Clever tips and tricks for Diyers
WHATEVER DIY project you may be tackling, there are always a few tips and tricks that you can put to good use.
Here are just a few clever tricks to help you along the way:
1. Drilling a hole in the ceiling can make a big mess, especially if you’re working over a carpet. This simple solution will contain the dust for an easy clean-up.
The next time you use up the contents of a disposable plastic container, save the lid. Drive a drill bit through the centre of the lid, and then use the drill to make the hole in the ceiling. The dust will fall on the lid, and you can simply throw it away when you’re done.
2. Applying sealer is the perfect way to fill gaps. But if you’ve ever tried doing it yourself, you may have found that applying a clean line can be tricky. Luckily, you can solve that problem with masking tape.
Apply the tape on either side of the area where you want the sealer to go, lay the sealer and smooth it with your finger. When you peel back the tape, you’ll be left with a tidy edge.
3. We’ve all been there: you try to remove an old screw, and the drill bit just spins uselessly in the screw head.
Fortunately, you can use a Dremel Mul- titool with cutting disk to cut a slot in the screw. To cut the slot, hold the tool perpendicular to the screw head and slowly lower it onto the centre of the screw. Once the slot is cut, you can remove the screw with a flathead screwdriver.
4. When doing an upholstery project and you need to hammer in tacks or upholstery pins, the last thing you want is to hurt yourself.
The easiest way to hammer in tacks or upholstery pins, or even small panel pins, for that matter, is to use a pair of needle nose pliers to hold the pin or tack in place while you hit down with a hammer.
5. Tired of guessing at the location to place picture hangers on the wall? The problem can be solved by applying tape to the frame hanger and then pushing a thumbtack through the tape.
Position the frame and push the tack into the wall to get a precise hole for mounting your picture hanger. Remove the tape and tack, and you’ll be able to hang the frame ex- actly where you wanted it.
6. When using a spade bit to drill through a piece of timber, place a scrap piece of board underneath to ensure a clean cut edge on both sides of the timber or board.
7. When spray painting projects, big or small, use a dowel to hold the object while you spray. For smaller projects, you can use wooden skewers or toothpicks.
8. When drilling holes in glass or tile, roll Prestik into a thin sausage to make a circular well. Press this down onto the glass or tile around the area to be cut and fill with a small amount of cutting oil or Q-20.
By doing this, you reduce the amount of heat generated during cutting and extend the life of the cutting bit. Where tiles are mounted on a wall, make the bottom of the well higher so that you’re able to hold the fluid in place as you drill.
9. Use double-sided tape to make mounting drawer fronts easier. If you apply double-sided tape to the back of drawer fronts, you can align these up perfectly before permanently screwing them in place through the inside of the drawer frame.
10. When you need to drill holes for mounting Euro or concealed hinges, use a Forstner or MAD bit. These bits have a much smaller tip, which means less possibility of going through the other side of timber and board.
11. If you are worried about damaging the surrounding tiles when removing old grout, use a Dremel Multitool fitted with a grout attachment. These attachments are purchased separately, but take the risk out of damaging tiles when cutting out discoloured or crumbly grout.
12. When you need to fill in holes in a wall and match it to an existing textured plaster finish, there are a couple of techniques to try.
Wait until the crack filler is almost dry, but still soft, then lightly dab with a cloth or sea sponge, or a paintbrush, to match the surrounding wall texture.
— Hodzine