
Lowerthe router bit and cut awaythe shoulderson the backside of an glass(53persq.ft.)andwill cut it for
archedupperrait to createa squarerecessfor the glass.
freeor a smallfee.Askfor 3/16-in.-
thick"doublestrength" glass. Order
gl ass
panel1/8
s i n.smal l er t han t he
lf yourdoorframehasa rectangular opening, it'snowready
recess
in theframe.To findtem-
for glass.lf it hasanarchedupperrail,cuta squarerecess above
pered,textur edor
t he ar c h( P ho to2 ).T h i sa l l o w sy o uto u s ea re ctangul ar pi ece
coloredglass(55to
of glassratherthana curvedpiece(curved cutsareexpensive).
T h e ns i m p l yl a yt h e g l a s si n a n da n c h o irt w i t h g l a s sc l i p s 5 15 p e r s q . f t . ) ,
( P h o t o3 ) .C l i p sa r ea v a i l a b lf er o mt h e g l a s ss u p p l i eor r a t c h e c kt h e y e l l o w
pagesunder"Glass."
w w h a r d w a r e . c o(m 8 0/ 0 - 3 8 3 - 0 1 3i t0e;m N o .L A H 2 6 4 ; 5f4o r
20c lips ) .
lf theglassrattles intheframe, addpea-size blobsof hot-melt
glueev er y12i n .

C O N V E R T W O OC
D A B I N E TD O O R S T OG L A S S I5
 Five-minutelighting makeover
Fora fast,easyway to beautifya room,
installWorthHomeProducts'new pendant
lights.Installation is simple:Unscrew the
recessed light,adjustthelengthof the pen-
dant lightcord,screwthe adapterin,slide
thecanopyupto theceilingandyouhavea
newlighthangingoverhead. A roomtrans-
formationdoesn'tget anyeasierthanthis
(i f y o u c anchangea l i ghtbul b,you can
installtheselights).Several stylesof the
Portfoliorecessbd light conversionkit are
available at Lowe's
for S50each.
Worth Home Products, (8661384-9400.
worthhomeproducts.com

Roll-onstainlesssteel Add kitchenrollouts

ApplyLiquidStainless Steeltoyourkitchen appliances R o l l o u t as r e o n e o f
andyou'llhavethe stainless steellookwithouthaving the easi est and most
to buy new (it'sgreatfor givingagingappliances a s a t i s f y i nugp g r a d e s
face-lift!).
Thewater-based latexpaintis madewith youcanmaketo your
stainless steeland appliedwith foambrushes and a k i t c h e nT. h e yb r i n g
roller(included with paintpurchase). A topcoatgives everything that's
thesurface satinor glossfinish(yourchoice).
a durable tuckedout of sightin
Thepaintcanbe usedon stoves, refrigerators,
dish- t h e b a c ko f c a b i n e t s
washers andtoasters-just cleanthem,tapeoff areas rightto yourfingertips
you don'twantcoveredand startpainting. you can - y o u a c t u a l l yg a i n
applybothcoatsandthe satinor usable storage space.
in:. . gloss topcoat in Y o u c a n s h o pf o r
moderately pricedyet
T h ep a i n tc a n sturdyrol l outs onl i n e
a l s ob e u s e do n or at Lowe's andHome
kitchencabinets, Roltoutsturn wastedspace D e p o t .Y o u s i m p l y
ta b l e sa n d c h ai rs deepinside cabinetsinto
m o u n tt h e m t o t h e
(afterpriming). accessible storage space.
e x i s t i n gs h e l v e si n
The fridge kit, yourcabinets withfourscrews.
whichisenoughto T h eb i g g e s m
t i s t a k ei s b u y i n gt h e w r o n gs i z e .
c o v e ra n a v e ra ge- W henyou meai urethe openi ngi n the frontof the
size refrigerator cabinet,be sureto accountfor the door,hingesand
withthe required otherobstructions.
two coats,costsS40. ,,: Costt540to 580
R e t a i l e rasr e l i s t e d perrollout.
onlineo , r buy the + ' Ti me:15 mi nutes
productsdirectlyfrom perrollout.
the manufacturer.
Thomas'KitchenArL
(800)650-s69e.
liquidstainlesssteel.com

This two-level rollout fits

aroundthe drainpipes
undera sink.

I6 KITcHENS
-

oingyourownfaucetrepairmayseemdaunting, but bathfaucetsusingthesameprocedures.

mostsingle-lever
onceyou learnthe basics, modernfaucetsarepretty Thetoolsyou'llneedvarya little dependingon the faucet
easyto fix.lnfact,thehardest
stepisusuallyfindingthe you'rerepairing.You'll
probablyneedanAllenwrenchto remove
rightreplacementparts.Hereyou'lllearnhowto find replacement the handle.Buya setof smallAllenwrenches (56to 512),and
partsandhowto stopspoutdripsonthethreemaintypesofsingle- you'llbepreparedforanyfaucet.Mostrepairs
alsorequirescrew-
leverfaucets:
rotaryball,cartridgeandceramicdisc.Youcanfix driversandlargegroove-joint
pliers.

Followthesebasicsfor all faucetrepairs

Beforeyou start,examinethe faucetcloselyto determine thevalvefor bitsof deteriorated gaskets or mineraldeposits.
wherethewateriscomingfrom.Leaks aroundthebaseof the Usea clothor fine nylonabrasive padto cleanthe surface.
spoutrequirea differentrepairthan a drip fromthe end ot Loosenmineraldepositsby soakingthem in vinegar.Slow
the spout.Then turn offthe watersupplyto thefaucet.You'll waterflow canbe causedby pluggedholesin the faucet
probablyfind shutoffvalvesunderthe sink.lf thosevalves body.Usea smallscrewdriver or penknifeto cleanthemout.
don'tworkor if you don'thaveany,you'llhaveto closethe Beforeyou replaceworn partsand reassemble the faucet,
mainwatervalveto yourentirehome.Afteryouturn off the holda ragoverthe faucetandopenthe watershutoffvalve
water,openthe faucetin the centerpositionto relievewater slightlyto flushoutdebristhatmayhavebeenloosened dur-
pressure andmakesurethewaterisshutoff.Finally, coverthe ingthecleaning andinspection.
sinkdrainholeswith strainerbaskets or ragsto avoidlosing Afterthe faucetis reassembled,openthe faucetto the
smallpartsdownthedrain. middlepositionandgraduallyopentheshutoffvalves to turn
Paycloseattentionto the orderandorientation of parts on the water.Leavethe faucetopenuntilwaterflowsfreely
asyou removethem.A digitalcameraor videocamerais andalltheairisoutof thepipes.lf thewaterflowthroughthe
handyfor recording eachstepin caseyouforget.Foreasier faucetis slow,theaerator(Figure A, p. 19)maybe plugged.
r eas s em b lsye, t th e p a rtsa s i d ei n th e o rd erthey w ere Unscrew theaeratorandcleanit out.
removed. Whenall the partsareout,inspectthe interiorof

L I G H T I N GM A K E O V E RR
; O L L - O NS T A I N L E S SS T E E L A
; D D K I T C H E NR O L L O U T SS; T O PF A U C E TD R I P S l7
 Rotaryball faucets
rift the handteand pry off the decora-
t
I tive coverto exposethe Atlen screw.
Turn the screwcounterclockwiseuntil ifs
looseenoughto tift the handleup from
the stem.
Lift off the plastic cam and packing.
Lift out the ball and inspectit.
Replacethe ball if it's scratched,crackedor
visibty worn.
I8 KITcHENS
Unscrewthe cap by turning it counter-
ctockwisewith groove-jointpliers.
fi titt out the two rubber seatsand
rf
springswith a screwdriver.Makenote
of the orientationof the taperedspringand
instal[ the new springsand seatsthe same
way. Reassembte the faucet.
W aterfl ow andtemperatu rin ea
rotaryballfaucetarecontrolledby
a h o l l o wb a l l t h a t r o t a t e si n a
socket(FigureA).Deltaand Peer-
lessaretwo of the majorbrands.
Y ourfaucetmayhavea brassor
p l a s t i cb a l l . B o t h w o r k w e l l ,
althoughthe long-lasting stainless
steelballcomeswith mostrepair
kits.Buya repairkit that includes
the ball,springs, seatsandO-rings
f o r t h e s p o u t a, s w e l l a s a s m a l l
r e p a i tr o o l ,f o r a b o u t5 1 2w h e r e
plumbingsupplies aresold,includ-
inghomecenters.With thiskit,you'll
be prepared foralmostanyrepair.
l f w ateri s l eaki ngout around
the baseof the handle, youmaybe
ableto fixtheleakby removing the
handle(Photo1)andsimplytight-
e n i n gt h e a d j u s t i n rgi n gs l i g h t l y
(Fi gure A ).Turni t cl ockw i se wit h
the spanner tool i ncl udedi n t he
repairkit.lf the faucetdripsfrom
the end of the spout,repl ac tehe
seatsandsprings (Photo 4).Tostop
leaksfrom the baseof the spout,
see"SpoutLeaks," p.23.
Reassembly is straightforward.
D ropthe spri ngsi n the recesses
andpress therubberseatsoverthe
top with yourfingertip.Then align
the groovein the ballwiththe pin
in the socketanddropthe ballin.
A l i g nt h e l u g o n t h e p l a s t i c a m
w i th the notchi n the val vebody
and setit overthe ball.Threadon
thecapwiththeadjusting ringand
tightenit with groove-joint pliers.
Nowyou canturn on the waterto
checkfor leaks.lf waterleaksfrom
aroundthe ballstem,usethespan-
nertool to ti ghtenthe adj u st ing
ri ng unti lthe l eakstops.R eplace
thehandleandyou'redone.
 Stuckscrewon a drippy faucet
lf yourfaucetis drippingbut youcan'tloosenthe Allenscrewto removethe
handle, followthefix shownhere.Normally youhaveto remove the handleto
getat thewornrubberseatsthatcause thedrip(Figure A,left).Firsttry spray-
ingthescrewwithpenetrating oil everydayfor a week.Then try thescrewto
seeif it'll comeout (seephoto).lf thisdoesn'tdo it,or if youfinallystripthe
headof theAllenscrew,try drillingoutthescrew. Usea bitaboutthesamesize
asthe screwandworkcarefully.You'll ruinthe handleandhaveto replace it,
butit'swellworthit if youcansavethevalve.As a finalresort,youcanactually
unscrew the capwith the handlestill
connected (seeFigure A forthe parts).
Thisis tricky,because you can'tgrab
theflatedgeof thecap,the partthat's
s h a p e df o r t h e p l i e r sM
. a k es u r et o
cushionthe jaws wellwhenyou grip
the smooth, roundedbodyof the cap.
U serubbertape,because you can' t
squeeze thecaptoo hard.Turn thecap
c ountercl ockw ito seunscrewi t.The
CAP WITH
ADJUSTING assembly you removewill containthe
{- RING
handle, cap,cam,packing andball.
Thenextchallenge is to breakthe
b al lfrom i ts stem.(TheA l l enscrew
clamps ontothestem.)Try grabbing it
{_ cAM with pliers andtwisting.The goalisto
I separate the partssothatyoucansal- If the Allen screwis stuck, or if
vageandreuse thecap.You'll stillhave you strip it so it won't comeout,
LUG
t o buya newhandl eanda repai ki r t removethe cap with the handle
stitt in place.You can't grab the
thatincludes a newball. flattenededgeswith the handlein
lf thisdoesn'twork,the onlysolu- ptace.Instead,cushionthe plier
1p--PA.K,NG tion isto replace theentirefaucet. jaws and grip the roundedgebetow.

-
I
I
\V

STAINLESS
-.i-L-
- - STEELBALL
- ,-
-'

OO*- AERATOR

s @<-
FigureA
Ballfaucetparts

S T O PF A U C E TD R I P S 19
 Cartridge-stylefaucets
1 tO off the handtecap (gently)
I with a knife. Turn the Allen screw
counterclockwise to removeit and tift
off the handle.
prVout the brassretainerclip with
A
-T
the tip of a screwdriver.Grabthe
clip with pliers and putl it the rest of
the way out to avoid losing it.
20 KTTcHENS
PHITLIPS
) Unr.r.w the domeassemblyunder
- the handle.Thenunscrewthe metal
handleadapterand tift it off. Lift off
the ptasticpivot stop.
toot.n the cartridgeby stipping
I Aera|
J the plasticspannercap (included
with the new cartridge) over the car-
tridge and twisting it backand forth.
Q n"toue the retainernut by turning
r, it counterclockwise
with large
groove-jointpliers.
the cartridgestem with ptiers
\f and pult it straightup and out.
Replaceworn parts and reassemble the
faucet in the reverseorder.
 \p.-rr*+
"Ht'---; - a
t+Hff---------------i-
-EU
Manyfaucetbrandsusea cartridge of
TEMPERATURE------+ .
sometype(Figure B).AMoencartridge lNDlcAToR
is shownhere,but the process is simi-
larforotherbrands.To stopdripsatthe
s p o u to r c o r r e cpt r o b l e mw s ithhot
andcold mixing, remove the cartridge
andeitherreplace the O-ringson the Takethe old parts
cartridge if they'rewornor replace the to the storeto find
entirecartridge. Takethe cartridge to
the homecenteror hardware storeto
replacements
Y o u ' lol f t e nf i n d t h e b r a n dn a m e
f inda r eplac em e(5 n t1 0 to$ 1 5 ).
- s t a m p e do n t h e f a u c e tA. n d t h i s
Photos1 6 showhowto remove
DOME information will helpwhenit comes
the cartridge. Replacement cartridges ASSEMBLY
timeto findrepairparts.Butin most
f o r M o e nf a u c e t si n c l u d ea p l a s t i c
cases, the safestbet i s to tak et he
s panner c apt ha t a l l o w sy o uto tw i s t
wornpartsto thestorewithyou.
and loos ent he c a rtri d g e to ma k ei t
lf youhavea Deltaor otherrotary
easierto pull out (Photo5).Don'tbe
ballfaucet(Figure A,p. 19),you'rein
surprised if the cartridge seemsstuck.
luckbecause you'llfindrepairkitsin
It maytakeconsiderable forceto pullit scREwl m o s th a r d w a r set o r e sa n d h o m e
out .Reallys t ub b o rnc a rtri d g ema s y
centers. Cartridges andrepairkitsfor
requirethe useof a special cartridge-
M o e n" c a r t r i d g e - t y p(eF" i g u r eB )
p u l l i n gt o o l .M o e n ' sv e r s i o nc o s t s
faucets arealsoreadily available. But
a b o u t5 1 5a n d i s a v a i l a b laet m o s t JHP+?{ if you haveanotherbrandor a disc-
homecenters.
typefaucet,you mayhaveto order
Reassemble thefaucetinthereverse
parts, sincetherearetoo manyvaria-
order. Pullthestemup beforeinserting
tionsfor moststoresto keepin stock.
the cartridge. Youmayhaveto twist PtvorsroP-----i)
It helpsto knowthe faucet's model
t he c ar t r idge s l i g h tl to
y l i n ei t u p fo r
nameor numberwhensearching for
the brassretainer clip.Usethe plastic
a replacement cartridge. Otherwise,
spanner capor thetipsof needle-nose
takethe cartri dge w i th you t o t he
pliersto rotatethe cartridge. Slidethe RETAINER
NUT storesoyoucanmatchit to a photo
br as sc lip int o th e s l o tsi n th e v a l v e
i n the partscatal og. P l umbi nsup-
g
bodyt o holdt h e c a rtri d g ei n p l a c e .
ply storesandthe Internetarealso
Lookfor the smallnotchon top of the
WASHER _____>
/,4 goodsources of repairparts. lf you're
s t e ma n d r o t a t et h e s t e mu n t i lt h e
havingtroublefindingparts, callthe
notchfacesyou
remaining
handle. Thedirections
(Photo

thestemwillhelporientyou.Thentest
4).Installthe
p a r t sa n d r e a t t a c ht h e
that comewith
;i *,rr , /
manufacturer of yourfaucetfor help.

\
thefaucet.lf thehotandcoldwaterare
RETAINERCLIP
r ev er s ed, s im pl yre m o v eth e h a n d l e , CARTRIDGE

d o m ea s s e m b a l yn d h a n d l ea d a p t e r
androtatethestem180degrees.

SPOUT ---}
FigureB
Cartridge faucet parts

S T o P F A U c E TD R I P S 2I
Ceramicdiscfaucets
Ceramic discvalves areanothertypeof
c a r t r i d g eD. i s c si n s i d et h e c a r t r i d g e
controlthewaterflow.This typeof valve
is sturdyand reliable and rarelyneeds
fixing.In fact,manymanufacturers offer
a lifetimeguarantee on the cartridge.lf
yoursis damaged, checkwiththe man-
ufacturer to seeif itt coveredby a War-
ranty.Leakscanresultfromfaultyrub-
ber seal sor a cracked di sci nsi d et he
cartri dge. S i ncei t' sdi ffi culto t sp ota
cracked disc,and disccartridge replace-
m e n t sa r e e x p e n s i v (e5 2 0t o S 5 0 ) ,
itt bestto startby replacing the seals
and reassembl i ng the faucet. Thenif
the faucetsti l ll eaks, removethe disc

1 tO off the decorativescrewcover

I with your fingernailor the tip of a
knife. Unscrewthe handlescrewby
2 Removethe screwsthat hold the
disc cartridgeto the faucet body
a n d lift out the cartridge.
cartridge a n dt a k ei t t o t h e s t o r et o
ordera replacement.
E a r l yv e r s i o n o s f c e r a m i cd i s c
turning it counterclockwisewith an Allen faucetsmaybe morefragi l eand can
wrench.Lift off the handte.Unscrewor
unclip the cap.
crackif subjected to a blastof pressur-
i zedai r.That' sw hy i t' s i mporta ntt o
leavethe faucetopenasyou turn the
waterbackon.This allowsairtrappedin
thelinesto escape.When thewaterruns
smoothly, it'ssafeto turnthe faucetoff.
M a n u f a c t u r e hr sa v ei m p r o v e dt h e
s t r e n g t ho f c e r a m i cd i s c so n n e w e r
faucets to withstand airblasts, aswellas
abrasive debristhatmayget dislodged
fromtheinsideof pipes.

Q
Inspe* the cartridgefor mineral
J buitdupand carefullycteanit out.
Thenreplacethe rubbersealson the
underside.
fl Un out the ptasticdisc (on some
rll
faucets)and reptacethe O-ringsunder
it. Inspectthe hotesin the faucet body
and cleanthem out if they'reclogged.

22 KTTcHENS
 HANDLE-->

tc:t
TI Spoutleaks
t\
SCREW ALLEN
Leaks aroundthe baseofthe spout
arecaused by wornO-rings located
ones.Remember
tubeof plumber's
to pickup a small
faucetandvalve
COVER SCREW (53)whileyou'rethere.
underthe spout.A l l that' susual l y grease
required to access theseO-rings for I n P h o t o1 , y o u c a n s e et h e
repl acement i s to w i ggl eand pul l diverter valve, whichcontrols water
cAP ->>
up onthespoutto remove it (Photo t o t h e s p r a y eTr .h e i ra p p e a r a n c e
1).Depending on the faucet, you'll variesconsiderably amongbrands,
alsohaveto remove the handleand but you' l lusual lfi y ndthemu nder

jTT
otherpartsto access the spout.Be thespout.lf yoursprayer isn'twork-
CARTRIDGE
persistent.The spoutmaybe a little ingproperly,first cleanit in vinegar
SCREWS s t u b b o r nS. p o u tO - r i n gk i t sa r e or simplyreplace it (55to 522).lf this
available for manyfaucets, or you doesn't work,thediverter valvemay
cantaketheoldO-rings to thehard- be cl ogged.li tf doesn'si t mp lypull
w a r es t o r eo r p l u m b i n gs u p p l y out,contactthe manufactu r fer or
storeandmatchthemup with new helpwithcleaning it.

-R

cERAMlc
Dlsc
tffffip
->
CARTRIDGE 7 ryes *"-
"]l}S'
I

caRrRrDGE lt
"___-f, I t L _ -
-

PLASTIC
PLATE *

{ R"rou" the handleand car- J stip the tip of a screwdriver

cAPcLrPs -------------->
I tridge. Twistand pult up on the & underthe 0-ringsto stide
spoutto removeit and exposethe them out of the groove.Install
0-ring seals. the new O-rings,lubricatethem
with ptumbe/sgreaseand reinstall
I
the spout.

FigureC
Ceramicdiscfaucet parts

S T o P F A U C E TD R I P S 23
 Fixa
drlppyslnkspraye
:.a.
.l&-a
.j:l#
A*F'"

frl 'ffiyoufind mysterious puddlesunderyourkitchensink, with smallpliers, but it'stight quarters underthere.The besttool
themostlikelysuspects arethewatersupplylines,the forthisjob isa basinwrench(S16at homecenters andhardware
4':'.ffi
*# drainlinesor the sealbetweenthe sinkandthe coun- stores). lf tighteningdoesn'tsolvethe problem, replace the hose
tertop.Butdon'tforgetaboutthe pulloutsprayer. Sprayer leaks (Photo2).
canfoolyoubecause theyusually occuronlywhenthefaucetis Hoses usually aren'tsoldseparately, soyou'llgeta newspray
running.There areonlytwofixes: Eitherreplace thesprayheador head,too.Somehoseshavea femalefittingthat fits overthe
boththesprayheadandthe hose. faucetstem.Othersscrewi nto the faucetstem.Manys pr ay
First, checkthe sprayheadfor leaks.Turn on the faucetand head/hose kitsincludean adapterso the hosecanconnectto
pulloutthesprayhead. Makesuretheslidenutistightlyscrewed maleor femalethreads. Alsopickup a rollof pipe-thread tape
intothesprayhead(seeopposite page). Check for leaks, thenpush (S2)and wrapthe malethreadsbeforeyou connectthe new
thetriggerandcheckagain.lf waterleaks outfromundertheslide hose.Youdon'thaveto turn off the watersupplyto replacethe
nut,remove thesprayheadandslidenut.Turn on thefaucetand hose, but makesurenooneturnson thefaucetwhilethe hoseis
lookfor leaksaroundthe crimpsleeve. lf youfind leaksaround disconnected! Oncethenewhoseisinstalled, turnon thefaucet
the crimp,you'llhaveto replace the hoseandthe head.lf the andcheckfor leaks.
crimpdoesn'tleak,simplyreplace the head(Photo1).A replace- Mostsprayheadsand hosesareinterchangeable. Butsome
mentcostsS7to S20at homecenters andhardware stores. sprayheadsand hosesconnectdifferently. Homecentersand
lf the sprayheaddoesn'tleak,graba flashlight, turn on the hardware stores usually carryonlythestandard typeshownhere.
faucetandcheckunderthesink.Givethehosea quickinspection, lf youhavea different type,calla plumbingsupplier (intheyel-
thenex am ine t he c o n n e c ti ounn d e rth e fa u c e t.l f y o u fi nd a lowpagesunder"Plumbing, Fixtures")or go to anyonlinesearch
leakat thecrimp,replace the hose. lf the leakiscomingfromthe e n g i n ea n d t y p e i n t h e m a n u f a c t u r eorf y o u r f a u c e t
stemconnection, try to tightenit.Youmightbe ableto tightenit followedby"replacement parts."

'*F

I nephce the spray headonty by unscrewingthe spray head
I from the slide nut. Removethe washerand pry off the
C-ctipwith a small screwdriveror pocketknife.To install the
new head,reversethese steps.
J nepUcethe spray headand hose by unscrewingthe hose
4 with a basin wrench(opposite page). Feedthe new hose
through the holder.Wrapmale threadswith pipe thread tape.
Screwthe hoseto the faucet stem by hand.Thentighten the
connectionwith the basin wrench.

24 KTTcHENS
 Uncloga kitchenfaucetaerator
l f y o u g e t w e akw aterfl ow w henyou turn on the faucet, don' t
assume yourwaterpressure hassuddenly gone bad.You couldsim-
plyhavea filterscreen, or aerator,that'sclogged.Remove the aera-
tor asshownin the photo,rinseit outandreinstall it.lfit'scorroded
or worn,takeit to a homecenterand pick up a newone($3to 55). WASHER

Moststoreshavea slickgaugeyoucanscrewyouroldaerator onto --**-<

to determine whichreplacement to buy.lf youcan'tfinda replace- - FLow
RESTRICTOR
mentfor youraerator, soakthe partsin vinegarovernight, scrub
G==t<-'-/
themwith an old toothbrush and reinsertinto the faucet(make
sureto reassemble thepartsin thesameorderyouremoved them). €fu----=-==-=-
qTl:g
*)
wAsHER
-f| t-____4
=-----
SCREEN

€ffib<--,-/
c-cue---+(

ffi;*
;r

- AERAToR
IS-' BODY
|w /
-tr
t-- ,-
-F

FigureA
"o".\-
Wrapthe jaws of pliers with tape to keep them from scratching
Aeratorparts
the aerator.Unscrewthe aeratorbody from the faucet and remove Dirt usuatlycollectson the
CRIMP
atl the internal comDonents.Cteanand reassemble. mixer and the screen.

Fixan erraticsinksprayer
Insideyourfaucet, there's a "diverter" valve, whichstopsthe waterflowto the spoutand
sends it to the sprayer when you press the spray head's Herearethesymptoms
trigger. of
diverter trouble:
Verylittlewater, or noneat all,comesoutof the sprayer whenyoupressthetrigger. A
bad sprayer head can cause this, but more often the is
diverter the check
culprit.To this,
remove thesprayheadandturnonthefaucet. lf thewaterflowoutof thehoseisweak,
thediverter is to blame.
Thesprayer pulsates likea machine gun.
Watercontinues to flow out of the faucet spoutwhenyou'reusingthesprayer.
Often,amisbehaving diverter needs only lightscrubbing witha toothbrushanda good
rinse. Butsinceremoving a diverter usually requires major faucet it'sbestto
disassembly,
simplyreplace the diverter rather than risk taking it apart again.
Diverter styles andremoval procedures differwidely. Somearesmallvalves liketheone
shownhere.Othersarelargercylinders that don't
looklikevalves at all.Somenewerdiverters aren't
insidethefaucet, butareinstead connected to the
sprayerhosebelow.Sothe firststepin diverter
repairis findinga diagramof yourfaucet.lf you
c a n ' tf i n d y o u r o w n e r ' sm a n u a ld, o a n o n l i n e
search.Type in themanufacturer of yourfaucetfol-
l o w e db y " f a u c e pt a r t sd i a g r a m W . " i t ha l i t t l e
searching, you'llfindan illustration showingyour
fa u c e t'si nternalparts.Y ou' l lal sofi nd several
s o u rc efor s repl acement partsonl i ne.To fi nd a Disassemblethe faucet to access
l o c a ls u p p l i e cr ,h e c kt h e y e l l o wp a g e su n d e r the diverter.Cleanor replacethe
"Plumbing, Fixtures." Diverters costfrom57to 520. diverter and reassembtethe faucet.

F I X A D R I P P Y S I N K S P R A Y E R ; U N C L O G A K I T C H E N F A U C E T A E R A T O R ; F I X A N E R R A T I CS I N K S P R A Y E R 25
 Preventkitchendrainsfrom clogging
Keepkitchendrainsgrease-free
by pouringin a few spoonfulsof bakingsoda
everyfew weeks.Thenfill the sinkwith hot water,removethe plug and let it
Repairchippedporcelain
B u g g e db y t h e c h i p si n
t h e p o r c e l a i nf i n i s h o f
your sink,washeror
r e f r i g e r a t o r ?P o r c e l a i n
t o u c h - u pg l a z ew i l l h i d e
thoseblemisheson most
every surface except
c o o k t o p s .F o r a s i n k ( o r
bat ht ub)let
, t he re p a i r \..
dry24 hoursbeforeuse. ru''
M o s t a p p l i a n c ep a r t s
s t o r e ss t o c k a S 5 r e p a i r
kit in white but you may
needto ordercolors.
Correcta crooked fridge door
A saggingrefrigerator or freezerdoor
doesn'tjust lookbad.lt cancausethe
door gasketsto sealpoorly,and that
meansyourfridgewill workharderto
keepthe milkcold.lt canalsoleadto
frostbuildupin the freezer. To realign
the door,just pry off the hingecapand
loosenthe hingescrews.Then alignthe
doorwith the top of the refrigerator.
Adjustonlythe top hingeto straighten
a n upperdoor .T o re a l i g nth e l o w e r
door,adjustthe middlehinge.Moving
the middlehingewill affectthe upper
door,soyoumayhaveto adjustthetop
hingeafterward.
26 KTTcHENS
drain freely to
f l u s hd e b r i sT
. he
bestway to pre-
vent clogs is to
l i m i tt h e a m o u n t
of grease and
o t h e r s o l i d sg o i n g
down the drainin
the firstplace.
Touchup chipsand scratchesin the porcetain
finish of appliancesusinga specialcolor-
matchedrepair kit. Start by cleaningthe surface,
then use the enclosedfine-grit sandpaperto
roughenthe finish. Apptythin coatsof repair
fluid, letting them dry completelybetweencoats.
CIeana stinky
d isposer
l f y o u r d i s p o s e rh a s $
d e v e l o p e da n o d o r , i t
m a y c o n t a i nb i t s o f
rotted food. Here's
6*
h o w t o c l e a nt h e m o u t :
1 .W i t h t h e w a t e r r u n n i n ga t a b o u t h a l f
throttle,drop in orangeor lemon peels.
Run the disposerfor five seconds.Citric
acid from the peelssoftenscrustywaste
and attackssmellybacteria. Givethe acid
a b o u t1 5 m i n u t e st o d o i t sw o r k .
2 .T u r n o n t h e w a t e ra n d t h e d i s p o s e r
and drop in a few icecubes.Flyingshards
o f i c e w o r k l i k e a s a n d b l a s t eirn s i d e
the disposer.
3. Runthe wateruntilthe bowlis about
hal fful l .Thenpul lthe stopper andt ur n
onthedisposer to flushit out.
 bathrooms
Makeovera bathro omf or
l e s st h a n $ 5 0 0
your bathroomwit h
U pgrade
new accessori es
fll
-
i
$
$
Top9 bathroomupgr ades
Mount-anyw here
f,6ffi : g r a bb a r a n c h o r s
,wp"
W ater-smart
bathroom
Ti ghtena ftoppyfau cethandt e
0 p e ns h e l v i n gf o r
bathroomstorage
A new l ook for otd tubs
a n ds h o w e r s
H a n ga m i r r o r
S t o pa r u n n i n gt o i l e t
C Leana stuggi shtoi t et
H ot g[uefor ti l e accessor ies
Restorefree flow to a
cLogged faucet
W ortd' scheapestba t hr oom
expansi on proj ect
S how ervatveconve r sion
andcover-up
M o u n ta t o w e lb a r o n
cerami cti l e
C t e a na c l o g g e ds h o w e r h e a d
 :g $: r.
:*
:Ig

:* 8.
&
lt
f'
-tr,,t* b,
fE
f
i
g

:4
h
4,
I
.1 *a

\kt :
:
&:
&
:1

la

,,,,

.-?

a bathroomfor \i

lessthanSS00 \i rl

'& Su
y o u ' v el o n gw a n t e dt h e e l e -
g a n c eo f n a t u r a ls t o n e i n
y o u r h o m e ,a n e w g r a n i t e
b a t h r o o mv a n i t yt o p i s a g r e a t a, f f o r d -
a b l ew a y t o g e t i t .Y o uc a nf i n d g r a n i t e
t o p sa t L o w e ' sH, o m eD e p o ta n d o l h e r
h o m ec e n t e r sP,r i c ersa n g ef r o mS1 5 0t o
5 4 5 0d e p e n d i n o g n t h e s i z e( t h eo n e
t.

I
,r4
s h o w nh e r ec o s tS 2 0 0 )C o m p l e t e
this
b a t h m a k e o v ew r i t h a n e w f a u c e ta n d **
m i r r o ra, n d y o u ' l ls t i l lk e e pt h e p r i c e
u n d e rS 5 0 0 .
B e g i nb y o r d e r i n gy o u r n e w
i t e m sa n d d o n ' t s t a r tt h e p r o j e c t
u n t i l y o uh a v et h e ma l l o nh a n dB. es u r e
t o i n s p e c t h e m f o r f l a w s( a c o m m o n
p r o b l e m ) . T h teena ro u t t h e o l d f i x t u r e s
a n dr e p a itrh ew a l l sa sn e e d e d .
ft;
Nextp , a i n tt h e w a l l sa n d a d d t h e S?b
n e w m i r r o rl f. y o u ro l d m r r r oirn c l u d ead
r e c e s s em
d e d i c i n ec a b i n e tm , a k es u r e
t h e n e w o n e f i t s w i t h i nt h e e x i s t i n g
o p e n i n gE. n l a r g i ntgh e o p e n i n go f t e n
e x p a n dtsh ej o b c o n s i d e r a b l y l
F i n a l lm
y ,o u n t h ef a u c e ti n
, stallyour
n e w g r a n i t e t o p a n d c o n n e c tt h e
p l u m b i n gW. h e w l f a l l g o e sw e l l ,y o u ' l l
f i n i s hi n a l o n gw e e k e n d .

Granitevanitytops costas little :

$ 1 5 0a n dc o m ec o m p l e twe i t ha n
u n d e r - m o u n t es di nk .

28 B A T HR o o M s
Upgra
yourbathro
with new
accessorres
eplacing accessories liketowelbars,
lightfixturesandtowels,plusapply-
inga freshcoatof paint,istheeasiest
w a yt o m a k ey o u rb a t h r o o mf e e ln e wa n d
clean.You don'tneedspecial skillsfor success;
it'sa screwdriver-and-paintbrush projectyou
cancomplete in a weekend. Butkeepin mind Reviveyour bathroomin a weekendwith fresh paint and updatedhardware.
thatthisface-lift willonlyworkif yourbasicfix-
tures-the sinkand faucet,vanity,toilet,tub
andtile-are allstillin reasonably goodshape.
Alsokeepin mindthatthetotalcostof this
makeover will varywidelydepending on your
c hoic es Y.ouc o u l ds p e n da s l i ttl ea s $ 2 0 0o r
muchmorethan5500.
Whenyoushopfor accessories, staywith a
consistent styleandfinish.Manufacturers help
b y o f f e r i n gm a t c h i n gs e t so f t o w e l b a r s ,
shelves, soapdishes andotheraccessories.
S i m p l yp a i n t i n g t h e w a l l sa n e wc o l o r
makes a quick,dramatic change. Butbeware. lf
youchoose thepaintcolorfirst,youmayspend
day shunt ingf o r m a tc h i n to g w e l sa, ru g a n d A pultout mirror comesto you so you don't
s howerc ur t ai n sT.o ma k ec o l o rc o o rd i n a ti o n haveto lean over the sink.
easier, shopfor accessories first,usingpaint
samples asa guide.Then settleona paintcolor.
E x t r aa c c e s s o r i teos c o n s i d eirn c l u d ea
p u l l o umt i r r o rn e a rt h e s i n k( 5 3 0 )m
; ultiple-
lev elt owel ba rs(s h o w na b o v e S5 ; 5 );to w e l
warmer(S40to 5200); anda self-closing toilet
seat(545).

tip Removetheoldwallaccessories,
thenrepair,
cleanandrepaint
the
walls before adding the new
. accessories. A self-closingtoilet seat eliminatesthe A ptug-in electric towel warmer
irritating seat banging. instaltsin minutes.

M A K E O V E RA B A T H R O O MU; P G R A D E
Y O U RB A T H R O O M 29
 bathroom
Top upgrades
Whirlpooltub
Bathtubs thatprovidea massage aren'tjustfor million-
d o l l a rh o m e sa n y m o r eS. m a l l etru b st h a t f i t i n t o a
standard S-ft.-long tub space, with smallerpricetags
(star t ingat aboutS 5 0 0 ), h a v em a d ew h i rl p o otu l bs
a f f o r d a b l eW. h e ny o u l o o k a t p r i c e s , : ,:;:
remember to add at least5200for the
fa uc etplum, bingand e l e c tri c aslu p p l i e s .
Youmaywantto replaceyourwaterheatertoo.your
waterheater capacity shouldbeabout75percent of the
tub'scapacity.
Therearetwo typesof whirlpooltubs.Traditional
"water-jet"tubs providea morepowerfulwaterstream.
Theothertypeof whirlpool, an"air-jet"tub, massages by
blasting airthroughtinyholes. Somepeoplepreferthe
tingleof air massage; othersfind it too gentle.Air-jet
tubsareoftenlouderandincoming aircoolsthe water
faster. Expect to spendat leastS1,200for anair-jettub.

A big mirror
lf you'relookingfor dramatic resultson a lim-
itedbudget,youcan'tdo betterthaninstalling
a bi g mi rror.l t w i l l provi dea l argervi ew,of
course, butthe realwoweffectof a big mirroris
that i t makesa di m,crampedbathroom f eel
brightandspacious. Homecenters andkitchen
andbathshowrooms carryor canspecial-order
largeframedor unframedmirrors. Fora wide
onlineselection, goto simplymirrors.com. lf you
wanta large,unframedmirrorcut to the size
andshapeyoulike,calla business thatspecial-
izes
inmirrors
fiJl:fii?:,Tffil':T
e v e ng e t a h u g em i r r o r
(typically up to 6 ft.x 10ft.)
with polishedor bevelededges. you
canalsohaveholescutsothe mirrorfitsneatly
overswitches, outletsor light fixtures(520to
5 3 0p e r h o l e )E
. i t h ebr u i l dy o u ro w n m i r r o r
frameor leavetheedgesexposed andhangthe
mirrorwithclipsor adhesive. A 4-ft.x5-ft.mirror
withpolished edgescostsabout5160.

3(, BATHROOMS
 A soapdispenser
Manyhotelsno longerprovide tinybarsof soapandminiature shampoo bot-
tles.They've thatpush-button
discovered dispensers meanlessclutter,more
convenience andquickercleaning.The versionshownheredispenses three
liquids(suchassoap, shampoo andconditioner). screwit to thewallor
Either
fastenit withadhesiveandtwo-sided tape.Youmightfinda dispenser
at a homecenteror discount butyoucancheckouta varietyof
store,
modelsonline;just type"soapdispenser" intoanysearchengine. The
Avivalll modelshownisavailable fromcomforthouse.com forabout540.

A recessedmedicine
A dimmer switch cabinet(or two)
lf your bathroom is a quiet refugewhere F}
you escapefrom the world,letthe lighting s
i,:-

matchyour mood.A simpledimmerswitch F

:tl

(58 to 520)letsyou choosebright light for w

ii
s h a v i n go r a p p l y i n gm a k e u pa n d g e n t l e #
ta

light to accompanythat soothingshower Ll

o r b a t h .Y o u c a n i n s t a l lo n e i n j u s t a f e w vt
F,
m i n u t e s ,b u t t o d o i t s a f e l yy o u h a v e t o
t'
c h e c kt h e g r o u n d i n ga n d t h e s i z eo f t h e r:
t-
junctionbox. q.

E verybathroomcan usemore
storagespace. And mostbathrooms
havea spot-usuallynextto the door-
that'sperfectfor an extramedicine cabinet.lf
youinstalla "recessed"cabinetthatfitsinsidethe wallbetween
thestuds,youwon'tloseaninchof spacein thebathroom. lf wall
space allows,you can even install
two cabinets thisway, side-by-
sideor over-under.Anothergoodspotfor a medicine cabinetis
abovethe toilet.Butin that case, you'llmost likely need a sur-
face-mount cabinet, sincethere'susuallya large vertical vent
pipein thewallbehindthetoilet.Medicine cabinets areavailable
at homecentersand kitchenand bathshowrooms startingat
aboutS30.HerearesomeWebsites to check out: broan,com,
nutone.com, robern.com andkitchensou rce.com.
UPGRADES 3I
ToP 9 BATHROOM
 New faucet
& hardware A quiet bath fan
lf the mainelements of yourbathroom-like Youmightbe temptedto leaveyour noisy
t h e f l o o r i n gt,u b a n d v a n i t y - a r e i n g o o d bathfan off.But don't.Humidityfrom hot
shape, a newsetof matching hardware might showers feedsmildew,causes condensationI
beallyouneedforanupdated look.Seemingly a n d c a ns u p p o r tr o t i n s i d ey o u rw a l l s . f
smallitemslikea stylishfaucet,lightfixtures, Instead, upgrade to a quietfan.
towelbarsor cabinetdoorhardware canhavea F a nn o i s ei s m e a s u r eidn " s o n e s . " T h e j
bigimpact.While you'reat it,replace grimyold lowerthe number, the quieterthe fdfl."Qqis1"":'
lightswitchandoutletcovers.You'll findevery- fansusually humat 1.5sones or less; someareaslow
thingyouneedat a homecenteror a kitchen as.3sones(findthemat broan.com). lf a fandoesn'tcarrya sonerating,it'sproba-
andbathshowroom. blyloud(3to Ssones). Quietfansstartat aboutS100.
Replacing a fan and ductworktakesone day.But
oftenyou canconnecta quietfanto existingductwork
and savehoursof work.Mostquietfansrequireduct
that'sat least4 in.in diameter.To determinethe sizeof
yourexistingduct,pulloff the fan'sgrilleandfind the
manufacturer and modelnumber. Thengo onlineand
typethemintoa search engine.AtWebsitesof manufac-
turersand partsretailers, you'llfind the specifications
for yourfan.lf yourfanuses4-in.duct,you'llhavea wide
rangeof quietfansto choose fromat homecenters. lf yourfanisconnected to 3-in.
duct,checkouttheWhisperFit lineof fansat panasonic.com.
To removemoisturefrom your home,it's bestto let a fan run for 15to 30
minutesafteryou showeror bathe.Soconsiderreplacing the fan'sswitchwith a
timer.Rotarytimers, whichworkwellbut makea buzzingsound,costabout520at
homecenters. Forsilentoperation, get an electronic timer(levitonproducts.com,
item No.6230M, 543. Another optionis to installa fan that switches on when
humiditylevels rise(broan.com, modelNo.QTXl10SL).

