Tag Archives: diy

Popcorn Ceiling Removal

acoustic ceiling - popcorn ceiling

Popcorn ceilings are so ’70s. Not only are they well past their prime, bumpy ceilings are tacky. If you’re tired of living with these monstrosities, let’s talk popcorn ceiling removal.

Experts strongly recommend an asbestos check before you disturb the status quo. You can buy an asbestos testing kit or mail some scrapings to a laboratory for analysis.

In the event asbestos is present, put away your tools and contact state-certified asbestos abatement professionals. Asbestos removal is not a prudent DIY project.

Under the best circumstances, popcorn ceiling removal is a dirty job. You should wear personal protective equipment (PPE) including: face mask, goggles, close-toed sturdy shoes, coveralls and work gloves.

Gather your tools before beginning the project. You’ll need: ladder, 6″ putty knife or plastic trowel, spray bottle or garden sprayer (preferred), plenty of plastic tarps and a couple of rolls of masking tape. You may need a sander.

Prepare the room by moving contents to another area. Turn off the electricity in the room where you’re working and take down light fixtures and/or ceiling fan. Cover the floor and walls with plastic and secure with tape. Put on your PPE.

If it appears somebody has painted over the bumps, you will need to sand the ceiling before wetting.

Wet the textured ceiling thoroughly, using your garden sprayer or spray bottle. Using side-to-side motions lightly spray the same small section several times until you have properly saturated the entire ceiling. Let the water soak into the ceiling about 20 minutes.

Now it’s time to get down to serious popcorn ceiling removal business! You might want to crank up your favorite tunes. Get your putty knife and start scraping. Don’t get overly vigorous. Keep your putty knife level so you won’t gash the drywall.

There is no doubt this work is tedious, but very important. Just keep scraping until done. If it seems your work is getting harder, give that section another drink of water. Wait the requisite 20 minutes, start scraping and the “popcorn” should pop right off.

After you finish scraping, get a damp (not wet) sponge and remove any stragglers. Now, eyeball the ceiling for gouges or rips. If necessary, use drywall compound to repair the damage and conceal any nail holes. Be mindful, you’re aiming for a smooth surface, so that you will likely need to do a final sanding prior to painting.

Now, stand back and admire your popcorn ceiling removal work!

5 Points to Consider When Cleaning Your Gutters

Gutters on home

Cleaning gutters is a big job and it’s no wondering many people neglect it year after year. Most of us dread this annual or semi-annual chore. It’s dirty, disgusting, hard work, not to mention dangerous. One wrong move and you could be spending the day in the emergency room – or worse. If you’re a homeowner it pays to know how to do this job as safely as possible. We developed a five point guide to cleaning your gutters safely and efficiently, the same way the professionals do.

Rust

The first point isn’t about the tools of the trade for cleaning gutters; it’s about what happens if you don’t clean them. In many cases they will rust out. Standing water leaves, and dirt in many types of gutters will cause rust holes. These will have to be repaired and eventually the whole gutter system will have to be replaced. Prevention goes a long way. Cleaning or, better yet, using aluminum or plastic gutters will prevent rust. A thin coat of zinc will also prevent rusting.

Ladders

It should go without saying that your ladder should be sturdy. You’ll want to use a four legged ladder (three legged orchard ladders are definitely not a good choice), preferably aluminum or fiberglass. Wooden ladders tend to be less stable than these other options, although if the ground around your home is exceptionally flat, a wooden ladder might be OK.

For a single story home, a taller stepladder is an excellent choice. A strong, wide shelf is also a good thing to have, since you can use this for a bucket to hold the debris you’re cleaning out of your gutters.

Before you get up on any ladder, make sure that it’s stable, any fasteners are secure and the hinges are locked firmly in place. If necessary, place a piece of plywood underneath the ladder for added stability. Better still, have someone else there to hold the ladder and keep it stable. Keep three limbs on the ladder at all times so that you don’t lose your balance – forgetting this is what leads to the majority of gutter cleaning injuries.

close up of clean gutter

The Right Tools for the Job

Heavy duty work gloves help keep your hands clean while you’re dealing with all of the decaying leaves and other muck that ends up in your gutters. Gloves will also protect your hands from sharp edges, bee and wasp stings and anything else you might come across while cleaning out your gutters.

