That Squeak is Driving Me Nuts!
Got a door or window that squeaks when you open and shut it? Head for the hardware store (and most grocery stores too) and buy a small can of WD40. This is a lubricant and it comes with a little straw for spraying into small spaces. Don’t loose the straw, you will want it someday. Keep it taped to the side of the can.
Spray WD40 on the squeaking hinge and odds are your squeak will disappear. One can will last for years and is a standard item in any garage.
Patching Small Holes
Remember when your mom nagged you to use those little tacky, gummy things to put posters up on your walls, but instead you used tacks, nails and screws? Now, at last, you are going to know why you should care. Because…you’re landlord will be unhappy about all those holes in the walls and YOU WILL NOT GET YOUR DAMAGE DEPOSIT BACK!!
So, what do you do? Go to the hardware store and buy a small tub of spackle, or a tube of caulk for walls, as well as a piece of sandpaper—not too rough, not too fine (you’ll see what I mean when you get there).
Lightly sand the edges around the hole so that they are smooth. Using your finger, apply a small amount of spackle or caulk to fill the hole and blend in around it. Don’t use too much, or it will cover the texture of the wall (yes, you care), and make it harder to cover up the patch.
Let the patch dry. If it’s a very large hole, you may have to add more spackle or caulk, and you may have to try to give it a bit of texture to simulate the texture around the hole. If it’s a large hole, you can buy cans of texture, just follow the directions
When finally dry, sand LIGHTLY to blend in the rough spots. If you have paint to match the wall, touch it up with paint. Hopefully, you can barely tell where the hole was. Hopefully.
If you have accidentally missed your roommate and punched a hole in the wall, this is a bigger project than a finger full of spackle can tackle. Hardware stores carry kits that include screens, cutting guides and spray cans for retexturing the area. This is a bigger and more expensive project, but if you take your time and do it right it will look pretty good, and save you a lot of grief from your landlord. You also might reconsider how you and your roommate handle differences of opinion…just a thought.
Speaking of Painting
So you’ve decided to spruce up a room or two with a fresh coat of paint. Great idea, but first, get the plan okayed by your landlord, and be clear about who pays for the paint. Some landlords may be happy to foot the bill if you supply the labor. It can’t hurt to ask.
1) Picking The Paint
There are some things to consider here. First, if you are tempted to pick an extremely dark color, just remember that it will take a lot more of a lighter colored paint to cover it up, should you ever decide to repaint. Plus, you’re landlord might not want to pay for black rooms.
Second, you will have to pick from a dazzling variety
of finishes. Should you choose flat, satin, semi-gloss or gloss? Choose satin. It is easier to clean dirt off of than flat. Also, when you want to touch-up the spots where you’ve spackled over little holes, it’s much less likely to show on satin surfaces than any of the other choices. By the way, be sure it says “interior” on the can. Unless you’re painting the “exterior” of the house, in which case, your landlord definitely should pay for the paint, and throw in free rent for at least a month or two!
Third, buy acrylic or latex based products—not oil based. This means that it cleans up with water. Check the directions on the can to be sure. YOU DO NOT WANT OIL BASED PAINT. Trust me. However, if you are considering oil based because you want a shiny finish, choose high gloss instead of satin, but don’t do an entire room in high gloss or you’ll feel like you’re living in a fish bowl.
Fourth, be sure to consider whether or not you are planning on painting the ceiling. If you are, will you use the same color, or a different one? Be sure you get enough paint. Measure the room (i.e. 10ft. by 12ft.) and how high the ceilings are (8 ft.? 9 ft.?) and tell the clerk in the paint department. They will be able to figure out how much paint you will need.
2) Preparing to Paint
Before you open the can, you have to prepare the room. Either move furniture out of the room, or move it into the center of the room and cover with a plastic sheet. Sheets of plastic for painting are very cheap at the hardware store; buy a few of them. Using masking tape, tape off all the edges you don’t want to get paint on. This would include the top of the base board, the edge of wooden window sills, or any wall or ceiling that you don’t want this color on.
Lay the remaining plastic sheets out to protect the floor. Wash any obviously dirty spots on the walls with water and dish soap.
TIP: This is all considered prep-work for the actual painting. It will take longer than you anticipate–it always does–but don’t get frustrated. If you take some time on doing the prep-work right, the actual painting process will go much faster and smoother.
3) Ready to Paint!
Do not overload your rollers and brushes or you will have messy dripping. Also, after the first coat, let the paint dry over night and then look for spots that need touch up. No matter what any brand tells you, I’ve found you will usually need a couple of coats, just to get it all even. Another reason to wait overnight for the second coat is that painted surfaces look different in different lights, i.e., daylight and evening light. You are likely to see spots you missed in one light, and not another.
All done? Tear off your tape, put the furniture back and enjoy!
Miscellaneous Good Things to Know
1) Be sure to unscrew all hoses on the outside of the house before temperatures drop below freezing. Otherwise you run the risk of frozen water backing up into the house and bursting pipes. Not only is this a mess, it’s expensive to fix and your landlord will not be happy.
2) Keep spare light bulbs around. You never know when a bulb will blow just when you need it.
3) The internet and library are your friends. There are lots of how-to resources there, so don’t forget to check them out.