Framelessshower
& tub doors
Frameless shower doorswillsaveyoucountless
hoursof tediouscleaning overthe years. They
are n' tent ir elyf r ame l e s sy;o u fa s te nm e ta l
channels to tub or showerwalls.Butthe glass
d o o r st h e m s e l v ehsa v en o f r a m e sa n d n o
crevices to collectsoapscum.Somemodels,
suchas Sterling's Finesse
seriesor Kohler's Purist
l i ne,als of eat ur ec le v e r
d e s i g n s t o m a k e i n s t a l l a t i o ne a s i e r
(kohler.com). Themodelshownhere(Sterling
Finesse 6305-34, about5+OO) hasno crossbar
a bov et he doorope n i n gs, o th e re ' sn o h e a d
hazard for tallfolksandonelesspartto clean
fortherestof us(sterlingplumbing.com).
o)
'^
E
E

=q)

U)

32 BATHRooMS
 Heatedfloor
Barefeetandbathrooms gotogether, soyourfeetwillappreciate
a warmfloorall winterlong.There aretwo basictypesof floor
heatingsystems:electric resistance wires, whichoperatelikean
electricblankeq and hydronic systems, whichpumphot water
t hr oughf le x i b l ep l a s ti ctu b i n g H . y d ro n i sc y stems churnout
moreheatmoreeconomically. Someupscale homesareheated
e n t i r e l yb y h y d r o n i "cr a d i a n tf"l o o r h e a t .l f y o uj u s t w a n t
warmtoeswhenyoustepout of thetub,youmayfindelectrical
heatmorepractical.The systemcostslessand is usually easier
to install. {-
With eithertype of system, thereareonlytwo waysto add
heatto thefloor:You caninstallnewflooring(ceramic tileisthe
mostpopularflooringfor heatedfloors). Or-if thefloorisacces-
siblefrom below-youcanfastenwiresor tubingto the
underside of the subfloor. Foranytypeof floorheating
system, expectto spend510or morepersquarefoot. {q$ir" i
Thetypeof electricmat shownhereis embedded in
m o r t a rb e n e a t hc e r a m i ct i l e .F o rm o r ei n f o r m a t i o ng,o t o
suntouch.net.
F o ra m a tt h a t ' si n s t a l l e od n t h e u n d e r s i doef t h e f l o o r
between floorjoists, checkoutcalorique.com.
Thesesuppliers specialize in helpingdo-it-yourselfers install
hydronic systems: radiantcompany.com andradiantec.com.

grabbaranchors
Mount-anywhere
Thetroublewith installing grabbarsis that you haveto eitherfind a
studand settlefor that locationor placeblockingbehindthe wallto
mountthe anchors. Andthe latteris hardto do with fiberglass enclo-
sures Moen's
or tiledsurfaces. SecureMount anchors (52Sfora two-pack)
simplify grabbarsby lettingyouplacetheanchors
installing anywhere.
ln places wherethere'sa stud,screwthemin liketraditionalanchors.
Wherethere'sno stud,
youjustdrilla 1-1/4-in.
h o l e i, n s e r t h e g l i d e
s l e e v ea n d a n c h o r ,
t h e np u l lt h e a n c h o r
against thebackof the
w al lw i th the pul ltab
andinsertthescrew(it
t a k e sl e s st h a n f i v e
minutes). Theanchors
evenw orkon 1/8-i n.
f i b e r g l a s st u b s u r -
roundsi f you w ant a
grabbarintheshower.
Available at Lowe's.
Moen, (800) 289-6636.
moen.com
MOUNTING
PLATE

U P G R A D E SM; O U N T - A N Y W H E RGER A BB A R A N C H O R S
T O P9 B A T H R O O M 33
ffiter-smart
bathroom FigureA
Where'syour water
e c a u s ew a t e r i s c h e a p ( a b o u t Thegood newsis that you canturn
g o in g ?
5 1 . 5 0f o r 1 , 0 0 0g a l l o n s a
) nd in d o w nth e tap w i thoutmaki nga maj or
m o s t p l a c e sa l w a y ss e e m s r i p p l ei n y o u r l i v i n gh a b i t sT. h a t ' s Bathroomsuse morewaterthan
any other roomin the house.
readilyavailable,maybeyou haven'twor- because water-wasting fixturesareeasy Morethan a quarterof all the
r i e d a b o u t c o n s e r v i n gi t . B u t a s c l e a n to identifyandreplace. (UseFigureA to waterusedin the wholehouseis'
water gets harderto come by-36 states helpfindthemajorwaterwasters in your litera[lyflusheddownthe toilet!
will suffersome sort of shortagewithin h o m e .)U pdati ng the thi rsti est roomof
the next decade-priceswill rise.Add to your house-yourbathroom-withfix-
that the cost of heatingand sewerfees, tu re sl i k et he onesshow nherew i l l not cLoTftEs
a n d y o u c a n s e e h o w t h o u s a n d so f onlysavewaterandmoney, butalsogive WASHER .,*.r* ?rj,''
n%
w a s t e dg a l l o n st u r n s i n t o h u n d r e d so f the rooma freshlook. i iilil FAUCET
t 16alo
w a s t e dd o l l a r sa l l g o i n gd o w ny o u rd r a i n .

LEAKS
If your housewas built before1994and 14to
you'restill usingthe originalplumbing n'

Jtxtures,you'reusing30 to 40 percentmore \ o,,,*

water than a comparablenew home. SVo

Source:AmericanWaterWorksAssociation
Research
"Residential
Foundation, End Usesof Water,"1999

Low-flowtoilet
Cost:$200 to $300
Watersavings:Up to 23,000gatlonsper year
(for a four-personfamity)

Now'sthe time to replacethat old commode.Using3.5to asmuchas7 gallons

per flush (gpf),old-styletoiletsare the biggestwater wastersin your home.
Admittedly,poor flush performancegave first-generation1.6-gpftoilets a
bad rap,but with reengineeredbowls and trapways,the newest
modelsflushmorewastewith lesswater.
Tosaveevenmorewater, checkouthigh-efficiency
toilets.These modelsuse20 percentlesswaterthan
the L6-gpfcompetition. Dual-flush toilets, suchas
S terl i ng'DsualForce, aredesi gned to l et you
choose ei therthe hal f(0.8gal l on) or th e f ull
(1.6gal l on)fl ushopti on,savi ngyou 6, 000
f . g a l l o n sp e r y e a rA
. l t e r n a t i v e lpyr,e s s u r e -
1i $,.i /-cth+
I assisttoilets,suchas Kohler's Pressure Lite
(photo,l eft),empl oyan ai r cartri dge that 's
charged bythewaterpressure fromthesupply
l i neto pushw aterfromthe tankusi ngj ust 1. 1
gallons of water.

Usinga compressed-air boost,Kohler's

PressureLitetoiletsoffer no-plugperformance
usingaslittle as 1.1gatlonsperflush.This
cansave5,000gallonsperyear.
34 BATHROOMS
Low-flowshowerheads
Cost $20 to $100
Watersavings:7,800 gallonsper year
Hot water savings:$90 per year (electric), $38 per year (gas)

your2.5-gpmfixtureis using Delta Faucet

S hower hea d a sren o t o n l yth e s e c o n d seconds,
heav ieswatt e ru s e rb u t a l s oa m a j o r m o r ew a t e rt h a n i t s h o u l dl.f y o u ' r e
energyeater.That'sbecause 70 percent u s i n ga n o l d e rs i n g l eo r a n e w e r
At 1.6 gpm, Delta's
of the waterflowingthroughthe head multihead spashower,an 8-to 10- water-efficient
comesfromyourwaterheater. Byreduc- minuteshowercanusemore showerheaduses
ing waterconsumption andwaterheat- w a t e rt h a n a 6 0 - 9 a l l o n 36 percent less water,
ing needs, a low-flowheadsavesmoney w h i rl pool tub. but the high-tech
headsti[[ deliverswhat
in two ways. To provi dea sati sfyi ng
feels like a sta.ndard
Savingwaterwith an efficientshow- s h o w e rw i t h l e s sw a t e r , 2.5-gpmftow.
er headno lo n g e rme a n ss e ttl i n gfo r a to day' shi gh-effi ci ency fi x-
drizzleinsteadof a downpour. To check t u r e s h a v eg o n e h i g h - t e c h .
theflowof yourexistingshowerhead, see Delta'swater-efficient showerheads
how longit takesto fill a 1-gallon con- ( p h o t or i g h t )c h a n g et h e s h a p ea n d sizeof the drops-to providethe high-
tainer.lf you fill the jug in lessthan24 velocityof the waterstream-eventhe flowfeelusingjust1.6gpm.

Low-flowfaucetaerators Wanthelpchoosing
Cost:$2 to $5 water-efficientfixtu res?
Watersavings:Up to 1,400 gatlonsper year (per faucet)
Lookfor the logobelow.Likethe ENERGY STAR
Howmuchwaterdo youreallyneedto wetyourtoothbrush lf the
or rinsea razor? , W aterS ense
l abelthe tag i s an easy'wayto
to the endof yourbathroom
aeratorattached faucetreads2.2gpm,you're wasting products.
identifyefficient To earnthis label,
watereverytimeyouturnon thattap.Installing a 1.S-gpm
aeratoron the endof productsmustuseat l east20 per centless
thespoutisa quickandinexpensive wateruseby30percent.
wayto cut lavatory waterandstillperformaswellasor betterthan
otherproductsin that category. Formoreinfo,

a
go to epa.gov/watersense.

EPA

Want a five-buck, five-minute water-savingsolution? Twist on a 1.5-gpmaerator

Watersense
and savemoneyeverytime you turn on the tap.

Tightena floppy faucethandle I

bathroomor
lf y ou h a v ea l o o s ev a l v eh a n d l e -o na show er, I

:]t: I
lH:. ',,:li'ffffi:il:fJl
[][n:f:;::-..H]:T
i:;i,:TT::H,:;tJfi
;::flil;:i:::il:,:,',i:*TJ;il I
wrench.lf tighteningdoesn'twork,the steminsidethe handle I
maybeworn,especially if it'splastic.
Here'sa trickto tightenworn
I
stemson mosttypesof faucets:Wrap the stemtightlywithTeflon
I
rnmost
:ffJ5li,:ff.il:,::il:Tillebackoverthestemt

B A T H R O O MT; I G H T E NA F L O P P YF A U C E TH A N D L E
WATER-SMART 35
gpen shelvlng
fol bathroomstoragF
o s t b a t h r o o mhsa v eo n e ' s p a c e
you cancounton for addit ional
storage, andthat! overthetoilet.
Openglassshelving is a greatplaceto display
decorativebathroombottlesor knickknacks.
Therearezillions of glassshelving systems on
the market.Fol l owthe di recti ons tha t com e
withthesystem for the installation details, but
readon for helpanchoring themto the wall,
because youprobably won'thavestudsexactly
w hereyou needthem.H ere,maski ng t apeis
usedfor marking to avoiddamaging thewalls.

1 nppty a strip of 2-in.-widemaskingtape

I abovethe centerof the toilet and on both
sideswherethe shelf bracketswitt be mounted.
Drawa center line with a [eve[ and mark the
heightsof the shelveson the centertape.
Transferthe heights to the brackettape with
a Z-ft. [eve[.Then measurefrom the center
line to markthe exactleft and right locations
for the brackets.
 t-,i
T
rl
li

Openglasssheluingis
a greatplaceto display
decorative b athroom bottl es
or knickknacks.

tip anchors
Useself-drilling
metalwall
to supportthe brack-
ets.Theanchorsareeasyto
installand you don't haveto
worry aboutfindinga stud-
the anchorsattachto the dry-
wall.Youcan removethe
shelvesand bracketsto paint
the wall,andthe anchorswill
stayin place,readyfor reuse.

90-LB.-RATED
WALL ANCHOR

Indent the drywallat the markswith a Phittipshead Drivehollowwall anchorsthroughthe drywallat the marks.
screwdriverand removethe tape.

Screwthe bracketsto the wall usingthe screwsincluded Center the shetves between the brackets, then press firmly
with the anchors. into place.

o p E N S H E L V T NF
Go R B A T H R o o Ms r o R A G E 37
 A newlook
for oldtubsandshowers
vertime,the metalon tub andshowercontrols and
s p o u t sc a nb e c o m et a r n i s h e ad n d d u l l - l o o k i n g
despite alleffortsto cleanandpolishit.An easyway
to solvetheproblemisto simplyinstallnewtrim.
Almostanytub spoutandshowerhead canbe replaced by
unscrewing theoldoneandscrewing ona replacement.The han-
dl e andt r im f or t he t u b /s h o w ecro n tro l cs a na l s ou s u al l ybe
replac ed wit houtr edo i n ga n yp l u m b i n gb y u s i n ga u n i versal
replacement kit (available for mostbrandsat homecenters and
plumbingsupplystores). lf you'reunsurewhatkindof replace-
mentto buy,just taketheoldhandle andtrimto a plumbing sup-
plystoreto finda matching replacement.
Turnoff the watersupply, thenremovethe handleandtrim
(Photo1).Mostshowerhandles
screwthat holdsthe handleon;otherwise,
havea removable capcovering
lookfor a setscrew
a 1
Pry the coveroff the showerhandle,then removethe screw
underthe coverand slide the handleand escutcheonoff.

undert hehandle.
T u bs p o u t su n s c r e w ( P h o t o2 ) ,o r p u l lo f f i f t h e y h a v ea
setscrew underneath.You mayneedto usetwo handsor evena
wrenchto unscrew themif the spoutwascaulked. Replace the
spoutwith onethat'sthreaded or attached in the sameway,or
b u y a u n i v e r s a l - t y pr e p l a c e m e ns tp o u tt h a t c o m e sw i t h
adapters to fit anyconfiguration.
Cleanoldcaulkanddirtoffthewallbeforeinstalling thenew
co nt r olsand s pout sA. tta c hth e n e w h a n d l ea n d tri m i n the
reverse orderthat you tookthemoff (Photo3).Caulkthe wall
underthe rim of the escutcheon platewithacryliccaulkbefore
youtightenit down,when it'sroughly1/4in.awayfrom thewall.
Leavea 1-in.gapat the bottom,thenwipeoff excess caulkafter
theplateistightened down.
Removethe tub spout by turning it counterclockwiseor by
Replacementtrim kit unscrewinga setscrewand pulting it off.

SHOWERHEAD

HANDLE

q"TTh

*##

OVERFLOW Fastenthe trim ring with the "H" mark on the [eft, then
COVER screwon the rest of the faucet.

3a BATHROOMS
 o

amlffof
Hane
henyougazeintothatnewlyhungmirror,you'll be (Photo3).lfyouhit a stud,screwthe clipdirectlyintoit. Position
lookingat someone whodidthejob right-if you theseclipssotheysupportthe mirror3 or 4 in.fromeachcorner.
followthesesimpleinstructions. Withthe endof yourtapemeasure cradledin a bottomclip,
Thekeyis usingmirrormountingclips.Thesespeciallittle drawa lineindicating the overallheightof the mirror(Photo4).
hooksaresturdy, paddedto protectthe mirror, andslottedsothe lnstallthe top two slottedclipsso they'llgrabthe mirrorwhen
top clipscanbe pushedup andthe mirrorremoved whenthe they'relowered, but whenthey'reraised, they'llrisefreeof the
roomis painted,paperedor remodeled. Clips(about58.50for a top of the mirror.Install the mirrorand push thetop clipsdownto
setof four)comein a varietyof finishes andstylesandareavail- secureit (Photo 5).
ableat glassshopsandhomecenters. Formi rrorsl argerthan 12sq.ft.,usea caul kgun t o apply
Drawa levelline1 in.abovethe desiredfinalpositionof the blobsof specialmirrormasticto the wallfor addedsupport.For
mirrorbottom(Photo1).Drillholesand inserttwo wallanchor mirrors exceeding usethemastic
I 6 sq.ft., andmirrorchannels,metal
( P ho to2 ),th e n s c re wth e mo u n ti n gcl i psi nto them
s leev es stripsthatrunthe full length of the mirror,for
even more support.

1 Drawa levet line as a guide for the mounting clips. The

mirror bottom wi[[ extend about 1 in. below this [ine.
Drilt holesfor the wall anchors.Positionholesso the mirror
ctips witt be 3 or 4 in. in from eachcornerof the mirror.

S.t"tt the mounting ctips into the Measureto estabtishthe location of ( Instatt the mirror. Restit in the
I tlI J two bottom clips, then secureit in
J walt anchorsleeves.The padded ttre top ctips. Positionthem so
cl,ipbatk helps cushionand protect when loweredthey grab the mirror, and ptaceby [oweringthe two top clips.
the mirror. when raised,they releaseit.

A N E W L O O KF O RO L D T U B S A N D S H O W E R SH; A N GA M I R R O R

runn
t o i l e t t h a t w o n ' t s t o p r u n n i n gc a n d r i v ey o u c r a z y ,
e s p e c i a l lwy h e n y o u ' r et r y i n g t o f a l l a s l e e pB
. utyou
can put an end to this water torture yourself,even if
y o u h a v en o p l u m b i n gk n o w - h o wY. o um a y b e a b l et o s o l v et h e
p r o b l e mi n j u s t a f e w m i n u t e sw i t h o u ts p e n d i n ga d i m e . A tw o r s t ,
t h i sf i x w i l l c o s ta f e w h o u r sa n d 5 2 0i n t o i l e tp a r t s .
Findingthe problem
is usuallysimple
A t o i l e tr u n sc o n s t a n t l by e c a u s teh e f i l l v a l v et h a t l e t sw a t e ri n t o
t h e t a n k i s n ' tc l o s i n gc o m p l e t e l yA. t o i l e t r u n s i n t e r m i t t e n t l y
b e c a u s teh e v a l v eo p e n ss l i g h t l yf o r a f e w m i n u t e s . I e n i t h e rc a s e ,
y o u h a v et o f i g u r eo u t w h y t h a t v a l v ei s n ' ts t o p p i n gt h e i n c o m i n g
waterflow.
F i r s tl,o o k f o r l e a k sA. l e a ki n t h e t a n k c a n m a k ea t o i l e t r u n
constantlyor intermittently. lf yourtoilet is leaking, you'veproba-
b l y n o t i c e di t a l r e a d yB. u t t a k ea l o o kj u s t t o b e s u r e l. f y o u f i n d
l e a k sc o m i n gf r o m t h e t a n k b o l t so r f l u s hv a l v ey, o u ' l lm o s tl i k e l y
h a v et o r e m o v et h e t a n k f r o m t h e b o w l s o y o u c a n r e p l a c et h e
t a n kb o l t s , t h er u b b e rw a s h e r a
s n dt h e g a s k e t o
s n t h e f l u s hv a l v e .
top_a
ilet
l f t h e r ea r e l e a k sa r o u n dt h e f i l l v a l v et,i g h t e nt h e l o c k n u t( s e e
P h o t o6 , p . 4 3 ) . L e a kc sa nc o m ef r o mc r a c k si n t h e t a n k , t o o . I nthat
c a s et,h e o n l yr e l i a b l es o l u t i o ni s a n e wt o i l e t .
lf you don'tfind any leaks,liftoff the tankcover.Atfirstglance,
t h e p a r t si n s i d em a yl o o ki n t i m i d a t i n gB. u td o n ' tw o r r y . T h e raer e
r e a l l yo n l yt w o m a i np a r t st:h e f l u s hv a l v ew , h i c hl e t sw a t e rg u s h
i n t ot h e b o w l d u r i n gt h e f l u s h ; a n dt h e f i l l v a l v ew
, h i c hl e t sw a t e r
r e f i l lt h e t a n k a f t e r t h e f l u s h .W h e n a t o i l e t r u n s c o n s t a n t l yo r
i n t e r m i t t e n t l y , o noef t h e s ev a l v e si s u s u a l l ya t f a u l t .
T o d e t e r m i n ew h i c hv a l v ei s c a u s i n gt h e t r o u b l e l, o o k a t t h e
o v e r f l o wt u b e . l f w a t e r i s o v e r f l o w i n gi n t o t h e t u b e ,t h e r e ' sa
p r o b l e mw i t h t h e f i l l v a l v eF
. i l lv a l v ef i x e sa r e s h o w no n p . 4 1 . l f
t h e w a t e r l e v e li s b e l o wt h e t o p o f t h e t u b e ,t h e f l u s hv a l v ei s
l e a k i n ga, l l o w i n gw a t e rt o t r i c k l ei n t o t h e b o w l . T h a ts l o w ,c o n -
stant outflow of water preventsthe fill valvefrom closingcom-
pletely.Tofix a flushvalve,seep.44.
Y o u rt o i l e t w o n ' t l o o k s o p r i s t i n ei n s i d ea s t h e o n e ss h o w n
h e r e . Y o u f' li ln d s c u m m ys u r f a c e sw,a t e rs t a i n sa n d c o r r o s i o nB. u t
d o n ' tb e s q u e a m i s h - t h ew a t e ri sa sc l e a na st h e s t u f ft h a t c o m e s
out of your faucets.

40 BATHRooMS
S o l u t i o n1 :
Repair the fill valve
Youmayhaveto replacethe fill valve,but thesethreefixesareworth a try first:

Fix 1: Adjust the float Fix 2: Flushthe valve

lf yourvalvehasa ballthatfloatsat the Hardwater, froma breakin a citywaterlinecanprevent
debrisfromoldpipesor particles
endof a rod,gentlylifttherodandlisten. a flushvalvefromclosing completely.Running waterthroughit fromthesupplylinewill
lf thewatershutsofl youmaybeableto clearthedebris.Photos1 and2 showyouhowto do thison onecommontypeof valve.
stopthe runningby adjusting the float. Eventhoughothervalves theclearing
willlookdifferent, process you
However,
issimilar.
Somefill valveshavea floatadjustment mayhaveto remove a fewscrews ontopof thefillvalveto remove thecap.
s c r ewon t op (s e eF i g u reA ).l f th e rei s
n o a d j u s t m e nstc r e wb, e n dt h e f l o a t
a r m ( p h o t ob e l o w ) l. f y o u h a v ea
Fluidmaster-style fillvalve, makesureit's
adjusted properly (Photo 8, p. 43.)You
don' t hav et o e m p tyth e ta n kto ma k e
theseadjustments.

Gentlybendthe float arm downto put

extra pressureon the valve. (To adjust a I n.rou. the fitt valvecap.0n this ] Cou.tthe valvewith your hand.Turn
float that doesn'thavean arm, see I type of vatve,pressdown and turn 3 on the water (cautiously,so you
Photo8, p. 43.) Thenftush the toitet counterctockwise. Removescrewson don't get a cold shower!)and let it flush
to seeif it works. other types of valves. out the valve for a few seconds.

the washer
Fix3: Replace
W heny ou r e m o v eth e c a pto fl u s ho u t th e v a l ve,i nspectthe Figure A: toilet cutaway
washerfor wearor cracks. Replacing a badwasheris cheap(51) FLOATADJUSTMENT
andeasy (photo right).Butfindingthe rightwashermaynot be.
Themostcommonwashers areoftenavailable at homecenters
and hardware stores.
Other stylescan be hard
t o f i n d . l f y o u d e c i d et o
hunt for a washer,remove
it and take it to the store
to find a match.Plumbers
u s u a l l yr e p l a c et h e w h o l e
fill valveratherthan hunt
for a replacement washer.

Reptacea worn, cracked

valve washerby prying
the otd washerout of the
cap with a small screw-
driver. Pressthe new one
into place.

S T O PA R U N N I N GT O I L E T 4l
Fix 4zlfyou can't fix the fill valve,replaceit
Replacing a fill valverequires onlya few basictools(adjustable throughthe flooror out of the wall.lf youdon'thavea shutofl
pliersanda pairof scissors) andan hourof yourtime.A kit con- turnoffthewatersupplyat the mainshutoffvalve, wherewater
tainingthe typeof valveshownhereandeverything elseyou entersyourhome.This isa goodtimeto adda shutoffvalvenext
needcostsaboutS12at homecenters andhardware stores. to thetoiletor replaceonethatleaks.This isalsoa goodtimeto
Yourfirststepis to shutoff the water.In mostcases, you'll replacethesupplylinethatfeedsyourtoilet(Photo2).A flexible
hav ea s hut of fv alv eri g h t n e x tto th e to i l e t c o m i n gei ther suppl yl i nerei nforced
w i th a metalsl eevecostsabout57 at

I Reptacethe filt valve.Turn off the water at the shutoff
I valve. Ftushthe toilet and hotd the flush valveopento
drainthe tank. Spongeout the remainingwater or vacuumit up
with a wet/dry vacuum.
Unscrewthe couptingnut that connectsthe supptytine.
)
3 lt the valveturns insidethe tank, hotd its basewith
locking pliers. Tip: Throwa towel on the ftoor underneathto
catchwater that witt drain from the line.

3 Removethe locknutthat holdsthe valveto the tank. Push

down gently on the vatveas you unscrewthe nut. Pult out
the old valve.
Measurethe height of the overflowtube. Measureto the
top of the tube, not to any water levet label on the tube.

42 BATHRooMS
home centersand hardwarestores.Photos1 - 8 show how to bowl.The waterthat refillsthe tankgushes fromthe bottomof
replacethe valve.lf the heightof your valveis adjustable,
set the youi nstal l the
thefi l l val ve.W hen val veandsuppl yl i nes, t urt he
n
heightbeforeyou installthe valve(Photo5).lf your valveis a dif- nutsfinger-tight.Then giveeachanotherone-eighth turn with
f e r e n t s t y l e f r o m t h e o n e s h o w n ,c h e c kt h e d i r e c t i o n sA
. fter pl i ers.W henyouturn the w atersuppl ybackon,i m m ediat ely
mountingthe valve(Photo6),connectthe fill tube (Photo7).The checkfor leaksandtightenthenutsa bit moreif necessary.
fill tube squirtswater into the overflowtube to refillthe toilet

nalust the height of the new fil|, valveby hol,dingthe base pressdownto compressthe washerand
f 4, n.toue the cap,
J andtwisting the top. The height from the baseto the CL Y screwon the locknut.Connectthe supplyline and ftush
(criticat levet) mark shouldbe the height of the overftowtube the valve.Resetthe cap and checkfor leaks.
plus 1 in.

Sfip the filt tube onto the fitt vatve.Clip the angteadapter
] fl furn on the waterto fitt the tank. Pinchthe springclip
t onto the overflowtube. Thencut the tube to fit and slip it lf and slide the ftoat up or downto set the water tevel 1 in.
onto the angleadapter. belowthe top of the overflowtube or to the water line marked
on the tank.

S T O PA R U N N I N GT o I L E T 43
Solution 2; .._.2J)
Fix the flush valve Xf rffi,

Whena flushvalvecauses a toiletto run,a wornflapperisusually of the fl ushval veseat.l f youfeel

theculprit.Butnotalways. First,lookat the chainthatraises the m i n e r adl e p o s i t sc,l e a nt h e f l u s h
her e'tsoomu c hs l a c iknth ec h a i ni t, c a nta n g l eupand
fl apper .t lf valveseatwithanabrasive spongeor
preventthe flapperfrom closingfirmly.A chainwith too little S c o t c h B r i pt ea d .D o n ' tu s ea n y t h i n g
slackcancause troubletoo.Photo3 on p.45showshowto setthe that mi ghtrougheni t. l f cl eani ng the fl ushval veseatd oesn't
sl acjus
k tr ight . solvetheproblem, youneedto replace theflapper.
Next, testtheflapperasshownin Photo1. lf extrapressure on Replacing yourflappermayrequireslightlydifferentsteps
theflapperdoesn't stopthe runningnoise, wateris likelyescap- thanareshownhere(Photos 2 and 3).Yourflappermayscrew
ing througha cracked or corroded overflowtube.In that case, ontoa threaded rodor havea ringthatslipsoverthe overflow
youhaveto detach thetankfromthebowlandreplace thewhole tube.lf you havean unusual flushvalve, findinga replacement
flushvalve. flappermaybe the hardestpart of the job.To find a suitable
lf pressing downon the flapperstopsthe noise, the flapper replacement,turn offthewater, remove theflapper,andtakethe
isn'tsealing undernormalpressure.Turn off thewater, flushthe oldonewithyouto the homecenteror hardware store.Youmay
to ilett o em pt yt het a n ka n dth e nru ny o u rfi n g e ar ro u n d theri m not findan identical match, but chances areyou'lllocateoneof

I fusn downon the ftapperwith a yardstickand tisten. If the Removethe old ftapper from the ears of the overflowtube
I soundof runningwater stops,the flapper needsreplacing. and detachthe chainfrom the handlearm.

44 BATHRoOMS
 Cleana sluggishtoilet
lf yourtoiletflushes the rinseholesunderthe
slowly,
rimmaybeclogged withmineral deposits.With a mir-
roranda coathanger,you cancleanoutthoseclogged
holeswithoutevergettingyourhandsdirty.The photo
t h e s a m es h a p ea n d d i a m e t e rl.f
saysit all-look intothe mirrorto seeif the holesare
n o t ,t r y a p l u m b i n gs u p p l ys t o r e( i n
clogged andpokethemcleanwitha coathanger.
t h e y e l l o wp a g e su n d e r" P l u m b i n gS u p p l i e s " )
o r s e a r c ho n l i n e( a g o o d s o u r c ei s d o p l u m b . c o m l)t. h e l p st o
k n o wt h e b r a n da n d m o d e lo f y o u rt o i l e t . T h eb r a n dn a m ei s
u s u a l l yo n t h e b o w l b e h i n dt h e s e a t . I ns o m ec a s e s , t h e
m o d e lo r n u m b e rw i l l b e o n t h e u n d e r s i d e of the
l i d o r i n s i d et h e t a n k .M a t c h i n ga n u n u s u a l
f l a p p e rc a n b e c o m ea t r i a l - a n d - e r r o r
p r o c e s sE. v e np r o f e s s i o n apl l u m b e r s
t r y tw o o r th re efl a p -
s om et im es
pers beforethey find one
that workswell.

Usea handmirrorto seethe hotesunderthe rim of

the toilet. Benda coat hangerftat and probe the tip
into the holesto poke out any mineraldeposits.

Hot glue for tile accessories

Mosttile settersuse maskingtape to supportceramic
cures.
s o a pd i s h e sa n d s h e l v e sw h i l et h e t i l e a d h e s i v e
H e r e ' sa b e t t e r w a y :A p p l y a s m a l lb e a d o f h o t - m e l t
g l u e a l o n gt h e s e a m H. o l dt h e i t e m i n p l a c ef o r j u s t a
few secondswhile the hot glue stiffens.The glue cre-
atesa strongseal,so there'slittlechanceof slippingor
hookthe
Q nttactr the new fl,apperto the overftowtube and breakage. Oncethe permanentadhesivesets,just peel
d shsin to the handtearm. Leave7/2 in. of slackin the
chain.Turnthe water backon and test-flushthe toilet. awaythe beadof glue.

S T O P A R U N N I N G T O I L E T ;C L E A N A S L U G G I S H T O I L E T ;H O T G L U E F O R T I L E A C C E S S O R I E S 45
Restorefree flow to a cloggedfaucet
l f t h e f l o w f r o m y o u r b a t h r o o mo r
kitchen faucetisn'twhatit usedto be,the
aeratoris probablyplugged. An aerator
canclogslowlyasmineral deposits build
u p ,o r q u i c k l ya f t e rp l u m b i n gw o r k
l o o s e nds e b r i si n s i d ep i p e sU. s u a l l ya ,
q u i c kc l e a n i n g s o l v e st h e r o b l e m .
p
Remove the aerator (Photo1)anddisas-
sembleit.Youmayneeda smallscrew-
d ri v eror k nif et o pr y th e c o m p o n e n ts
a p a r tS . c r u ba w a ya n yt o u g hb u i l d u p
w i t h a n o l d t o o t h b r u s(hP h o t o2 ) a n d
rtt
rinseeachpartthoroughly. Deposits can
alsobuildup insidethe faucetneck,so
reamit outwithyourfingerandflushout
theloosened debris.
l f t he m iner albui l d u pre s i s ts s c ru b -
g:'"d
bingandyou havea standard cylinder- 'l Wrapthe jaws of ptiers with etectri- ) Oir.s.mbte the aeratorand lay out
shaped aerator, youcanreplace it (about I cal tape and unscrewthe aerator. G ttre parts in the order you remove
55) T . ak ey ourold ae ra toar l o n gto th e Ctosethe stopperso the sma[[parts can't them to makereassembly footproof.
homecenteror hardware storeto finda fall downthe drain. Scrubthe parts and reassemble them.
match.lf youraeratorhasa fancyshape
( l i k et h e o n e s h o w nh e r e )f,i n d i n ga t h a t d o e s n ' tw o r k ,g o t o a n y o n l i n e g r a m so f y o u r f a u c e ta n d o r d e r a n e w
matchwon'tbeassimple. Sotry thisfirst: s e a r c he n g i n ea n d t y p e i n t h e b r a n do f aerator.Expectto spend510 or more for
S o a kt h e a e r a t o rp a r t si n v i n e g a r your faucet followed by "faucet parts." a nonstandard aerator.
ove r night t o s of t enm i n e rabl u i l d u pl.f you can find dia-
With a little searching,

World'scheapestbathroomexpansionproject
lf you needmoreroomin yourshower,
rodreplaces youroldstraight
checkout the Crescent
oneandgivesyoua surprising
r oomT. hem ou n ti n gh a rd w a re i s s i mp l ea n d
Rod.Thiscurvedcurtain
amountof extraelbow
*
.ff d
f rf\
'
./n
ins t allat ion y o;u c a n
is s tra i g h tfo rw a rd
evenuseyourexistingshowercur- i
t ain! T he
bas icc h ro m ero dc a nb e
adjusted to accommodate ,'.r.
s p a c e s l i g h t l yl a r-g, |e ro r n''
"
thanthestandard i'
smaller
5-ft.bathtubwidth.
T h i sp r o d u c its a v a i l -
a b l ef r o m l m p r o v e m e n t s
catalog (productNo.205786)
foraboutS40.

lmprovements catalog,
(800) 634-9484.
i mprovementscatalog.co m

0
.i
4

cF

46 BATHRooMS
 Mount a towel bar
on ceramictile
Inthepast,ceramic fixtures suchastowelbar
holders andsoapdishes were cemented right
t o t h e w a l la n dt h e t i l e w a sf i t t e da r ound
them.Nowmostaredesigned to be glued to
the faceof the tilewith 100 percent silicone
caul k.The onl ytri ckyparti s hol di n g t hemin
pl aceunti l thesi l i cone setsup.
Fi rstthoroughlcl y eantheti l ew it hdena-
turedalcohol. Laya beadof caulkontheback
of thefixture, pushit intoplaceandsecure it
withmasking tape.Letthecaulkstiffenforan
h o u ro r s o a n dt h e na d dc a u l ka r o u n dt h e
S h o w e rv a fv e c o n v e r s i o na n d c o v e r - u p perimeter, Usea wetfingeror ragto smooth
Thebestwayto replacea two-handledshowervalvewith a single-handled thecaulkjoint.Letit sitovernight beforeyou
unit is with a conversion plate.Theplatecoversthe old valveholesand you pul lthe tape.R emember to put th e r od in
do the entire j o b t h r o u g ht h e h o l ey o u c u t i n t h e t i l e .B u ya p l a t e( $ 2 5t o beforesettingthesecond fixture.
$50)that fits your new faucetand is wide enoughto coverthe old valve
positions.To find a conversionplate,calla plumbingsupplystoreor order MASKING
TAPE HOLDS
o n l i n ea t a b s o l u t e h o m e . c o m . FIXTURES
IN PIACE

s.f

I Unscrewthe otd handtes. 1 cut the pipesand remove

I Markthe coverhole on the A *e old valve.Solderin a
tile and cut it out with an abra- new one and screwthe conversion
sive bladein a jigsaw. ptate overthe hote.

Cleana cloggedshowerhead
Here'sa quickfixfor a cloggedshowerhead. Pourwhite
vinegarintoa plasticsandwich baguntilit'shalffull.
Pullthe bagoverthe showerhead untilitsspraychan-
nelsaresubmerged.Tape the bagto the showerhead
pipewithelectricaltape andleaveon overnight.Scrub
awayanyremaining buildupwith an old toothbrush.
Yourshowerhead willbeasgoodasnew.Note:Vinegar
maydamage old,worn finishes.

SHOWERHEAD
T ;O W E LB A R ;C L O G G E D
C L O G G E DF A U C E TS; H O W E RC U R T A I NR O D ;S H O W E RV A L V EC O N V E R S I O N
 watersoftenerfixes
Easy
I S yoursoftwaternot so softanymore? Youcanoften Beforeyou tearapartyoursoftener, checkthe controlset-
I \ fix the problem yourself.
However, if you havean tings-especially aftera longpoweroutage.The timerclockhas
a J oldersoftener (20yearsor more)andnoneof these to showthe ri ghtti me so that the resi ntanki s cl ea ned and
fixeswork,it mayneedreplacement (5SOO andup). recharged whennooneisusingwater(usually earlymorning).
All softeners,whethertheyhaveoneor two tanks,workthe A l somakesurethe hardness setti ngi s sti l lcorrect - well
sameway.As coldwaterflowsthroughtheresintank,themineral waterhardness canchange overtime.Bringa smallcontainer of
content-thehardness-is removed because the minerals
stick yourwaterto a watersoftenerdealerfor a waterhardness test,
to thousands of resinbeads. Whenthe softenerrecharges, the thenchecktheresults againstyoursettings.
flow of freshwateris stoppedwhilesaltywaterfromthe brine Note:Setthe watersupplyto "bypass" beforeworkingon the
tankissucked intothe resintank,where it dissolves
theaccumu- softener.Andrunthe hot waterafteryouturnthe softenerback
latedminerals andisflushed downthedrain. on to flushout anyhardwater.

Look for a cleanthe

saltproblems I resinbed
C hec kf or s altpr ob l e misn th e b ri n eta n k .S ta rtb y p ushi nga Cleanthe resinbedtwicea yearwithresinbedcleaner (available
broomhandledownintothe saltto breakup saltbridges(likea at watersoftener if youhave"clearwateriron"(dissolved
dealers)
dome), blocking saltfromdropping to the bottomof thetank.lf ironmakesa glassof waterturn cloudyor rustyaftersittingfor
toolittlesaltgetsdissolved,the resinbedwon'tgetcleanandthe severalminutes).Otherwisetheresinbedwon'tremove theiron.
waterwon'tgetsoftened.
Also,whenthesaltlevelis low(orat leastoncea year), check
fora crustof saltmushatthebottom.This thicksaltpastedoesn't
d is s olvwell,
e r edu c i n th
g e s a l i n i tyo f th e b ri n es o l u ti on,
and
needsto beremoved.
Don'tuserocksalUit contains dirt andotherimpurities that
canclogthe softener.

Pourdiluted resin cleanerinto the brinewelltube. Lift out

Scoopout the mushat the bottom of the tank, then pour in hot the air checkvalve (or brine vatveassembly)and cleanit in
water to dissolvethe rest before regeneratingthe system. warm water.

4A S P E c I AS T o Y o U RA P P L I A N c E S
L E C T I o NA:D DY E A R S
2 Cleanthe
J venturiassembly
Thesaltywaterflowsthroughthesepartsfrom
the brinetankto the resintank.lf the screen
andnozzleget cloggedby sediment, the resin
bed won't be cleanedand the waterwill stay
hard(photosat right).

neroue the cap that coversthe I eentty cteandirt and mineral

I
I venturi assembtyand filter screen 3 depositsfrom the screenand
and carefuttyremovethe parts. from the venturi assemblyparts in
a pan of warm water.