A scoop is also a good tool to have. You can find plastic gutter scoops at nearly any hardware store and they can save you a lot of time and trouble. They’re usually only a few dollars and would be a bargain at twice the price.  A garden trawl will also work in pinch.

gutter downspout

Check the Downspouts

Before you finish, use a hose to spray out the gutters and check to see if the water is draining properly through your downspouts. If not, you’ll need to clear whatever is clogging it. These clogs can usually be cleared by tapping on the side of the downspout and giving it another flushing out with the hose – repeat as necessary.

Avoiding Cleaning Your Gutters In The First Place

Cleaning out the gutters is a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, if you install a high quality gutter guard, you won’t need to clean them as much! A micromesh guard like Gutter Glove can protect your gutters by keeping out leaves, dirt and other debris, which means you may never have to face this dirty and dangerous job again.

Carpet Tiles – All You Need to Know

carpet tile squares - color samples

Carpet tiles are a modern alternative to traditional carpet rolls. They may be listed as modular carpet, or carpet squares, but their overall design is generally the same. Each individual square is installed on its own and this carpet has its own unique set of pros and cons associated with it.

Carpet tiles are becoming a popular choice for both residential and commercial flooring. They are found in airports, schools, and even the rooms of a home. Since you don’t have to struggle with a traditional roll of carpet, you can use them in more confined spaces. You can even set them in rooms that aren’t an even size with ease.

These Tiles Come in Different Styles and Colors

As you look at carpet tiles, you’ll notice they aren’t all the same. Each of these tiles has variable sizes, shapes, fibers, and types associated with it. That means you can mix and match these items as needed for your business. Traditionally, these tiles are backed so that they can be installed easily on any surface you’re looking to install them on. This is usually options like fiberglass, urethane, woven polypropylene and even recycled vinyl. When you consider any tile, you’ll want to look at the backing and how well it will hold up in the room it will be used in.

The backing may also be designed to simply peel and stick, or it might require glue. While both styles work in a do it yourself setting, you’ll want to consider that the application of glue will extend the amount of time it will take to install these carpet tiles.

How to Choose Carpet Tiles

When you choose the carpet tiles for a room, think about the big picture. You don’t want to think about a single tile and how it will look. Think about the finished floor and how it will look with the layout and design of the space. You might find that one individual style or design will appear significantly different from another. Your goal is to take the time to make sure that you have the right tile size, color, and even pattern in a room before you even start to lay it.

In addition to the visual considerations, also look at the warranty associated with the tile. You’ll want to make sure you are fully covered beyond the safety aspect of it. Make sure there is a warranty in place for concerns like curling, buckling, and even shrinking. That way if something does happen, you’ll have a warranty to back you up so that you can get the tiles replaced.

The Pros of Using Carpet Tiles

When you look at carpet tiles, you’ll find that there are definitely some benefits that are associated with using them. They include:

  • The simplest installation available, often with do it yourself kits available.
  • Little prep work is required, as you can install these tiles over most other types of flooring.
  • They are simple to clean and care for. Just remove a damaged tile and swap it out for a new one.
  • There is the ability to be more creative and to design a room according to your unique needs.

Cons of Using Carpet Tiles

While the majority of the things to consider are good, you will encounter some cons when using carpet tiles.

  • The seams in this type of carpeting tend to be visible.
  • They do not do well in areas with moisture, mildew, and mold are problems.
  • They are often more expensive than traditional carpet rolls.

Where Should You Install Carpet

Carpet tiles can be used in most rooms of the home. Some spaces just have a few additional benefits.

Take for example, the basement. If you ever have a floor or want an easy to clean and install tile, then carpet tiles are the best choice. You can remove them if the area floods and this will save you time and money. More importantly, when things dry out, you can also quickly reinstall it.

Screened porches are a transitional room from the outdoors to inside of your home. Carpet tiles can be used to give the comfort of the indoors, while having a durable option that will work in most cases. They can install on a deck and if they become too worn, you can replace an individual square, rather than having to carpet the entire space all over again.

