10 Small and easy repairs you can do yourself at home

Rita Deo Rita Deo
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Homeowners get personal satisfaction from accomplishing small repairs around the house by themselves instead of calling in a professional as it is also more economical.  While fixing leaks and replacing taps may be an easy job with a bit of practice but more complex tasks are best left to professionals as a DIY task may turn out to be disastrous.  But you need not worry as here are some tips from professionals to assist you to ensure that those few around the house fixes are done without any problem.

1. Leaky tap

This is the most common repair problem that every homeowner learns to manage by trail and error until they get used to the knowledge that not all taps are the same. Best way to repair a leaky tap is to first stop the flow of water into the tap then removing the handle and other parts to see where the problem lies. Usually worn out washers or seats lead to these issues and will have to be replaced with specific brand and model of the original tap to stop the leakage.

2. Replacing worn-out caulk

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Caulk used around sinks and bathtubs usually dries and cracks in bathrooms with constant exposure to water. Best way to manage this issue would be to remove the silicone caulk by damping it with adhesive remover using cloth or sponge. Once the old caulk is soaked completely remove the old caulk and clean the surface with good quality ceramic tile cleaner. Caulk the region once both surfaces are dry.

3. Cracked or chipped tiles

Chipped tiles on both floors and walls look ugly and mar the landscape but uprooting tiles on the entire surface is both an illogical and expensive process if only a small tile is broken or chipped. You can easily replace the single tile by breaking it after removing the grout around it with a masonry drill. Once the tile is out of place, paste a similar one in with required adhesive and then reapply grout to smooth out the edges.

4. Replacing door and window accessories

Repairing or replacing door handles, window jambs, door stoppers and other accessories is as common as repairing leaky taps in the house. Frequent usage makes them vulnerable to easy wear and tear so better keep a few door and window accessories at home as all you would have to do is replace the old ones with new. Replace door stops and handles after carefully removing the screws off the old ones and taking them off completely. 

5. Fixing torn vinyl flooring

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Vinyl floors are inexpensive and beautiful but there are vulnerable to tears and warping which makes the entire floor look ugly. The best way to cover up small tears in vinyl is to seal the region with silicone based sealer and clean off the excess sealant with damp cloth.  Small tears on vinyl floors that are not waxed can be filled in by rubbing bathing soap along the open cut until it gets sealed.

6. Smoothing over scratches on wooden cabinets

Wooden cabinets are an eyeful and worthy of appreciation but they can be painful to maintain as the scratches over them spoil their exterior beauty. If there is a long wait for the next paint job and the scratches are looking ugly you can purchase scratch fillers from local hardware stores in color that is closest to your cabinet and rub it into the scratched region to disguise it. Sometimes felt pens can carry out the same trick with ink that is matches the cabinet.

7. A frozen icemaker

A frozen ice-maker can turn into a nightmare when you are expecting guests at home in summer. While you are waiting for the service person to make an appearance here is a small trick that you can try to get the thing working without causing any damage to the gadget. Most often the tube that fills in water into the cube tray freezes up leading to the delay in ice formation so the best solution would be to remove ice cube tray from freezer and allow the frozen ice over the tube to thaw with a hair dryer.

8. Blocked sink

The old vinegar and salt concoction is sometimes not enough to clear out blocked sink in bathroom or kitchen. First try a plunger available at hardware store to clear the block but do attempt it if chemical drain cleaners have been poured.  If plunging does not work then try to open the P-trap and clean the clog after placing a bucket under the sink.

9. Cleaning grout stains between tiles

Tiles are easy to clean with home made cleaners but stains that sink into the grout like wine and mildew are tough to clean. Best solution under the circumstances would be to soak the region well with strong tile cleaner and let it stay for a few days before cleaning the region with soap and water.

10. Loose laminate counter-top

Kitchen counters with laminated surfaces look as elegant as those  made of natural stone and are just as long lasting if maintained well. In this modern kitchen that has a breakfast bar built above the counter it is difficult to recognize this as laminate at first glance.  While correcting chipped or cracked stone counters is difficult, repairing a laminated counter is an effortless task as all you need is the right adhesive to fit the sheet back into counter. Just clean both the sides and apply the adhesive before pressing the laminate sheet down in place and resting a heavy object on top until it dries. 

For more DIY inputs do study these Tips to secure your home against intruders.

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