Extendthe life of your water heater

Waterheatersoftenwork perfectlyfor a decadeor more always letthewaterflowuntilyouno longerseeparticles in
withoutanycare,so they'reeasyto neglect.Buta few min- the bucket.Caution:The wateris scaldinghot.
utesof maintenance oncea yearpaysoff by extending Don'tworryaboutanygurglingor groaning noisescom-
the tank'slife spanand maintaining your waterheater's ingfromthe heater; it'sjustairentering thesystem aswater
efficiency andsafety. drainsout.lf the drainvalvewon'tclosetightlywhenyou're
Before youdoanymaintenance, closetheshutoff valveon done,drainthe tankcompletely, unscrew the old valveand
the coldwatersupplypipethatfeedsthe waterheater.Then screwin a newone(58).To restartthe waterheater, openthe
turn on the hot waterat anyfaucetto release the pressure shutoffvalveand let the hot waterrun at any faucetto
insidethe heater's tank.Leave the fauceton untilyoufinish purgeairfromthe system.Then turnon the poweror relight
yourwork.lf youhaveanelectricheater, turnoffthe powerat the pilot.
the mainpanel.Witha gasheater, turn the gas
controldialto "off."
First,testthe pressure-relief valvelocatedon
W
thetop or sideof thewaterheater(Photo1).This
safetyvalveopensautomatically if the pressure
ins idet h e ta n kg e tsto o h i g h .(E x c e spsre ssure PRESSURE.
c anac t u a l l cy a u s eth e ta n kto e x p l o d e l.)f the RELIEFVALVE

v alv edo e s n ' re t leasw L

e a te rw h e ny o u l i ft the
lever, replace thevalve($13at homecenters and
hardware stores).Replacement issimple; unscrew
t h e d i s c h a r gpei p ea n dt h e n u n s c r e wtheold
v alv e. W ra pth e th re a d so f th e n e wv a l v ew i th
threadsealant tapeandscrewit intothe tank.lf
yourvalveisseveral yearsoldandhasneverbeen
tested, it mightleakafteryoutestit.lnthatcase,
replace thevalve.
Nex td, ra i nth e ta n kto fl u s ho u t s e d i m ents
t hat hav es e ttl e dto th e b o tto mo f th e tank.
S edim e nbt u i l d u pa d d sto y o u re n e rg yb i l l by rUce a bucketbetowthe 1 Op"n the drain valve slowty
reducingthe efficiency of yourwaterheater, and I I dischargepipe and gently 3 and l,etthe water run until
shortens itslife.Draining 2 or 3 gallons of wateris tift the lever on the pressure- it's clear and free of sediments.
u s u a l l ye n o u g ht o f l u s ho u t s e d i m e n t bs ,u t relief valveto test it. Caution:Thewater is hot!

E A S YW A T E RS O F T E N E RF I X E S ;E X T E N DT H E L I F EO F Y O U R W A T E RH E A T E R 49
Stopwashing
machinewalk
l f y o u rw a s h i n gm a c h i n eh a s
b e e nm a k i n gl o u dt h u m p i n g
nois esand m ov inga c ro s th s e
floorwhenit's in spincycle,it
pro bablyneedst o b e l e v e l e d . [:" .*w\'!dr.,

F o r t u n a t e l yi t,' s a n e a s yf i x , fignten the lockingnut up againstthe

)
thoughyou mayneeda helper 3 frameof the washingmachineto keep
to ti lt upt hem ac hin e . the leg from turning.
Pushthe machine backinto
positionif it hasmovedacross
thefloor.Adjust thefrontlegsto
makethe machinelevelacross
LOCKING
the frontandfromfrontto back NUT
(Ph ot o1) .T helegsc a nu s u a l l y
b e t u r n e db y h a n da f t e rt h e
l o c k i n gn u t a t t h e t o p o f t h e
thre adsis t ur neddo w n ,b u t i f
t h e t h r e a d sa r e r u s t e du, s ea
wrench.
A f t erlev eling, loc kth e l e g
into placewith the lockingnut
(Photo 2).
Most washing machin,es.
{ lfft the machinestighflywith a pry bar Q f the rear levetingmechanismis frozen
haveself-adjustingrearlegsthat I to t.t the weight off the front legs, d with rust, tap the legs a few times with
" legs untit the side of the washer
level from side to side,but dirt, then turn the pliers or a hammerto breakit free.
lint and rust may keepthem is plumb.
f r o m w o r k i n g p r o p e r l y .l f t h e
backisn'tlevel,tip the washingmachineup a few inchesand portmaybe rustedagainst the washing machine frame.Tip the
t h e n s e t i t b a c k d o w n s o t h e w e i gthhteom
f a c h i n e l o o s e n s t h em a c h i noef f t h e g r o u n d , t h ebnr e a k t h es e l f - l e v e l isnugp p o r t
legs.lf the machine stilldoesn'tlevelout,the self-leveling sup- loosebytappingthelegs(Photo 3).

Cleanrefrigeratordoor gaskets
Prevent an expensive gasketrepairbill (5100to 5200)andcut
downairleaksby keeping yourdoorgasketclean. Syrup, jellyor
anyot hers t ic kys tu ffd ri p p i n gd o w nth e fro n ts i d esof your
refrigeratorcandry andgluethe gasketto the frame.The next
timeyouopenthe door,yourgasketcantear.Keepit cleanand
you'llget a nice,tight seal,keeping the coolair
whereit belongs, in thefridge.

TIP:To preventwear,lubricatethe t
doorhandlesideof the gasketby
sprinklingbabypowder '. s
on a clothand
wipingit down
oncea month.

Wipethe door gasketregutarlywith warmwater and a

sponge.Don't use detergent-it can damagethe gasket.

5(D S P E C I A LS E C T I O NA: D D Y E A R ST O Y O U RA P P L I A N C E S
 walls
floors
52 Makeovera watlfor less
than$300
53 a roomwith trim
Transform
andpaintfor lessthan $400
54 Paintrollingtechniques
57 Repaircornerbead
Fixbadwallpaperseams
58 Usealuminum for quick
wa[[repairs
59 watlti[e
bathroom
Regrout
60 Basementwa[[waterproofers
Fixnailpopsin drywall
61 ftoors
Fixsqueaky
62 Cosmeticfix for carpet
Removetoughstainsfrom
vinylflooring
dentedcarpet
Restore
63 in vinylfloors
Fixlooseseams
64 Remove candlewaxfrom
carpeting
Stiffena bouncyftoor

51
 Makeoverawall
for lessthanSg00
youhaven't visiteda wall-covering retailerlately,you're Somepaperscanbehardto hang, especially fabrics, rollswith
missinga treat.Withthe revivedpopularityof wall- uncutedgesandotherdesigner papers. Always checkthe hang-
paper, stores areofferinganexpanded rangeof choices. ing instructions
andaskthe dealeraboutthe difficultylevel.lf
Youdon'thaveto covereverywallto makea dra- you'rea novicepaperhanger or fallin lovewith
KTMURA
sTLKscREEN
mat icc hange. P ape ri nogn l ya s i n g l ew a l lw i l l wALLpApER a super-expensive paper, consider hiringa pro.
do,andthat'llmakesomeof thosefine,expen- Theextracostshouldbe modestfor a single
s i v ep a p e r so r f a b r i c sa f f o r d a b l el t.' l l a l s o w al l ,from
S 150 to 5250.
lessen the time,effortand messof papering Besureto fill holesand smooth
anentireroom.This isanespecially goodsolution yourwallbeforebeginning. Rough
for a roomwith plainwalls,slimbaseboards andwin- s p o t sm i g h ts h o wt h r o u g ht h e
dowtrim,andno built-ins.You createinstantcharacter. paper. Thensealthe wallsurface
Beginbytakinga photoof yourexisting roomandmeasur- withanacrylicprimer.ltdrieshard
ing itsdimensions.Take thesewithyouto the interiordesignor a n d s m o o t hT. h i sa l l o w sy o u t o
wall-covering store. Aska specialist to helpsortthroughoptions slidethepapera bit moreeasily to
that'llworkwellwithyourexisting furnishings.The specialistwill t i g h t e n s e a m sT. h e w a l l p a p e r
alsohelpyoupickthe bestwallfor the newpaperandestimate shownherecost5122fora doubleroll.
theamountto order. Supplies costanother 520to 550.

W
g,'

Wallpaperon one wall addsdramato a dutl room with less effort and expensethan coveringthe whole room. It also lets you choosea
bold pattern that woutd be overpoweringon four wa[[s.

52 w A L L S& F L o o R S
paintedtrim requiresless skilt, time and expensethan stained and varnishedtrim. To createwall stripes, apply easy-releasemasking
tape over a tight basecolor.

'i
j ; ' :
,.
;
a d d i n gtw o s i m p l el i n e so f tri m -a chai rrai l tip Prepaint thetrimandpaintthewallsbeforeyouput
,

anda crownmolding-youcreatethe perfect thetrim up.Touch up afterward.

' tramework for anyhandsome two-colorwall
combination.This isoneof thesecrets of fast,easyredecorating.
Tohavethebiggest colorimpact, paintyourtrim.This alsosim- manufacturers thatyoufind at everypaintstore.Take photosof
plifiesinstallation. Youdon'thaveto cut perfectjoints,because a roomsyoulikeandworkwitha paintdealerto matchcolors. Most
littlefillerand paint will leave them looking sharp and crisp.You home centers and paint dealers now offer sample paintquantities
canalsouselessexpensive materials. Thesixgallonsof paintand for 55.Youcantry themdirectlyon the wallor painta 2x2-ft.
80ft.ofchair railand crown molding forthis room cost$380. scrapof drywallor cardboard instead.That wayyoucanviewthe
Thetrim combination shown here looks best in rooms with at samples in different parts of the room. Then lookat the colors
least4-1/2-in.-tall baseboards.lf your baseboard is narrower,con- both in daylight and with your lights on at night.(Somecolors
siderreplacing it.Thenmakethe new chair rail 60 to 70 percent of change dramatically under different types of light.)
thewidthof yourbaseboard. Usea two-piece
c o m b i n a t i otnh a t m i m i c sa w i n d o w s i l l
(stool)anditsapron(thetrim underneath) trim
Right-sized
if youhavethistypeof trim.Otherwise, use Toaccentuate-rather thandominate-colorful walls,choose chairrailthat's
trimsimilartoyourwindowtrim with a 5/8- about of
two-thirds the baseboard width and crown molding that'saboutone-
to 3/4-in.stripontop.Center chair your rail third the baseboard width. For a more traditional lgok, choose crown that's
at aboutone-third the wallheight.Choose about of
two-thirds the baseboard width.
crownmoldingthat's30 to 40 percentof
thewidthofthebaseboard.
Finding colorsthatworkwelltogether
and go wellwith the existingroomfur-
n i s h i n g cs a nb e c h a l l e n g i nT . k ef u l l
ga
advantage of picturesin magazines and 2-1t4l/N. PLUS 5/8 rN. l2-7l8 lN.l
thecombinations recommended by paint
M A K E O V E RA W A L L ; T R A N S F O R MA R O O M 53
 ost peoplehaveusedpaint rollersbefore,with You'llneeda container forthe paint.While mosthomeowners
varyingdegreesof success. Maybeyou plunged usepainttrays,you'll
right in and startedrolling,developing your own rarelyseea pro using
techniqueas you went.Or maybeyou readthe instructions one.That' sbecause
tefling you to applythe paintin somepattern,usuallydoW," a 5 - g a l l o nb u c k e t
b e f o r er o l l i n gi t o u t . H e r ey o u ' l ll e a r na s l i g h t l yd i f f e r e n t with a specialbucket
approach. Thisis a simplemethodto quicklyspreada smooth, s c r e e n( S 2a t p a i n t
evencoatof latexpainton the wall.lt'snot fancy,but it getsthe stores or homecenters)
job donein recordtimeandeliminates commonproblems like h u n go v e rt h e e d g e
l i ghtar easr,ollerm a rk sa n d b u i l t-u pri d g e sth a t s o meti mes worksa lot better.
plaguepainters. Herearea few ad-
However, eventhe besttechniquewon'tworkwith poor- vantagesof a bucket
qualityequipment. Don'twasteyourmoneyon thoseall-in-one a n d s c r e e no v e r a
throivaway rollersetupswhenyoucanbuya pro setupthat will rollerpan:
lasta lifetimefor lessthan S20.Startwith a good rollerframe il lt's easyto move
that'ssturdyanddesigned to keepthe rollercoverfrom t h e b u c k e tw i t h -
slippingoff whileyou paint.To extendyourreach outspi l l i ng. Loadthe rolter coverwith paint by
andgiveyou bettercontrol,screwa 48-in.wood I Thebuckethol ds dipping into the paint about ll2 in.
handle(53)onto the end of the roller.You m o r e p a i n t .Y o u and then rolling it against the screen.
couldalsousea threaded broomhandle. won't haveto fre- Fitting a dry rolter coverwith paint
will require five or six repetitions.
quentlyrefillapan. After that,
two or three dips are atl
I You'relesslikelyto you need. Leavethe roller almost
trip overor stepin dripping with paint.
a bucketof paint.
I It'squicker andeasierto loadthe rollercoverwith paintfrom
a bucket.
Itt easyto covera bucketwith a dampclothto preventthe
paintfromdryingoutwhileyou'retakinga lunchbreak.
54 W A L L S& F L o o R S
 paint on the watt with a
1 a.V the
I sweepingstroke. Start about a foot
from the bottom and 6 in. from the cor-
ner and roll upwardat a slight angte
using light pressure.Stop a few inches
from the ceiling. Nowrotl up and down
backtoward the cornerto quickly spread
the paint. You can leavepaint buitdup
and roller marksat this step. Don't worry
about a perfect job yet.
] netoaUthe rolter and repeatthe
3 processin the adjacentspace,work-
ing back toward the painted area.
youte
Q nott back over the entire area
J coveredto smoothand blend the
paint. Don't reloadthe rolter with paint
for this step. Usevery tight pressure.Ro[[
up and down, from floor to ceiting and
moveover about three-quartersof a rolter
width eachtime so you're alwaysstightly
overlappingthe previousstroke. When
you reachthe corner,rotl as closeas you
can to the adjacentwall without touching
it. RepeatSteps 1 through 3 until the
entire wall is painted.

Takea wool-blend coveryou'reusing,alwayslet the paintdo the

roller cover work.Keepthe rollercoverloadedwith paintand
for a spin useonlyenoughpressure to release
andspreadthe
Themostimportantpart pai nt.P ushi ng
on the rol l erto squeezeout t he last
o f y o u r p a i n tr o l l i n g dropof paintwillonlycause problems.
setupis the roller
cover, alsoknownasa The best coat of paint can't
sleeve. lt'stemptingto hide bumpywalls
buy the cheapest Fillholeswith lightweight spacklingcompound andsandthem
c o v e ra v a i l a b l ea n d smoothwhenit dries.Then go overtheentirewallwith 100-grit
throw it away when sandpaper mountedin a drywallsandinghandle. Theultimate
you'redone.Butyouwon't setupfor thisjob is a pole-mounted drywallsanderwith a 100-
mind the few extraminutesof grit meshdrywallsandingscreen, but anymethodof sandingoff
cleanup time onceyou experience the oldpaintlumpsandbumpswilldo.Nextmaskoffthebaseboard
difference a good rollercovermakes. Cheaprollercoversdon't and windowand doortrim.Slidethe bladeof a flexibleputty
holdenoughpaintto do a goodjob.lt'lltakeyoufourtimesas knifealongthe edgeof the maskingtapeto sealit. Otherwise
longto painta room.Andyou'lllikelyend up with an inconsis- paintwillbleedunderneath.
tentlayerof paint,lapmarksandbuilt-upridgesof paint.
lnstead, buya 1/Z-ln.napwool-blendrqllercoverandgiveit Tipsfor a perfect paint job
a try.With propercare,this maybe the lastrollercoveryou'll I Keepa wet edge. Keepinga wet edgeis crucialto all top-
everbuy. qualitypaintjobs,whetheryou'reenameling a dooror rolling
Woolcoversdo havea few drawbacks, though.They tendto paintona wall.The ideaisto planthesequence of workandwork
shedfiberswhenthey'refirstused.To minimizeshedding, wrap fastenoughso that you'realwayslappingnewlyappliedpaint
the newrollercoverwith masking tapeandpeelit off to remove ontopaintthat'sstillwet.lfyoustopfor a breakin the middleof a
loosefibers.Repeatthis a few times.Woolcoversalsotend to wall,for example, andthen startpaintingafterthis sectionhas
becomematteddown if you applytoo muchpressure while dried,you'lllikelyseea lapmarkwherethe two areas join.The
painting. Rollingdemands a lighttouch.No matterwhatroller rollingtechnique shownhereavoidsthisproblemby allowing

P A r N TR o L L T N G
TEcHNToUES 55
youto quicklycovera largeareawith paint
andthenreturnto smoothit out.
Lay it on, smooth it off. Thebiggest
mis t ak em os tbegi n n i n gp a i n te rsma k e ,
w h e t h e trh e y ' r eb r u s h i n g o r r o l l i n gi,s
takingtoo longto applythe paint.Photo1
(p.55)showshowto layon the paint.Then
quicklyspread it out andrepeatthe laying-
on process again(Photo2).Thiswill only
workwith a good-quality rollercoverthat
holdsa lot of paint.Untilyou'recomfort-
ablewith the technique andget a feelfor
howquicklythe paintis drying,coveronly
about3 or 4 ft. of wall beforesmoothing
thewholeareaoff (Photo3).lf youfindthe
paintis dr y ings lo w l yy, o u c a nc o v e ra n
entirewallbeforesmoothing it off.
Get as closeas you can.Sincerollers
can'tget tight to edges, the firstpainting
,,[ Smoottrthe paint atongthe ceiting paint on wa[[ areasaboveand
stepis t o br us halo n gth e c e i l i n gi ,n s i d e tT E ,.t
using a long horizontal stroke with- J below windowsand doorswith a long
c o r n e r sa n d m o l d i n g sT.h i s" c u t t i n gi n "
out reloadingthe roller with paint. If you horizontal stroke.Thensmoothit off with
p r o c e s lse a v e sb r u s hm a r k st h a t w o n ' t short verticat strokesso the texture will
are skilled enoughto ro11within an inch
matchthe rollertextureon the restof the of the ceiting white rolling verticatly,you matchthe rest of the wa[[.
wall.Forthebest-looking job,you'llwantto can skip this step.
coverasmanybrushmarks aspossible with
the roller. Do thisby carefully rollingup closeto
insidecorners, moldings andthe ceiling. Face the
o p e ne n d o f t h e r o l l e rt o w a r dt h e e d g ea n d Avoidfat edgesand roller marks
remember not to usea rollerthat'sfullyloaded
Ridges of paintleftbytheedgeof the roller,or"fat edges,"are a common
wit h paint W . it h pra c ti c ey,o u ' l lb e a b l eto g e t
problem.And if left to dry,they can be difficultto get rid of without
withinan inchof theceilingrollingvertically, and
heavysandingor patching. Herearea fewwaysto avoidthe problem:
canavoidcrawlingup on a ladderto painthori-
I Don'tsubmerge the rollerin the paintto loadit.Paintcanseepinside
zontally.
therollercoverandleakoutwhileyou'rerolling.Try to diponlythenap.
Pick out the lumps before they dry. lt's
Thenspinit against thescreen and dip again until it'sloaded withpaint.
inevitable that you'llend up with an occasional
I Don't press too hardwhen you're smoothing out the paint.
l u m pin y ourpaint.K e e pth e ro l l e rc o v e ra w a y
I Neverstartagainst anedge,like a corneror molding,with a fullroller
from t he f loor whe rei t m i g h t p i c k u p b i ts o f
of paint.You'll leavea heavybuildupof paint that can't be spread out.
debristhatarelaterspread against the wall.Dry-
Startingabout6 in.fromthe edge,unloadthe paint from the roller.
ing bitsof paintfromthe edgeof the bucketor
Then work back
bucketscreen canalsocause thisproblem. Cover
towardtheedge.
the bucketwith a dampclothwhenyou'renot
I Unloadexcesspaint
usingit.lf partially driedpaintissloughing offthe
from the openend
screen, takeit out andcleanit.Keepa wet ragin
of the rollerbefore
yourpocketandpicklumpsoffthewallasyougo.
y o u r o l l b a c ko v e r
S t r a i nl e f t o v e p r a i n tt h r o u g ha m e s hp a i n t
thewalltosmoothit
strainer to removelumps.Five-gallon sizestrain-
out.Dothisbytilting
ersareavailable at paintstores forabout51.
the rollerandapply-
Scrapeexcesspaint from the roller before
ing a little extra
you washit. Useyourputtyknife,or betteryet,a
pressure to theopen
spec ialr ollers c r a p i n to g o l w i th a s e m i c i rc u l a r
s i d eo f t h e r o l l e r
cutoutin the blade.Thenrinsethe rollercover
w h i l er o l l i n gi t u p
u n t i lt h e w a t e rr u n sc l e a rA. r o l l e ra n d p a i n t
and down in the
br us hs pinning t oo l ,a v a i l a b laet h a rd w a re and
area you've just
paintstoresfor about58,simplifies the cleaning Smoothwatls by rolling back over the wet
painted.
ta s kJ. us ts lipt he ro l l e rc o v e ro n toth e s p i n n e r paint without reloadingthe rolter. Roll
and repeatedly wet andspinout the rolleruntil lightty without pressing.
it'sclean.

56 W A L L S& F L O O R S
Repaircornerbead
W it h r a m b u n c ti o uksi d so r c l u ms ya d u l tsbangi ngstuff
ar ounds,o me th i negv e n tu a l sl ym a s h ei sn tothe w al land
damages the metalcornerbead.Damaged cornerbeadcan
be fixedquicklywith quick-setting patching compound (a
4-lb.boxcosts$3)andthecommon toolsshownhere.When
thepowdered quick-setting compound ismixedwithwater,a
chemical reactioncauses it to hardenfasterandstronger
thanpremixed drywallcompounds. Thisspeedsup repair
timeandoffersextraprotection fromfuturemishaps.
Photos1and2 showhowto bendthecornerbeadbackin
placeandremove anysharpburrs.You can'tgeta smoothfin-
ishif anypartof themetalbeadsticksout.When thewallwas
originaliy finished, a stripof tapemayhavebeenrunoverthe
cornerbeadflangeandadjoining drywall.lf thistapeisloose
fromthe accident, cut it andanyotherloosedrywallaway
andpatchthedamaged area.Usea fanto increase aircircula-
I ,

tionandspeedup dryingtime.You maybeableto matchthe tl f.p the cornerbeadstraightwith a smoothhammer

paint(mosthomecenters needa chipthesizeof a quarterto I ldon't worry if you bury it in the watlla tittte). Usea
matchthe color),but chances areyou'regoingto haveto level to checkstraightnessand to make sure the bead
repainttheentirewallto hidetherepair. doesn'tprotrudepast the finished wall.

File ofJ any sharp edgesleft on the corner beadwith ! rut a tarp down and cut awayany toos! paint or paper
a millfile. rJ aroundthe damagedareawith a utitity. knife. Mix some
quick-settingpatchingcompounduntil ifs as smoothas warm
butter, then filt in the damagedarea. Let the compound
harden,then recoat.Sandthe area smoothafter ifs dry.

Fixbad wallpaperseams
Repairing looseseamsisfairlysimple.Justapplya seamrepairadhe-
sive.lt providesa solidbondand will keepthe seamsfrom coming
loose.lt'savailable
at paintstoresand home centersfor lessthanS10.
Squirttheadhesive directlyontothe wallbehind the looseseams,
then pressthe edgesbackinto place.Usea roller
or straightedge as
shownto firmly pressthe paper againstthe walland drive out anyair
bubbles.Wipe awayanyexcess adhesive witha dampsponge.

C O R N E RB E A D ;B A DW A L L P A P E S
R O L L I N GT E C H N I O U E SR;E P A I R RE A M S 57
 Usealuminumforquick
wallrepalrs
he traditionalmethodof repairingholesin wallsis to or overlapped asneeded.
squarethe hole,put wood backingbehindit, cut and Trowelon the first coatof joint compoundoverthe patch,
screwon a drywallpatch,andthentapethe edges. Alu- spreading the compound flat enoughto seethe outlineof the
minumpatches, availableat homecentersand paintand hard- meshthroughit (Photo 2).
warestoresfor 52 to 54,givethe sameresultswith muchless Allowthe compoundto dry overnight, then applya wider
work.Thepatches, whichcomein 4-,6-and 8-in.sizes,arestiff secondcoat (Photo3),followed bya final,thirdcoatafterthesec-
enoughto spanholesandthinenoughto disappear aftertaping the
ond coatdries.Spread compound in thin coatsextending8
andpainting. to l2 in.beyondthe patchin alldirections.
Selecta patchlargeenoughto overlapthe holeon all sides Afterthefinalcoathasdriedovernight, sandit smooth,prime
by an inch,thenstickthe patchon (Photo1).Patchescanbe cut and paint(Photo 4).

I Cteanoff brokenedgesand tears aroundthe hole. Then Spreadthe first coat of joint compoundover the patch with
I cover the hole entirety with the patch, sticky side toward a wide taping knife. Let it dry overnight.
the watl.

3 Whenit's dry, recoatthe patch and then feather out the

compoundon a[[ sidesto makethe patchblendin.
Sandthe patchedareawith a sandingspongeuntil it feets
smoothand even.

58 W A L L S& F L O O R S
 Regrout
bathroomwalltile
enewingold grouthasalwaysinvolvedlonghoursof to fi nd a m at ch.Also
hackingawayat old,worngroutwith a tiny groutsaw. buy a l ate xaddit ivet o
Simplifythejob by purchasing a 520groutremoval m i x i n t o t h e n e w g r o u tt o
kit that attachesto a Dremeltool. (Theentiresetupthat makei t moredurable. M ixt he
includes a two-speed Dremeltool sellsfor 550at home g r o u t s l i g h t l yt h i c k e r t h a n
centers; seephotoat right).lt hasa high-speed carbide peanutbutterandthenapplyit
chewsawayold groutand guides
bit that effortlessly (Photo2).Letthe groutset up
thatkeepyoufromchipping thetileedges. Makesureto for approximately 20 minutes
wearsafety glasses
whilegrinding. Remove thegroutwiththe unti l a fi l m develops overt he
Dremel tool,thenusethegroutsawto scrape outedges GUIDES- tile,thencleanthe areaasshown
----
andcorners andto cleanoutthejoints(Photo1). in Photos3 and 4. Afterthe grout
Vacuum up anydustor debrisleftafterthegrindingprocess. GROUT REMOVAL
hasdriedfor a week,protectit witha
Takea chunkof yourcurrentgroutto a homecenteror tileshop ATTACHMENT groutsealer.

I nttachthe removat unit andset the bit depthto tl4 in. Usinga grout float, push the grout diagonaltyacrossand
I Runthe tool guidesbetweenthe tites andgrindthrough into the vacantjoints.
the old grout.Cteanjoints with a groutsaw.
rFr'rnn-txi.*ll

Wipe the excessgrout and film off the face of the tile with Whenthe film reappears,buff the entire areawith a
a damp sponge,rinsing it often. dry ctoth.

U S E A L U M I N U MF O RO U I C KW A L L R E P A I R SR; E G R O U TB A T H R O O M
W A L LT I L E 59
 #n senr *n{ wm*firrynt*rp nomfq*F"s
T o s o l v ep r o b l e m w s ithdamp
basements, startwith the easiest, Nail(andscrew)pops usuallyoccurin
l e a s te x p e n s i vfei x e sf i r s t ,l i k e n e w c o n s t r u c t i o na f t e r a b o u t s i x
g r a d i n gt h e s o i la w a yf r o m t h e m o n t h sw
, h e n n e w s t u d sa n d o t h e r
h o u s ea n da d d i n ge x t e n s i o nt os framingmembershavehad a chance
the downspouts to channel water t o d r y .A s t h e s t u d sd r y ,t h e y s h r i n k
a w a yf r o m t h e b a s e m e nTt .h e n slightlyand pushthe drywallnailsor
a p p l ya w a t e r p r o o f i npga i n tt o screwsbackout throughthe faceof the
t h e w a l l sT. h ew a l l sn e e dt o b e drywall.Themovementis slight,less
clean,bare,dryandfreeof efflores- than 1/32in.Butthatt enoughto leave
c enc e.lf t hey ' rea l re a d yp a i n te d , a noticeablebump in a nicelypainted
Removedirt, loose mortar flat wall,or even pop off the drywa[l
y o u ' l ln e e dt o s t r i p o f f t h e o l d I I and efflorescencefrom the
paintbeforeapplyingthe water- watls so the waterproofingpaint compoundthat coveredthe fastener.
proofing paint. can form a solid bond. N a i lp o p sa l s oc a n o c c u ri f a w a l l
To prepthe barewalls,startby e x p e r i e n c ews i d e s w i n g si n r e l a t i v e
s c r aping of f d i rt,d u s ta n d l o o s e h u m i d i t yo v e r t h e c o u r s eo f s e v e r a l
mortarwith a wirebrush.lf efflo- years.Studsswellslightlywhenthe rel-
r es c enc(ea wh i te ,p o w d e rys u b - ativehumidityis high for a prolonged
stance)is present, periodandshrinkwhenit dropsagain.
washit off with
anet c hing s ol u ti o(Pn h o to 1 ). This repeatedpatterncan gradually
Thenfill in anyholesandcracks backa drywallnailor evena screwout
in thewalls, andanygapsbetween of the wood.
t h e w a l l a n d t h e f l o o r ,w i t h a To fix the problem,scrapethe dry-
cement-patching product(Photo 2). wallcompoundoff oneof the fasteners
N e x t ,a p p l yt h e f i r s t c o a to f tf to makesureit'sa nail.lf so,drivea new
paintintemper- w.t the areaaround holes drywallscrewinto the stud about2 in.
thewaterproofing
3 andcrackswith water,then away,then pull the nail.Screwsresist
aturesabove50 degrees F,usinga appty a patch with a trowet.
p a i n t b r u s(hP h o t o3 ) .T h ep a i n t withdrawalmuchbetterthan nails.Use
i s d e s i g n e tdo g o o n t h i c k ,n o t screwsthat penetratethe wood no
s p r e a dt h i n l i k eh o u s ep a i n t( s o more than 314in. Longerscrews(and
d o n ' t u s e a r o l l e ro n t h e f i r s t n a i l s )a r e m o r e l i k e l yt o p o p t h a n
c o a t )O . n c et h e f i r s tc o a td r i e s , shorterones.Do this at all spotswith
applya secondcoatwith a 3/8-to p o p s . T h e nf i l l t h e h o l e sw i t h c o m -
1/2-in.-nap roller.Two of thesetop- poundandrepaintthewall.
c oat sar e nee d e dto e ffe c ti v e l y
blockwater.
T w o c o m p a n i e tsh a t m a k e
wat er pr oof inpga i n tsa re U n i te d
G ils onit e Labo ra to ri e(5s 7 0 -3 4 4 - general-purpose
Q ut" a 4-in.
1202,ugl. c oma) n dZ i n s s e(7 r 3 2 - d paintbrushto apptythe first
469-8100, zinsser.com). coat of waterproofingpaint fast.
CEMENT
PATCH

r
CRACK
FILLER

WATERPROOFING
PAINT

6(D W A L L S& F L o o R S
 Fix
sqUeary
floors
7
From-down-underfix
lf youcanget at the squeaky floorfromunderneath (usuallyan
unfinished basement or crawlspace), the Squeak-ReliefWood
FloorRepair kit is onewayto go.Havesomeone walkbackand
forthto activate the squeakwhileyouprowlarounddownstairs
readyto homein on it.lt'llmostlikelybea nailrubbingon a sub-
floorthatwasn'tglueddownto thejoist.The gapiswhatallows
the subfloorto moveindependently of the framing. Usingthe
specialnailthat's includedin the kit,
tack the to
bracket theside
of thejoistwiththetop against thebottomof thesubfloor.Then
run the longscrewintothe joistandthe shortscrewintothe
subfloor.Ordera package of four(itemNo.105064) for 515.
lmprovementscatalog,(800) 634-9484.
i mprovementscatalog.com.

fix
From-the-top
lf y ou c an' tg e t a t a fl o o r s q u e a kfro m u n d e rneath, a good
s o l u t i o ni s t h e S q u e e e e eNk o M o r ek i t ( i t e m N o .1 10189)
designed to send a snap-off screw right through the carpet-
w i t h o u tu n r a v e l i ntgh e f i b e r sT. h ek i t c o m e sw i t h a s c r e w For530,you get the jig,the
screwjust belowthe floor surface.
designed to helpyoufindthejoistunderthe squeak.Then you joist-finding
screwand50of thescored enoughto fix all
screws,
run a specially scored screw through the middle of the depth mansion.
thefloorsin a haunted
controljig,whichstopsthe screwat the rightdistance fromthe lmprovements catalog, (800) 634-9484.
jig improvementscatalog.com.
floor.Usea recess on one of the wings on the to snap off the

; I X S O U E A K YF L O O R S
B A S E M E N TW A L L W A T E R P R O O F E RFSI;X N A I L P O P SI N D R Y W A L L F 61
 C o s m e t i cf i x Removetough stains
for carpet from vinyl flooring
T o f i x a r u n n i n gs n a gi n c a r p e tw i t h Sheetvinyl"resilient"flooring issoeasyto cleanthatit mayneverrequire
wovenloops,you'llneedscissors, a small anythi ngbeyonddampmoppi ngw i th a cl eaneri ntendedfor vi n yl
screwdriverand carpetseamadhesive. floors.Butif yourfloorhasmarksor stainsthat stillwon'tcomeoff,you
First, yarn(Photo1).
cut out the snagged canusestronger stuff.Although the methodsdescribed herewon'tharm
Thenrunmaskingtapealongbothsides mostvinylfloors,testthemin a closetor on a sectionof flooringthat's
ofthesnagandcarefully a heavy
squeeze hiddenby furniture. Usewhiteragsonly;chemicals thatdissolve stains
b e a do f a d h e s i v ien t o t h e r u n .U s ea canalsomakefabriccolorsbleedandstainyourfloor.
screwdriver to presseach"scab"-spots lsopropylalcohol(rubbing
wheretheoriginal adhesive clingsto the alcohol), soldasa disinfectant
yarn-into theadhesive (Photo2,below). (S4),
at drugstores isa mildsol-
vent.lt'sthe bestcleanerfor
heelmarksandworkson other
toughstainstoo.Youcanalso
u s el i g h t e rf l u i do r m i n e r a l
s p i r i t sR
. e m e m b et rh a t a l l
theseproductsareflammable;
turn off anynearbypilotlights
a n d h a n g r a g so u t t o d r y
beforethrowingthemaway.
tl oampena whiteragwith isopropyt
B l e a c h w i l l o f t e ne r a s e
I atcohot andrubawayheelmarks.
stainsleft by liquidslikefruit
juices, tomatosauceandwine.Mixoneparthousehold bleachwith four
partswater,soaka ragin it and laythe ragoverthe stain.Bleach work
slowly;you mayhaveto leave
theragin placeforanhouror so.
Oxalicacid is the solution
for stubbornrust stai ns.l t' s
oftenlabeled"woodbleach"-
but not all woodbleachcon-
tainsoxalicacid,so checkthe
l abel Most. pai ntstoresand
somehardw are storescarry
o x a l i ca c i d( 5 7 ) l. f t h e s t a i n
won'truboff,weta ragwiththe
acidsolutionandlayit overthe
stainfor 10minutes. lf thestain ] Uir oxaticacid powderwith
3 water and dab rust stains to
r e m a i n sr,e w e tt h e r a g a n d remoye
them. Protectyour handswith
repeat.Whenthat'sdone,rinse rubber glovesand open a window for
thefloorwithcleanwater. ventilation.

Restoredentedcarpet
Oldfurnituredepressions in car-
petscan be real l yugl y.Laya
wet,wrung-outtoweloverthe
carpet"dent"and ironwitha hot
clothesironfor abouta minute.
Thesteamwill release crushed
fi bersand makethem pl i abl e.
Liftthe towel,hand-fluff
andno
moremark!

62 W A L L S& F L o o R S
 Fixlooseseams
invinylfloors
y o u rv i n y l
I f y ou hav ea n o p e ns e a mi n
floor,don't procrastinate. Foottrafficcan
I
I wreckthe vinyl'sexposed edges, makinga
good-looking repairimpossible. Worse, water
canseepintothe opening,leading to subfloor
damage. Startby inspecting the seam.Press
the looseedgesdownto makesurethey'llstill
jointo forma tightseam.
lf the seamclosesneatly,you can makea
near lyinv is ib l ere p a i ru s i n g" mu l ti p u rp o s e "
vinyladhesive (55)anda seamsealing kit(S12).
Vacuumout anygrit underthe vinyl-even a
I Protectthe floor with maskingtape and appty an evencoat of adhesive.Then
tiny grainof sandcancreatea pim- I tay wax paper over the seamand pressit down with a board and weights
ple on the vinyl'ssurface. Curl overnight.
the vinyl back as you vac-
uum,but be careful
not to kink
or crack

BENTPUTTYKNIFE
€
i t. l f th e v i n y li s
too stifftobend,soften
it with heatfrom a hair dryer.
Youcanleavemostof the old adhesive alone,
but scrape awayloosespots.A putty knife bent
in a visemakesa good scraper.lt's also a handy 1 nppty a beadof seamsealantover the seam.Hotd a straightedgeabout
3 yf in. awayfrom the seamto guide the appticatornozzle,but don't get
adhesive applicator (Photo1).Afteryouspread
sealanton the straightedge.
the adhesive, rub downthe seamwith a block
of wood.Usea wet ragto wipeawayanyadhe-
sivethatsqueezes outof thejoint.Then laywax
paperovertheseam,followed bya scrapof ply-
wood.Weighdownthe plywoodwith stacksof
booksor bucketsof water.Leavethe weightsin
placefor at least10hours.Then applythgseam
sealant(Photo2).Sealantis available in gloss
andsatinversions to matchyourfloor'ssheen.
lf theedgesaredamaged ortheseamwon't
closeneatly,the bestrepairisa metaltransition
strip(Photo3)thatcompletely hidesthe seam.
Transition strips(S5to 515)are available at
homecentersand hardwarestoresin various Usea metal transition strip to covera seamthat has damagededges.Cut the
styles, lengthsandfinishes. strip to length with a hacksaw,then nail or screwit into ptace.

; E S T O R ED E N T E DC A R P E TF; I X L O O S ES E A M S I N V I N Y L F L O O R I N G 6 3
C A R P E TF I X E S ;R E M O V ES T A I N SF R O M V I N Y L F L O O R I N GR
 Removecandle S t i f f e na b o u n c y f l o o r
waxfrom carpeting lf the chinacabinetin the nextroomrattlesasyouwalkacross the floor,
lf candlewaxspillsontoyourcarpet, try stiffening the floorwith inexpensive metal braces called"bridging."
don' twor r y lt . ' l l c o m eo u t.L e tth e Bridging allowseachjoistto shareweightwithitsneighbors andcancut
wax har den,an d a fte rw a rdfo l l o w " defl ecti on" -howmuchthe j oi stsfl ex-by hal f.E veni f yourfl oo r
thestepsshownin Photos 1and2 for alreadyhasa rowof bridgingrunningdownthecenter, youcanstiffenit
a s uc c es s fculle a n u pN. o te :N o t a l l substantially by addingtwo morerows.The catch,of course, is thatthe
c a n d l es t a i n sw i l l c o m eo u t c o m - bouncyfloor joists mustbeaccessible frombelow.
p l e t e l yS. o m es p i l l sm a yr e q u i r e Startby makingsure-the originalbridgingis tightlyfastened; add
professional cleaning. nailsor screws if necessary.Then measure the spanof the joists(the dis-
tancebetween wallsor beamsthatsupportthejoists). Dividethe span
by threeandadd rowsof bridgingat both of the one-thirdpoints.The
joistsshownhere,for example, span12 ft.,so rowsof bridgingwere
added4 ft.frombothendsofthespan.
Various typesof metalbridgingareavailable at homecenters and
lumberyards.To installthe typeshownhere,drivethe toothedendinto
thejoistandnailthe otherend.Addingtwo rowsof bridgingcostsless
thanS1.50perjoist.Otherversions arejust aseasyto installandinex-
pensive. Measure thejoist spacing beforeyougo shopping; bridgingis
sizedforjoistscentered 16in.or 24in.apart.Don'taddbridgingto man-
ufactured lumberlikel-joists or trussjoistsuntilyouconsult anengineer
or buildinginspector.

{ Scrapeup the hardenedwax. Use

I a ptastic knife to avoid damag-
ing the carpetfibers. Be patient;
only about two-thirds of the wax will
comeout with this first step.

THREE LAYERSOF
PAPERTOWELS
TO ABSORB WAX

I atot out the remainingwax.

G Apptythree layersof plain
white papertowels. Warman iron at
its lowest heat setting. Movethe
iron continually over the towels to
soften the wax and absorbit into
the towets. Forthe best results,
repeatthis step severaltimes with
fresh layersof toweling. To avoid
scorchingthe carpet, keep the iron
movingoverthe stain and place
additional layersof towels around
the stain areaso that the iron never
directlytouchesthe carpet.

