Tools of the Trade: Enhancing Your Home-Improvement Project With Basic Resources
There’s always something to fix or upgrade in your home. It’s a fact of homeownership that repairs are constant. Instead of perceiving these repairs as chores, however, think of them as opportunities. Your home can look much better than before when you apply certain techniques and use particular tools. Explore the tools of the trade as your home-improvement project becomes a work of art.
Creating a Straight Edge
Painting corners or transitions on the wall are difficult. If there are two colors involved, you must define them with a straight line between the ceiling and walls.
Avoid wavy lines at these transitions by using painter’s tape. Before any paint goes up on the walls, line every edge with tape. Its edge will guide your hand and minimize mistakes. If you do paint in the wrong direction, the color simply falls onto the tape. Pull it away when you’re done to see a straight edge across your wall.
Picking the Best Brush
As you walk into any home-improvement store, one aisle might be dedicated to paint brushes and rollers. Don’t let the selection overwhelm you, however. There are specific brushes for particular applications. Consider your project’s details. The walls may have texture, or there’s a large area to be covered.
Look at each brush type, and match it to your application. Clear descriptions usually accompany each brush on the retail packaging. There are even brushes for corners that are difficult to reach.
Protecting the Floor
Your home’s flooring may be relatively new, but the walls and ceiling need a fresh coat of paint. Don’t worry about dripping paint on your beautiful floor when there’s a material made just for protection purposes. Flooring paper comes in large rolls that can be taped together. Tape them to your baseboards or flooring edge. Connect them across the entire floor because the paper is extremely thick and tough. Professional contractors use this paper, and they don’t tear into it at all.
Using Stud Finders
A basic tool that comes in handy is a stud finder. As you remodel any room in a home, certain items require a solid connection. The drywall doesn’t count as a secure, attachment point. You must add nails or fasteners into the wood studs hidden within the walls.
Stud finders are handheld devices that you slide against the wall. As the device hovers over a wood beam, it indicates the edges’ locations. You can quickly find a fastener connection point with this tool.
Applying the Level
Whether you’re hanging a photo or installing curtain rods, horizontal level is always the goal. It’s difficult to visually verify level, however. Purchase a hand level that has multiple bubbles. Use this level during your installation jobs around the house. When the bubble balances between two lines on the level, you have a flat installation. Crooked pictures, televisions and rods are unsightly. They may also contribute to an imbalance on the wall. Everything should be level in the home.
Getting Familiar With Shims
Some items around the home, such as laundry systems and dishwashers, have leveling feet on their bases. You simply alter the feet so that they reflect a level position for the appliance. Adding shims or spacers to the feet might be necessary too.
Shims are thin, metal squares that can be placed under almost any support. They’re designed to slightly lift an item up and above the floor. Purchase a handful of shims to see a level surface across all of your household items, from patio furniture to couches.
Ideally, choose materials and tools that are made by a reputable manufacturer, such as TRIMACO. Your project will turn out with a professional’s flair. In the future, you’ll look forward to the next project as you utilize the best tools in the industry today.