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits that are associated with carpet tiles. Take a moment to consider the right approach for your home and choose a color, pattern, and design that will meet your needs.

Our personal experience with carpet tiles started with samples from Best Carpet Value (www.bestcarpetvalue.com)

Unique Way to Wallpaper a Wall

woman holding wallpaper

Some walls just seem to cry out for something different. This is especially true with walls that may be the only wall in a room with wainscot or a narrow bit of wall at the end of a hallway or entryway. You might want to consider using wallpaper in a uniquely different manner.

Instead of hanging panels of wallpaper, get scraps, samples, short rolls, etc. and tear them into small pieces of a couple of inches square to create a mottled look on your wall. It does take some time but is simple to do and can be a fun, creative way to add color to a small part of your home.

The first thing to do is prepare the wall. If it has old wallpaper on it, you will want to remove that wallpaper. To do this, you can use a wallpaper remover to loosen it and then scrape it off. If the wall is painted with a smooth surface, just clean it well and put primer on it. If the wall is textured, you can use a joint compound to fill in the low areas, let it dry, sand it lightly and then cover with primer.

Finding wallpaper for this is fairly simple. Most stores that carry wallpaper have sample books and may have some old ones they will either give you or sell cheaply. Also check the bargain wallpaper for rolls of discontinued wallpaper, short rolls and scraps. It is best to have an idea of what colors you want before you start buying so you don’t end up with wallpaper you end up not being able to use. For example, you may want to use blue as the basic color so you look for various shades of blue. If you want to create some sort of pattern in another color or two, such as a night sky, also watch for whites and shades of yellow.

If possible, get prepasted wallpaper that only has to be wetted to put up. Since it may not be possible to get all of it in prepasted, get wallpaper paste too. Even the prepasted will stick better with a little more paste on it. The paste won’t be mixed as thick as it would if you were hanging full panels so you won’t need to buy as much.

Once you have most if not all of the wallpaper you will need, start tearing it into small pieces of two to three inches square. In a medium bowl or bucket (an ice cream bucket works well for this), mix the wallpaper paste so it is soupy. This would be about three parts water to one to one and a half parts wallpaper paste. Drop a couple of handfuls of the torn wallpaper pieces into the paste mixture and start sticking them to the wall, overlapping them slightly as you go. One nice thing about this method is that it is forgiving and there is no such thing as a mistake.

Once you have the entire wall covered with no bare wall showing, you can add a complimentary wallpaper border at the top and bottom for a finished look. Once it is completely dry, you can give it a couple of coats of spray or roller polyurethane to seal it.

Though it takes time, it can be fun to do and your wall will be unique. If you have more walls that are similarly crying out for something different, you might use the same technique and try different colors and effects for each one so each can make its own statement.

Some Things To Think About With Home Repair

A lot of people believe that do-it-yourself home repair is a much more cost effective way to get repairs done than hiring a professional. The truth is that for some people this may be the case. However, for others it could lead to an unsatisfactory result which would cost more in the long run. There are some things you should consider before embarking on a home repair DIY project.

  • Do you really know what you are doing?
  • Do you have to tools to do it with?
  • Do you have the experience to do it right?
  • Do you have the time to work on your home?
  • Do you know what local regulations govern your project?
  • Do you know if there are any health concerns that must be considered?

If you have worked with this kind of project before, you may have the necessary skills to pull it off right, but will you need some help along the way. If you believe you will need help with this repair, maybe you should call in a professional for the expertise they will bring with them.

It is important that you have a plan to work with and you must be willing to stick with your plan. Construction of any type, even if it only involves repairs is a layered process. if you are not working with a plan, you are likely to miss some of the steps necessary to affect a good fix to the issues with your home.

If your home repair is a larger project, you will want to break it down into smaller, easier to accomplish projects and make your plans according to what needs to be done within each. Before getting started on major projects, make sure to check with local building authorities about any regulations you will need to follow.

If you follow the tips above, you may find that DIY home repair will help you out, but don’t forget to call in the experts when you need them.