64 W A L L S& F L o o R S
 windows
doors
66 B ri ngtj red-l ooki ngwindows
backto life
67 nsta[[wjndowsi[[s
Easy-to-i
W i ndowcrankrepl ac em ent
68 LouveredgLasswindowfixes
69 C [eantough gl asssta ins
Stop door rattle
7A Adjust a stickingbifotd door
71 Trima doorthat bindson carpet
72 R epai rspti t tri m
Fi x a l oosedoor han dt e
' 13
S i [encea squea[i ngh inge
Fi x a Loosehi nge
74 2 fixesfor doorlatches
75 Instat[a stormdoor
78 s[idingdoor
Fixa sticking
79 Freea stickingstormdoor
80 for stickingdoors
Cures
83 Fixa dentedsteeldoor
84 a torn screen
Replace
85 Adjusta stormdoor
Maskpet clawscratches
. t5 '-.
 ng
Brinetfed-lookl o'

Wl nOOWS backtolife
o o d w i n d o w sw i t h a n a t u r a fl i n i s ho n
t h e i n s i d el o o k g r e a t w h e n t h e y ' r e
new,but moisture, temperatureswings
y a k et h e v a r n i s hf a d e
a n d h a r s hs u n l i g h te v e n t u a l l m
a n d f l a k ea w a y ,e s p e c i a l lay l o n gt h e b o t t o m o f t h e
w i n d o ws a s ha n d o n t h e s i l l . l tl o o k sl i k ea n i n t i m i d a t -
i n g j o b ,b u t u s u a l l yt h e o n l y p a r t o f t h e w i n d o wt h a t
needswork is alongthe bottom-the restof the sash
a n dt r i m c a nj u s t b e l i g h t l ys a n d e da n d r e c o a t e d .
T h ef i r s ts t e pi s t o m a t c ht h e s t a i na n d f i n i s h . T h e
easiestwayto do this isto takea pieceof the trim to a
paintstoreto haveit matched(Photo1).
Scrapeany worn varnishoff (Photo2),then sand
w i t h 12 0 -o r 1 5 0 - g r ist a n d p a p e r . Ipna r t i a l l yd a m a g e d
a r e a sf ,e a t h e trh e s a n d i n gi n t ot h e u n d a m a g e d
areas,
then lightlysandthe restof the pieceto prepareit for
a n e w f i n i s h( P h o t o3 ) .Y o u d o n ' t n e e dt o s a n da n d
recoatthe entire window if only a few piecesneed
it-just stopat an edgeor corner.
Stainthe wood (Photo4) and applytwo coatsof
o u t d o o r - g r a dfei n i s h .l f t h e g l o s sd o e s n ' tm a t c ht h e
oldervarnish,buff it lightlywith extra-finesteelwool
o r a s a n d i n gp a dt o d u l l i t . 1
Carefullyremovethe woodcoveroverthe casementoperator(or other
pieceof trim) and use it to matchthe stain.

Usea sharpscraperto removeold piecesheavityin worn- A n a stain into the sandedsections

] Q sana side
6tinistt. Putlthe scrapersmoothty J out areasand tightty elsewhere. t of the window.Wipe off quickty,
and carefullyto avoidgougingthe wood. Stop at edgesor cornersnext to undam- then apptymoreas neededto darken
agedwood. the color.

66 W I N D O W&
S DOORS
 Easy-to-in staII wi ndowsiIls
Windows in newhomesareoftenleftwithouttrim.Instead, the whole
openingiscovered in drywall,then tapedandpainted.lt's a design trend
intended to saveon construction costs.The problemisthatit leaves the
recessed windowsills vulnerable to moisture(fromcondensation and
pottedplants)andscratches, dentsandstainsfromobjectsthat areset
there.Sill-Ritet newvinylwindowsills protectthesillfrommoisture and
damage whileoffering a stylish accent to thewindow. Prices startat 525.
Themaintenance-free sillsareprefinished in white(theydon'tneed
to be painted,but can be if you'dlikea certaincolor)and sizedfor
s t a n d a rwd i n d o wo p e n i n g sD. i r e c t i o nfso r m e a s u r i ntgh e s i l ls i z e
a n d d e t a i l e di n s t a l l a t i o n
i nstructi ons are i n cluded
o n t h e c o m p a n y 'W s eb
site.Dealers arealsolisted
onl i ne.
Sill-Rite,(800) 503-2334.
sill-rite.com

Windowcrankreplacement
A disadvantage of the openercrankson casement windows Forabout54,you shouldbe ableto buy stockreplace-
is that theyjut out intothe roomand preventminiblinds mentkits(containing two T-handles)that matchyourwin-
from hangingfreelydownto the windowsill. Takeabout dowbrand.
1 0 m i n u t e sa n d r e p l a c et h o s es t a n d a r dh a n d l e sw i t h Or,if youcan'tmatchyourwindowbrand,buya generic
low-profile T-handles, available at mosthardware storesand replacement kit (about57)thathastwoT-crank handlesand
hom ec e n te rsOr . o rd e rth e mfro m Pri m e -Li ne P roducts upto 10adapters (Photo2)thatfit mostwindowbrands.Slip
(909-880-8968; prime-line-products.com). on the adapterthat fits overthe operatorshaft,slidethe
To removea standardhandle,loosen the smallsetscrew T-handle ontheadapter andtightenthesetscrew (Photo3).
(Photo1) on the underside. Before shopping for a replace- T-handles don'thavethe sameeasyopeningactionas
m ent ,c h e c kth e w i n d o wb ra n dWi . n d o wmanufacturers standardhandlesand maybe difficultfor kidsand some
makeuniqueoperator shaftsizesthatwon'tfit othercompa- folkswitharthritisto operate.
nies ' win d ohwa n d l e s .

{ nemoveexisting standard J S.t".t the T-handteadapterthat Q tntt.tt the T-crankhandteand

I casementwindow handtesby 3 fits tightty over the shaft of
tooseningthe setscrewwith a your window opener.A genericreptace-
smatl straight-bl,adescrewdriver. ment handle kit comeswith muttipte
adapterssure to fit your opene/s
particularshaft profile and size.
J tighten the setscrew.Openthe
windowby turning the handlecounter-
clockwise.With the T-crankhandle,
window miniblinds wi[[ hangfreely
all the way to the windowsill.

L LI N D O W S I L L SW; I N D O WC R A N KR E P L A C E M E N T 6 7
GI N D O W SB A C KT O L I F E ;E A S Y - T O - I N S T AW
B R I N GT I R E D - L O O K I NW
 glass
Louvered
windowfixes
I brokenglass
Replace
Puttingin a newpieceof louveredfialousie)windowglassis an Remove thesetscrewsin themetalhousing at eachendof the
easy,straightforwardfix.However, becausethe glassis thicker glass,then
takeout the metalwedges that holdthe glass(Photo
thanstandard glassandhaspolishededges,it usuallyhasto be 1).Holdonto thesetscrews-theydisappear instantly
if dropped.
special-ordered(S20to 525per pane,from glasscompanies or pullthebrokenglassoutwhenthewedgesareout.
Carefully
hardware Bringexactglassdimensions
stores). and a chunkof Cleananydirt andcorrosionout of the metalhousingat the
the brokenglassto getthe rightthickness. ends,thenslidein thenewglass(Photo 2).

1 Hotdthe glassin place and carefully stide the metal wedge

out of the way so the glasswi[[ stip out.
Set the new glassinto place,push the wedgesback in, then
lock them into placewith the setscrews.

a Installa new { Pushthe

I stay bar
A windowoperator pivot pin out
of the operator
arm by pushing
Louvered windowoperators canfailbecause of worn-outgears,cor- a screwdriver
rosionor lackof lubrication.Firsttrycleaning andapplying silicone through the hole
lubricant to allthemovingparts.lfthatdoesn'thelp,theonlyfix is in the stay bar.
to replacetheoperators. Louvered windowsanddoorsarenolonger
beingmade,but replacement hardwarefor mosttypesis still
available, eitherat hardware storesor on the Internet.Try Blaine
Window(800-678-'19'19; blainewindow.com) or Swisco (swisco.com). 'l euide the
Foreasieraccess, firsttakeout the glasspaneby the broken 3 pivot pin
operator.Removethe screwsthat hold the operatorin place, back into the
then disengage the staybar (thebarthat controlsthe window new operator
movement) andtheoperatorarm(Photo1). arm, then screw
the operatorto
Fitthenewoperatorbackintoplace, reattach it to thestaybar
the frame.
(Photo2)andputtheglasspanebackin.
Tokeepthewindowworkingsmoothly, periodically cleanout
dirt anddebrisfromthe trackandpivotswith compressed airor
a vacuum andsprayallmovingpartswithsilicone lubricant.
6 A W I NDoW&SDoo R s
i-E*r*sr
€{pr$#h str**ms
#Em**.
Windowmanufacturers recommend abrasive cleaners forthe a l o n e w o n ' t d o t h e t r i c k ,o r i f y o u h a v e l a r g ea r e a st o
t o u g h e sgt l a s ss t a i n sA. p p l ya m i l da b r a s i vseu c ha sS o f t c o v e ru, s e a d r i l l a n d s m a l lb u f f i n gw h e e l ( P h o t o1 ; 5 6 a t
Scrub, BarKeepers Friendor BonAmito a softragandscrub. h o m ec e n t e r s ) . Y ocua nu s ea s i m i l a rm e t h o do n g l a s ss h o w e r
T hes epr od u c tsu s u a l l yw o n ' ts c ra tc h g l a s s,but starti n a d o o r s ( P h o t o2 ) .A n e l e c t r i cb u f f e r ( $ 3 0 )w o r k sf a s t o n t h e
s m all,inc o n s p i c u osupso tj u s tto ma k es u rel.f el bowgrease largesurface.

dff Scrubawaythe tougheststainson gtasswith a buffing *g Removeshowerdoorsand lay them ftat. Buff the glass
fi wheeland mild abrasive.Whenyou'reworkingnearthe .d."with an electric buffer and mitd abrasive.
sash,protectit with maskingtape.

Stopdoor rattle
A closeddoorthat rattlesasyou walk
downthe hallis easyto fix.Remove the
strikeplateand bendthe tab forward
slightly.You mayneedtwo pairsof pliers
or evena viseto benda heavy-gauge
t ab.S c r ewth e s tri k ep l a teb a c ki n to
place,checkfor rattlesandtry againif
nec es s arW y .h e ny o u g e t i t ri g h t,th e
benttab holdsthe doortightlyagainst
t he door s to pm o l d i n ga n d e l i m i n a te s
the rattle.

LOUVEREDGLASS WINDOW FIXES; CLEAN TOUGH GLASS STAINS; STOP DOOR RATTLE
 Adlst a sticking
blfolddoor r e y o u f r u s t r a t ew
d i t h a b i f o l dd o o rt h a t d o e s n 'ct l o s e
. ;iir,...;,smoothly, or neveropenswithoutsticking, scraping or bind-
' illi'.ing?Chances areit'soutof alignment in thedoorframe.The
fix isusually simpleandoftentakeslessthan10minutes.
Fi rstcl osethedoorandl ookal ongtheedgeof thedoorasit lines
up withtheframe(photoat left).The dooredgeandframeshouldline
up niceandparallel. Evenif it'soffbyonly1/4in.,thedoorwillprobably
bi nd.Mostoftenthe probl emi s a l oosened top pi votand br acket ,
whichallowedthe doorto slipsideways out of alignment (Photo1).
Openthe doorand then l oosenthe setscrew for the top br acket
slightlywitha screwdriver.Then closeit again.Pushor pullthetop of
theclosed doorto alignitsedgeparallel to theframe. Close thedoorto
checkfor smoothoperation andto seehowthe doorsmeet.Openthe
doorgentlyso the pivotdoesn'tslip,thentightenthe setscrew. You
mayhaveto repeatthesestepsa fewtimeswith bothdoorsto getthe
"perfect" result.
lf thedoorbindsagainst thelowerpartof theframe, checkthebot-
tom pivotandbracket next.The bottompivotoftenloosens andslips.
Eitherraisethe doorslightlyto shiftthe pivotin or out,or loosenthe
setscrew andshiftthebracket seat(Photo2),depending onthetypeof
h a r d w a r yeo u h a v e S . o m e t i m etsh e e n t i r eb r a c k ect o m e sl o o s e
because the mounting screws arestripped, brokenor missing. Remove
thedoorto fix these.Test thedoorfor smooth, non-binding operation
by openingandclosingit several times. Youmayhaveto readjust the
top pivotbracket to makethedoorparallel to theframeagain.
Makesurethat the top rol l ergui derunssmoothl iyn the t r ack.
Applya lightcoatingof waxor silicone sprayto eliminate anysticking.

{ toosen the top pivot bracketsetscrewwith a screwdriver. ) fighten a loose bottom bracket with l-7/2-in. screws
I StiOethe bracketin the track until the door is parattetto 6 driventhroughthe drywaltinto the framing.Avoidscrewing
the jamb. Tightenthe setscrewfirmty. throughthe carpetingif possible.

70 WINDoWS
& DooRS
 Trimadoorthat

.
blndsoncarpet
'r:',.
ew carpetcancausethe bot- sawingslightlyto theoutsideof thecut-
' I '
tom of a bifolddoorto scrape ting line(Photo4).Bevelthe cut edges
'
andbindalongthe floor.First with 100-grit (Photo5).
sandpaper
try to raisethe doorto clearthe carpet Cuttingthedoorwillshorten thebot-
u s ingt he bot t o m p i v o t b ra c k e t(s e e tom pivothole.You mayhaveto redrillto
Photo2,p.70).Usua Ily,however, youhave deepenit.
to trimoffthedoorbottom. E x tendthe bottompi votthe same
Measure the bifolddoorfor cutting amountasthedoorwasshortened, using
withthedoorslightlyopened.A halfinch the heightadjustmentscrew.
of clearance isadequate (Photo1).
Removing a b i f o l dd o o r d o e s n ' t
alwaysgo assmoothlyasPhoto2 shows.
Sometimes the top pivotdoesn'tcom-
pressenoughto freethe bottompivot.
Turnthebottompivotheightadjustment
to lowerit, if possible. Or gentlylift the
dooroff the lowerbracketwith a flat pry
bar.Asa lastresort,loosenthe top pivot
bracketsetscrew andslidethe top away
fromthedoorframe.
To replacethe door,followthe steps
in Photo2 in reverseorder.Checkfor
properalignment.
Laythe doorfacedown on a work-
) rit the door to compressthe top
table.Cutfromthe backsideof the door
6 pivot spring (1). Swingthe door
to leavea cleancut on the front.Youcan Ueasureup 712in. from the highest bottom out from the bottom bracket
I
r educ es plint er i n bg y fi rs ts c o ri n gth e I point on the new carpetingand mark (2). Putl the door downand out of the
cuttingline(Photo3)and,usinga guide, the door. top pivot bracket.

Q uart the cutting line on the
J backside of the door and then
scorethe tine with a utitity knife to
reducesplintering.
/l Ctampa cutting guide to the door, ( rnoct the sharp edgesoff the fresh
r!
mount a crosscut-typebtadein your J cut with sandpaper.Add a coat of
saw and cut slightly to the outside of sealerto the raw edgeto prevent
the line. swelling. Remountthe door.

A D J U S TA S T I C K I N GB I F O L DD O O R ;T R I M A D O O RT H A T B I N D SO N C A R P E T 7l
 l f y o u n e g l e c t o p r e d r i l tl h e n a i l h o l e si n w o o d
m o l d i n g so r i f y o u n a i lt o o n e a rt h e i r e n d s y, o u
c o u l ds p l i tt h e m .R a t h e trh a n r e p l a c i n g
the trim
or taking it down for repair,usethe fix shownin
P h o t o s1 a n d 2 t o r e p a i ri t i n p l a c e . T oe n s u r ea
p r o p e rg l u eb o n d , l e a vteh e s p r i n gc l a m po n t h e
m o l d i n go v e r n i g h t .

PIECEOF SANDPAPER
TO APPLYGLUE

SPLIT IN
WOOD CASING

'i
Insert a thin appticator(tike sand- . Apply a springclampacrossthe top of the moldingoncethe nail is
paper)smearedwith woodgtue deepinto : , pulled. Usinga dampcloth, wipe off alt excesswet gtue.0ncethe
the woodcrack.Don't movethe nail that glue has dried, dritt a 3/32-in. hole next to the originaInaiI hole,insta[1
causedthe split. Instead,use it to wedgethe an 8d finish nail and set the nail head.If a gap remainsin the tip of the
crackopen so you can apply glue deepinside split molding(at the top of the miter joint), drill a t/76-in. hole on the
the crack. side of that moldingand carefultydrive a f -in.-tongbrad-sizenail to
closethe gap.

Fixa loose I
Remoue the insidedoor-
I knobby locatingthe
door handle button (tike the modelshown),
RELEASENOTGHIN "ROSE"
{COVERPLATE}
O v e r t i m e ,d o o r h a n d l e sl o o s e n metaltab or wire clip on the
a n d b e c o m ed i f f i c u l t o t u r n a n d side of the knobthat actsas a
u n l a t c h .M o s t d o o r h a r d w a r e release.Usingan awl or sma[[
screwdriver, pushthe button in
madetoday usesexposedscrews,
all the way-and at the same
accessible from the "room side"of time-pull off the handle.
t h e d o o r ,t o c o n n e c tt h e t w o Removethe door rose by
h a l v e so f t h e h a n d l et o e a c hs i d e insertinga sma[[screwdriver
o f t h e d o o r .B u t s o m e c u r r e n t into the smallnotchin the
roseand twisting the toot to
b r a n d s( a n d m o s t o l d e r d o o r
pop it off. Be carefutso you
h a r d w a r e u) s e h i d d e n c h a s s i s don't chip any doorpaint.
s c r e w s( P h o t o2 ) , a s e t u p t h a t
r e q u i r e ys o u t o t a k et h e d o o r k n o b
] rignten the door hardware
a n d r o s e ( c o v e rp l a t e )a p a r t t o & A V o p e n i n gt h e d o o r ,
t i g h t e nt h e s c r e w sP. h o t o s1 a n d 2 squeezing both sidesof the
showyou how. assembty togetherand tighten-
T h e d o o r h a r d w a r es h o w n i s ing the two screwson the
chassis.To reassemble, snap
f a i r l yt y p i c a l ,b u t y o u m a y h a v e
the rosebackon the chassis,
s o m e t h i n go t h e rt h a n a b u t t o nt o depressthe releasebutton
r e l e a s teh e k n o b .A l s o s, o m ed o o r and stidethe knob backon
rosesunscrewfrom the chassisby until the buttonpopsthrough
h a n d ( t u r nt h e m c o u n t e r c l o c k - the hole.
w i s e )r a t h e rt h a n s n a po n t o i t .

72 w r N D o w s& D o o R S
Silencea Fixa loosehinge
squealinghinge Overtime,manydoorsgetheavyuse,causing thehingescrews to stripoutandthe
hingesto loosen. Oncethishappens, the doorceasesto swingsmoothly andmay
l f y o u ' v eg o t a d o o r h i n g et h a t
requireliftingandpushing to getit closed of thebindinghinge.lf
because youget
s q u e a le s v e r yt i m e y o u o p e nt h e
jelly. teedoff at a doorhingethatfrequently comesloosebecause the screws don'thold
door,try thisfixwithpetroleum
j e l l y w o rk si ts w a y anymore,grab a hammer,knife,wood glueandyourgolfbagfora quickfix.
T hepet r ol e u m
well,soit Completely removethe loosehingefromthedoorandframe. Remove onlyone
intothehingeandadheres
won'trun off and makea messlike hingeat a timesoyoudon'thaveto takethedoordown.(lfyouhaveseveral hinges
with strippedscrews, however, you maywantto removethe entiredoor.)Locate
oilor otherlubricants.
' P h o t o s1 a n d 2 s h o wh o w t o thestripped screwholesandrepairwithgolfteesasshownin Photos 1 and2.Once
punchout a hingepin andgrease it the holeis plugged,reattach the hingeandscrews. Screwing throughthegolftee
will causeit to expandandtightenthe hingeevenmore,restoring yourdoorsto
up.A f t eral l th e h i n g e sh a v eb e e n
lubricated, openandclosethedoora properworkingcondition.
f b w t i m e st o w o r kt h e p e t r o l e u m
jellyintothehingejoints. { Unscrewthe
I loosehinge.
Squirt wood glue
on a golf tee and
tap it into the
stripped hote
until tight. Let
the gtue dry for
an hour.

{ toosen eachhinge pin by tap-

I ping an 8d nail up from under-
neath.Oncethe pin is loose,pult it
out (tift up on the door handleto
relieve pressureif the pin binds). tl cut the
Keepthe door closedand work on
3 golf tee
only one hingeat a time.
ftush with the
door frame using
a sharp utitity
knife, then screw
the hinge backin
place.

J Liglttty coat the hinge pin with

- petroteumjetty and dab a tittle
in the top of the pin stot. Reinsert
the pin and wipe off any excess.

H I N G E ;F I X A L O O S EH I N G E
; I L E N C EA S O U E A L I N G
R E P A I RS P L I TT R I M ;F I X A L O O S ED O O RH A N D L E S 73
 2 fixesfor door latches
1 . Fixa door latchthat won't catch
Whena doorlatchwon'tcatch, it'sbecause thelatchdoesn't alignwiththe
hol ei n thestri kepl ate.
S ometi mes youcancl earlsee y themi sal i gnm ent . lf
not,dothe"lipstick test"(Photo1).
Tightenthe hingesfirst.lf youfind that the latchcontacts the strike
platetoo highor too low,makesureallthedoor'shingescrews aretight,lf
thatdoesn't solvetheproblem, try thistrick:Remove oneof thescrews on
thej ambsi deof the hi ngeanddri vei n a 3-i n.screw .The l ongscre wwill
grabthew al l frami ng anddrawi nthew hol edoorj amb sl i ghtl y.To
raiset he
latch, dothisatthetop hinge.To lowerthelatch, do it atthebottomhinge.
Enlarge the strikeplatehole.lflongscrews don'tsolvethetoo-highor
too-lowproblem, measure the misalignment of the lipstickmarkson the
strikeplate.lf thelatchmisses thestrikeplateholeby 1/8in.orless, remove
thestrikeplateandenlarge its holewitha file(Photo2).A half-round file
gG (56at homecenters andhardware stores) matches thecurveofthelatchhole.
Movethestrikeplate. lf thelatchcontacts thestrikeplateat thecorrect
il
levelbut doesn'tgo in farenough, or if the latchstrikes morethan1/8in.
I Smearlipstick on the too highortoolow,you'll haveto reposition thestrikeplate.You canmove
I latch and stick mask-
it up or downandin or out.Usea sharpchiselto enlarge the strikeplate
ing tape to the strike
plate. Closethe door to morti se (P hoto3).Then hol dthestri kepl atei n pl aceanddri l lnew1/16- in.
determinewherethe latch holesfor the screws.Install the strikeplateandfill the gapin the mortise
contactsthe plate. withwoodfiller.Remove thestrikeplateto paintor finishthepatch.

) nemovethe strike plate, placeit in a vise and Q uart the new positionof the strike ptate and
- enlargethe hole with a file. Youmay atso haveto rJ enlargethe mortisewith a chiset.You may also
enlargethe hote in the doorjamb. haveto enlargethe latch hole in the jamb.

2.Fix a door strikeplate

Youshutthe door.lt doesn'tlatch,or youhaveto lift the
handleto get it to latch.This doorproblemis gettingon
yournerves-whynot spendfiveminutes to fix it?First
try t ight eningt he s c re w si n b o thth e h a n d l ea n dth e
strikeplate.lfthedoorstilldoesn't catch,grab a flashlight
andstudythe waythe doorlatch(theflexingpartoper-
atedbythedoorhandle) hitsthe strikeplate.lf the latch
won'tspringintothestrikeplate, observe whetherit hits
theplateatthetopor bottom.lfthe latchseems properly
centered on the plate,perhaps it'ssticking on eitherthe
frontor the backedgeof the plate.Whenyou discover
wherethelatchisgettinghungup,filethatedge. Insert either a triangutar fite or a ftat fite that's small enoughto fit
inside the strike plate. File off enoughmetal to allow the latch to catch
inside the plate and securethe door.If your filing actionis shakingthe
strike plate, removethe plate and secureit in a vise for your repair.
Thenreinstattthe plate with longerscrews.

74 W I N D o W S& D o o R S
 Installa
stormd00r
n s t a l l i nag n e ws t o r md o o ri s a n o - l o s e
I
E proposi ti on. l t' l lkeepyourhousewar m erin
--
ffif;I thewinter, breezier andbug-free in the sum-
E si l merand,w i th a good keyedl ock, lit t lem or e
a
rrr
EiF s e c u rael l y e arro u n d .
r1ltl
bytaking
LJruAvoidhassles
ffi accuratemeasurements
EEffi Beforeheadingto a homecenteror lumberyard
E*.{g:
ffi to vv/ yourstormdoor,measure
rv buy and
car ef ully
lh{d '*}..FS
makea sketchthat includes these
ffi** ..:::-. -::-*-i:.$*
.,sg1:- 5; three el ements:
cruci al
f,t""ffi "'T;:TJlswidth.Measure
the
d i s t a n c (eP h o t o1 , p . 7 6 f) r o m i n s i d e
e d g e t o i n s i d ee d g e o f t h e e n t r y
door'sbrickmold (theexteriormold-
i n g t h a t t h e s i d i n gs, t u c c oo r b r i c k
b u t t st o ) .M e a s u r ei n t h r e e p l a c e s :
t o p ,m i d d l ea n d b o t t o m .
O p e n i n g h e i g h t . M e a s u r et h e
o p e n i n gf r o m t h e b o t t o m e d g e o f
t:: j t h e t o p b r i c km o l d t o t h e t o p o f
'".r'li
,.\!
t h et h r e s h o l d .
Door swing.Youwantyour main
d o o r a n d s t o r m d o o r t o b e h i n g e do n t h e s a m e
s i d e ,M o s t s t o r m d o o r sa r e " a m b i d e x t r o u sy" o ;u
c a ne a s i l ym o d i f yt h e d o o rt o s w i n gl e f to r r i g h t .
T h e l i o n ' ss h a r eo f m a i n e n t r y w a yd o o r sa r e
6 f t .8 i n .t a l l ,a n d3 6 o r 3 2 i n .w i d e t, h o u g h3 0 -a n d
34-ind . o o r sa l s oe x i s t J. o t d o w n y o u r m a i n d o o r
d i m e n s i o ntso o , s i n c em a n y s t o r md o o r sa r e
l a b e l e da n d s o l d a c c o r d i n gt o y o u r m a i n d o o r ' s
s i z e .B u t r e m e m b e rt h a t t h e k e y m e a s u r e m e n t s
a r et h o s eo n y o u rs k e t c h .
to the
B r i n gy o u r n o t e sa n d a t a p e m e a s u r e
h o m e c e n t e rt o m a k es u r ey o u b u y a s t o r md o o r
w i t h t h e c o r r e c st w i n ga n d d i m e n s i o n s . lw
t si d t h
m u s tf i t t h e s m a l l e so t f the threehorizontal

.a

tlp Heat buildup between storm and

e n t r y d o o r s c a n c a u s ew a r P i n g a n d
o t h e r p r o b l e m sw i t h s o u t h - a n d
west-facing entry doors. Give heat
a n e s c a p eb y s l i g h t l y r a i s i n gt h e
b o t t o m e x p a n d e ro , r t h e g l a s sp a n e
o n s e l f - s t o r i n qu n i t s .

2 F I X E S F O R D O O R L A T C H E S ;I N S T A L L A S T O R M D O O R
m e a s u r e m e n t sy o u t o o k . M o s t d o o r s h a v e a b o t t o m e x - and installingthe storm door hardwareso it collideswith your
p a n d e rs t r i p t h a t c a n b e a d j u s t e d1 t o 2 i n . t o a c c o m m o d a t e maindoor'shardware(seePhoto7).Double-check beforecutting
variationsin height. a n dd r i l l i n g .
Mos ts t or es
c ar r ya w i d es e l e c ti oonf s to rmd o o rsi n w hi te, P hotos1 - 10 w i l l gui deyou throughthe mai nstepsin
brownand,often,green,rangingin pricefrom540to 5400and installinga stormdoor.Also keepin mind:
more.lf youneedto ordera customcolor, designor size(andthe the stormdoor,paintthe brickmold.That
:r Beforeinstalling
olderyourhomeis,the morelikelyyou'llneedto do so)double- willprovidea clean,
well-protected frameforyourdoorto fit into
checkthe swinganddimensions on the orderslipto makesure you
andsave the hassle of masking it off and paintingaround
everything jibes. it later.
' Removeanyglassinsertsfrom the door beforeyou begin.The
Doorand hardware door will be lighterand you won't riskbreakingthe glass.
installationtips ;*i You'llinitiallymount the door usingscrewsand screwholes
Stormdoorscanbe installed usinga drill,a on the faceof the storm door'sframe.Make
fewbits,a hacksaw andbasichandtools.Set 1o certainto installthe screwson the inner'side
asidefourto fivehoursfor the project.lt'sa Up Therearereallyonlytwo oftheframe,too.They,retheworkhorsesthat
greatbeginner's project,sincemoststeps w a v st h a tt " " . : : . 1 t : : , - _ _
keep your door solidly and squarely
versiblymessup:cutting
areeasilycorrected. lf you drivea screwin " attached.Don't overdrivethese screwsor
the legsof tfresiOe
the wr ong plac e- a n di n s ta l l i nth
g e ri g h t framestoo shortand you may pull the frame out of whack.
screwin the right place is yourgoalhere- installing the hardware so r+ Keep the bottom expander pushed up
simplyremove it andtryagain.There aretwo it collideswith the hard- duringdoor installation,then
adjustit down-
wareof vout
mistakes,however, that couldreallybotch "i:'I-yil. ward and secureit permanentlyafter all the
door.Measure carefullv- '
thejob:cuttingthe legsof the verticalside then measure again. framescrewshavebeeninstalled.
mount ingf r am est o o s h o rt(s e eP h o to2 )

Measurethe J cut the hinge-

I
I entrywaydoor i sidemounting
openingfrom the frame leg to length
bottom of the brick usinga hacksaw.
mold to the top of Anglethe cut to
the threshold,then matchthe slopeof
subtract 1/8 in. to the threshold.
determinethe length Maskingtape allows
of the hinge-side you to more easily
mountingframe.Check markthe length and
MEASURE
the entrywaydoor angleof the cut and
OVERALL
openingfor squareness. protectsthe frame
BOTTOM OF from misdirected
BRICKMOLD
TO TOP OF saw strokes.
THRESHOLD.

lr
VI
Q stla" the sweep
J into the groove
of the expander,then
slide the expander
onto the bottom of
the door.Pinchthe
groovethat the sweep
rides in with ptiers
so the sweepwon't
slip sideways.

BEFORE MOVINGTOTHENEXTSTEP, positionthe storm

door in the openingand shift it asfar asyou canto the hinge
side.Temporarily positionthe latch-side frameleg in placeto
seeif the door,oncepermanentlyinstalled, will be centeredin
the opening.lf necessary,add shimsor thin stripsof wood
alongthe hingesideuntil the door is centered. Alsq tem-
porarilypositionthe top mountingframeand makesure
there'senough room for it to fit without contactingthe top of
the door.Thisall goesa lot easierwith a helper.
,/| Instalt the screwsthat securethe hinge-sidemounting
tT
frameto the face of the brick mold, then openthe storm
door and drive in the screwsthat secureit to the side of the
brick mold. Keepcheckingand recheckingthe door for smooth
operationand squareness as you work.

76 W I N D o W S& D o o R S
f, Positionthe top mountingframe so the
gap betweenit and
J the door is consistentatongthe entire length. Usea sharp
awl to hold one end in ptacewhile you'rechecking.Instatl the
screwsto secureit in place.
fi Ur. the old "penny-plus-adime" trick to establishthe
tf propergap betweenthe latch-sidemountingframe leg and
the storm doot then instatl the screwsthat securethis vertical
memberin place.

J Carefuttyptot the position of your storm door latch and
I lock so they won't collidewith the hardwareon the
entrywaydoor.Thisis no placeto be rushed.Hotdthe storm
door hardwarein positionbeforedritling any holes,then
operateit so you can see whetherany movingparts hit any
entry door hardware.
f! oritt the holesfor instatlingthe storm door tatch and [ock.
lJ the templateusedin the previousstep allowsyou to mark
holeson both sidesof the door,so you can dritt hotesfrom both
sidesand preventdamagingor dimplingthe thin metal skin of
the door.

t]
tts-'ffi

BRACKET
DOOR
BRACKET

WASHER
o

DEPTHGUIDE ISO
YOU DONT DRILL
iin-ol'6ib6b;il'

(f Instattthe door closertube, makingsureit remains[eve[.
i/ Better doors,like the one shownhere, havectosersfor both
top and bottom to ensurea solid closingaction and to prevent
damageto the door from swingingopen beyond90 degrees.
Eachmanufacturerhasits own type of mechanismand most
providegoodinstallationinstructions.Fotlowthem.
1n Add the finishing touches.Instal,tthe snap-onscrew
I llf coverstrips if your door hasthem. Lowerthe expander
strip until the sweepcontactsthe threshold,then secureit in
placewith two screws.Install the glasspaneland the retaining
strips that hold it in place.Storethe separatescreenpanelup
in the garageraftersor in anothersafe place.

I N S T A L LA S T O R MD O O R 77
 Fixa stickinq
slldlngddor
earsof dirt,exposure to theelements andhardusecan rollers.Get helpfor this-the door is heavy!Unscrew the stop
turnslidingdoorsintosticking doors, but the problem moldingon the insideof thejamb(Photo2).Besureto holdthe
is usually easyto fix. doorin placeoncethe stopis removed-ifyouforgetandwalk
Startwith a goodcleaning. Scrubcakeddirt andgrimeout awayfora moment, thedoorwillfallin,requiring a muchbigger
of the trackwith a stiffbrushandsoapywater.lf the doorstill repai r!Ti l t the doorback(P hoto3) and set i t on sawhor ses.
doesn't slidesmoothly, the rollers underthe dooreitherneed Inspect the rollers for problems. lf they'refullof dirt anddebris,
adjusting or replacing. givethema goodcleaning anda fewdropsof lubricant andsee
Locate thetwo adjusting screws at the bottomof the if theyspinfreely.However, if the rollersareworn,cracked or
door(onthe faceor edgeof the door)and pry off the trim bent,removethem (Photo4) and replace themwith a
capsthat coverthe screws. lf onesidelookslower, newpair($8to $16a pair).
raiseit untilthe door looksevenon the Y o u c a n o r d e r r o l l e r sa n d o t h e r d o o r
track(Photo1).lf the doorstillsticks, turn \ p a r t st h r o u g hl u m b e r y a r dasn d h o m e
bot h s c r ewsa quarte rtu rn to ra i s eth e c e n t e r so r o n l i n e( a l c o s u p p l y . c oom
r
wholedoor.Then slidethe doorjustshortof bl ai new i ndow .com). Lookfor the door
thejambandbesurethegapiseven. manufacturer's nameon the edgeof the
lf thedoorstilldoesn't glidesmoothly,you'll ROLLERS door or the hardw aremanufac t ur er 's
h a v et o r e m o v et h e d o o ra n d e x a m i n e
the nameontheroller.

'rT
t

1 Lift or tower the door on the track with a screwdriveror Allen wrench.Raise
it just enoughto clearthe track and rolt smoothly. i
) n"roue the screwsthat hotd the stop
molding.Cut the paint or varnishline on
the roomside of the stop moldingso the
molding wilt putt off cleanly.

78 W I N D o W S& D o o R S
 Freea stickingstorm door SHIM KNOB SIDI:

lf your storm door won't closewithout a firm tug-or it won't

closeat all-it's probablyrubbingagainstthe frame,wearingoff
t h e p a i n t a n d g r a t i n go n y o u r n e r v e s M
. o s t s t o r m d o o r sa r e
mountedon a metalframethat'sscrewedto wood moldingsur-
roundingthe door.Whenthe metalframeon the hingesideof the
door comesloose,or the moldingitselfloosens,thedoor sagsand
scrapesagainstthe othersideof the frame,usuallynearthe top.
I Positionthe door by wedginga shim betweenthe
Beforeyou grabyour tools,partlyopenthe door from the out- I door and the frame. Predritl and drive 10d galn-
s i d ea n d p u s ht h e d o o r u p a n d d o w n . W a t c thh e h i n g es i d eo f t h e nized finish nails to firmly fasten the molding.
d o o r f r a m e .l f t h e m o l d i n g m o v e s ,s e c u r ei t w i t h e x t r a n a i l s
(Photo1).Start by adding a coupleof nailsnear the top of the ll oritt n"t
wood trim.Thenadd nailsfartherdown if necessary. Sinkthe nail
3yrc-in.
screw holes
headsslightlywith a nail set,coverthe headswith acryliccaulk through the
a n dt o u c hu p t h e m o l d i n gw i t h p a i n t . metal frame.
Moreoftenthan not,it'sthe metalframethat comesloose,not Then dritl
the wood trim.Tofix the metalframe,buy a few No.8 x 1-in.pan 3/32'in. pitot
holes into the
headscrews. steelscrewsarebest.Sticka shimbetween
Stainless
wood and drive
the door and the frame(asin Photo1),tightenthe existingscrews inl{o.8xl-in.
and drill new screwholesthroughthe frame.Presslightlyas you screws.For a
drillthe metal;youdon't want to drill into the wood moldingwith neater [ook,
the 3/16-in.bit.Thendrill a 3/32-in.pilot hole into the wood and spray-paintthe
screwheads
add screws(Photo2).In most cases,two or three screwsadded
first.
nearthe top of the framewill do the job.

t
/
-/

? nnp the door by the edgesand tip it Unscrewand pry out the screwsthat hold the roller in, then carefultylever it
* about a foot into the room. Lift it up and out with a screwdriver.Cteanor replacethe rollers.
out of the track one edgeat a time.

F I X A S T I C K I N GS L I D I N GD O O R ;F R E EA S T I C K I N GS T O R MD O O R 79
 Tipsfor removingandrehanging
doors I
Herearesometips that savetime and troublewhen removingdoors: ,\
'G"*1
I lf you planto removethe knob and latch,do it beforeyou removethe door.
I|f.,^..n|ln+^+L^|.^^k^^I|^+-Ll^i+L^r^-^+L^l^^-

They're easierto remove when the door is standing upright.

I S u p p o r t t h e s w i n g e n d o f t h e d o o r w i t h s h i m s .J u s t s l i p t h e m u n d e r t h e
door; don't force them in tight.The shims keep the swing end from drop-
p i n g a s y o u r e m o v et h e h i n g e p i n s .
I Tap pins up and out of the hinge knuckles with a nail, long screw,bolt or
screwdriver.
I Remove the bottom pin first and the top pin last.Be ready to catch the door
as you remove the top pin.
I H i n g e p i n s c a n b e s t u b b o r n ,b u t r e s i s tt h e u r g e t o g i v e t h e m a h a r d w h a c k .
Hard blows go off course and dent woodwork.
I lf you find that the hinge knuckles won't slip back together, loosen the
and
meshwi'lh
;$ff:,"1;1ff:^:T:x:J5i::';5:'#
i,T"1;':::n''' H-

ao W I N D O W S&
i
I

Tightenallthe hingescrews
Screws magically workthemselves looseovertheyears. lf yourdoorrubsnearthe
top or dragson thefloor,usea screwdriver, nota drill,totightenthescrews (photo
right).Witha drill,you'remorelikelyto overtighten thescrewandstripthe screw
holesor chewup thescrewheads. lf youfindonethat'salready stripped,
try these
f ix esReplac
: set ri p p e dj a mb s c re w sw i th 3 -i n .s c rew s.
Thesel ongscrew srun
throughthejambandintotheframingbehindit (bottomphoto).lf thescrewhole
is strippedin a soliddoor,predrillwith a 1/8-in. bit anddrivein a screwthat'san
inchlongerthanthe original. Tightenthe hingescrewsin both the door and
lf youhavea hollow-core door,reinforce
the screw
the jamb. Snugthem firmly, usinga screw-
hole.Diptoothpicks or woodsplinters in glueandusethemto fill the screwhole. driver rather than a dril,tto avoid stripping the
Thendrivein theoriginal screw. screwholes.

