How to Determine if a Door is a Left Hand or Right Hand Door

A common confusing factor when installing or replacing a door is the swing of the door. When ordering the new door you will need to know if the door is a left hand or a right hand door.

Before I started my own home building business I worked with one of the best home builders in my area. I picked up many tips that helped me in my own business.

One day we were walking through a new house making a list of doors we needed to order. He was calling out the door sizes and the swing of the door, left hand or right hand. I asked him how he determined the swing. He said that he that if he reaches with his right hand to pull the door open the door is a right hand door. If he reaches with his left hand to pull the door open the door is a left hand door.

After I started ordering doors myself I discovered an easier way to determine the swing. The way I determine if the door is a left hand or right hand door: Stand in the door opening with your back to the hinge side of the door jamb. If the door will swing open to your left hand side, the door is a left hand door. If the door swings to your right hand side it is a right hand door. Very simple and easy to remember.

Quick Fix for a Stripped Out Wood Screw Hole

Have you ever stripped out a hole in wood while tightening a wood screw? I have stripped out a few in my efforts at tightening screws while hanging doors or tightening screws in cabinet doors.

This is a trick I have used many times and it has always worked very well.

1.       Remove the screw

2.      Break the head (striking end) off a wood match and discard. Cover the match stick with wood glue and insert the match stick in the screw hole. A wood toothpick or several toothpicks can also be used instead of a match stick.

3.      Lightly tap the match sticks or toothpicks into the hole with a hammer .

4.      Cut the wood stick flush with the surface.

5.      Start your screw as close to the center of the hole as you can. As you tighten the screw it will push the glue covered sticks to the walls of the hole and the glue will dry and form a good tight bond.

 

Items needed for this project:

·         Wood matches or toothpicks

·         Wood glue

·         Screwdriver

·         Hammer

·         Sharp knife

 

How to Apply Stain Like a Pro

This is a good video from Cabot. The video demonstrates the correct way to insure your work turns out like a professional job.

Video Compilation of Household Accidents

This is a video compilation of hilarious household accidents.

Home repair and remodeling can be fun and very satisfying. Most of our projects turn out fine with no major incidents. Sometimes however it seems everything goes wrong.

I have to say the people in these videos were having a bad day. Take a look.

Holiday Home Safety

Holiday Home Safety Preparation video provided by U.S. Inspect.

WALLPAPER REMOVAL TIP

There are many ideas on the best way to remove wallpaper. Most of these tips leave you frustrated and discouraged. The wallpaper tears while the paper backing and glue remain on the wall or you gouge holes and rip the paper face of the sheetrock. Does this sound familiar?

This week a homeowner told me they were attempting to remove the wallpaper border from around the ceiling of her bedroom and the paper would not come off. She said she had used one of the tools that punch small holes in the paper and the sprayed the wallpaper with water and was having no luck. She then tried a heat gun, a tool similar to a hair dryer, but only succeeded in pulling the face off the wallpaper, leaving the paper backing and glue on the wall.

The suggestion I gave her and the one that solver her problem.

Use the heat gun and remove the surface of the wallpaper over a two to four foot section.

Now go back and wet the paper and the glue that was left behind with a mist sprayer or wet cloth.

Let the water soak in for a couple of minutes.

Now go back and peel the paper backing and glue off with a damp cloth or your fingers.

  Now continue on with another two to four foot section.

This is the process we used this week and it worked great. A happy homeowner completed the job and painted the room with no mess left behind.

Proper Grading

Proper grading around your home is very important. Water penetration or wet basements and foundations can often be attributed to improper grading. Water must flow away from your home and never toward your home. Check out this video.

Proper Grading video provided by U.S. Inspect.