Adjusta hinge
Doorhingesaren'ttrulyadjustable. Butby drivinga longscrewthroughthejamb
andintothe wallframing, youcandrawthe hingeandjambtowardthe framing
andslightlyreposition the door(photoright).Before youdrivea screw,closethe
doorto determine exactly whereit rubsagainst thejamb.lf it rubsnearthetop of
t hes idejam b( wh i c hi smo s ct o mmo nd),ra wi nth eu pperhi nge.lthe f doorrubsat
t he lowers ideja mbo r h e a dj a m b ,d ra wi n th e b o t tomhi nge.l f the doorrubs
allalongthesidejamb,drawin allthe hinges. often,youcanmovethedoorup to
1/ 8in. wit ht hism e th o d .
Tousethistechnique, remove a screwnearthemiddleof thehinge(rather than
the top or bottomscrew). Drivein the 3-in.screwwith a drill.Whenthe screwis
snugagainstthe hinge,givethe screwanotherquarterturn with a screwdriver.
Close thedoorto checkthefit.Continue tightening andchecking untilthedoorno
longersticks. Keepaneyeon the doortrimasyoutighten-if youbeginto create
gapsat the trimjoints,stop.lt'srare,but youmightfindthatyoucan'tdrawin a
hingeatallbec a u sth e ej a mbi sa l re a dtiyg h ta g a i n st
theframi ng
or shi ms. Runa 3-in. screwthroughthe jamb and into
the wall framingto drawthe hingeinward.

Drawin the jamb

justanother
Thisisreally version of thehingeadjustment described
above.Bydriv-
inga longs c r ewth ro u g hth e" l a tc hs"i d eo f th ej a m b(rather
thanthehi ngesi de),
youcanoftendrawin thejambandgivethedoora littleextraspace(photoright).
Trythisonlyif drawingin the hingesdoesn't work;it leaves youwitha largescrew
headholeto cover. Countersink thescrewheadwitha countersink bit (about$8at
homecenters). Drivea screwnearthemiddleoftheareawherethedoorisrubbing.
Youmayneedto adda second screw.Tighten screws graduallyandwatchthetrim
to makesureyoudon'topenjoints.Coverthe screwheadswith woodfillerand
thensandandpaintor stainthefillerto match.

Predrill a 1/8-in. hole and createa recessfor

the screwheadwith a countersinkbit. Then
drive a 3-in. screwinto the watl framing to
drawin the jamb.

c U R E SF o R s l c K t N G D o o R S 8l
P I a n et h e d o o r w i t h a b e l t s a n d e r
lf yourdoorstillsticksafteryou'vetriedtightening anddriving lf yousandthe areaaroundthe mortisethat holdsthe door
screws, you'llhaveto planeit.Startby scribing
thedoorwhereit latch,you mightend up with a latchthat protrudes. Solvethis
rubsagainst the sideor top of thejamb(Photo1).A carpenter's problemby deepening the mortisewitha sharpchisel.The belt
compass isthebesttoolforthis(53at homecenters). sanderwill leavesharpcorners on the edgeof the door.Round
Thenremovethe door.Thebesttool for "planing" the door themslightlyby makinga coupleof passes with120-grit paper.
isn'ta plane,
buta beltsander (Photo couldalsodothejob
2).You Hangthe doorbackon its hingesto checkthe fit. Don'tbe
witha handplaneor anelectric planer.
Beltsanderprices surpri sedi f you haveto removethe doorand sandoff som e
startat about550at homecenters. Beginwitha SO-grit more.lf there'sa 1/8-in.gap betweenthe doorandthe jamb,
*b..
sandingbelt.This coarsebeltremoves woodfast.Keep you'rereadyto paintor stainthe sandededge.Youcan
the sandermovingso you don'tgrinda holein one remove thedooror finishit in place(Photo4).lf the
spot.Someolderdoorshavea beveled edge,butdon't top or bottomedgesof the doorareu nf in-
accidentally createa bevelif the doordidn'toriginally ished, paintorvarnish them.Acoatof var-
haveone(Photo 3).When you'reabout1/16in.awayfrom n i s hl i m i t ss h r i n k i nagn ds w e l l i n g
the scribeline,switchto an 80-gritbeltandsandto the line. because it slowsmoisturemove-
-
Finally,usea 120-gritbeltto smooththedoor'sedge. ggrupagg-* menr rn ano out of wooo.

{ Scrile the door.Set the penciltip and compasspoint Removethe excesswood with a belt sander.Sandright up
I ye in. apart and run the point alongthe jamb. Masking to the [ine, but not into it.
tape makesthe pencil line easyto see.

SEAL THE TOP AND

BOTTOM EDGES

Stop sandingoccasionallyto makesurethat you'resanding /l Stain or paint the sandededge.Whenvarnishingthe edge,

squarelyand not creatinga bevelededge. rrl
appty polyurethanewith a lint-free rag rather than a brush
to avoid slopping onto the door'sface.

a2 wrNDows& DooRS
 Fixa dented
steeldoor
ill a de n to r h o l ei n a s te e d l o o rth e
samewaya bodyshopwouldfix your
c arY. o uc a nd o th i sw i th th e d o o ri n
place, but it will be easierwith the doorlying
flat on sawhorses. Remove an areaof painta
coupleof incheslargerthanthedamaged spot
(Photo1).Sandawaythe paintwith60-or 80-
gritpaper, or dothejob fasterwitha smallwire
wheel( 57)in a d ri l lN . e x t,fi l l thaere aw i tha u to
bodyfiller(S10at hardware storesand home
centers).To mixthefiller,placea scoopof resin
on a scrapof plywoodor hardboard.Then add
t he har dener. M i xth e tw o c o m p o n e n th ts o r-
oughly;unmixedresinwon'thardenandyou'll
be leftwith a stickymess. A plasticputtyknife
( S 1)m ak es a go o dm i x i n g to o l .
A pplyt he fi l l e rw i th a me ta lp u tty k n i fe
that'swiderthanthe damaged spot(Photo2).
Thefillerwillstartto hardenin justa coupleof
minutes, soyouhaveto workfast.Fillthe repair
flushwiththesurrounding surface. Don'tover-
1 Removepaint aroundthe dent with a wire wheet.Roughenthe baremetal
with 60-grit sandpaper.

fillit anddon'ttryto smoothout imperfections

a f t e rt h e f i l l e rb e g i n st o h a r d e nA. d d i n g
anothercoatof filleris easier thansanding off
h u m p sW . h e nt h e f i l l e rh a sh a r d e n e cdo m -
p l e t e l y( a b o u 3t 0 m i n u t e ss) ,a n di t s m o o t h
(Photo3).Afterprimingthe repair, you could
paintoverthe primeronly.Butthe newpaint
won'tperfectlymatchthe olderpaint,so it's
bestto repaint theentiredoor.

tip lf the damageis nearthe bottom

you
of the door, can skipthe
repairand coverit with a metal
kick plate (525at home centers
and hardwarestores).Kickplates
areabout8 in.wide and comein
lengthsto matchstandarddoors.

J mir auto body fitler and fitl the
3 dent using a wide putty knife.
Avoidleavinghumpsor ridges.If nec-
essary add more filler after the first
layer hardens.
Q SanOthe fitter smoothwith 100-
J grit paper.Usea sandingbtock
to ensurea flat surface.Primethe
repair and paint the entire door.

D O O R S F; I X A D E N T E DS T E E LD O O R
C U R E SF O RS T I C K I N G a3
Adjusta stormdoor
lf yourstormdoorslamsshutor won'tclosehardenoughto hammer. Oryoucantaketheentirecloserto a homecenteror
latch,trya fewsimpleadjustments to makeit closejustright. hardware storeandfinda similarreplacement for aboutS10.
First,changethe mountingpositionof the closer's con- Someclosersmounta littledifferently from the oneshown
nectingpin(PhotoI ).Toremovethepin,youhaveto firstlock here.Forexample,you mayfindthatthe door rather
bracket,
thedooropenwiththe hold-open washerto release theten- thanthecloser, hastwo pinholes.
sionon the pin.Butthere'sa goodchancethat yourhold- lf movingthe pin makesmattersworse,returnit to itsorigi-
openwasherwon'twork.In that case,openthe doorand nal positionandtry the adjustment screw(Photo2).Turnit
snaplockingpliers(suchasVise-Grip pliers)ontothe closer clockwisefor a softerclose,counterclockwise lf your
for harder.
shaftto holdthe dooropen.To repairthe washer, slipit off doorhastwoclosers,treat themexactly bothscrews
alike.Adjust
theshaft,put it in a viseandmakea sharperbendin it usinga equallyand makesuretheir pinsareinthesameposition.

{ locf the door open and removethe pin. Connectthe I furn the adjustmentscrewto makethe door ctoseharder
I closerat the inner hole to makethe door ctoseharder. 3 o, softer. Makea quarter turn, test the door and con-
For a softer close,use the outer hole. tinue making quarter turns until the door closesjust right.

Maskpet clawscratches
Dogsandcatsstillhaven't figuredout howto opendoors,but the gel stainon a rag,thendaba littleon a dry brush.Wipe
that'sneverstoppedthemfromtrying.Painted doorscanbe excess stainonthe rag.Dragthebrushlightlyalongoneedge
s pac k led a n d re p a i n te to but natural andquicklywipeit dry to seehowthe colorlooks.Leave
d h i d eth e d a m a g e, the
wood doo rsc a n b e m o reo f a p ro b l e mH i f the stainon longer,
. ow ever, applyadditionalcoatsor blendin othercol-
scratches aren'ttoo deep,youcanusuallymaskthe damage orsto darkenit (Photo2).
withstainandvarnish. lf thestained lightlyspraythe
arealook toodullafterit dries,
Sand the damaged area lightly (Photo1),feathering the area with clear it
finish,feathering intothe surrounding area.
s a n d i n gi n t o t h e s u r r o u n d i n g
undamaged area.Wipe offalldust.
lf you don'thavethe original
stainor finish,find a matching
stainat a paintstore.Gelstains
(available at homecentersand
paints t ore s w ) o rk b e s t.Bu ya
s m allpiec eo f m a tc h i n gw o o d
and experiment with it first,or
bringa photoof the doorto the
paintstorefor help.Startwith a
light ers t a i n -i t c a na l w a y sb e
darkened.You canalsobuya few
differentcolorsand blendthem
or streakthemtogether.
Wipethe scratched areawith
a ragdippedin paintthinnerto tl grush the stain over the sandedarea

blot c hyPu
1
k e e pt h e s t a i nf r o m l o o k i n g
. ta s m a l la mo u n to f
tightty sandthe scratchesand the
area aroundthem. 4ni'in a dry brush, mixing cotorsto
matchthe old finish.

; D J U S T A S T O R MD O O R ;M A S K P E T C L A W S C R A T C H E S
A T O R N S C R E E NA
REPLACE a5
 Replace
a

top peskyinsects
tornscreen
frominvading yourhomeby replacing theframe,and cutit soit overhangsallsidesby 1-1/2in.Align the
torn nylonscreen.Purchasea screeningtool (Photo3; screenandbegininserting thespline(Photo2),thenworkit into
53),splineand screenat a homecenteror hardware threesi des(P hoto3).A fterthe spl i nei s com -
the remai ni ng
store.(Takea sampleof the old screenand splinewith you to pletelyinserted,
secureit in placeon all sideswith the convex
makesureyougeta goodmatch.) Setthescreenona workbench wheelat the otherendof the screening tool.Finishthejob by
or otherflatareawiththe splinechannelfacingup,andremove cuttingawaytheexcess screen(Photo4).
the old splineandscreen(Photo1).Unrollthe newscreen over

] ltign the
& new screen
grid to the side of
the frame so it
goesin square.
Seatthe new
sptinein the
channelon one
side with the con-
caveend of the
screeningtool,
beginningat one
corner.

1 Dig out the old sptine with a nail set or awt, starting at one
corner.Then removethe otd screen.

Q Ctarp the side of the finishedframe to a workbench,pull Cut off the excessscreenjust abovethe new sptine with a
Jthe screentight at the oppositeside,and insert the sptine sharp utility knife.
down that side. Completethe other two sidesthe sameway,
then repressthe entire spline in placewith the convexwheel.

84 W I N D o W S& D o o R S
Adjusta stormdoor
lf yourstormdoorslamsshutor won'tclosehardenoughto hammer. Oryoucantaketheentirecloserto a homecenteror
latch,trya fewsimpleadjustments to makeit closejustright. hardware storeandfinda similarreplacement for about510.
First,changethe mountingpositionof the closer's con- Someclosersmounta littledifferently from the oneshown
nectingpin(Photo1).Toremovethepin,youhaveto firstlock here.Forexample,you mayfindthat the door rather
bracket,
thedooropenwiththe hold-open washerto release theten- thanthe closer, hastwo pinholes.
sionon the pin.Butthere'sa goodchancethat yourhold- lf movingthe pin makesmattersworse,returnit to itsorigi-
openwasherwon'twork.In that case,openthe doorand nal positionandtry the adjustment screw(Photo2).Turnit
snaplockingpliers(suchasVise-Grip pliers)ontothe closer clockwisefor a softerclose,counterclockwise lf your
for harder.
shaftto holdthe dooropen.To repairthe washer, slipit off doorhastwoclosers,treat themexactly alike.Adjust
bothscrews
theshaft,put it in a viseandmakea sharperbendin it usinga equallyand makesuretheir pinsareinthesameposition.

{ loct the door open and removethe pin. Connectthe ! furn the adjustmentscrewto makethe door close harder
I closerat the inner hole to makethe door ctoseharder. 3 or softer. Makea quarter turn, test the door and con-
For a softer close,use the outer hole. tinue making quarter turns until the door closesjust right.

Maskpet clawscratches
Dogsandcatsstillhaven't figuredout howto opendoors,but the gel stainon a rag,thendaba littleon a dry brush.Wipe
that'sneverstoppedthemfromtrying.Painted doorscanbe excess stainonthe rag.Dragthebrushlightlyalongoneedge
s pac k led a n d re p a i n te to but natural andquicklywipeit dry to seehowthe colorlooks.Leave
d h i d eth e d a m a g e, the
wood doo rsc a n b e mo reo f a p ro b l e mH i f the stainon longer,
. o w ever, applyadditional coatsor blendin othercol-
scratches aren'ttoo deep,youcanusuallymaskthe damage orsto darkenit (Photo2).
withstainandvarnish. lf thestainedarealook toodullafterit dries,
lightlyspraythe
Sandthe damaged arealightly(Photo1),feathering the areawithclearfinish,featheringit intothesurrounding area.
s a n d i n gi n t o t h e s u r r o u n d i n g
undamaged area.Wipe offalldust.
lf you don'thavethe original
stainor finish,find a matching
stainat a paintstore.Gelstains
(available at homecentersand
paints t or e s w ) o rk b e s t.Bu ya
s m allpiec eo f ma tc h i n gw o o d
and experiment with it first,or
bringa photoof the doorto the
paintstorefor help.Startwith a
light ers t a i n -i t c a na l w a y sb e
darkened.You canalsobuya few
differentcolorsand blendthem
or streakthemtogether.
Wipethe scratched areawith
a ragdippedin paintthinnerto

blot c hyPu
1
k e e pt h e s t a i nf r o m l o o k i n g
. ta s m a l la m o u n to f
Lightty sandthe scratchesand the
area aroundthem.
1l grustrthe stainoverthe sandedarea
Zntn a dry brush,mixingcotorsto
matchthe otdfinish.

; D J U S T A S T O R MD O O R ;M A S K P E T C L A W S C R A T C H E S 85
A T O R N S C R E E NA
REPLACE
 Removi
ng radon
"Thesilentkiller"
R a d o ni s a r a d i o a c t i vgea st h a t m o v e s
thr oughs pac es in th e s o i la n dc a ne n te ra
housethroughanyopening, suchascracks
i n t he f oundat ion o r th e c o n c re te s l a bAt
.
elevatedlevelsoverlong periodsof time,
radoncancauselungcancer.
Evenif yourneighbor's househasa high
levelof radon,thatdoesn'tmeanyoursdoes.
Eachhouseisdifferent, andagedoesn'tmat-
ter.Radonisevenfoundin newhomes.
Thesecondleadingcauseof lungcancer
behindsmoking(andthe leadingcausefor
nons m ok er sr ado ) , ni s e s ti ma teto d cause
21,000 deathsannually in the UnitedStates.
Sinceradonis colorless, odorless andtaste-
less, it'softencalled "thesilentkiller."
Youcantestfor it yourself. Radontestkits
areavailable at homecenters andhardware
stor esf or about51 0 T . h e yu s u a l l yi n v o l v e
settinga collector in yourhomefor a week
or soandthensending it to a labforanalysis.
Y o u ' lgl e t r e s u l t si n a b o u ta w e e k .( O n e
m a n u f a c t u r ei sr P r o - L a b8,0 0 - 4 2 7 - 0 5 5 0 ;
p r o l a b i n c . c oAmn. o t h e ri s A i r C h e kI,n c . ,
800-247 -2435; radon.com.) Conductthe test
inthelowestlivable areain the house.
lf twotestsgivea highreading, consulta
radonmitigation contractor (froma listpro-
v i d e db y y o u rs t a t eh e a l t hd e p a r t m e n t ) .
These contractors canprofessionally testthe
houseand if necessary, installa mitigation
system for reducing the radonto a harmless
level.The mosteffectivesystemis a vent
pi p eplac edin a s u mpp i t o r a h o l em a d e
underyourconcrete floorslab.The ventruns
up throughthe houseand out the roof,or
o u t t h e s i d eo f t h e h o u s ea n d u p t o t h e
eav esas , s hown.A s p e c i ailn -l i n efa n fo r
ra donis plac edin t h e a tti co r o u ts i d eth e
h o u s et o s u c ka i r t h r o u g ht h e v e n t .A n y
o p e n i n g si n t h e s l a bo r f o u n d a t i o a nre
s e a l e dt o k e e po u t r a d o n P . r o su s u a l l y
chargeS1,200 to S1,500 to installthesesys-
tems(it costsabout5400to addthe system
whenbuilding a home ).
Formoreinformation, contactyourstate
h ealt hdepar t m enth t, e E PAra d o nh o tl i n e
(800-767-7236) or the radonfix-it program
(800-644-6999). Or visit epa.gov/radon or
radon.com. An in-line fan drawsair throughthe vent pipe, suckingradonfrom the ground
underthe basementftoor.

S P E C I A LS E C T I O NH
: E A L T H& S A F E T Y
-i
i
I

Testingfor lead
Homesbuilt before1978sometimes contain
lead- bas ed pa i n t.C o n d u cat d u s tw i p ete s t
usinga leadtestkit to determine if leadis pres-
entin a pre-l978home.Mostlead-based paint
pois oning in c h i l d re no c c u rsb y e x p o s u re to
leaddust,and testingdustwill determineif
you havea leadhazardyou haveto dealwith.
Thetest kits,available at homecentersand
hardware storesfor 510,includestep-by-step
instructions for collectingthe samples, bags
for thesamples, plasticalovesandanenvelope
to sendthe samples to an EPA-certified labfor
a n a l y s i(se a c hl a b t e s t c o s t s5 1 0 ) R . esults,
m ailedbac kin a b o u ttw o w e e k sw, i l l te l l i f
the samples contained a potentially harmful
levelof leaddust.lf you havea leadhazard,
contactyourlocalhealthdepartment for reme-
diationguidelines.
However,before
re m o d e l i nogr o th -
e r w i s ed i s t u r b i n g
p a i n te ds u rfa c e s ,
i t' s b e s t to h a v e
a p r o f e s s i o nI a
l e a di n s p e c t i o n Wipe the test areain a backwardoSupattern with a moist cloth, picking up dust
a n d ri s ka s s e s s - to use as a sample.
mentdone(5500
to 5700).This willtellif yourhome (alongslidingwindows, for example). Findcertifiedinspection
haslead-based paint,whereit's firmsthroughyourstatehealthdepartment or the Environmen-
locatedandif it'shazardous. Keep Agency.
tal Protection
in mindthatleadpaintitselfisnotneces- Don'tbediscouragedif youhaveleadpaint.You canhandleit
s a ri l Yh a z a rd o uess, p e c i a l li yf th e surfacei s i n safely.Followthe guidelinesonlineat epa.gov/lead or callyour
goodcondition andthe paintisn'tflakingor beingworndown localhealthdepartment.

Installapeephole
in a door
Youneverwantto opena doorunlessyou know
who'son the otherside.A peephole letsyou see
who'sthere,but entrydoorsdon'tcomewith peep-
holes,anda lot of peepholes aresotinythatthey
don'tclearlyshowyou who'sout there.Strangers
canhideslightlyoutof viewor appearsodistorted
thatthey'rehardto identify.
A voi duncertai nty by i nstalling a
wide-angle d o o r v i e w e rT. h e o n e
shownherefromM.A.G. Engineering and
Manufacturing Co.(magsecurity.com,
No.8720) offersa 160-degree viewand
costs54.50on the company's Web
si te.Instalilt j ust l i kea st andar d
peephole-drilla holefrom each
sideandscrewit in.

R E M O V I N GR A D O N ;T E S T I N GF O R L E A D ;I N S T A L LA P E E P H O L lEN A D O O R 87
Add inexpensive
doorandwindowalarms
Keeping doorsandwindowslockedisyour
firstlineof defenseagainstbreak-ins.
wireless alarmsyoursecond. Burglars
noises, soevena smallalarmusuallysends
themrunning. Thealarmsareavailable
h om ec ent er(s520f o r d o o ra l a rms5;7fo r
window).Or checkout Intermatic's
siteat intermatic.com or DoorandWindow
Alarmsat doorandwindowalarms.com.
Switchoff the unit when you want to open your window,then
turn it back on at night.
Thealarmsdon'tprovidethe samesecurity
Make as pro-installed monitoredsystemssince
hatethe wireless devices areactivated by doors
or windowsopening(not glassbreaking).
atUsethe alarmsfor doorsandwindowsin
" h i d d en" areas of the house w here
Web you don't normallygatherand that are
oftendark.
Attachthealarmto thedooror window
(witha screwor double-
s i d e dt a p e )a l o n g s i d e
the magnetic ontact
strip(theydon'thaveto
be touching,but within
112in.).Whenthe door
or window opens,
breakingmagneticcon-
tact,the al armshri eks
(theselittleunitshavea
p i e r c i n ga l a r m ) T
. he
dooralarmhasa delay
feature, givingyoutime
t o s e t t h e a l a r ma n d
l e a v e t, h e n o p e n t h e
dooranddeactivate the
u n i t w h e ny o u c o m e
home,withoutsettingit
off.Thewindowunithas
an on/off sw i tch.The
alarmswill workon any
dooror window,and the
replaceable batteries last Just punchin your codeto set
two to threeyears. or deactivatethe door alarm.

Installa smallsafe
Mostpeopledon'tneeda big,heavy, expensive safeto securetheirvaluables.
For5100,youcangeta safethatwillprotectagainst thieves. Besureto
fastenit to the flooror wallsoan intruderdoesn'twalkoff with it.
Safes go up in priceforoptionssuchasfireprotection anddig-
italor biometric (fingerprint
reading) openingsystems.Sentry
Safemakes the onesshownhere(sentrysafe. com).
Installthe wallsafe(5100)or bolt the cylinder
floorsafe(5tZO)to the floor(mostsafeshaveholes
insideforjustthatpurpose). Hideit in thecornerof
a closetor otherinconspicuous area. Or mountthe
wallsafeinsidea wallandcoverit witha picture. Or
chipout a holein yourconcrete slabandstickin the
floorsafe, thenpournewconcrete aroundit.

may be all you need

Lefh Replacethe cover,then set a rug over the top to to hotd important papers,jewetry and
hide the safe in the ftoor. other vatuabtes.

a8 S P E C I A LS E C T I O N :H E A L T H& S A F E T Y
Filteringout pollen
lf y ou enjoys l e e p i n g l w i th e w i n d o w so p e nbut pol l en
affectsyourallergies, try a specialwindow,likethe onefrom
R.E.P. lndustries (800-426-3527; repindustries.com) that can
be us edwit h d o u b l e .h u n w g i n d o w sT. h ec o m panysays
the Safeguard WindowFilterkeepsout 92 percentof rag-
weedpolle nT. h ed ra w b a ciks th a t u n l i k ea c o nventi onal
insectscreen, this one won't let breezesblowthroughthe
openwindow.
To installthe screen, just openthd windowand put it in
the opening. Screen heights arelimitedto either7 or 11in.
Youcanbuy the screens, starting at 517,on the company's
Website.The filtersare replaceable.
Youcanleavethe screenin yearround,but you'llonly
needit whenpollenis aggravating yourallergies. Pollinating
grasses,such asorchard and Bermuda,grow in the latespring
andearlysummer. Ragweed, which causes most "hay is
fever," Simple-to-install
prevalent in the latesummer and fall. scaldprotection
lf pollenisstilla prqblem, putanaircleaner (alsocalledan Scalding wateris dangerous,especially for youngkids
air purifier) in your bedroom.The units work by circulatingair who can'tturn it off.Approximately 3,800peopleare
and filteringout airborne particles such as pollens. Prices injuredand34peopledieeachyearfromexcessively hot
startat 5100. Choose a unitthatt madeto cleana bedroom tap water,according to the Consumer ProductSafety
the sizeof yours or a largerroom.Beawarethat whilesome C ommi ssi on.
air cleaners havetestedwell at filteringout pollens, others d veshavebeenrequi redby codef or
A nti -scalval
havenot.Research air cleaners before buying one ("Con- years,but olderhomesmaynot havethem.Andputting
sumerReports"is onesource). themin an existingbathroommeanstearingopenthe
Otherstrategies for reducingpollen: wallsto accesstheplumbingpipes.
I Upgradeyourfurndcefilterto a high-quality disposable Aneasier theshowerhead
fixisto replace andthetub
filtermadeof pleatedfabricor paper(S10).Orhavea pro- spoutwithfixtures that havea built-inscaldprotection
fessional installan electrostatic filterthat'sconnected to valve.To install,
simplyunscrew theexisting shower-
yourductwork (5700to 51,500). heador tub spout,wrappipetapearoundthe
I Change yourbeddingweekly. exposedthreads,caul k A N n-scA LD
I Replace carpetwithwood,laminate, tile or vinyl.Carpetis aroundthe openi ng 't ,
-5t*
t he bigg e s tre s e rv o ior f d u s t.Al s ov a c u umarearugs for a tub spout, Fr' .
weekly.
t Takecouchcushions outsideandbeatoutthe dustwitha -- ---:
tennisracket. Or betteryet,whenit comestimefor furni- rurE-vvrtrrlJrl-r
r r v i n yluphol stery
t ur e r ep l a c e m e nct,h o o s el e a th e o the water
ratherthanfabric. r e a c h e sa n
unsafetemper-
ature,the fixture
automatically cuts
the waterflow to
a t r i c k l e .F l o w
resumeswhen An anti-scald vatve,buittinto the
the WaterCOOls. showerfixture,keepsthe waterfrom
Codesmaystill frombecoming dangerously hot'
require ananti-scald valve(notjustananti-scald fixture).
Check withyourlocalbuildinginspector.
L o o kf o r t h e f i x t u r e s( s t a r t i n ga t S 2 5 )i n h o m e
c e n t e r sT. w o m a n u f a c t u r e rasr e A m e r i c a nV a l v e
(ameri canval ve.com or h2otstop.com) and Am er ican
Standard (americanstandard-us.com).

O U T P O L L E N ;S C A L DP R O T E C T I O N 8 9
T N E X P E N S I VDEQ O RA N D W I N D O WA L A R M S ;S M A L L S A F E ;F I L T E R I N G
Christmas
tree safety
To helppr ev entChr i s tmatre s e
f i r e s ,c h o o s ea r e c e n t l yc u t ,
healt hyt r ee.A f r es htre e h o l d s
m o i s t u r eb e t t e r .G r a b a t r e e
bra nc hand r un y our h a n do v e r
it-no morethan a few needles
shouldfalloff.Assoonasyouget
the tree home,cut"l/2 in.off the
t r u n k a n d p l a c et h e t r e e i n a
bucketof wateruntilyou'reready
to bringit into the house. When
yousetthe treeup to decorate it,
makesureit'sstablein the stand
and won'ttip over,and waterit
f r e q u e n t l yA. 6 - f t .t r e e n e e d s
a b o u t 1 g a l l o no f w a t e re v e r y
otherday.
Whendec or at ingu,s el i g h ts \
ra tedf or indoorus eth a t d o n ' t
createheat(suchas LEDlights).
Anddon'toverload yourelectrical
o u t l e t .l f y o u w a n t t o p o w e r
.trr.tttq**!
d oze nsof s t r andsof l i g h tsa n d
otherelec t r icdec or a ti o npsl,u g
themintodifferent circuits aroundthe house. lf youcontinually ingif a firestarts(seephoto).Place
thesystem's low-water detec-
blowa circuit,it'sprobablyoverloaded. tor in thetreestand.lt'llsendanaudioalertandtriggerflashing
Herearesomeothertips: lightson the attachedheatsensorangelif the waterlevelgets
I Don'tuseelectric lightsona metaltree. too low.
t Unplugtreelightsbeforeleaving thehouseor goingto bed. Theornamental angel,attachedto the tree,signalsa remote
t Keepthetreeat least3 ft.fromcandles andfireplaces. alarmif it senses heat,warningyouthat a firecouldstartor has
started. Thealarmplugsintothe wall.To buythe system, visit
A newChristmas TreeSafetySystem($30)by LifeKeeperis christmastreesafetysystem.com.
designed
to detectlowwaterin the treestandandsenda warn-

Secure
tippyfurniture
Everyyear,several thousandkidsareinjuredby fallingfurni-
ture.Thesolutionisto fastentip-pronefurnitureto the wall.
Youcansimplydrivescrewsthroughthe backof a chestor
bookcase intostuds.Butif youwantto be ableto movethe
furniturewithoutremoving screws,pickup a coupleof chain
latches(55each)at a hardware storeor homecenter.lf you
planto mountthetrackson top of the pieceasshown,make
surethetop isat least3/4in.thickto providea solidbasefor
the screws.lf the furniture's
backis 3/4 in.thick,you can
mountthe trackson the back.Fasten the chainbracketto
studswith 2-1/ 2-in.screws.

9(D S P E C I A LS E C T I O N :H E A L T H& S A F E T Y
 exteriors
decks
92 Instantcurbappealfor
u n d e$r 2 0 0
96 Deckrepairs
100 Deckrescue
104 deckstain
StripfLaking
105 Quickfix for teaky
metalgutters
Bettertraction on concrete
106 3 garagedoor fi xe s
109 damagedvinyl siding
R epl ace
110 R e p [ a cae s h i n g l e
111 R e p l a c pe t u m b i n g
vent ftashi ng

.'t*)!
;i.'\h.-

a ,?.dff
91
Paint,paint,paint
Cost:525 andup
T im e: Half day a n du p
Whether youpaintyourfrontdoor,yourtrim or your
entirehouse,few projectscantransforma houseas
dramatically and inexpensively as paint.Top-notch
paintcostsonlya fewdollarsmorepergallon,but it
willcoverbetter, go onsmoother andlastlongerthan
thecheapstuff-it's a smartinvestment.
A fewrulesof thumb:lf youwanta smallhouseto
looklarger, paintit white.lf yourhouseisa mishmash
of stylesor hassaggingsoffitsor otherflaws,paint
ev er y t hing t he s a m ec o l o rto h e l pv i s u a l l yu n i fy
thehouse.
Several paintmanufacturers marketcomputer
s of t war et hat a l l o w sy o u to mo c ku p d i ffe re n t
paintc olors c h e m eosn a d i g i ta li m a g eo f y o u r
house(oron a houseclosein stylesupplied bythe
software). Visitglidden.com, benjamin moore.com
andsherwin-williams.com to findout more.

lnstallnew -us*
housenumbers
Cost:S1 andupfor individual numbers; custom L.?
plaques startat about550
T im e: 1hour
Replace shabby or dated-looking numbers withones
m adeof br as sa, l u mi n u m o r s ta i n l e ssste e lT. h ey' l l
lookbestif thefinishmatches thatof the lightfixture
anddoorhardware.You canbuydo-it-yourself address
plaquekitsfromAceHardware (acehardware.com).
F o rc u s t o mp l a q u e sv,i s i ta d d r e s s p l a q u e s .onre t
bestnest.com.

Upgradeyour mailbox
Cost:510 andup
T im e: 1houra n du p
Whetheryou havea box mountedto the house,a
letterslotnextto thedooror a freestanding boxon a
postnearthe street, a newmailbox canadda splash
of curbappeal. Purchase an approved mailboxand
f ollowr egula ti o nre s g a rd i n gh e i g h qfo r e x a m p l e,
curbside mailboxes mustbemounted sobottomsare
42to 48 in.abovethe ground. Andremember, hang-
ing plant sandfl o w e rsg ro w i n ga ro u n da m a i l b ox
m ayinc r easceu rba p p e a lb, u t th e b e e sa n do th er
s t ingingins e c ts th e s ep l a n tsa ttra c at re n ' ta l w a ys
yourmailcarrier's bestfriend.
V is itm ailb o x w o rk s .cfoom r a w i d es e l e c ti onof
mailboxes andletterslots.
 - Linea walkwaywith
bricksor pavers-
|' Cost S2to 54perlinearfoot
Time:Halfto a full day
ls yourconcrete walkwayin decent-but boring-
shape? Addingcolor,texture andwidthto anexisting
walkway by liningit with pavers isa wholelot easier
andcheaper thanreplacing it. Stone,clayandcon-
cretepaversareall goodchoices. Thebasicproce-
dureinvolves digginga trenchonepaverwidealong
the walkway, levelingin a bedof sandor peagravel,
thensettingandtampingpavers sothey'reflushwith
thetop of thewalkway.

Replacea light fixture

Cost:$25andup
Time:1to 2 hours
C onsi der functi onasw el las styl ew hense lect ing
a fixture; it shouldlightupyoursteps, housenumbers
anddoorw i thoutbei ngtoo domi nant. To sim plif y
t h e p r o j e c tb, u y a f i x t u r et h a t h a st h e s a m e
m o u n t i n gs y s t e mo r s c r e ws p a c i n ga s t h e
existingfixture.
Makecertainthe powerisoff andthe newfixture
is ratedfor exteriorusebeforeinstallingit. Some
sconce-style lightsarenow available with unobtru-
sive,built-inmotiondetectors.

Planta tree
Cost:530 andup
Time:2to 4 hours
Planta treeandyougetnotonlycurbappealbutalso
shade, an i mproved vi ewfromthe i nsi deand f all
color.Beforeplanting, determine the maturesizeof
thetree.Plantit far enoughawayfromthe houseso
limbswon'toverhang the roofor causeotherprob-
lems.A treeplantedin the rightplacecanhelpblock
windandactasa minisolardeviceby screening out
the hot summersunwhenit'sin full leafandletting
in welcome wintersunshine whenit'sleafless.
Con-
si derpl anti ngtw o treesto " frame"the ho useor
entryway. Foundation plantings areanotherwayto
addappeal.
Add low-voltagelighting
Cost550andup
Time:2hoursandup
L o w - v o l t a glei g h t i n gc a nd r a m a t i c a l li ym p r o v e
yourhome'snighttimecurbappeal, andby lighting
walkways anddarkcorners, it canimprovesafetyand
securityaswell.Lightingcanbe groupedinto three
basiccategories: downlights, uplightsandspecialty
lights.Buya transformer thatincludes a timeror light
sensor sothe lightsautomatically turnon andoff.

lnstallshutters
CosfiAbout54persq.ft.forstandard vinylshutters;
per
$2Sto S50 sq.ft.for custom-made woodshutters
Time:1 to 2 hoursto 'l
paint, l2to t hourto install
Decorative shutterscanadd color, quaintness and
depthto a house.Shutters with louvers or raised
panelshavea traditionallook;thosewith decorative
cutoutshavemoreof a cottageor countryfeel.
Foranauthenticlook,mountwoodshutters using
specialshutterhinges andkeepthem pinned against
the housewith old-fashioned shutterdogs.Shutter
for"invisibly"
clipsareavailable mounting vinylshutters.

lnstalla newstormdoor
Cost5100andup
Time:2to 4 hours
Evenif yourprimarydoorremains the same,a storm
doorwithanovalwindowor decorative glasscanact
asa greatcover-up.ltcanaddsecurity andincrease
yourhome's energyefficiency.
Self-storingunitswith glassand screenpanels
that canbe adjustedin tracksaccording to season
arethemostconvenient.Those withinterchangeable
screens and stormpanelshavea cleaner, uninter-
ruptedlook but requirea safeplaceto storethe
unused panel.

lnstallflower boxes
Cost:520 to 530each
Time:t hourto installstore-bought boxes;
3 to 4 hoursto buildandinstallyourown
Fewprojects addasmuchcharmandcolorto a house
a s f l o w e r si n w i n d o wb o x e sT. h e s ew o r k b e s t
whenmountedbelowdouble-hung, slide-by or sta-
ti onaryw i ndow s-casement and otherswing- out
w i ndowsashes w i l l decapi tatethe fl o wer s. Usea
plastic linertoprolongthelifeof theplanter andsim-
plifyfallcleanup.
Easier yet,arrange containergardens in potsand
planters onthefrontstoopor alongthewalkway.

T N S T A N Tc u R B A p p E A L F o R U N D E R$ 2 0 0 95
 R e p l a c eb r o k E nd e c k b o ar d s

/tffi,
Y o u d o n ' t h a v et o l e t a s p l i t ,r o t t e do r
o t h e r w i s eu g l y d e c k b o a r d r u i n t h e
a p p e a r a n coef y o u rd e c kS
. i m p l yr e p l a c e
//

H/#il;{/
i t a n di n a y e a ro r s ot h e r e p l a c e m e w
n ti l l
b l e n dr i g h ti n .
Y o uu s u a l l yd o n ' th a v et o r e p l a c e an
e n t i r eb o a r dJ. u s tm a k es u r et o c u t o u t a
,t-
p i e c et h a t s p a n sa t l e a s t h r e ej o i s t s . T h e
CUTTING
/ ,"r(* | tf,
r e m a i n d esrh o u l db e a t l e a s t h a t l o n g . scREWs ,4 . J
. LINE
A n d d o n ' th e s i t a t e
t o c u t o u t a l i t t l ee x t r a
/, JOIST
t o k e e pa d j a c e n dt e c k i n gj o i n t ss t a g - :Y: "----.-^/---.
WIDTH
/-
g e r e df o r b e t t e ra p p e a r a n c e . CONSTRUCTION
T h e m o s td i f f i c u l pt a r t i s c u t t i n go u t ADHESIVE
/
t h e d a m a g e ds e c t i o nc l e a n l y( P h o t o1 ) .
7... " / I
D o n ' tt r y t o c u t d i r e c t l yo v e r a j o i s t . D r a w a s q u a r e[ i n e o n t h e d e c k i n g P r e d r i l l t h r e e c t e a r a n c eh o l e s i n
I n s t e a dc,u t t o o n e s i d ea n d s c r e wo n a to one side of a joist betow.Cut two 16-in. treated wood cteats.
the deck board with a jigsaw. Pul[ the A p p t y c o n s t r u c t i o n a d h e s i v e ,h o t d e a c h
c l e a tt o s u p p o r tt h e n e w d e c k i n gl.t ' s
decking nails with a cat's paw. cteat tight to neighboringdeck boards,
a f a i r l yh e f t y c u t f o r a j i g s a w s, o u s e a and screwone to the joists at each end
s h a r p s, t i f f b l a d et o k e e py o u r c u t s a s of the repair.
s t r a i g hat n ds m o o t ha sp o s s i b l e .
P r e d r i lsl c r e wh o l e si n t h e c l e a t ss o ffi Cut the reptace-
t h e y p u l l t i g h t t o t h e j o i s t s( P h o t o2 ) . ment board to
,I
l e n g t h .T h e nt a p i t
A l s op u l lu p o n t h e ms o t h e yb u t t t i g h t l y
into place with a
a g a i n stth e d e c k i n go n e a c hs i d ea sy o u
h a m m e ra n d a w o o d
s c r e wt h e mi n . btock. PredritIpitot
C u tt h e n e w d e c kb o a r df r o m m a t c h - holes and drive a pair
i n g m a t e r i abl ,o t h i n t h i c k n e sasn dw o o d of 2-7/Z-in. deck
''&'3 s c r e w s( o r g a l v a n i z e d
t y p e .l t ' l l l o o k d i f f e r e nitn i t i a l l yb,u t i t ' l l .!,*:*'""-' - /
nails) into each cleat.
b l e n di n a f t e ra y e a ro r s o ,e s p e c i a l liyf i -' 1 / 8 " P I L O T
HOLES NEW BOARD F a s t e na t a [ [ o t h e r
y o u c l e a na n d r e s e aol r s t a i ny o u rd e c k . .* joists as wel[.
C u t t h e n e w d e c k b o a r dt o f i t s n u g l y ,
t h e ns c r e wo r n a i li t i n t op l a c e( P h o t o3 ) . .-r.t*-*f-;,.'N

96 EXTERtoR
& SD E C K S
Strengthen wobbly posts
Youdon't haveto livewith loose,wobblyrailingpostswhena holesslightlyto avoidjoists,framinganchorsor otherobstruc-
coupleof boltswill makethemsafeandsolid.Measure thethick- tions.lf yourdrill bit isn'tlong enoughto go throughthe post
nessof the post/framing assembly, add 1 in.and buy 1/2-in.- andframing,get a longspadebit.Versions up to 16in.longare
diametergalvanized carriageboltsthat length(plusa nut and available for 58at homecenters andhardware stores.
washerfor each)froma hardware storeor homecenter. Mostpostsare heldfairlyplumbby the railing,but check
holeswellapart,one
Drifl the 1|2-in.clearance about"l-1/2in. themanywaywith a levelandtap in shimsto straighten themif
fromthe
fromthe top of the framingandoneabout1-112in.up necessary. Don'tovertighten the bolts;the headswill sinkinto
bottomof the post(Photo1,below).Youmayhaveto anglethe softwoodwithoutmucheffort.

Oritt two tl2-in. clearanceholesthrough the post and a f.p in ll2-in. carriagebotts,shimif necessary to ptumb
{
I framing. 0ffset the holes to prevent sptitting the post. 3 ttre post,andinstattwashers andnuts.Tightenthe nuts
Angle the hote to avoidjoist hangers. until the bolt headsareset flushto the post.

Takeout the swaywith an anglebrace

Someotherwisesoliddecks
tend to swayor wobbleas
you walkacrossthem,espe-
c iallydec k sre s ti n go n ta l l
posts4 or morefeet above
t he gr ound.A n g l e -b ra c i n g
the postsis one good solu-
tion to this problem,but the
b r a c e so f t e n l o o k t a c k y .
Instead, installananglebrace
underneath your deck.lt's a
virtuallyinvisible fix that all
but eliminates sway.
lf yourlongest2x4doesn't
s p a nt h e e n t i r ed i s t a n c e ,
don' t wor r y .A d d a s e c o n d
one startingfrom the other
cornerandrunit backalong-
sidethe first,nailingit to at
leasttwo of thesamejoists. Cut and nail a treated 2x4 diagonattyfrom cornerto corner under your deck. Drivetwo 16d galva-
nized nails at eachjoist.

DEcK REPAIRS 97
Replaceloose, ! craUstishtty
I protruding nails
popped nails directl,yunder the
Decking swellsandshrinks asit goesthrough headwith a diagonal
repeatedcyclesof wet and dry seasons. This cutter. Rott the cutter
frequentlycausesnailsto loosenand pop up backonto a shim to pry
the nail up stightty.
abovethe deckboards. Youcandrivethem
d own again,but c h a n c e sa reth a t' so n l y a
short-term solution. They'llprobablypop up
againaftera fewyears.The long-term solution
i s t o r em ov et he p o p p e dn a i l sa n d re p l a c e
themwithdeckscrews.
T het r ic kis t o p u l lth e o l d n a i l sw i th o u t 1 r.p the ctaw of a
3 ca(s paw under
marringthe decking.Alwaysusea blockor
the nail headand
shimunderyourpryingtool (Photos1 and2). lenerthe nail up.
Andworkon tough-to-get-out nailsusingsev- Finish putling with a
eralsteps.A diagonalcutterworkswell for hammeror pry bar.
nailsthatonlyprotrude slightly(Photo1).The Protect the deck
boardwith a shim or
slimjawscanslipunderthe head.You'llonly
thin btock.
raisethe naila slightamount,soyoumayhave
to repeatthisprocess two or threetimes.Once
the nailheadis highenough, you cangrip it
with a cat'spawor hammerclawwithoutmar-
ring the deckboard(Photo2).Besureto use
thinwoodblocksto protectthe decking. Minor
dentswill disappear whenthe wood swells
afterthenextrain.
There's no needto drill a pilot holeif you
sendthe screwdownthe old nailhole.How-
e v er ,one dr awba c ko f s c re w si s th a t th e i r Qstano on the
ddeck boardto
headsare largerthan nailheadsand canbe
hold it down. Then
unsightly. Buydeckscrewsin a colorthat most drive a Z-l.l2-in. deck
closelymatches theageddecking. screwdown into the
old nail hole. Set the
screw head flush to
the surface.

Solutions
for stubbornnails
lf the headbreaks offa stubborn
nailand you can'tget it with a
pry bar,try pullingit with lock-
ing pliers.Gripthe nailtip and
rollthepliersovertogetit going
( p h o t ol e f t ) .l f t h e n a i ls h a n k
breaksoff,don'tworry.Justdrill
a pilotholebesidethe nailand
drivea screw.Thescrewhead
will coverthe nail(photoright).

9a EXTERToR
&SD E c K s
Stiffena bouncydeck
A deckthat bounces whenyouwalkacross it
1
Snaplines for blocksevery 3 to 4 ft. along the joist span. Measureand cut
the btocksto fit tightly. Tapthem into placein a staggeredpattern.

won'tfeel strongand solid,evenif it meets

structural requirements. Thecauseis usually
longjoistspansbetweenbeamsor betweena
beamandthehouse.
Tostiffena deck,youhaveto beableto get
t o t h e f r a m i n gu n d e r n e a t hY.o uc a na d d
anotherbeam, alongwithposts, to supportthe
joists.However, this is a big job.Instead, first
addrowsof solidblockingevery3 to 4 ft.along
the span(Photo1).Runthefirstrowdownthe
middleof thespan,checkthe deckfor bounce,
thenaddrowsto furtherreduceit.
U s et r e a t e dl u m b e rb l o c k i n gt h a t ' st h e
samesizeasthe joists(usually 2x8or 2x10).
Installthe blockingin rowsalonga chalkline
s napped at a ri g h ta n g l eto th e j o i s tsY. o u ' l l
haveto measure andcuteachblockseparately
t o get a s nu gfi t, s i n c eth e j o i s tsa re n e v e r
exactlythe samedistanceapart.Staggering
the blockingin a steppattern(Photo2) allows
youto easilydrivenailsfrombothsides, rather Squareeach block to the joist and drive three 16d galvanizedbox naits
thanhavingto toenail(drivenailsat anangle). through the joists into eachend of the block. Repeatfor eachrow.

DEcK REPATRS 99
 Deck
rescue
i ' ' , y o u r d e c kb e c a u s ye o u t h i n k i t
requirea s l o t o f t i m e ,t o o l sa n d
know-how, takeheart.Hereyou'lllearnhowto
c leanit up f as tw i th th e h e l po f a p re s s u re
washer andspecial products thathelpremove
dirt,mildewandold finishes. You'llalsolearn
howto applya freshfinish,usinga foamappli-
c a t o rp a d t h a t g l i d e sa l o n gt h e w o o da n d
q u i c k l ya p p l i e sa n i c e e
, v e nc o a t .N o m o r e
messy rollers andbrushes.
Thisprocess will workon anywooddeck,
includ ingredwood, cedarandpressure-treated
lumber(butnoton composite decks).The only
special toolsyou needarea pressure washer
anda foamapplicator pad.The projectdoesn't
I Pr"ssute-wash the railings with stripper. Keepthe tip 6 to 10 in. from the
require anyspecial skills. Justsetasideat least I wood and work from the top down. Spraybalustersat the cornersto scour
fourhourson onedayto cleanyourdeck,and two sides at once.
another fourhoursseveral dayslaterto stainit.
Thecostof rejuvenating an average-size J spr.y one deck
deckis about5250,including tools,materials 3 boardat a time
usinga gentte,r"".ping
andthe pressure washer rental.You'll savesev- motion.Avoidsudden
eralhundreddollarsby doingthe workyour- stops. Workfrom the
self.Havingyourdeckprofessionally cleaned end of the deck toward
andstained willcost5500to $1,000. the exit. Thenrinse
the entire deck with a
Renta pressurewasher gardenhose.

A pr es s urwase h ew r i l l s c o u ra w a yd i rt a n d
c ont am inanting s ra i n e d i n th e w o o da t th e
sametimeit sprays on a deckstripper to clean
off previous finishes.
Renta pressure washerfroma homecenter
or rentalcenter(about540forfourhours, or 570
perday),or buy.one,startingat aboutS100. A
? otnouttrapped
pressure settingof 1,000to 1,200psiis ideal. d debris from between
Toomuchpressure willdamage the woodand deck boardswith a putty
makethewandharderto control. knife. Spraythe deck
Rentor buya unitthatallowsforthe intake lightty with a mixture of
oxalic acid and water to
of chemical cleaners (deckstripperandwood
brightenthe wood.
brightener) soyoucanspraythemon through
t h e w a n d .M o s tp r e s s u rw e asherh s a v ea n
intakehosethatdrawsin cleaners froma sepa-
ratebucket. (Usea plasticbucket. Chemicals in
thecleaners canreactto metalbuckets.)
Sodiumhydroxide worksbestasthe deck
stripper. Youprobablywon't be ableto find
straightsodiumhydroxide, but youcanfind a
IOO EXTERIoRS
& DECKS
deckstrippingproductwith sodiumhydroxideas the active with the top railsand workingdownthe balusters (Photo1).
in almostanyhomecenteror paintstore(seeBuyer's
ingredient Spraythe railswith a continuous, controlled motion.Keepthe
Guide,p.103). wandmovingsoyoudon'tgougethewood.
Somestrippersneedto be dilutedwith water.And some Onceyoufinishthe railings, starton the deckboards. Wash
tri p p e rsa re p re m i xedand don' t
s odiumhy d ro x i d e -b a s es d alongthe lengthof the boards(Photo2).You'llseethe grime
requireaddingwater.Readthe labelon the container to findout washing offthewood.
what'ssuggested foryourstripper. Gooverstubbornmildewor otherstainsa few timesrather
thanturningupthepressure or tryingto heavily scourthewood.
Protectyour houseand plants Thisstripping process washes away a small amountof the
Beforeyou begincleaning, makerepairsto your deck,suchas wood'slignin (the glueholding the wood fibers together).Asthe
replacingcracked or splitboardsandbrokenbalusters. ligninwashes away,the fibersstand up,giving the wood afuzzy
Thenheavilydousethe plantsor grassunderand around appearance.This fuzzwill gradually shearoff andblowaway.
yourdeckwithwaterandcoverthemwithplastic. Althoughmost Afteryou've power-washed the entiredeck,rinseall of the
aren'tsupposed
strippers it'sstilla goodidea
to harmvegetation, wood with cleanwaterto diluteand neutralize the stripper.lf
to protectplantsandit onlytakesa fewminutes. Onceyou'vefin- there'sstilldebristrappedbetweendeckboards, suchasleaves
ishedcleaningthedeck,immediately remove theplastic. or twigs,removeit now (Photo3).
Alsospraydownthesidingwithcleanwaterbeforeyoubegin
to ensurethat anystripperthat splashes onto the housewill Brightenthe wood
easilywashoff. will returnthe woodto its newlysawncolor
A deckbrightener
andmakeit morereceptive to thestain.Useanoxalicacid-based
Scourawaythe old finish whichis available
brightener, at homecentersand paintstores
Witha 25-or 3O-degree tip in the wandof the pressure
washer (seeBuyer's p.103).lt worksfast,won'tharmthewoodand
Guide,
anda psiof 1,000to 1,200,
applythestripperto thedeck,starting safein thedilutedsolution
isenvironmentally thatyou'lluse.

Rinsethe siding and windowswith cleanwater at low Sink any raisednails and screws.Replaceloose and missing
pressureto removechemicalresidue. fastenerswith screwsat least ll2 in. longerthan the originat.

4 n"roue mold, mitdew or algaeusing non-chtorinebteach. lOriu" the headsof stain-causingfastenersbelow the wood
Y Scrubthe areawith a nylon brush, then rinse with water. f surface.Thensand out the stains using 8O-grit sandpaper.
For tougher stains, repeatthe processwith a TSPsubstitute. Also sand rough or splintered areas.

D E C KR E S C U E l O I
 L i k es t r i p p e r ss, o m e d e c k b r i g h t e n e r cs o m e p r e m i x e da n d Attackstubbornstains
someneedto be dilutedwith water.Readthe labelfor the manu- Althoughthesodiumhydroxide in thedeckcleanerwill removemost
facturer'srecommendations. stainsand mold,particularly stubbornonesrequireextraattention.
Changethe tip in the wand of the pressure washerto a fan tip U s ea n o n - c h l o r i nlea u n d r yb l e a c ht o r e m o v et h e s t a i n (. T h i s
with a 40- or 45-degreeangle.Then set the pressureto about worksespeciallywell if the stainis from mold,mildewor algae.)
1,000psi and spraythe deck,once againstartingwith the top Applyit to the affectedarea,thenscrubwith a nylonbrush.Rinse
railsand working down to the deck boards.Apply just enough the areawith water.
brightenerto thoroughlywet the wood. F o rt o u g h e rs t a i n su, s et r i s o d i u mp h o s p h a t es u b s t i t u t eM. i x
Oxalicacidwill brightenthe wood in a matterof minutesand the TSPsubstitutewith waterand applyit to the stain.Letit sit for
d o e sn o t r e q u i r er i n s i n gB. u ty o u r s i d i n gd o e s R
. i n s eo f f y o u r s i d - a minute or two, then scrubwith a nylon brushand rinsewith
ing with cleanwaterat very low pressure(about500psi)to wash water(Photo6).
awayanystripperor brighteneroverspray(Photo4). To removedeep stainsthat don't come out with TSPsubsti-
lf your wood is cedaror redwood,you'llseea dramaticdiffer- tute,let the deckdry.These"bleed"stains
areoftencausedby fas-
e n c e a s t h e w o o d b r i g h t e n st o i t s f r e s h - s a w nc o l o r .T h e d e c k teners.Sandthe stainsout,using80-gritsandpaperand concen-
shown here is pressure-treated pine,so the brighteningof the tratingonly on the affectedareas.Somebleedsmay be too deep
wood is lessnoticeable. t o s a n do u t . R o u g ho r s p l i n t e r e da r e a sm a y a l s on e e ds a n d i n g .
Spot-sand, working in the directionof the wood grain until the
Inspectthe wholedeck surfaceis smooth(Photo7).
With the deck clean,it's easyto spot any areasthat need addi- Weara dust mask,and sandonly if the stainbothersyou.You
t i o n a l m a i n t e n a n c eD. r i v ea n y n a i l h e a d st h a t a r e p o p p i n g u p don't haveto get everystainout.Afterall,imperfections
are part
u n t i l t h e y ' r ef l u s h w i t h t h e d e c k b o a r d s o, r r e p l a c ew i t h d e c k of an outdoordeck.
screws(p.98).Look for missingor loosescrews, and replacethem
with corrosion-resistant screwsthat are slightlylongerthan the Apply the finish-final ly!
o r i g i n a (l P h o t o5 ) .R e p l a c m e i s s i n gn a i l sw i t h c o r r o s i o n - r e s i s t a n t T h ed e c kw i l l n e e da m i n i m u mo f 4 8 h o u r st o d r y a f t e rt h e c l e a n -
"trim head"screws,which are screwsthat havea smallheadand ing. lf it rains,wait two more days for the wood to dry. Avoid
resembla e l a r g ef i n i s hn a i l . s t a i n i n gi n h i g h h e a t ,h i g h h u m i d i t ya n d i n d i r e c ts u n l i g h tP
. er-
lf lag screwsor bolts are loosein the ledger board,railsor fect conditionsare an overcastday with the temperaturein the
posts,tightenthem.Inspectthe flashingbetweenyour deckand 70sand no possibilityof rain.
houseto ensureit'sstillfirmlyin place. Startby stainingthe top railsand workingdown the balusters
and posts(Photo8).Runthe applicatorpad down the lengthof

Choosingthe beststain
Y ouhav et wo b a s i cs ta i nc h o i c e so:i l -b a s e d
and
water-based. Oilstainsareeasierto apply,penetrate
thewoodgrainandrequire lessworkwhen youreap-
plythem.However,they onlylasttwo to fouryears.
Water-based (latex)stainslastfourto sixyears,
but they'lleventually peeland requiremoreprep
workbeforerecoating. Opaquelatexstainsgenerally
lastlongerthansemitransparent versions.
Whenpossible,test thestainonaninconspicuous
. section of thedecking. A cedarcolorworkedwell on
this decksincethe woodwaspressure treatedand
somewhatdarkin color.Fora darkercolor,a red-
wood-colored stainis available, whilea honeycolor
isanoptionfor a lighter, naturalwoodlook.
Becarefulnotto choosea lightcolorstainif your
deckwaspreviously covered with a darkstainor is
pressure treated(green).The lightstainwill notcover
the darkwoodor darkerstain,and it will turn gray
withina fewweeks.
lf you wanta naturalgrayor silverdeck,usea
clearfinish.ltwill protectthe deckfrommildewand
algae, butnotfromthesun,allowing thedeckto start fl
OOO,,stain to the top rail, then the balustersand the
grayingin a monthor two. 19 posts.Workfrom the top down.Stain one sectionat a
time, usinga foam applicatorpad. Brushout drips as you work.

IO2 E X T E R I o R&
S DEcKS
the wood,applyingthe stainin a steady,uniformmanner.Don't
. n l i k ep a i n t ,s t a i n
g o b a c ko v e r a r e a st h a t a r e a l r e a d ys t a i n e dU Pressurewashersafety
getsdarkerwith eachcoat. Tousethepressure washer:
lf staindripsonto the deck,smoothit with the applicatorpad I Wearappropriate safetygearandclothes. Rubber
to avoidspotting.Oncethe railingsare complete,stainthe deck bootsandgloveswill protectyourhandsandfeet.
boards.Loadthe pad with plentyof stain,yet not so muchthat it Safety goggles willkeepthechemicals fromsplash-
drips.Startby carefully"cuttingin"stainalongthe house.lf stain i ng i ntoyoureyes, anda di sposablresp e ir at or
d r i p so n t ot h e s i d i n gp, r o m p t l yw i p e i t o f f u s i n ga c l e a nc l o t ha n d dustmaskw i l lfi l terfumes.
m i n e r asl p i r i t so r p a i n tt h i n n e r . I Keeptheexhaust fromthe pressure washer at least
A t t a c ha b r o o m h a n d l et o t h e a p p l i c a t opr a d .G l i d et h e p a d 3 ft.awayfromanyobjects, including yourhouse.
a l o n gt h e l e n g t ho f t h e d e c k b o a r d ss, t a i n i n gw i t h t h e g r a i n I P r a c t i csep r a y i n tgh e w a t e ru n t i ly o u f i n d a n
(Photo9).Stoponly at the end of a board.Otherwise, the overlap appropriate powersetting.
whereyou stoppedand startedcouldbe noticeable. I Neverpointthe wandat anything youdon'twant
Oncethe deckis finished,applystainto the stairtreads,work- to spray.
ing your way down the stairs. t Coverelectrical outlets.
F i n a l l yu, s e a p a i n t b r u s ho r s p r a yb o t t l e t o w o r k s t a i ni n t o
tight areasthat the applicatorpad couldn'treach,suchas lattice
and crevicesbetweenbalustersand the rimjoist (Photo10).
Allowthe stainto dry at least48 hoursbeforewalkingon it.Feel
the deckto makesurethe stainis completelydry.Likewise,
check
the bottomof yourshoesbeforewalkingbackintothe house.

Buyer'sGuide
The following companies offer a full line of products for cleaning and
f i n i s h i n gd e c k s ,i n c l u d i n g s t r i p p e r s b, r i g h t e n e r sa n d s t a i n s . T h ep r o d u c t s a r e
widely available at home centers,hardware stores and paint stores.Each
company's Web site features a store locator to find the company's products.

Behr: (800) 854-0133,ext.2. behr.com.

Cabot: (800) 877 -8246. cabotstain.com.
Flood: (800) 32 1-3444.flood.com.
Wolman: wolman.com.

foam applicatorpad with an 1 f1 Sprayon the finish in hard-to-reach areasor surfaces

O Stainthe deckboardsusinga
/ extensionhandle.Stainthe futt tengthof two or three I l, that are difficult to coverwith a paintbrush.Usea wide
boardsat a time, workingwith the grain. sprayto avoidstreaks. Workstain into crevicesand narrow
areasbetweenbalustersand postswith a paintbrush.

D E C KR E S C U E 1 ( ' 3
 Stripflaking

IC
deckstaln
the stainon yourdeckis weathered andpeeling, the Afterthe wooddries,restainor applya clearpenetrating
fin-
I *
first step in renewing yourdeckis to removeall the ish.Clearfinishesshowmoreof the wood'soriginalcolorbut
I I
I I stain.Solid-color stainsprotectwooddecksand look mustbe reappliedeveryyear.Solidstainsprotectthe wood
greatwhennerybut eventhe bestbeginto flakeandwearaway longerbut canbe a painto scrapeoff.Penetrating stainsalso
eventually.At thatpointtheyneedto bescraped andstrippedoff needto be reapplied morefrequently, but unlikesolidstains,
beforethedeckcanbe recoated. theydon'tneedto bestrippedoff.
First,scrapeoff as muchof the old finishasyou canwith a
paintscraper. Asyou scrapethe wood,resetanynailsor screws
thatstickoutfromthewoodsurface.
Next,stripthedeckwitha special deckfinishremover (515 per
gallon; 1 galloncovers 100sq.ft.).Tape plasticovernearby siding,
co v eror wet downb u s h e sa n d g ra s sa ro u n dth e d e ck,then
spreada heavycoatof finishremoveroverthe stainedboards.
Cover20to 30sq.ft.ata time,keepingthewoodwetuntilthefin-
ishissoftenoughto bescrubbed offwitha stiffbrush(Photo1).
Rinsethe residueoff with a hoseandallowthe deckto dry.
Usea strippingdiscon areasthatareheavilydiscolored or where
thestaindoesn't comeoff (Photo2).Theroughdiscsworkmuch
fasterthan belt or orbitalsanders. They'reavailable for either
anglegrinders (thefastest option)or drills(muchslower).
Finally,applya deckbrightener/conditioner (Photo3)to neu-
tralizethe stainremoverand cleanand restorethe wood to Scruboff old stain using a stiff brush and deck finish
!
so m et hingc los et o i ts o ri g i n acl o l o r.On eg a l l o n(5 1 5 covers
) I remover.Givethe remover15 to 30 minutes to soften the
roughly200sq.ft. stain before you scrub.

Sandoff tough spots or smalt areaswith a Brushon a brightener/conditionerdiluted in water.Scrubthe deckingand

coarsestripping disc on a grinder or drilt. rinse thoroughlyto restorethe original wood color.

IO4 E X T E R I o R S& D E C K S
 Quickfixfor leakymetalgutters
Gutterleaksusually startat rustyspotsor seams that have
openedup because of expansi on andcontraction. lf your
gutterisstillbasically sound, theeasiest wayto stoptheleak
is by covering the damaged areawithroofandgutterrepair
tape(S 15 to 530a rol l athomecenters andhardw a rst e or es) .
P repare the gutterby scrapi ng out as mucho ld t ar or
caulkaspossible.Wire-brush the metalthoroughly to getrid
of rust and to gi ve the tape a cl ean surface for bonding
(Photo1).lf the gutteris badlyrustedor hasbeenheavily
coatedwithtar thatyoucan'tscrape out,sprayon a special
adhesive primer before applying the tape(Protecto-Tek is
onebrand, but you mayneed to special-order it).
cut thetapewithscissors or a utilityknife(Photo2).Tear
the paper backing off the tapeandlightlyadhereoneedge
of the tapeto the top of the gutter.Rollthe tapedownthe
wallof the gutter,pushingit firmlyintocurvesandcorners
( P h o t o3 ) .W o r kw r i n k l e a long
s n d b u b b l e fsl a t .O v e r l a p
seams byat least1 in.andendseams by 4 in.

I Cteanthe areaaroundthe leak with a stiff scraper

I and a wire brush,then rinse off a[[ the dust and wipe
the area comptetelydry.

Cut the gutter repairtape long enoughto overlapthe

leakyareaby at least 6 in. in eachdirection.
3 Starting at the center,pressthe tape firmty into place.
Followthe contoursof the gutter and smoothout all
the wrinkles.

Bettertraction on concrete
Paintstoresand homecentersselladditives that you mixwith a gallonof
anytypeof paintor solid-color stainto giveyoubettertractionon concrete
surfaces,whichhelpspreventpeoplefrom slipping. Theadditivewon't
changethe colorof the paintor stain,but it providestextureto improve
traction.Don'texpecta completely surface,though.
slip-resistant
Stirtheadditive intothe paint(onepackage pergallon),then applythe
paintwith a paintbrush or roller.lf you'reapplyingmorethanonecoat,put
theadditivein thefinalcoat.The additivecostsabout54.

Mix the nonskidftoor additive with the paint. Thenapply the paint to give
the surfacea rough texture to help preventslips.

S T R I PF L A K I N GD E C KS T A I N ;O U I C KF I X F O R L E A K YM E T A LG U T T E R SB; E T T E RT R A C T I O NO N C O N C R E T El ( D 5
 9R39edoor
Replace
rottingtrim
W o o dg a r a g ed o o r j a m b as n d t r i m filler,thenif desired, primeand paint
o f t e nr o t n e a rt h e b o t t o mo r g e t it with acryliclatex.Usea lightpaint
crunched by bumpers. coloroverwhitevinylto keepit from
A good,long-lasting solutionis to overheating.
replace the woodenjamb,brickmold R e m o v teh e o l d j a m b a n dt r i m
t r i m a n d d o o r s t o pw i t h p a i n t a b l e (P hoto1),thennai lthevi nyl j am bt o
solidvinylpiecesthat won'tcrackor t h e f r a m eb, e g i n n i n gw i t h t h e t o p
decay. Available at homecenters and piece(Photo2).Fasten every12to 16
lumberyards, the threepiecescosta in.with8d galvanized nailsor stainless
totalof about$4perft.-comparable steeltrim screws. Precutthe miterson
to c learw ood.Thevi nylcanbe cut, the top pieceof brickmoldtrim and
nailedandpaintedjust likewood.lt's nailit to theframingevery12in.with
Cutthroughany caulk tineswith a utitity available in white,but you canorder 1 0 dg a l v a n i z ecda s i n gn a i l sU. s e6 d
I
I knife, then pry off the old garage brown,bronzeandtan.Fillnailholes casing nailsforthedoorstop, nailingit
doorstop,brick motdand jamb. w i t h w h i t ec a u l ko r e x t e r i o w
r ood atthepremarked pointsonthetrim.

Usea clampto hotd up one end of the top jamb, then nait the jamb to the Q SpreaaPVCcementon both sides
framingwith 8d gatvanized
casingnails. J of the miteredcorners,then hold
them togetheruntil they bond.

I(D6 EXTERIoRS
& DEcKS
-

Cleanup a rustydoortrack
Garage doortracks oftenrestdirectly ondampconcrete wheretheyeventu-
floors,
allyrust.However, there!no reason theycan'tbeslightlyabovethefloorandstay
dry:Thegaragerafters carrythe weightof thetrackandthe anglebrackets hold
thetrackin place.
Cleanupthetracks andprevent rustingbysimplycuttingoffthebottom1/2in.
Firstmakesurealltheanglebracket boltsaretight,thencutthetrackbottomsoff
(P hoto1).U sea ragdi ppedi n pai ntthi nnerto remove ont hef ir st6 in.
anyl ubri cant
lf the temperatureis below40 degrees of track,thenscrape andbrushoff asmuchrustasyoucan.Finally, paintthe bot-
F d u r i n g i n s t a l l a t i o np,r e d r i l ln a i l h o l e s tom witha metalspraypaintthat'sformulated to bondto rustedareas(Photo2).
a n d l e a v ea 1 / 8 - i ng. a p a t t h e e n d so f t h e Rust-Oleum RustReformer isonechoice, andisavailable at homecentersfor$12.
jamb for expansion.
Gluethe brick mold cornerswith PVC
c e m e n t( P h o t o3 ) , t h e n n a i l t h e m i n t o
placeafter the glue sets.To avoid break-
ing the joint,wait at leastan hour for the
glue to fully cure beforenailingwithin a
foot of the corner.Splicelong runs with
g l u e db u t t j o i n t s .
The edgeof the vinyldoorstopshould
be 2-112in.backfrom the garagedoor so
t h e r u b b e r s e a lf i t s l o o s e l ya g a i n s tt h e
door (Photo4).

1 Markthe bottom of the track, then cut the metal with a reciprocatingsaw
or hacksaw.

1ll Uarl.the width of the doorstopat

-J
severatpoints on the jamb, then
nai[. Trim the overlappingrubberseal Cleanthe bottom of the track with paint thinner,wire-brushthe rust, and
at the corners. then paint the area.

3 G A R A G ED O O RF I X E S I O 7
 Installnew
weatherseal
lf the weathersealattached to the bottomof
yo urs t eelgar aged o o ri s to rn o r c o mp l e te l y
fl at t ened, it ' st im e to re p l a c ei t w i th a n e w
piece.Homecentersselltwo types:a nail-on
stylefor wooddoorsanda slide-in "bulb"type
forsteeldoors(510to $20).
Lif tt he doorjus te n o u g hth a tth e g a ra g e
d o o r t r a c kd o e s n ' g t e t i n t h e w a yo f t h e
weat her s eal, t hen s l i d eo u tth eo l dru b b ebr u l b
(Photo1).Youmayneedto prythetrackends
o penwit h a f lat s c re w d ri v ei frth e y ' v eb e e n
crim ped. lf it ' ses pe c i a lsl ytu b b o rnc,u t i t a n d
remove it in pieces.
Cleanthe doorbottom(Photo2),thencut
t h e n e wr u b b e rs e a lt o l e n g t hw i t h a r a z o r
k n i f eT. h r e a dt h e T - s h a p eedd g e si n t o t h e
weat hers ealt r ac kth , e ns l i d eth e s e a a l c ro s s
the door.Bepatient-it takesa lot of pushing
andpulling ev enwitha h e l p e r. 1
Lift the garagedoor to about 6 ft. high and pult the otd weatherseal out
throughthe gap behindthe door track.

WEATHERSEAI
TRACK

J S.r.p" dirt and corrosionout of the Lubricatethe rubberwith a few dropsof dish soap,then pushand pult the
G weathersealtrack with a screwdriverand new weathersealinto the track.
a stiff brush.

1OA EXTERIoRS
& DECKS
 damaged
Replace
vinylsidlng edgedow n(P hoto3).S l i d et he zipt ool
i n y l s i d i n gi s t o u g h ,b u t n o t S l i d et h e r e p l a c e m e npt i e c eu p i n t o
i n d e s t r u c t i b l el .f a f a l l i n g p l a c ep, u s h i n gu p u n t i lt h e l o w e rl i p l o c k s al ong, pushi ng i n onthevi n yljust behind
b r a n c ho r a w e l l - h i tb a s e b a l l i n t o t h e p i e c eb e l o w i t . D r i v e 1 - 1 / 4 - i n . thetoolwithyourotherhandsoit snaps
h a s c r a c k e da p i e c e o f y o u r s i d i n g , r o o f i n gn a i l st h r o u g ht h e n a i l i n gf l a n g e . intoplace.
you can makeit as good as new in about S p a c et h e m a b o u te v e r y1 6 i n .( n e a rt h e I t ' s b e s tt o r e p a i rv i n y l i n w a r m
1 5 m i n u t e sw i t h a $ 5 z i p t o o l ( a v a i l a b l e o l d n a i l h o l e s )N. a i l i n t h e c e n t e ro f t h e weather. In temperatures belowfreezing
a t a n y h o m e c e n t e r )a n d a r e p l a c e - nailing s l o t a n d l e a v ea b o u t 1 / 3 2 i n . o f it becomes lessflexible andmaycrack.
ment piece. s p a c eb e t w e e nt h e n a i l h e a d a n d t h e Thedownside of replacing oldervinyl
S t a r t i n ga t o n e e n d o f t h e d a m a g e d sidingso the vinylcan movefreely.Don't sidingisthatit canbe hardto matchthe
p i e c e ,p u s h t h e e n d o f t h e z i p t o o l u p n a i lt h e h e a d st i g h t l yo r t h e s i d i n gw o n ' t styleandcolor, andsidingrarelyhasany
underthe sidinguntilyou feelit hookthe be ableto move and will bucklewhen it identifying marks. Thebestwayto get a
b o t t o m l i p ( P h o t o1 ) .P u l lt h e z i p t o o l warmsup. replacement pieceis to takethe broken
d o w n w a r da n d o u t t o u n h o o kt h e b o t - With the new piecenailed,usethe zip pieceto vinylsidingdistributors in your
t o m l i p ,t h e n s l i d ei t a l o n g t h e e d g e , tool to lockthe upperpiecedown overit. areaandfindtheclosest match. lf theold
pullingt he si d i n go u t a sy o ug o . S t a r ta t o n e e n d a n d p u l l t h e l i p d o w n , vinylhasfadedor youcan'tfindtheright
T henunz ipa n yp i e c e sa b o v e t w i s t i n gt h e t o o l s l i g h t l yt o f o r c e col or,takethe brokenpi ecet o a paint
t h e d a m a g e dp i e c eH. old the leading storeand havethe colormatched. Paint
t hem out of th e w a yw i th the replacement piecewith onecoatof
y ourelboww h i l ey o u p ry o u t top-qual i ty acryl i cpri merf ollowedby
t h e n a i l st h a t h o l d t h e d a m a g e d a c r y l i ch o u s ep a i n t - a c r y l i cp a i n tw i l l
piecein place(Photo2). flexwiththemovement of thevinyl.

pieceand
I Stia. the zip toot atongthe bottom Sl,ipa flat bar behindthe vinyl Q Intt.tt the replacement
I edgeto releasethe vinyl sidingfrom siding and leverout the nails. J hook the tip of the uppersiding
the piecebelowit. pieceinto the slot to lock it into place.

D A M A G E DV I N Y LS I D I N G 1 ( D 9
3 G A R A G ED O O RF I X E S ;R E P L A C E
Replace
a
shlngle
.i,L
b r o k e ns h i n g l ei s b o t h u g l ya n d a l e a k
#%
#to#,t, waitingto happen.Butaslongasyoucan
ffi' g. f inOm at c h i n gs h i n g l e (a s n dy o u ' ren o t
afraidof heights),the repairisstraightforward.
Picka daywhenthe weatheris moderate to do
the repair-toocoldandthe shingles cancrack; too
warmandtheshingle
Loosen
sealants aretoughto break.
thetabsunderthebrokenshingle andthe
1 Gentlytap a flat bar underthe shinglesto breakthe sealantstrips free.
Don't force it-shingles rip easily.

nexttwo courses aboveit (Photo1).Shingles arefas-

tenedwith eightnailseach-fourat the centerjust
a b o v et h e t a b s l o t sa n df o u rt h r o u g ht h e s h i n g l e
aboveit-and youhaveto liftup alltheshingles that
coverthosenailsto remove them.
Afterall the tabsareloose,pushthe flat bar up
u ndert he dam agesdh i n g l e to e a c hn a i l c, e n te ri n g
the nailin the flat barnotch(Photo2).Toavoidrip-
pings hingles gentl
, yw o rkth e fl a t b a ru n d e rb o th
tabsasyoupushit up.
Popoutthe nailsby pryingunderneath the shin-
gleinstead of tryingto digthenailheadoutfromthe
top of the shingle; that will wreckthe shingle. Then
pushthe shingledownfromthe nailheadand pull
outthenail.Afterremoving thecenterrowof nailson
the dam aged s hing l el i,ft th e u n d a ma g esdh i n g l e s
aboveit andremove the nextrowof nails.Then pull Wedgethe notch of the flat bar underthe shingleat the nail head,
outthedamaged shingle. then pry up both the shingteand the nail.
Slidethe newshingleup intoplace. Nailthe cen-
ter rowfirst,thenthe centerrowof the courseabove
it, nailing1/2in.overfromthe old holes(Photo3).
Nailat the top of the slotsbetweenthe tabs,just
abovethesealant strip.

TYPICAL NAIL
LOCATIONS

3 Nail downthe new shingle,proppingthe tabs aboveas you nail

to avoidbreakingthem.

I IO EXTERIoRS
& DEcKS
 plumbing
Replace
ventfhshing
lumbingventflashings arenotoriousspotsfor
roofleaks. lf youhavea leakin the generalarea
of a plumbingvent,checkthe conditionof the
ventflashing. Lookfor rustholesor gapsaroundmetal
vents(required for castironwastelines).lf youhaverub-
bervents(whichareusedfor plasticpipe),checkto seeif
theyhavebecomebrittleandcracked.
Bothtypesextendunderat leasttwo courses of shin-
gles,so you'llusuallyneedto removea few shingles
abovethe flashingto getthe old oneout.Beextracare-
ful notto ripanyshingles. (Evenif youcanfindnewshin-
glesin thesamestyle,the colorwon'tmatchperfectly.)
Loos ent he ta b so n th e s h i n g l e sa b o v eth e vent
first.Those shingles won'tberemoved, butyou'llneedto
get underthosetabsto getat the nailson the shingles
directlybelow.Workfromthe top down,removingany
shingles covering theventflashing.Getting thetabsfree
1
Removeone or two shinglesabovethe vent flashing, then pry out
the vent, being careful not to damagethe shingles.

withoutrippingthemis the onlytrickypart.Worka flat

barslowlyunderthe bottomlip of eachtab andslipit
throughthe adhesive to breakthe sealfromonesideto
the other.Don'ttry to pry up thewholetab at onceor it
will rip.Oncethetabsarefree,sliptheflatbarunderthe
shingleandtap it up underthe nailhead.Popthe shin-
gleandnailup,thenpulltheflatbaroutfromunderthe
shingleandpopthe nailheadup fromabovethe shin-
gle.Don'tworryif you accidentally tearthe nailhead
throughthe shingle.When youreplace the shingle, just
put the nailin slightlyabovethe holeandfill the old
holewithcaulk.
Slipa flatbarundertheedgeof theventflashing and
popthe nailsup (Photo1).Pullthe oldflashing up over
theventpipeandscrape anyoldcaulkanddebrisoffthe Spreadcaulk under the sides (but not the bottom) of the flashing
roof.Slidethe newflashingovertheventpipeandunder and then nait it in place.Caulkthe nail heads.
theshingles abovethe pipe.Centerthe pipein theflash-
ing and push the flexiblefront cornersup or downso lD stidett e
that the flashingpipeis parallelto the ventpipe.(Rub- d shinglesthat
were removed
berventflashingautomatically adjuststo anypitch.)Lift back into place
the ventenoughto spreadcaulkunderthe sides(but and renail.
notthe bottomedge),then nailwiththreel-1l4-in.roof-
ing nailsper side(Photo2).Putone nailin the bottom
edgewitha dabof caulkunderit to sealthe hole.
Setthe top partof the venton the pipe.Makesure
the insideof the leadcollarfits insidethe pipe,then
t ight ent he pip ec l a m pF . i n a l l yre
, placeth e s h i ngl es
(Photo 3).

REPLACE
A S H I N G L ER
; EPLACE
P L U M B I N GV E N T F L A S H I N G I I I
Ridyourhomeof pests
Waspsmovein Woodpeckerheadache
Themagicbulletfor gettingrid of wasps(yellowjackets)and lf you'rehavingproblems with woodpeckers at yourhouse, the
beesis to destroytheirnest.This is easiersaidthandone.Bees firstthing to knowis whatyou can'tdo.TheFederal Migratory
and waspsarenotorious for hidingtheirnestsinsidewallsor BirdTreatyAct,aswellassomestatelaws,protectswoodpeckers,
highundershingles andeaves,where they'redifficultto getat. whichmeansit'sunlawfulto harmthem.(Sodon'tgo for the
Thetrickto findingthe nestis to observetheir movements pelletgun!)
closely.You'llsoonspotwheretheyzoominto the wall of your Woodpeckers makeholesin woodshingles or sidingbecause
house.Once youlocatethe nest,spray it withaninsecticide that's they'relookingforfood,or morelikely,'drumming"to marktheir
formulated for killingbeesandwasps. Pickoneup at a hardware territory. there'sno simplewayto get rid of them.
Unfortunately,
storeor nursery.The besttimeto sprayisat nightwhenthe bees Yourbestoptionisto harass the birdsintoleaving.
arelessactiveandinsidethe nest. First,fastensheetmetaloverthe areasthe birdsarepecking.
Beawarethat theseinsectscan be extremely aggressive, Alsohangmirrorsand Mylartapenearby, for example, fromthe
esp ec iallywhent he i r h o mei s u n d e ra tta c kS. o m ec a nsti ng fascia (ortuckit underthenextrowof shingles). Shinylightsand
repeatedly, andthosestingscancauseseverereactions if you're refl ecti ons someti mes scarew oodpeckers aw ay,as do owl
allergic.lf you'reon a ladderor on the roof,the lastthing you decoys. Frankly,however,theseremedies don'talwayswork,and
wantisanangrystormof beescomingafteryou! the longerthewoodpeckers havebeenat yourhouse,the harder
In difficultsituations,havethe nestprofessionally removed.lf it will beto getthemto leave.
youdecideto spraythe nestyoursellmakesureto wearprotec- Tofurtherharass the birds,shoothemawaywith a broom.lf
tiveclothing, including faceprotection,to guardagainst stings. you'repersistent,the birdswill eventuallymoveon.

PITEATED
WOODPECKER

II2 S P E c I A LS E C T I o N :B U G & P E S Tc o N T R o L
 Sealup pipe penetrationsto keepout pests
Lookbehindanyair conditioner compressor or heatexchanger andyou'llfind at
leastonelargeholefor plumbingandwiring.lt's usually biggerthanit needsto be
andsometimes onlypartially pluggedwitha largewadof electrician's putty,making
it a goodspotfor heatto getoutandmiceto get in.
Maketheseholesmoreweathertight andlessunsightly with a 1-1/2-in.
rubber
plumbingboot(available for 54in theroofingsection in homecenters).
G entl yw orkout the putty(P hoto1)to avoi ddamagi ng the pi pesor wir ing.
Replace tornor missing pipeinsulation.
Hordeof the flies Usingscissors cuttheplumbingbootto fit aroundthe holeand
or a utilityknife,
Clus t erf lies ,al s ok n o w na s a tti c to matchthewidthof the pieceof siding(Photo2).Cuta slitin the bottomedgeso
f l i e s ,a r e a t t r a c t e dt o l i g h t a n d theplumbing bootwillfit aroundthe pipes.
warmth.They're about5/16in.long Spread siliconecaulkon allfoursidesof the holeandat theslitat thebottomto
a n d h a v ey e l l o wh a i r so n t h e i r completely sealtheedges(Photo3).You mayneedto tapethe rubberto the siding
abdomens.They gravitateto sec- temporarily untilthecaulkdries.
ond-floorwindows, whichareusu- Letthe caulkdry overnight, thenpartiallyfill the bootwithfoam;sealthe hole
a l l y t h e w a r m e s ts p o t si n t h e fromtheinsideaswell.Useminimal-expanding foamto avoidopening theslitin the
hous e. T hef lie sb re e do u ts i d ei n rubberboot,andpushthe tip several inchesin sothe foamexpands intothe hole
the ground duringlatespringand instead ofoutthetopoftheboot(Photo 4).
earlysummerand havea lifespan
of 27 t o 39 da y sIn . th e fa l l ,th e y
f ind a wayind o o rsth ro u g hs m a l l
c r a c k sa r o u n dd o o r s w , indows,
soffitsandsiding.
T he bes tt im e to s to pc l u s te r
fliesis beforethey comeindoors.
Caulkc r ac k sa ro u n dth e fo u n d a -
tion,siding, exterior trimandother
p o t e n t i a el n t r yp o i n t s R . eplace
weatherstrippingas necessary to
sealarounddoorsandwindows.lf
that doesn'twork,sprayan insecti-
cideformulated forfliesaroundthe
o u t s i d eo f y o u r d o o r sa n d w i n -
dows,soffits,eavesand cracksin
1 Pry out old putty and caulk from
aroundthe pipes and wires.
1 Cut the rubberptumbingboot to
3 tit on top of the siding and
aroundthe hole.
t hes iding.
lf lar genum b e rs s ti l lc o mei n ,
a n i n s e c t i c i dseu i t a b l ef o r u s e
indoorsis the only effectiveway
t o er adic at teh e m.Or c a l la p ro -
f es s ional ex t e rmi n a totor h a n d l e
theproblem.

3 Fit the plumbing boot over the

pipes, then fasten it to the siding
with 100 percentsiliconecautk.
/l
t!
A*", the caulk dries, squirt
a smauamountor mrnrmar-
expandingfoam into the opening.

; E A L U P P I P EP E N E T R A T I O NTSO K E E PO U T P E S T S l l 3
R I D Y O U R H O M EO F P E S T S S
Stopmolesfrom tearingup youryard
Molescaneattheirweightin wormsandgrubseveryday,sothey with sodor plywoodso you cancheckthe holedaily.Themole
find healthy, well-watered lawns-whicharefull of wormsand willfallin,andthenyoucantakeit to a newlocation.
grubs-very attractive. Tunnelingas fastas a foot per minute However,the mosteffective,time-tested methodisto setup a
underthe sod,one molecanmakean average yardlooklikean spring-loaded prongor choker-loop trapthat is activated when
army invaded it. the mole pushesagainst it. Several
types of moletraps are avail-
Totheircredit,molesdo a goodjob of aeratingthe soiland ableat amazon.com, homecenters andhardware stores.
controlling Japanese beetlelarvaeandotherharmfulbugs,and Forthe springtrap,flattenan areaof the tunnelslightly
they don't eat flowersor plants. lf you biggerthanthe baseofthe trapandset
canlivewith them,they generally won't the trap over it. Followthe manufac-
causeanyserious,long-term damage to turer'sdirectionsto arm the trap,then
your yard.However, if you can't,you'll coverit with a 5-gallonbucketto keep
haveto trapor removethem.Thepopu- kidsand petsaway.Removeit and the
lationdensityofmolesis generally nomore moleafterit'sbeentriggered, or try a dif-
c
than threeper acre,so catchingeven g
o
ferent tunnel if it hasn't
been triggered
o
onemighttakecareof the problem. o
o
after severaldays.
o
L i v e t r a p p i n gb y s e t t i n ga d e e p lt Whetheryousetup a liveor a spring-
o
bucketunderan activetunnelis some- o
loadedtrap,thefirststepisto locatethe
o
timeseffective.To set up a livetrap,dig t
a activetunnels.Stepon the tunnelsyou
a holeat the tunneldeepenoughto set () seein oneortwo spotsto collapse
o
them,
o
a 2-to 5-gallonbucketbelowthe levelof o-
then check those spotsthe next day. lf
thetunnelP . a c kt h e d i r t a r o u n dt h e Molesdig tunnels just underthe turf, thetunnelhasbeendugout again,it'san
edgeof the bucket,thencoverthe hole searchingfor wormsand grubs. activeone,anda goodspotto seta trap.

Keepraccoonsout
Raccoonswill eatalmostanythingandarealwayson the lookoutfor a goodnestingsite,so houses, with all theirnooksand
crannies
andoverflowing garbagecansandbackyard vegetablegardens, areveryappealing. Light,water,noiseandchemical
repellents
mayworkin the shortterm,but raccoons learnto ignorethem.The
eventually bestwayto discourage thesepestsis
to makeyourhouseandgardeninaccessible.
t Cutbackoverhanging treebranches andbrushsoraccoons can'tgetontothe roof.
I Addchimneycaps, or replace themif they'redamaged. Fireplace chimneys makegreatdensfor pregnantraccoons.lf you
hearor seeraccoons in the fireboxin the springor summer,youmayneedto waituntilthefallfor the raccoons to leave
beforecappingthe chimney, or elsecallananimalcontrolspecialist.
t Blockcrawlspacesand other possibleentryspotswith
securely nailed1/4-in.-mesh hardware cloth.Waituntilthe
fallafterthe babiesareout but beforehibernation, or until
you'resurethe raccoons aregone.
I Raccoons eatgarbage, pet food,fruitsandvegetables, and
fishfromgardenponds.Maketrashcansinaccessible. Cover
fishpondswith netting.Don'tleavepetfoodoutside.
I Protectvegetablegardens, especially if you'replanting
sweetcorn,withwireelectricfencing(consult the manufac-
turer'sinstructions for spacingand wiringinstructions).
Fencingis available from farm supplystoresand Internet
suppliers.
I lf raccoonshavealreadymadea den in youratticor crawl
E
II space, put a radio,flashinglights,ammonia, mothballs or
o
(l) commercially availablerepellentsin it,then givethema few
o)
(!

! nightsto leave.To makesurethey'regone,stuffthe entry

b with newspapers. lf the paperis still in placeaftera few
o
(9
days,the raccoonshaveleft.

II4 S P E c I A LS E C T I o N :B U G & P E S Tc o N T R o L
\:..T
lr

7:;,lr*!

energy-
saun9
products
fixes
S topthrow i ngcashout
the window!
Stop windowand door drafts
S w i tchto C FLbutbs
-t$,lrt
W armup a col d roo m
fi tter remi nder
Furnace
w i nd owf i [ m
H eat-reduci ng
your w eath erst r ip
R eptace
Cut energybitls with a
programmabLe thermost at
Monitorelectricusage
S top a draft i n 60 s econds
Instal la di mmerswit ch
Insutateri m j oi sts and cut
heat l oss

115
 opt rowtn9
out the window!
ealingm o s ta i r l e a k si s s u rp ri s i n gel ya s ya ndw i l l cut a n d a i r c o n d i t i o n i n gc o s t s ,y o u ' l l s e e a g o o d r e t u r n o n y o u r
yourenergybills.Sealing leaksalsoreduces drafts,mak- investment.Most of the productsshown here are availableat
ingyourhomemorecomfortable, evenwithyourther- homecenters;therestcan be orderedonline.
mostatat a lowertemperature setting. Andusingthatlowerset-
tingwillsaveyoumoremoney.
Hereyou'lllearnaboutproducts andtechniques for sealing lf you combinedall of the air leaksin a typicalhouse-
yourhouseagainst up the chimney,out the dryervent,underthe front
energyloss.You candoalleightof theseproj-
door-it would be the equivalentof leavinga window
ectsin a singleweekend-most takelessthanan hourandcost open allday long!
lessthanS20.Considering whatyou'llsaveeachyearin heating

Stopunder-the-doorairleaks
lf youcanfeelthebreeze andseedaylight underyourentrydoor, door,then i nstalthe
l repl acement sw eep. S omesw eepsar e
it'scostingyou big-time. lt alsomeansyou needto adjustyour tappedintoplaceandstapled alongthedoorbottom;othersare
doorthreshold or installa newdoorsweep. Doorsweeps startat screwedto thesidealongthedoorbottom.
510. U s u a l l y
t h e h a r d e s p
t a r tabout
replacing themistakingoffthedoor.
S t a r tb y a d j u s t i n g
thethreshold.
Newerv er s ions ha v es c re w sth a t ra i s e
a n d l o w e ri t .T u r na l l o f t h e t h r e s h o l d
screwsuntilthe dooropensand closes
withoutmuchdragandanydraftiselimi-
n a t e d .l f t h a t d o e s n ' wt o r k ,o r y o u r
t h r e s h o l dd o e s n ' th a v ea d j u s t m e n t
screws, replace thedoorsweep.
Close thedoorandpopoutthe hinge
pinswith a nailto removethe door.Set
the dooron a worksurface
theolddoorsweep.
and remove
Caulktheendsof the
1 Raiseor lowerthe thresholdby turning
the adjustmentscrews. l
] feet out the ol,ddoor sweep.Tapin
tne replacementsweepand staptethe
endswith a coupleof 7/z-in. staples.

I I6 E N E R G Y - S A V I NPGR o D U c T S& F I X E S
 caulkorfilm
Sealleakywindowswithremovable
Solution1:
L e a k yw i n d o w sa r e o n e o f t h e
biggestsources of energyloss
in a typicalhome.lf youdon't
&b
wantt o c ov e ry o u re n ti re
window,a quick,low-cost
s o l u t i o ni s t o s e a lt h e
gapswith removable
caulk.A 54.50tube seals
five3 x 5-ft.windows.
A p p l yt h e c a u l ko v e r
t h e c r a c k sb e t w e e nt h e
movableparts of the window
(sashes)
and the stationaryparts
(jamb)and betweenthe two sashes.
Keepthe beadbetween 3/16and 1/2in.wide.
Don'trunyourfingeroverthebeadaftercaulk-
ing(thecaulkwillbeharder to remove later).In
simplypulloff the caulk.Cleanoff
the spring,
anyresiduewithmineralspirits.

Solution2:
lf you don't like the look of caulkon your win-
dows all winter long,coverthem with plastic
film instead.A S13kit coversfive 3 x 5-ft.win-
d o w s .T h e p l a s t i ca l s o r e d u c e sw i n d o w c o n -
d e n s a t i o na n d c a n b e u s e d w i t h c u r t a i n so r
blinds.Thefilm is availablefor the exteriorand
interior. lf you can't find it at your local
h o m ec e n t e ro r h a r d w a r se t o r e ,
o r d e ri t a t a c e h a r d w a r e . c o m
( i t e m5 2 7 3 1 1 5 ) .
Applydouble-sided
t a p e ( i n c l u d e dt )o t h e
w i n d o wc a s i n gC. u tt h e
film roughlyto sizewith
s c i s s o r sl e, a v i n ga f e w
extrainches oneachside.
S tarti ngat a t op cor ner ,
applythe filmfirmlyto the
tapearoundall four sidesof
the window.Usea hairdryerto
removethe wrinkles.When winteris
over,takedownthe plasticand pullthe tape
offthecasing.The taperemoves easily without
damagi ngthe fi ni sh.

C A S HO U T T H E W I N D O W ! I I 7
S T o PT H R O W I N G
Caulkandcoverroom air conditioners
A roomair conditioner keepsa sectionof the
housecool.The problemis,it'll keepthe room
coolallwinterlongif it isn'tcovered properly.lf
youhavea windowunit,the bestsolution isto
removeit so the coldair won'tflow through
andaroundit.lf youdecideto leaveit in or you
hav ea per m anen tli ny s ta l l ew d a l lu n i t,g ra b
so m er em ov able c a u l ka n d a 5 4 w i n d o wa i r
conditioner coverto keepoutthecold.
Place the coveroverthe outsideof the air
conditioner, fittingthe sewn-incornerstraps
o v e rt h e b o t t o mc o r n e r sW. r a pt h e m i d d l e
strapsunderandup thesidesof the unit,then
h o o kt h e m o v e rt h e t o p .I n s i d et h e h o u s e ,
applyr em ov able c a u l ka ro u n dth e a i r c o n d i -
tionerwhereit meetsthewallor window.lf the
air conditioner is a built-inunit,permanently
sealit withlatexcaulk.

Fillgapsunder sinks
Pullbackthe escutcheons on plumbingpipeswheretheyenter
exterior wallsandyou'llprobably seegenerous gapsaroundthe
pipes.In coldweather,you mightalsofeelthedraftcomingin.All
it takesissomeS7-a-can expanding foamto sealthoseleaks.
Shakethe canvigorously, thensquirtthe foamaroundthe
pipesinsidethe wall.Don'tcompletely fill the gap-the foam
w i l l e x p a n dl .f i t e x p a n d tso o m u c ha n d y o u c a n ' tg e t t h e
escutcheon backon,waitfor it to dry,thensliceit flushwiththe
wallwitha utilityknife.

Findingair leaks
Locatingair leaksin U. tricky.They'reoftenso smallasto be
hardlynoticeable.To findthem,follow a trailofsmoke.
Closeallthe windowsin the house, turnoff allthe fansand
exhaust fans,andshutoff the furnace. Lightsomeincense and
walkslowlyaroundthe outerwallsof the house. Anywhere you
n o t i c et h e s m o k eb l o w i n ga w a yf r o m s o m e t h i n o
gr b e i n g
sucked towardsomething, there's probably anairleak.Nowthat
you'vefoundit,sealit!

I I8 E N E R G Y - S A V I NPGR o D U C T S& F I X E S
 Stopairflow lnstallanairtight
up the chimney dryervent
F i re p l a cceh i mn e y cs a n be veryi neffi - Don'texpectthethin metalflapon yourdryerventto keepout
c i e n t ,l e t t i n gy o u rw a r mi n s i d ea i r the cold.Lintor dentsin the flapcankeepit fromfullyclosing,
d i s a p p e al irk es m o keup a chi m- a l l o w i n go u t s i d ea i r i n .
ney.lf you haveairtightglass Windblowsthemopentoo.

#ffiev
BALLOON
4f '' ,
doorsthatsealtheopen-
i n g ,y o u' rei n good
s h a p e(. T h ed o o r s
Fora morereliable
i n s t a lal $ 1 5 . 2 5
efficientunit fromCreative
airseal,
energy-

a r e a v a i l a b l se t a r t i n ga t E nergy Technol ogi(51 es8-

S 2 3 0a t fi re p l a ce retai l ers and 287 -1428; cetsol a r.com).
homecenters.) lf not,a special balloon A cupinsidethe ventseals
or chimney-top damper willgetthejob done. t h e o p e n i n gw h e n t h e
Forfireplace chimneys that areseldomor neverused,inflate d r y e r ' so f f ,t h e n " f l o a t s "
a Chim neyB a l l o o ni n s i d eth e c h i mn e yto s to pthe ai r l eaks. w heni t' son to di rectthe
P r i c e s t a r ta t S 4 0 B. u yi t d i r e c t l y warm,moistairoutthebot-
from the company(608-467-0229; tomof theunit.
c him ney ba l l o o n .uPsa).rti a l liyn fl a te Remove the old vent
the balloonby mouthor with a pump, and installthe newone (it
thenstickit intothe chimney takeslessthan10minutes).
a n d b l o w i t u p t h e r e s to f Thevent comeswith easy-
theway. t o - f o l l o wi n s t a l l a t i oinn -
P ut t ingin a n dta k i n go u t s t r u c t i o n sT.h ec o m p a n y
t h e r e u s a b lbea l l o o nc a nb e guarantees i t w i l l keepout
m es s ys,o y o u d o n ' tw a n tto birds, rodents andbugstoo.You canpaintit to matchyourhouse.
hassle with chimneyballoons
if you regularly useyourfire-
plac e.B utt ha t d o e s n 'me
you haveto settlefor energy
t an
Fillgapsaround
loss.Instead,
chimney-top
you caninstalla
dampersystem, electricalboxes
l i k et h e C h i m - a - l a t owrh, i c h Thegapsaroundelectrical boxesin exteriorwallsand ceilings
sealsthe top of the fluewhen arebreezeways forcoldair.lf thegapbetween box
theelectrical
t h e c h i m n e y 'ns o t i n u s e .A andthe drywallis lessthan1/4in.,fill it with latexcaulk.lfthe
leverin the fireplace controls gap is biggerand lopsided, usefoamsealant that'sformulated
t he dam perv i aa l o n g for use around
c a b l eP . r i c e s t a r ta t d o o r sa n d w i n d o w
S180.Type"chim-a-lator" f r a m i n gT. h em i n i -
intoanysearch engineto mally expanding
f ind dis t r ibu to rs or buy foam won't drip
fromchimalators. com. downyourwalls.
l n s t a l l a t i o ni n v o l v e s Turn off the
a t t a c h i n gt h e d a m p e r powerto theelectri-

e
a n d s c r e e n e d - i nc a p c a l b o x a n d u s ea
to the chimneytop, noncontact voltage
then mountingthe lever tester to ensure
i n t h e f i r e p l a c e l.f y o u t h e r e ' sn o p o w e r R. e m o v et h e
don't feel comfortable coverplate.Spraythe foamaround
working on the roof, the boxto seali t. A fteri t dri es,cut -/
h i r e a c h i m n e ys w e e p awayanyprotruding foam,adda foam
o r m a s o n ,w h o c a n gasket(to reducedraftsthrough the box) and replacethe cover
installthe systemfor p l a t e .D o t h e s a m ea r o u n d r e g i s t e ro p e n i n g so n t h e i n s i d eo f
about 5400. exteriorwalls,

S T o P T H R O W I N GC A S HO U T T H E W I N D O W ! I I 9
 window
anddoor ;
*. .i;l&14i,
ilt
'i"
' ';:l: ,

yourwindowsor doorsarea source

of chi l l ydraftsal l w i nterl o ng,t he
probl emcoul dbe w orn-outseals,
w eatherstri ppi ngor threshol ds. Thenagain,
sl oppyi nstal l ati on mi ghtbe to bl ame. When
col dw eatherarri ves, hol dthe backof your
handnearthe edgesof w i ndow sor do or st o
trackdownthe source of leaks.lf youfeelcold
airflowingout frombehindthe trim,chances
arethe spaces aroundthe w i ndowan ddoor
jambsweren'tproperly sealed.
P l uggi ng thesel eaksi s a ti me-consum ing
job:Youhaveto pulloff the interiortrim,seal
aroundthej ambsandthenrei nstalthe l t r im .
Butif yourdoorsandwindowsareotherwise
fairlyairtight,the payoffcanbebigtoo.
Firstinvestigate further:Remove onepiece
of trim from a windowor a door.To prevent
c h i p p i n go r t e a r i n gp a i n t c, u t t h r o u g ht h e
Slicethroughpaint wherethe trim meetsthe wall andjamb. Put a new blade paintfirst(Photo1).
in your utitity knife and makeseveralpassesover heavypaint buildup.

CAUTION:
L e a dp a i n tc h i p sa r e h a z a r d o u s .yl fo u r
home was built before1978,callyour
localhealthdepartmentfor information
on testingand handlingleadpaint safely.

'
Pry awaythe trim gently with
a flat pry bar. Protectwatls
with a shim or a scrapof woodas
you graduallywork the trim away
from the wall.
Pu[l nails out throughthe back Put[insulationfrom betweenthe jamb
side of trim with nippersor and the wall framing.Sea[the gap around
pliers. Also write the tocation of the jamb with foam seatant.
eachpieceof trim on the backside.

I2O E N E R G Y - S A VP
I NRGo D U c T&
S FIXES
 Switchto CFLbulbs
C o m p a cftl u o r e s c e nbtu l b s -
usuallyreferred to bythe initials,
CFl-traveledthe rockypathof
mostnewproducts.lnitially they
wereexpensive (asmuchas515
apiece)and fraughtwith prob-
lems(theyappeared "dim,"flick-
er ed,did n ' tc o m eo n i n s ta n tl y
a n d b u r n e do u t s o o n e tr h a n
promised).
Butthatwasthen.Newtech-
nologyhassolvedmostof the
o l d p r o b l e m sT.o d a yC F L sa r e
o n e o f t h e e a s i e sat n d m o s t
effectivewaysof savingmoney
on energy.lt'sas easyasscrew-
i n g i n a b u l b a n d f l i p p i n ga
switch.ManyCFLscanbe pur-
chasedfor around53 at home
centersandsomeutilitycompa-
niesofferdiscounts or rebates to
customers whobuythem.

Slipa stiffputty knifeunderthe trim and lift it enoughto With one pieceremoved, examinethe spacebetweenthe
inserta flatpry bar.Don'tsimplyforceup oneendof the piece. jambandthewallframing.lf thedrywallcovers thespace,trim it
Instead,work alongthe lengthof the piece, backwith a utilityknife.lf youseeonlya fewloosewadsof fiber-
movingyourprybar
and liftingthe trim off gradually (Photo2).At miteredcorners,
glassinsulation or noinsulation atallbetween thejambandfram-
watchfor nailsdriventhroughthe joint.To preventthesenails ing,it'slikelythatallyourwindows anddoorsarepoorlysealed.
Tosealthegap,remove
, r y u p b o t h m i t e r e dp i e c e s
f r o m s p l i t t i n gm i t e r e de n d s p the remaining trim,pulloutanyinsu-
together.Then pullthemapart.When you'reremoving lationandinjectfoamsealant
nailsfrom (Photo 4).Somesealants willpush
thetrim,pullthemthroughthebacksideto avoiddamaging j a m b si n w a r da st h e y e x p a n ds,o b e s u r et o u s eo n et h a t ' s
the
faceof the trim (Photo3). intended forwindowsanddoors(check the label).DAPTexPlus
($7)is one optionbecause it'seasyto cleanup
w i t h a d a m pr a g .M o s te x p a n d i n fgo a m sa r e
nearlyimpossible to cleanup beforetheyharden.
Letthe foamhardenandtrim off anyexcess
foamwith a knifebeforeyou reinstall the trim.
P osi ti oneachpi eceexactl yas i t wasor iginally
andtackeachpieceupwithonlytwo nails(Photo
5).When allthe pieces arein place, checktheirfit.
Withonlya coupleof nailsin eachpiece,you can
m a k es m a l a l d j u s t m e n tbsy h o l d i n ga b l o c k
agai nst the tri m andtappi ngi t wit h a ham m er .
Thenaddmorenails.
lf yourtrim hasa clearfinish, fill the nailholes
"_ Tackeachsection of trim exacttyin its original position with a couple of
witha matching colored fillersuch asColorPutty
,.,",:lnails. Ridgesin the watl paint can hetp you atign each piece perfectty.Make
or DAPFinishing Putty (53).With painted trim,it's
sure the parts fit together tightly at the cornersbefore you add more naits.
bestto fill the h o l e s w i t h s p a c k l e( S 3 )
and repaint.

; W I T C HT O C F L B U L B S 7 2 1
S T O PW I N D O WA N D D O O RD R A F T S S
 mrmup
a coldroom
ugged by a chilly room in the winter?lf you haveto F i g u r eA
wearan extrapairof heavysocksin the familyroom or
C o m m o n c a u s e so f c o l d r o o m s
h u d d l eu n d e rt h e c o v e r sa t n i g h t y, o u ' r en o t a l o n e .
It'snot alwayseasyor cheap,but there'salwaysa way to
. e r ey o u ' l lf i n d t h e c a u s e s( F i g u r eA )
c h a s et h o s ec h i l l sH
a n d t h e s o l u t i o n s F i g u r eB ,p . 1 2 4 ) .P l u sy, o u ' l ld i s -
(
coverthe leastexpensiveoptions,what you can do
y o u r s e laf n d w h e n t o c a l li n a h e a t i n ge x p e r t . T h e
f o c u s h e r e i s o n h o m e sw i t h f o r c e d - a i rh e a t i n g
s y s t e m st,h a t i s ,h o m e sw i t h b l o w e r sa n d d u c t -
work.However,manyof thesesolutionswill work in
homesheatedby othersystems.

Problemsin the duct system

Obstructions. lt may seemobvious,but you might ,1.

h a v ef o r g o t t e nt h a t y o u c l o s e dt h e r e g i s t e rd u r i n g
t h e c o o l i n gs e a s o n( 1 ) E
. m b a r r a s s i nBgu! tm o r eo f t e n
t h e c u l p r i ti s a t t h e f u r n a c ei n t h e f o r m o f a c l o g g e d
f i l t e r o r d i r t y a i r - c o n d i t i o n i ncgo i l t h a t ' sb l o c k i n g
t h e a i r f l o w( 2 ) .l t ' s e a s yt o c h a n g et h e f i l t e r ,b u t
y o u c a n ' tc l e a nt h e c o i l y o u r s e l fa, n d o n m a n y
furnacesyou can'tseeit well enoughto tell if it's
d i r t y .R e l yo n p r o f e s s i o n asle r v i c ee v e r yy e a r o r
two to detecta dirty coil.
S o f a sd, e s k sa n d c h a i r sa s w e l l a s d r a p e sc a n
b l o c kt h e a i r f l o wa t r e g i s t e r (s3 ) .P l a s t i cd e f l e c -
t o r s o r r e g i s t e r sw i t h d i f f e r e n t" t h r o w " p a t t e r n s
a r e n ' ta l w a y sa t t r a c t i v eb, u t o f f e r p a r t i a ls o l u -
t i o n s .O r m o v e t h e f u r n i t u r e i; t ' s s i m p l e rt h a n
movingthe register.
S o m e t i m e cs o n s t r u c t i o d
n e b r i sf a l l si n t o
the ducts and the buildersforget to fish it
out (4).Unscrewthe registerand lookdown
with a flashligho
t ,r r e a c hi n t o t h e d u c t w i t h a 13
glovedhandto retrieveanythingyou canfeel.
Badly balanced dampers. Everyduct systemis
s u p p o s e dt o h a v ed a m p e r st o b a l a n c et h e h e a tf l o w t o
€ilsP.r
St'-?
each room (5).In fact,in somesystemsyou haveto adjust
the damperstwice a year,when you go from air-conditioning
m o d et o t h e h e a t i n gm o d ea n d b a c ka g a i n L. o o kf o r t h e d a m p e r s
n e a rt h e m a i nt r u n k l i n e sC
. o n t r a c t o russ u a l l yl a b e lt h e c o r r e c tp o s i -
t i o n . B u t n o t a l w a y sO
. p e nt h e d a m p e rf a r t h e rf o r t h e d u c t s e r v i n gt h e

722 E N E R G Y - S A VPI N
RGo D U C T&SF I X E S
Problems
l. Closedregister 6. Thermostat locatedin a 1I. Pooratticor wallinsulation
2. Furnace filteror air-conditioning warmarea 12, Coldfloorovercrawlspace
c oi l d i rty a n d c l o g g e d 7. D ucthastoomanybendsori s 13. C ol dbasement
3. Drapes andfurnitureblock too small 14, Noairchutesor poorly
heatflow 8. Nocool-airreturn installedchutes
4. Cloggedducts 9. Draftywindows 15. Heatlossduetoleaks
5. Dampers closed down 10. Additionhasmanywindows 16. Uninsulated floor

W A R M U P A C O L DR O O M I 2 3
 c o l d r o o m .U n f o r t u n a t e l yd,a m p e r sa r e o f t e n c o v e r e dd u r i n g
r e m o d e l i n go,r h i d d e nu n d e r i n s u l a t i o ni n t h e a t t i c .Y o u m i g h t
haveto callin a heatingcontractorto helpout.
"Hot" thermostat. lf the thermostatarea heatsup fast,it'll
s h u t o f f t h e f u r n a c eb e f o r e o t h e r r o o m s w a r m u p ( 6 ) .C l o s e rQ
Up Feetwarmerwith higherhumidity.Byincreasing
nearbyregisters to lessenthe warm airflownearthe thermostat,
the amountof humidityin yourhomeduringthe
a n d a d j u s tt h e r e g i s t e rl o u v e r si n o t h e r r o o m st o h e l p b a l a n c e colderseasons you'llfeelwarmer.Additionalinterior
the heat flow.A $3 room thermometeris handyfor comparing moisturecan makea roomsetat 68 degreesF feel
temperatures from roomto room. 5 to 8 degreeswarmer.
B a d d u c t d e s i g n . D e s i g np r o b l e m sc a n i n c l u d et o o m a n y
b e n d si n a r u n ( 7 )a n d i n a d e q u a t ceo o la i r r e t u r n s( 8 ) . W h i l e
Fig-
u r eB s u g g e s tds e s i g ns o l u t i o n sb,e s u r et o c o n s u l at h e a t i n gc o n -
t r a c t o rf o r a d v i c eo n t h e b e s t m e t h o d sa n d m a t e r i a l sB. u t g o
t h r o u g ht h e r e s to f t h i s l i s t f i r s t .Y o u m i g h t f i n d a s i m p l e rl,e s s
e x p e n s i vseo l u t i o n .
F i g u r eB
Badwindows W a y st o w a r m u p a c o l d r o o m
Leaky, inefficientwindowsarenotoriousheatdrains,especially in
o l d e rh o m e s( 9 ) .S t o pd r a f t sw i t h c a u l ka n d w e a t h e rs t r i p p i n g
and add heavydrapesif necessary.
Replacing
worn-outwin-
dowswith new,energy-efficient windowsoftensolvesthe
c o l dr o o mp r o b l e m .
But evengood windowscan'talwaysmakeup for the
h e a t l o s si n a r o o m w i t h a l o t o f g l a s s( 1 0 ) .F o r t h e s e
r o o m sy, o u m a y h a v et o c o n s i d ear d d i t i o n adl u c t s o, r a n
additionalheaterwith a separatethermostat.Bothare
expensiveand requirethe adviceof a heatingpro.

Badinsulation
F i n d i n go u t y o u h a v ep o o r i n s u l a t i o n i s f r u s t r a t i n gb,e c a u s e
insulation w a se a s yt o i n s t a lw l h e n y o u r h o u s ew a s b u i l t ,
b u t i t ' sd i f f i c u l ta n d e x p e n s i v teo a d d i t n o w ( 1 1 )A . ttic
insulation i s a n e x c e p t i o nl f. y o u ra t t i ch a s6 i n .o r ...;-
.)
less,add at leastanother6 in.of fiberglassor cel-
l u l o s et o w a r m u p c o l d r o o m sd i r e c t l yb e l o w .
O t h e r e x c e p t i o n si n c l u d ec r a w l s p a c oe r f l o o r
insulationfor cold floorsover a crawlspace (12),
a n d r i mj o i s ti n s u l a t i o fno r b a s e m e n t(s1 3 ) .
Whileyou'reup in your attic,makesureyou have
vent chutesand that they'reproperlypositioned(14).
C o l d a i r b l o w i n gt h r o u g ht h e i n s u l a t i o nc a n c h i l l t h e
ceilingof the room below.
I n s u l a t i o ni n s t a l l e ros f t e n f a i l t o c l o s eu p c e i l i n g
g a p s a, n d w a r ma i r l e a k so u t ( 1 5 ) . S e aalr e a sa r o u n d
l i g h tf i x t u r e sp, l u m b i n gp i p e sd, u c t sa n d o t h e rg a p s
i n t o a t t i c sw i t h c a u l ko r e x p a n d i n gf o a m .U s u a l l y
you can reachtheseonly from the attic.

Badmixing& coldslabs
W i t h o u tg o o d m i x i n g w
, a r m a i r r i s e sa n d c o o l a i r
falls,chillingyour feet,especiallyin roomswith tall ceil-
ings and on uninsulatedconcretefloors.lf the airflowfrom
the registerd s o e s n ' td o t h e j o b , s l o w - m o v i n gc e i l i n gf a n s ( 1 6 )
canget the warm air down to the floor whereyou needit.

724 E N E R G Y - S A V I NPGR o D U C T S& F I X E S

Solutions
1. Opentheregister. 7. Installlargerductswherepossi- 12. lnsulatefloorif crawlspaceis
2. Change furnace filterandcheck ble;addmorerunsif possible. vented,or insulate crawlspace
f or d i rty a i rc o n d i ti o n i n g c o i l w i th
8 . U ndercutdoor3/4i n.oradd peri meteri clfosedoff.
flashlight;callaprotocleanthecoil. louvers;adding newreturnducts 13. Insulaterimjoistsin basement;
3. Addplastic deflector (55at home isdifficult. addmoreregisters in basement.
centers or heating supplydealers) 9. Caulkandweatherstrip windows 14, Install
atticventchutes.
andrearrange furniture. or replace
withtighter,higher 15. Sealleaks to atticat plumbing
4, Cleanout debrisasfarasyou units.
efficiency stacks,around lightsandchimneys.
canreach. 10. Increase heatflowif possible; 16. Increase heatflow,addsupple-
5. Adjustdampers forhigherairflow. addsupplemental heat(gasfire- mentalheator encourage better
6. Closeregisters aroundthermo- place,electric). mixingwitha ceilingfan.
stat;usethermometer to 11. Increase atticandwallinsulation
compare roomtemperatures. if possible.

J..'.
r^i.\

--'\r.-_
-..i
...,....
l'lfn

tr
{h"
s "').*_"..

Furna{ef*tter
reminder
Whenever youbuya newboxof fur-
nacefilters,writethe monthsof the
y e a ro n t h e i n d i v i d u af il l t e r s( a n d
changethem monthl y). Thatway,
you' l lal w aysknoww henyou last
changed thefilter.

W A R M U P A C O L DR O O M ;F U R N A C EF I L T E RR E M I N D E R 1 2 5
 Heat-reducing
windowfllm
eatcontrolwindowfilm willhelp
keepa roomcooler, andyoucan
i n s t a l il t y o u r s e lT
f .h e s ef i l m s
reflectthe sun'sheatand ultravioletrays,
and r educ eglar ew i th o u to b s c u ri n th g e
view(seephoto).The moredirectsunlight
comingthroughthe window, the morethe
filmwillhelp(andit mayloweryourair-con-
ditioningbills!).
Applyingthe film takesapproximately
30 minutesperwindow(insetphoto).The
film shouldlastabout10years.Prices vary
with film size.A 3-ft.x 15-ft.film (whichcan
covertwo to threewindows)costsS30.The
film is soldat homecentersand hardware
stores. Gilaisonecompany that makesheat
controlfi Im (800-52 8-4481, gilafilms.com).
Differenttypesof film areavailable, so
gettheonedesigned 'r.f
for heatcontrol.The x,.
f i l m c a nb e a p p l i e d ,a
t o a n y w i n d o w i, n -
cludingdouble-pane
l o w - ew i n d o w sa, l -
th ought heyalr ead y
re duc er adianthea t
lossandgain.
O nedr awbac kis
that the film may
v o i d t h e m a n u f a c - Windowfitm can
turer'swarrantyfor be installed in
about 30 minutes.
thd s ealon double -
The hazyappear-
p a n ew i n d o w s a, l - ancewill disappear
t h o u g h t h e f i l m after 10 days.
shouldn'taffectthe
seal.lf the windowwarrantyhasalready
expiredor reducingexcessive heatis more
importantto you than possiblyjeopardiz-
ing a warranty, then applythe film.Other-
wise,consider otheroptions,such asinstall-
ing shades, awningsor shuttersoverthe
w i n dowsor ev enp l a n ti n ga tre e o n th e
westsideto blockthesun. Heat control,fitm is composedof treated micro-thin layersof film that block
ultraviotet rays and reducethe summerheat that comesthrough the window.

126 E N E R G Y - S A V I NP
GR o D U c T S& F I X E S
 your
Replace

{-3k
weatherstrlp
#"F' S. lderwood doorsusuallyrelyon a non-adjustable
gapis lessthan3/8 in.,calculatehowmuchyou'llhaveto cutoff
:ii ,i+rthresholdto keepthe weatherout.lf yourold door the bottomto equal3/8 in.Markthisdistance on the doorat the
'+&''#
doesn'tsealtight againstthe threshold, you'rewast- pointyou measured. Thenusea scribingtool to extenda mark
ing energy. Youcouldscrewa surface-applied weather stripto across the bottomof the door(Photo1).
the faceof the door,but a door-bottomweatherstrip a less is Remove the hingepinsand movethe doorto a setof saw-
obtrusive wayto createa goodseal. horses. Mounta sharpbladein yourcircular sawandcut along
Thedoor-bottom weatherstripshownhereis available at the line.Protect
the surfaceof the doorwith masking tape.lfyou
mosthomecentersand hardwarestores. lf you can'tfind one havea veneered door,scorealongthe linewith a sharputility
that'ssmoothon one side,you cansliceoff the barbedflanges knifebeforesawingit to avoidchippingtheveneer.
frombottomsdesigned for steelor fiberglassdoors. Cutthe door-bottom weatherstripabout1/8in.shorterthan
Cutthe bottomof the doorto allowenough(but not too thewidthof thedoorandtackit to thebottomof thedoorwitha
much)clearance to installthe newweatherstrip.Thegoalis to staplegun.Rehang thedoorto testthefit.lf it'stoo snug,remove
createan even3/8-in.spacebetweenthe top of the existing theweatherstripandtrim a bit morefromthedoor.When thefit
threshold andthe bottomof the door.Closethe doorandmeas- is perfect,removethe staplesand mountthe weatherstrip
urethe largestgap betweenthe doorandthe threshold. lf the (Photo2).Fasten theweather stripin placewith 1-in.roofingnails.

tf Cut the door-bottom weather strip to tength with tin snips or

{ ScriUea line on the door 3/8 in. abovethe top of the
I threshold. Removethe door and carefultycut atongthe line - a utitity knife. Appty two parallel beadsof adhesivecautk
with a circular saw. the tength of the door and nait the weatherstrip to the door.

GI N D O W F I L M ; R E P L A C EY O U R W E A T H E RS T R I P 1 2 7
H E A T - R E D U C I NW
 Cutenergybillswith a
programmablethermostat
h e n i t c o m e st o e n e r g y a n y o f t h e m a r e n ' tc o n n e c t e tdo t h e the manufacturer' i nstructi
s o ns
t o be
savings, few upgrades pay s c r e wt e r m i n a l sy,o u w o n ' tc o n n e c t sure.Program andinstallthethermostat
o f f a s q u i c k l ya s a p r o - themto the newthermostat either. The (Photo4).Don'tforgetto turn the power
grammable thermostat. lf youturndown t e r m i n a l as r e l a b e l e dw i t h l e t t e r sA. s backon atthemainpanel.
t h e h e a t5 d e g r e e as t n i g h ta n d 1 0 you removeeachwire,labelit to match
degrees duringthe daywhenno one is theterminal usingthetagsincluded with
home,you'llcut yourenergybill by 5 to the newthermostat (Photo2).Disregard
20 percent. lf you raisethe temperature the colorof the wires. Whenyouremove
thesameamountduringthecoolingsea- t h e l a s tw i r e ,c l i p a c l o t h e s p itno t h e
son,yoursavings will be similar.You can cablesoit can'tslipinsidethewall.
do thiswith a manualthermostat, but a M o u n tt h e w a l l p l a t e( P h o t o3 ) .I n
pr ogr am m able m o d e ln e v e rfo rg e tsto m o s tc a s e sy,o u ' l ls i m p l yc o n n e ctth e
turn downthe heatat nightand it can wires by matching
raisethetemperature beforeyougetout
{ rutt off the coverring and remove
of bedin themorning. I the screwsthat fasten the thermo-
program-
{,
Homecenterscarryseveral stat to the wa[[ plate.
mablemodelsranging fromS25to more t$
than5100.Generally, moremoneymeans
dl
mor epr ogr am m i nogp ti o n sS. ta n d a rd
$
p r o g r a m m a b lt eh e r m o s t a tsso l d i n
$
storesworkwith mostheating/cooling
systems, newor old.Butthereareexcep-
.c
ti ons :E lec t r ic bas e b o a rd h e a ts y s te m s
requirea "linevoltage" thermostat that's ..{
connected to muchlargerwiresthanare
shownhere.Heatpumpsoftenrequire
specialthermostats, too.lf you can'tfind
the one y ou needa t a s to retry , th e r-
mostatshop.com. Before youshop,meas-
urethe"footprint" of the oldthermostat.
lf you buy a new one that'sat leastas
large,you won't be left with wallpaper
gapsor paintto touchup.
Yourold thermostatmaylookdiffer- Labe[the wires as you disconnectthem from the screwterminats.Thenremovethe
entfromtheoneshownhere,but remov- mounting screwsthat fasten the walt plate.
ing it will requiresimilarsteps. Turnoff
thepowerat themainelectrical panelby
switching off the furnacebreaker. lf the
furnace circuitisn'tlabeled,switch onthe
heat(notthe air conditioning) andturn
o f f b r e a k e r us n t i l t h e f u r n a c es t o p s .
R em ov tehe old t h e rm o s ta(P t h o to1 ).
Chances are,it hasa smallglass tubecon-
tainingmercury, whichis toxic.Callyour
c i t y o r s t a t ee n v i r o n m e n toarl h e a l t h
department fordisposal instructions.
You'llfind anywhere
wiresconnected
fromtwo to six 3 Markthe new screwlocations,drive
in wa[[ anchorsand screwthe mount-
to theoldthermostat.lf ing plate to the wa[[. Connectthe wires.
.,/| Instalt the batteries,programthe
t?
thermostatand snapit onto the
watl plate.

128 E NE RG y -s AVpIN
RoGD u c rs& F tx ES
 M o n i t o r e l e c t r i cu s a g e
t o n i t o r( S 1 5 0 )
B l u eL i n e I n n o v a t i o n sP' o w e r C o sM
h e l p sy o u m o n i t o ry o u rh o m ee l e c t r i c aul s e . l tg i v e s
you a real-timereadoutof your energyusageand
cost (basedon your local rates)so you can adjust
your habitsto savemoney.
The PowerCost systemconsistsof a sensorunit
that'sattachedto the outsidemeterand a wireless
displaymonitorthat givesthe readout.Bytracking
your usageover a 24-hour period,you can deter-
m i n eh o w m u c hm o n e yy o u ' l ls a v eb y a d j u s t i n gt h e
thermostatsettingof your air conditioneror heat-
i n g u n i t a c o u p l eo f d e g r e e s .
Bfue Line Innovations, (866) 607-2583.save-electricity.ca

In exteriorwalls,electricalboxesthat hold switchesor

outletscan let in a lot of cold air.Worse,they can let
w a r m ,m o i s t i n d o o r a i r i n t o w a l l s ,c a u s i n gp r o b l e m s
like wood rot or peelingexteriorpaint.
One way to stop the airflow is to
sealthe gapsaroundthemand
t h e h o l e si n s i d et h e mw i t h
caul k.B utthere' sanot her
way:With foamgaskets, all
youhaveto do isunscrew
the coverplate,stickthe
gasketi n pl acea nd put
the platebackon.A pack
of a dozengasketscosts
about53 at homecent er s
and hardwarestores.

C U T E N E B G YB I L L SW I T H A P R O G R A M M A B LTEH E R M O S T A T
M;O N T T O R
E L E C T B TUCS A G E ;S T O PA D R A F Tt N 6 0 S E C O N D S 1 2 9
 Installa
dlmmer
EI."ECIRONIC
DIMMER
swltch

?$

, doesn'ttakelongto replacean ordinarylightswitch

"1tir
. i i beforeremovingthe switch.Thesedetectorsare availableat
J1: i',
with a full-featuredimmer.Thestep-by-stepinstruc- hardwarestoresand homecentersfor about512.ltwill detect
' ttft',t
' tionswillshowyouhowto installthedimmer, concen- voltagewithoutdirectcontactwith the metalconductor.
That
tratingon detailsthatwill guarantee a safeinstallation. meansyou cancheckpotentiallyhot wiresbeforeyou handle
Thetoolsyou'llneedareinexpensive andwill comein handy them.Afteryou unscrewthe switchand pull it awayfrom the
for all your electricalprojects.You'llneeda screwdriver, wire box,probearoundinsidethe boxwiththedetectorto makesure
stripper,noncontactvoltagedetector,a voltagetester,and therearenootherhotwiresfromanothercircuit.
needle-nose pliersto installadimmer.
Makesurethe box
Double-check for is largeenough
hot wiresin the box -. Toomanywiresand devicesstuffedinto a
Turnon the lightandhavea helperwatch CAUTION: box cancausedangerous overheat ing,
as you switchoff the circuitbreakers, or lf you havealuminumwiring,don't short-ci rcui ti ng and fi res.The Nat ional
unscrewthe fusesone at a time untilthe messwith it!Callin a licensedpro E l ectri calC odespeci fi es mi ni mumbox
lightgoesout.Leavethiscircuitturnedoff who'scertifiedto work with it.This sizesto reducethisrisk.
whileyouwork. wiring is dull gray,not the dull orange T o f i g u r e t h e m i n i m u mb o x s i z e
Us ea nonc on ta cvt o l ta g ed e te c to r that's characteristicof copper. requiredby the electrical code,add:1 for
( P h o t o1 ) t o d o u b l e - c h e cf o
kr voltage eachhot and neutralw i reenter ingt he

I30 E N E R G Y - S A V I NP
GR o D U c T S& F I X E S
 furn off the powerat the main
I ) measutethe height, width and Q rest for a ground.Turn the power
I circuit panet. Hotdthe tip of a non- 3 depth of a metal box and refer to J back on. Then placethe leadsof a
contact vottage detector near each screw FigureA below to determinethe box vottage tester between each screwtermi-
terminal to be sure the poweris off. votume.Ptasticboxeshavetheir volume nal and the metal box. If the tester tights,
Thenunscrewthe switch and putl it from stampedinside. the box is grounded.Caution:Turn off
the box. the poweragain before proceeding.

box,1 for all the groundwirescombined, 1 for all the clamps

combined, and2 for eachdevice(switchor receptacle) installed
in the box.Multiplythisfigureby 2for 14-gauge wireand2.25for
FigureA
12-gauge wireto gettheminimumboxvolumein cubicinches. Commonmetal box sizes
To helpdetermine the gaugeof the wirein yourswitchbox, HeighUwidth/depth(inches)Volume
lookat the amperage of the circuitbreakeror fusein the main 3x2x2-1/4 10.5cubicinches
electricalpanel.Fifteen-amp circuitsare usuallywiredwith 14- 3x2x2-112 12.5cubi ci n ches
g a u g ew i reand 20-amp 3x2x2-3/4 14.0cubicinches
circuitsrequire12-gauge
tip wirewisdom. tf or heavier wire.
the circuitbreakeris alwayshavebarecoppergroundwiresthatyou'llconnectto the
rabered,r,alll,.lh.
rr.;Jl?ff.,[.,,'Jnil:
'- dimmer.Buttestfirstusingthe procedure
shownin Photo3 to
wiresareorobablv
t+-g"rg",it i,{;j6 of yourexistingbox'Plas- verifythatthewireisconnected to a ground.
amp,"the wiresare tic boxeshavethevolume Somewiringsystems relyon metalconduitforthe ground.lf
likely12-gauge. stampedinside,usually you haveone of thesesystems, Photo3 showshowto testthe
o n t h e b a c k .S t e e lb o x metalbox to verifythat it's grounded.lf it is,attacha short
capacities arelistedin the groundwireto the metalboxwitheithera metalgrounding clip
electricalcode.The volumeof the mostcommonsteelboxesis asshownin Photos4 and5 or a greengroundingscrewscrewed
listedin FigureA.lfyouhavea steelbox,measure it (Photo2)and intothe threadedholein the backof the box.Then connectit to
consultthe chartto seeif it'slargeenough.lf yourbox is too thedimmer.
small,replaceit with a largerone.lt'spossible to replacea box yourboxisn'tgrounded,
lf testingreveals youcanstillinstall
withoutcuttingawaythe wall,but.it'sa trickyjob.Justremoving thedimmer, butyoumustusea plasticcoverplateandmakesure
abouta 5-in.x 3-in.squareof drywallor plasterand patchingit no baremetalpartsareexposed.
afterthe newlargeboxisinstalled is mucheasier.
Theeasypart is
Testyourgroundbefore installingthe dimmer
you connectit Somedimmers, likethe one shownhere,havestranded wires
Newdimmershaveeithera greengroundingwireor a green attached.
Photos7 and8 showhowto installthistypeof dimmer.
groundscrewthatyou'llhaveto connectto a grounding
sourceif Othershavescrewterminalsinstead.Forthese,sttap3/4in.of the
oneisavailable.
Houseswiredwithplastic-sheathed cablealmost insulated
coveringfromthe wiresin the boxandbenda loopin

I N S T A L LA D I M M E RS W I T C H I 3 I
/l ness a grounding
rT
ctip and6-in.
tengthof barecopperwireontothe
metatboxwith a screwdriver. Cutawaya
littte bit of drywattunderthe boxto
provideclearance for the ctip.
J foU the wires together with the
, strandedwire protruding about 1/8
in. beyondthe solid wire. Matchthe size
of the wire connectoryou're using to the
size and numberof wires being connect-
ed. Checkthe manufacture/sspecifica-
tions on the packageto be sure.Twist a
ptastic wire connectorctockwiseonto
the wires to connectthem.
eachwith needle-nose pliers.Placethe loopclockwise
closethe looparoundthe screws with needle-nose
It doesn'tmatterif you reverse the two switchwiresto a single-pole
you'rereplacing a three-way switchwith a three-way
CAUTION:
Callanelectricianif the original .
switch is connectedto two white
wires,unlessone is markedwith
blacktape.Thismay indicatea
dangerousswitchedneutral.
wrapof blacktapearoundthe whiteconductor
I32 GR O D U C T S& F I X E S
E N E R G Y - S A V I NP
( oenAthe groundwire back onto
J the ctip and squeezeit down
tight so it won't interfere with the
dimmer switch.
Q fotd the wires neatty into the
lJ box. Screwthe dimmer to the
box with the screwsprovided.Finish
the job by installing the coverplate
and turning on the powerto test the
new dimmer.
aroundthe screwterminals and
pliers.Then
tighten the screws.
dimmer.Butif
dimmer,labelthe "common" wire
(it'llbe labeledon the old switch)when
you removethe old switchso you can
connectit to the "common" terminalon
thedimmer.
In mostcases, the two switchwires
w i l l b e somecol orotherthangreenor
white,usuallyblack.Butone of the wires
maybe whiteif yourhouseis wiredwith
plastic-sheathed cable(likeRomex).Puta
to labelit asa hotwire.
fi cfip off the bent end of each
\f wire with the wire cutter. Strip
3/8 in. of insulation from the end of
the wires.
Buying
dimmers
lf the switchyou'rereplacing is
theonlyswitchcontrolling the
l i ght,buy a standards ingle-
poledimmer(S5to 530).lf the
lightcanbe switchedon and
off fromtwo or moreswitches,
buyathree-way dimmerswitch.
Butyou won't be ableto dim
the l i ghtsfrom everys wit ch
locationunlessyou buy a set
of specialdimmers(about570
per pair)with advancedelec-
tronicsandinstalloneat each
switchlocation.
Mostdimmers aredesigned
to handle600watts.Add upthe
wattageof all the light bulbs
you'llbe dimming. Thenread
the dimmerpackage to make
s u r ei t c a nh a n d l et h e l o a d .
Heavy-duty 1,000-and 1,500-
watt dimmersaie alsoreadily
available. Readthe packageif
y o u ' l lb e i n s t a l l i n dg i m m e r s
sideby sidein the sameelec-
tricalboxbecause the wattage
ratingis reducedto compen-
satefor extraheatbuildup.
Finally, you haveto usea
specialdevice,not a dimmer,
to controlthe speedof ceiling
fansand motors.Mostfluores-
centl i ghtscan' tbe di mm ed
withoutalteringthefixture.
 ri m jOiStS
Insutate
andcut heatloss
FigureA
lnsutatedrim jdist
Airtight insulation reduces
heat loss through the rim
joist. Fiberglassinsulation
and expandingfoam seal
the opentop of hollow .,
concretebl,ocks. nl

Run a bead of acrylic caulk around

eachsection of foam to form an air-
or a circular saw.Cut the strips to fit tight barrier. Fill gaps larger than ll4
betweenftoor joists using a box cutter. in. with expandingfoam sealant.

just a coupleof hours,you cansealand insulate Cutthefoaminto8-ft.-long strips1/8in.lessthanthe height

yourrimjoists,whicharea majorsourceof heat of the rimjoist.A tablesawisthefastestwayto "rip"these strips,
lossin manyhomes.Properly insulatingand air- butyoucanalsousea circular saw.Then cutthestripsto length
sealing rimjoiststakespatience, somostbuilders simplystuffin to fit betweenthejoists,againcuttingthem1/8in.short(Photo
somefiberglass andwalkaway. 1).A heavy-duty boxcutter(56)isthe bestknifefor makingshort
lf you havean unfinished basement, youcanproperlyinsu- cutsandtrimmingfoam;the longbladeslicescleanlythrough
latethe rimjoistsin two or threehours. (Thiswillalsoblocktiny the foam(a utilityknifebladeis too short).Uselongsections of
passages wherespiders andotherinsects enteryourbasement!) foamto coverthe rim joiststhat areparallelto the floorjoists
Thematerials will costabout51 perfoot of rimjoist.Callyour (Photo2).Don'tworryaboutcuttingthe foamfor a tight fit
loc albuildin gi n s p e c ti o ndse p a rtme nbte fo reyou begi nthi s aroundpipes,cablesor otherobstructions; you canseallarge
project.Theinspector mayrequireyouto coverthe newinsula- gapswithexpanding foamsealant later.
tionwith drywall(asa fireblock)or leavesomeareasuncovered It'simportantto createanairtightsealaroundeachsectionof
to allowfor termiteinspections. Youcaninsulate second-floor foamusingcaulkor expanding foam(Photo2).Otherwise, moist
rimjoistsfollowing the samestepsshownhereif youhappento insideaircouldcondense on thecoldrimjoistandleadto mold
tearouta ceilingduringremodeling. and rot.lf you havea solidconcretefoundation, run a beadof
Rigidfoamis the bestinsulation for rimjoists.Shownhereis caulkwherethe sillplatemeetsthe concrete.lf youhavea con-
2-in.-thick(R-10) 'extrudedpolystyrene" (S20per4 x 8-ft.sheet). creteblockfoundation, sealtheopenings ontopwithexpanding
Don'tuse"expanded polystyrene,"which isa lesseffective
airand foam.Stufffiberglass insulationinto eachopeningto support
moisture barrier. thefoamasit hardens (seeFigureA).
I N S T A L LA D I M M E RS W I T C H I; N S U L A T ER I M J O I S T SA N D C U T H E A TL O S S 1 3 3
 ;'I
l$psto save
555on gas
ou seegas-saving tips everywhere thesedays.But how muchcanyou
reallysaveby followingthosetips?Well,the savings areprettyimpres-
sive.Obviously no onewillhaveallthesecar problems at thesametime,
soyoursavings will besubstantiallylessthanthe full 52,970 shown here.Butif you
followthesetips, you will noticea difference in your fuel The
costs. savingsare
basedon driving20,000miles per year,in a carthat gets20 mpg, with gasoline
pricedat 54a gallon.

Save5950 by eeprngyour t Changesparkplugs

tiresat the right pressure 3 beforethey'redue
showthat 50 percentof usaredrivingon underinflated
Surveys tires. sparkplugshave80,000mileson
lf your 100,000-mile
Youcan't"eyeball" tire pressure; you have them,they're80percent andincomplete
worn.Misfires
to checkit with a tire pressure gauge combustion occurmorefrequently duringthat last
\ (less thanS5).lt's worthyourtimeto 20,000miles,costingyou almost5600in wasted
\ c h e c kt i r e sm o n t h l yb, e c a u s e fuel.Youhaveto replaceyoursparkplugsany-
& underinflated tirescancostyou way,so do it earlyand pocketthe savings.
about5800a yearin wasted Evenif you haveto replacethe plugsone
g a s .l m p r o p ear i r p r e s s u r e extratimeoverthe lifeof yourcar,you'll
0.. c a n w e a ro u t y o u r t i r e s stillcomeoutwayahead.
t" twiceasfast,costingyouan
a d d i ti o n aS150
l a year.The
recommended air pressure
for yourvehicle's tiresis on
the decalpastedto the driver's
dooror pillar. \.-_ SPARK PLUGS

2 Save5360by changingyour
J air filter earlyand often
Yourenginesucks14milliongallons of airthroughtheairfiltereveryyear. lf
it can'tget enoughair,thecombustion efficiencywill drop by at least10
percent. Airfiltersarecheap(lessthan5l 5)andyoucanreplace themyour-
self.Replace the filterat leastevery10,000milesor oncea year,andeven
withthatexpense, stillsave5360.

I3,4 AUTO HELP

S P E C I A LS E C T I O N :M O N E Y - S A V I N G
ffi Save$tgo by keeping i"' Brakedrag can really
re yourcaraligned ,.'' sink your mileage

ffi
lf yourtiresarebowedout of Brakecalipershavea
alignm ent byj u s t.0 1 7i n .,i t' s n a s t yh a b i t o f r u s t -
t h e e q u i v a l e notf d r a g g i n g ing, binding and
y o u rt i r e s i d e w a yfso r 1 0 2 d r a g g i n gd o w n y o u r
m i l e sf o r e v e r y2 0 , 0 0 0y o u g a s m i l e a g e .H o w

n ;,
dr iv e. T hatc' lol s ty o u5 1 9 0a can you tell if your
y e a ri n w a s t e dg a s .l t w i l l b r a k e sa r e d r a g g i n g
wearyourtiresfaster, costing without havingthem
y o u 5 7 0m o r ea y e a r . c h e c k e da t a s h o p ?
Her e' san eas yw a y E a s y !B u y a n i n e x -
t o c hec ky oura l i g n - p e n s i v en o n c o n t a c t
mentwithout i n f r a r e dl a s e rt h e r -
takingyourcar Treaddepth gauge,$2 at m o m e t e r ( 5 4 2 ) ,r e -
any auto parts store
i n t o t h e s h o pB . u ya move the wheel cover(if
tread depth gauge(S2)and e q u i p p e d )a, n d a i m t h e
m e a s u r et h e t r e a d d e p t h l a s e ra t t h e w h e e l h u b
o n b o t h e d g e so f e a c h aftera drive.Comparethe
tire (reartirestoo).lf one r e a d i n gfsr o mt h e r i g h t
sideof the tire is worn a n d l e f t s i d e sl.f t h e y
RaytekMT2non-
morethan the other, varyby morethan 20 contactinfrared
y o u r c a r n e e d st o b e percent, you'veproba- thermometer,$42 at
a l i g n e dA. n a l i g n m e n t blygot a dragging tooldiscounter.com
c o s t sa b o u t 5 8 0 , s o brakeor a wheelbear-
y ou' lls t ills av eS1 8 0th e Uneventread wear signats i ng probl em, so take
firstyearalone. atignmentproblems it in for repairs.

Replacea failing
thermostat
A thermostat thatopenstoo quicklyor staysopencan
dramatically lowerthe coolanttemperature and put a
mega-chill on yourgasmileage. Remember theinfrared
thermometer youboughtto checkyourbrakes? Simply
a i m i t a t t h e t h e r m o s t aht o u s i n gl f. y o u re n g i n ei s
warmedup andthe thermometer readslessthan 160
degrees F,you're wasting gasandit'stimeto replace the
thermostat. (Toreducereflection errors, spraythe ther-
mostathousing withblackpaintpriorto testing.)A new
thermostat costsaboutS10.

WLeadfoot - lightwallet
Youdon'treallywantusto recitethe lawof physics abouthowa bodyat resttendsto
stayat rest,do you?OK,we'lljustskipto thepartabouthowhardacceleration in stop-
and-godrivingcostsyou20percent in gasmileage.
lf youliveyourlifein rushhourtraf-
fic andliketo putthe pedalto the metal,here's
ouradvice:Spend allyourextratimeat
thenextstoplight figuringout howyoucouldhavespentthe5800a yearyou'rewasting.

1 o T I P S T o S A V E$ $ $ o N G A S I 3 5
 Replacea brokenor
a
ft missingspoiler 9;$i":i:'hifftflii,",
Theplasticairdam(aka"spoiler") that'sbrokenor missingwasn't Yes,you'veheardit
justfor a sportylook.lf yourcarhadanairdam,drivingwithoutit before, but how
or witha damaged onecanreduceyourgasmileage.The airdam a b o u t s o m er e a l -
literally"dams off"airflowto the undercarriageof yourcar,forcing w orl d numbersto,
theairup andoverthe hood.That helpsyourcarcutthroughthe a h e m ,d r i v e t h e
airwithlessdrag.ltalsoincreases airflowto theA/Ccondenser and point home?Aero-
radiator,reducing the loadon yourcar'selectrical Contact
system. dynami cdragi s a
ajunkyard to geta replacement
or visitcertifit.com airdam. mi norconcerni n
citydriving,but it
r e a l l yk i l l sy o u r
g a sm i l e a g ea t
speedsover55
mph. ln fact,
increasing your
speedto 65
increases drag
coulDcosT
by 36 percent!
lf youdo a lot
YOUANDfiNA
of highway
dri vi ng,get-
$680PERYEAR'
tingto your
destination a
fewminutesearly
couldcostyou an extra5680a year.Keepit
closer to 55mphanduseyourcruise willpayoff.
control.lt

{ n Replaceyour oxygensensor(s}
ft beforethe light goeson
Oxygensensors monitorthe efficiencyof combustion by track-
ing the amountof oxygenremaining in the exhaust. Butthey
degradeovertimeandthat cancostyouup to 15percentin gas
mileage. Whentheyfail,the computerlightsup your"service
enginesoon"light,forcingyouto incuran 580diagnostic fee.On
pre-1996 vehicles,
replaceyouroxygensensor every60,000miles
to keepyour mileageat its peak.On 1996and newervehicles,
replace the sensorsevery100,000 miles.Oxygensensors cost
about560each.Somevehicles haveasmanyasfour,butthe sen-
sorsinstalledbehindthecatalytic
converter rarelyfail.

I36 S P E C I A LS E C T I O N M AUTO HELP

: ONEY-SAVING
 thingsto check
beforea roadtrip
t's time for the belovedfamilyroadtrip and everybody's ences;othersaresafetyissues.ltwouldbe bestto run through
itchingto get going.Betterdo a quickcheckof your car's this five-minutechecklista weekaheadof departureso you'll
healthfirst.Somediscoveriescanprevent"towable" experi- havetimeto getthe carrepaired isneeded.
if a mechanic

Chec kt h e c o n d i ti o no f a l l b e l ts . r1 Checkfor fluid leaks.Smallleaks C heckthe ti re pre ssur e.Lowair

1 2
I B r ok enb e l tsa re o n e o f th e mo s t Z oftenturn i nto gushersonceyou J pressure causes tiresto usemoregas,
commonreasons for roadside assistance leavetown,and that can be costly.The wearfasterand run hotter.Hot tiresare
calls.Replacement beltsshouldbe easy m o s tc o m m o ns o u r c e st h
: e radiator, moreproneto blowoutduringextended
to locateand replacenearyour home. engineoil pan,transmission oil panand highwaydrives. Checkthemall (includ-
Butthe beltfor yourcarmaybetoughto hoses,powersteeringhoses,steering ing the spare)beforeyou leave.Lookfor
find depending on whereyou'regoing. rack,andheaterandradiatorhoses. Usea the correctair pressure on the decalon
Twistthe beltslightlyto exposecracks or f l ashl i ght
to checkfor l eaks.N otethe eitherthe driver'sdooror the doorpillar.
glazing. Replace anybeltthat is cracked, colorof thefluidandtracethe fluidtrails lf thedecalismissing,checkyourowner's
wornor delaminating. backto theirsource. manual. Alwaysmakesurethe tiresare
coldwhenyouchecktirepressure.

,; Checkand top off all fluids.Wlththe engineofl check
t powersteeringfluid,brakefluid,coolant, windshieldwasher
and engineoil.Mostautomatictransmissions mustbe checked
with the enginehot and runningand the gearshiftin "park."
Checkyourowner'smanualto confirm.Lookfor the powersteer-
ingfluidlevelto reachthe COLDmarkon the dipstick.lfit'slow,
checkyourowner's manualandbuytheright fluidforyourvehicle.
1 0 T I P S T O S A V E$ $ $ O N G A S ; 5 T H I N G ST O C H E C KB E F O R EA R O A DT R I P 1 3 7
g Checkall exteriorlights.They'reeasyto check,andinexpen-
rJ siveto replace. Bulbnumbersand replacement procedures
are listedin your owner'smanual.Turnthe keyto the "acces-
sories"position(therelno needto starttheengine).Operatethe
turnsignals,brakelightsandbackuplights,and
checkforreflections
in your rearviewmirror.Performthe samecheckson the front
turnsignallights,headlights,
highbeams andrunninglights.
Replace
a brokentaillight
andsave$gS
indinga r e p l a c e m e ta n t i l l i g h ta s s e mb liys e asy.Manyc a rd e a l e r s
h a v es e t u p c o n s u m e r - f r i e n dWl ye bs i t e st h a t s e l lo r i gi n aI
equipmentmanufacturer's (OEM)partsat discounted pri ces.
Checkout thesedealersitesbeforeyou buyan after-
marketversion. Or simplyenter"taillight" into
y o u r f a v o r i t es e a r c he n g i n eY . o u ' l lb e
amazedat the numberof hitsyouget.Most
o f t h e c o m p a n i e ss e l l l o w - p r i c e d
offshore"knockoffs"of theOEMparts.lfyou're
OKwith an "aftermarket" version,makesure
t h e s e l l e rl i s t si t a s C A P Ac e r t i f i e dA. C A P A -
certifiedpart is guaranteed to fit andperformlike
theoriginal.
Carmanufacturers usetwo differ-
enttechniques to attachtaillights to
thebody.One methodusesthreaded
studsembedded in the taillight. The
studsar eins er t edi n to h o l e si n th e
sheetmetalandfastened with nuts(see
threaded-stud style,p. 139).The second
methodusesscrewsto secureone end of
the light,and captivestud/socket fasteners
on the otherend (seescrews and stud/socket
sty le,p. 139)lf. y ou rv e h i c l eh a sth e c a p ti v e
stu d/ s oc k et ar r ang e me nut,s ea w o o d e no r
plastictool to pry the studout of the socket.
Metalscrewdrivers willscratch the paint.
Onceyouhavethetaillightassembly dis-
connected, removethe lightbulbsockets by
releasing the catchmechanism andtwist-
ing.lfyouhaven't replaced the bulbsin the
pasttwo years,now is a goodtime to do
that ,s inc ey ou alr e a d yh a v ee v e ry th i n g
apart.Theninstallthe socketsin the new
taillightandreassemble.

DealerInternetsites
Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth Honda GM/Chevrolet/Buick/Oldsmobile/
newchryslerparts.com hondapartscheap.com GMC/Pontiac
dodgeparts.com newch rts.co
evroletpa m
Toyota
Ford/Mercury/Lincoln toyotadiscountparts.com Nissan
discountfordpartsaty2 m
kford.co nissanpa
rts2u.com

I3A S P E C I A LS E C T I O N M
: o N E Y . S A V I N GA U T o H E L P
Threaded-studstyle Screwsand stud/socketstyle

1Locatethe nuts and removethem from the threadedstuds

using a deep socketand ratchet. 1 Removethe screwsfrom the trunk or tift-gate side of the
taittight. Thesewere hidden under covers.

Snapnew l,ightbutbsinto the socketsand instatl the Pry the ptastic stud out of the socketwhile putling back
new taitlight. on the taittight assembly.

Repairand maintain
weatherstripping 1 ll,lll,"".o
the backof the
Duringthe winter,watercanfreezearoundthe door'sweather weatherstrip
strip,lockingyouout of yourcar.lf youpullhardto breakthe and the channet.
ice,the weatherstripcantearrightoff the door.Here's howto
fix theweatherstripandpreventit fromtearingagain.
Buya tubeof weather-strip adhesive, a canof nonflamma-
blespraybrakecleaner anda canof spraysilicone (allareavail- 3M SuperWeatherstrip
& GasketAdhesive,
ableat anyautopartsstore).Pullthe weatherstripawayfrom No.05l135.53
thedoorandcleanit andthe metalsurface withbrakecleaner.
Letthat dry completely, thensqueeze a beadof adhesive onto lf Prevent
theweather stripandchannel andletthatdry.Applya second i door stick-
coatto both surfaces and pressthe weatherstripinto place. ing with siti-
Cleanup anyadhesive messes withbrakecleaner. cone spray.
Movein ctose
Holdtheweather stripin placewithmasking tapeuntilthe
to cut down
adhesive dries(about45 minutes).Then pullthetapefreeand on oversPray.
spraysiliconeon theweather stripon theotherdoorsandtrunk
lid.Thatwillprevent icefromstickingto them.lt'sgoodpreven-
tivemaintenance to treatalltheweather strippingbeforewin-
ter everyyear.

R E P L A C EA B R O K E NT A I L L I G H T A N DS A V E$ 9 5 ; R E P A I RA N D M A I N T A I NW E A T H E RS T R I P P I N G 1 3 9
 Installa newcabinair fi lter
bout half of all newercarsare equippedwith a cabin P h i l l i p ss c r e w d r i v eYr .o u c a n u s u a l l yf i n d r e p l a c e m e nitn s t r u c -
air filter.lf your car hasone (checkyour owner'sman- t i o n si n t h e o w n e r ' sm a n u a l .
u a l ) ,y o u ' r es u p p o s e dt o c h a n g ei t e v e r y 1 2 , 0 0 0t o A Camryair filter setupis shown.But locationsvary depend-
15,000miles,or oncea year.But if you'relike most drivers,you're ing on the makeand modelof your car.ln fact,some luxurycars
still drivingwith the originalfilter and it's likelyclogged.lt'snot areequippedwith as manyasthreedifferenttypesof filters:one
just a comfortissue.Justas a cloggedfurnacefilter reducesthe air and a third madeof acti-
for freshair,a secondfor recirculated
furnace'sefficiency,a clogged cabin air filter reducesthe effi- vated charcoalto removeodors.lt's bestto replaceall three fil-
ciencyof the heatingand coolingsystemfor the car interior. tersat the sametime.
A cloggedfilter can also causemajor window fogging lf yourmanual showhowto findandreplace
doesn't thefilter,
p r oblemand to l o w e rg a sm i l e a g eA.n d
s c on tri b u te askthe dealerparts for
department Many
instructions. newfil-
because of the sluggishairflow, eventually you'll sheet-or the instructions
tershavean instruction mavbe
haveto replacea burned-outblowermotorfor onthemanufacturer's
Website.
S1 50or m or e,
The good newsis that cabinair fil-
ter replacementis a do-it-yourself Roaddebris,leaves,
dust and pollen all
p r o j e c t .A s e r v i c ec e n t e r w i l l
ctog cabin air fitters.
chargeabout $95for the filterand
labor on a 2003ToyotaCamry.Save
S 7Oby doingt he jo b y o u rs e lTf.h efi l te r
costsonlyS25at a dealer, andthejob takesless
. mo s tc a s e sy,o u ' l lo n l yn e e da
than30 m inut esI n

I4O AUTOHELP
S P E C I A LS E C T I o N :M o N E Y - S A V I N G
Whereis it?

I unsctettthe gtovebox hinges.Thenpressin on both sides

I of the glove box to titt it down and putl it free to access
the filter tray.

No cabinfilter?
Add an air purifi-er
lf yourcarisn'tequipped
w i t h a c a b i na i r f i l t e r ,
' you'renotoutof luck-you
I Stia" out the fitter tray and the
c a n s t i l l a d d a n i o n p u r i f i e r l.o n
3 old fitter. Note the orientation of
the pleatsand instatl the new filter in
purifiersgenerate billionsof negatively chargedions
the samedirection. that attachto vi ruses, bacteri a, dustand pol l en. The
particles arethenattracted to positively charged sur-
faceslikeyourplasticdashboard. Oncetheysettle, it's
j usta matterof usi nga spraycl eaner on al lth e har d
surfaces to wipeawaythepollutants.
A quickInternetsearch will turn up several differ-
enttypesof automotive plug-inion purifiers.The one
shownhereplugsintothe cigarette lighter.lt comes
with an extension ion generator that attaches to the
louverson a dashairvent.That featureallowsyouto
directthe flow of ionstowardthe passenger seator
the backseat-important if youcarrypassengers with
allergies.And because it workswith the car'sblower
system,it doesn'tneeda built-inblowerfanlikesome
otheruni ts.
550.airtamer.com
AirTamerA400 by Filterstream.
Stidethe filter tray backinto ptaceand reassemble
the
glove box.

I N S T A L LA N E W C A B I NA I R F I L T E RA; D D A N A I R P U R I F I E R 1 4 1
 yourcar'sAC
Recharge
y o u r c a r ' sa i r c o n d i t i o n i n g
systemhas lost its "cool,"it
m i g h tj u s t b e l o w o n r e f r i g -
e r a n t . A l l A C s y s t e m sl o s e t i n y
a m o u n t so f r e f r i g e r a nwt h e n c o n n e c -
t o r s e x p a n da n d c o n t r a c tT. h a t ' sd i f -
ferentfrom a catastrophic leak,where
you loseall the refrigerantat once.lf
that'sthe case,you haveto take your
c a r i n f o r a c o s t l yf i x . B u t i f y o u ' v e
n o t i c e da g r a C u allo s si n c o o l i n ga b i l -
.'ilhi..

i;i.]ii ity, you may be able to "top off" the

.j,!.ii

r e f r i g e r a nyt o u r s e l if n a b o u t 2 0 m i n -
u t e sa n df o r l e s st h a n S 4 0 .
N o t e : l f y o u ' r en o t s u r e t h a t a s l o w
l e a ki st h e p r o b l e mi,t w o n ' th u r tt o t r y
the DIYfix anyway.Justbe awarethat
y o u m a y b e p o u r i n gt h a t 5 4 0 d o w n
t h e d r a i n . T h ifsi x i s o n l y g o o d f o r c a r s
w i t h t h e n e w e r R - 1 3 4 ar e f r i g e r a n t .
C h e c ky o u r o w n e r ' sm a n u a lt o s e e

u w h i c hr e f r i g e r a ni st i n y o u rc a r .
R e f r i g e r a ncta n c a u s ef r o s t b i t ea n d s e r i -
o u se y ei n j u r i e si f u s e di m p r o p e r l yR. e a d
a l l t h ec a u t i o n a riyn f o r m a t i o inn t h e k i t
i n s t r u c t i o nasn, d w e a rl e a t h egr l o v e sa n d
g o g g l e sd u r i n gt h e p r o c e d u r e .
S t a r tb y p u r c h a s i n g a n R - 1 3 4 ak i t
f r o m a n a u t o p a r t s s t o r e .A v o i d t h e
"rechargo e n l y "k i t sa n d
opt for the morecom-
p l e t e " d i a g n o s ea n d
recharge"
kits.Thesekits
include a pressure
g a u g ea, h o s e , ac o u p l e r ,
a v a l v ea n d a c a n o f
. eg a u g ei s
r e f r i g e r a nTt h
e s p e c i a l l iym p o r t a n tt o
p r o p e r l yd i a g n o s et h e c o n d i t i o no f
your ACsystem.
T o b e g i n t h e d i a g n o s i sf,i r s t f i n d
t h e l o w - p r e s s u rceh a r g i n gp o r t . l t ' s
l o c a t e di n t h e l a r g e ro f t h e t w o h o s e s
t h a t r u n f r o m t h e f i r e w a l lt o t h e
A C c o m p r e s s o rA. t t a c h t h e g a u g e /
c o u p l e r / h o saes s e m b l yt o t h i s f i t t i n g
( P h o t o1 ) . W h e nt h e s l e e v es n a p si n t o
p l a c et,h e c o n n e c t oirs l o c k e do n .
P e r f o r mt h e d i a g n o s t i ct e s t so u t -
l i n e di n t h e k i t i n s t r u c t i o nO
s .n et e s ti s
t o c h e c kt h e c o m p r e s s ocrl u t c ht o s e e
i f i t ' st u r n i n g .D o n ' ta s s u m ea t u r n i n g
c o m p r e s s opru l l e ym e a n sa t u r n i n g
c o m p r e s s ocrl u t c h .R e f e rt o P h o t o2
t o s e et h e d i f f e r e n c e .

142 S P E C I AS
L E C T I O NM: O N E Y - S A V I NAGU T o H E L P
{ Removethe pl,asticdust cap from Testthe compressorctutch by starting the engine and turning the ACto MAX.The
I ttre fitting. Putt up on the coupler clutch on the left is inoperative. The clutch on the right is turning.
sleeveand push the coupteronto the
fitting as you releasethe sleeve.

Protectthe
environment
Technicians oftenexplainthat
federalEPAregulations require
themto locateand repairany
R-l34arefrigerant leaksbefore
c h a r g i n ga n A C s y s t e m .
F i n d i n g a n d r e p a i r i n ga
smallleak(lessthan3 ozs.per
year)is verydifficultand very
costly.While stateor localreg-
u l a t i o n sm a y r e q u i r el e a k
r e p a i r ,i t i s n ' t r e q u i r e db y
thefederalEPA. Formoreinfor-
m a t i o no n t h i s t o p i c ,v i s i t
e p a . g o v / o z oen/ t i t l e6I 6 0 9/
recharge.html#q3.
Hotdthe can upright. Openthe vatveand add refrigerant until the gaugereaches However, just becausethe
the pressureshownin the instruction sheet. EPAdoesn'trequireleakrepair
doesn'tmeanthatR-134a leaks
areOK.R-134a isa greenhouse
lf the testsshowthat the systemcan NOTE:The CaliforniaAir Resources gasand it doescontribute to
be c har ged, ho l d th e c a n u p ri g h ta n d B o a rd recentl yproposeda ban on globalwarming.lf yourACsys-
openthe valve(Photo3).As refrigerant the saleof R-l34ato Californiacon- tem requi res a " toppingof f "
flowsintothe system,watch the pressure. sum€rs.Dependingon the outcome two yearsin a roryit'sprobably
gaugecarefullyto makesureyou don't o f t h i s p r o p o s a l r! o u m a y n o t b e time to repairthe leak.You're
exceed thepressures listedin the instruc- a b l e t o p u r c h a s et h e r e f r i g e r a n t not onlyaddingto the green-
tion sheet.Overcharging an R-I34asys- describedhere. housegaseffectbut alsoburn-
temactually diminishes itscoolingability i ng moregasbecaus of e t he
andcandamageexpensive components. lowerefficiency of your car's
lf thetestsshowthatthe systemisn'tlow ACsystem.
on refrigerant, you'llhaveto takethe car
to a profor repair.
R E c H A R G EY o U R C A R ' S A C A N D S A V E $ 5 0 I.}g
5 thingsto lubricatebeforewinter

{ Spraywindow tracks with siticone spray or dry Teflon. 1l nppty silicone sprayon alt weatherstripping. Siticonewitl
I Siticonestaysstick evenin cold weather,so windowsslide Skeep ice from bondingthe rubber to the metal doors.
smoothly,lesseningthe wear on your window motors. That'[[ make doorsopen smootherand may even preventtears in
the weatherstripping.

Q Sprayaerosollithium
greaseon the /l reepyour[ockcytinders working ( Spraytithium greaseon door hinges
rrl
d hood latch mechanism.You don't smoothtyby injectingdry Teflon J to keepthem openingsmoothlyand
want to fight a bal,kyhood latch when lubricantspray.Youneverknowwhen prevent rust.
ifs snowingand you're trnng to add yourremotekeytessentrysystemmight
windshietdfluid. tet youdown.

Switchto winter wiper blades REGULAR

WIPER BTADE
Bladesupportscanget packedwith snoryandthenthe ICE AND SNOW CAN GET
STUCK IN OPENINGS
wiperbladeeithercauses streaks or misses largeswathsof
y ourwinds hie l d Wi. n te rw i p e rb l a d e se l i mi n a te
that
p r o b l e mT. h ee n t i r eb l a d ei s w r a p p e di n a
r u b b e rb o o t t h a t o r e v e n t si c e a n d
s nowf r om s t ic k i n go r p a c k i n gT.h e y
m ak ef or m uchb e tte rv i s i b i l i tya n d
saferwinterdriving. BOOTED BLADE
lwtNTERt

lrr-
I44 S P E C I A LS E C T I o N :M o N E Y - S A V I N GA U T o H E L P
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