Homes do require corrective repair from time to time, whether you own your apartment or you are living in a rented one. The frequency of these corrective maintenances solely depends on the age of your home and the appliances in it.
From simple repairs like changing the light to medium difficulty level repairs like changing the doorknob, to skilled-set repairs like fixing the plumbing lines. Some simple repairs do not necessarily need the attention of an electrician, or some tradesperson to fix. These repairs can be done by you with the right set of tools.
Patrick Ryan McCann, one of the top Melbourne-based home renovators, warns that homeowners should recognize their skills and only tackle repairs within the range of their skills. And, homeowners should endeavor to stay off repairs that require highly skilled personnel to fix, to prevent accidents and major damage to the house.
Continue reading to find out the DIY repairs Patrick Ryan McCann believes every homeowner can easily tackle, don't forget the safety precautions for every repair.
● Securing a Loose Floorboard
Flexing the floorboards over time can loosen the nails holding them in place. You can easily repair this by pushing the nails deeper with the help of a nail set. You can use stainless steel screws instead of nails and then cover it with wood filler, be sure to moisten the wood before screwing to reduce friction.
Precaution: Always confirm that there are no electrical cables or pipes underneath the wood before nailing or screwing them down.
● Replacing a Failed Wall Fixing
Replacing fixing like pipe fittings, hammer fixings, screws, and bolts on walls is a minor repair that you can easily do especially when they fall off and you just have to either nail them back in place or screw them back.
Most wall fixings fall off because the holes that hold them have become bigger for the nails or screws. So, ensure to drill deep enough, and ensure to match the size of screws and nails with the holes.
Precaution: make sure to wear the necessary hand protection like hand gloves to protect your fingers from hammer strikes.
● Hanging coat Railings, drywall, or wallboard.
Nailing the wallboard to the wall is not a tedious job that requires the attention of experts, as you can choose to get it done and do it perfectly. If you can't do this yourself because of the manpower needed, you can do the task with the help of an assistant. Then, if you need to mud and sand the wall, you can call in some experts for that.
● Fixing a sticky or cranky door
A moist atmosphere can cause wood to swell and become sticky. Painted, varnished, or oiled wood can be slightly immune to a wet atmosphere. If your door is sticky, inspect the door for swells, and try smoothening the swollen sport with coarse glass paper.
Loosen, corroded hinges can also make doors require brute force to open or close. And you can solve this yourself by tightening the hinges, and lubricating the hinges with a few drops of oils to allow for easy movement of the door.
● Polishing up old furniture
Old furniture fixings can fail due to use over the years, which does not enable it to function properly. You can polish the furniture and make it look new.
Smoothen the wood with coarse glass paper, and paint with latex paint or oil-based paint.
● Fixing a leaky toilet or kitchen pipe
Most fix for a leaky drain pipe is to simply tighten the slip plumbing trap. if the leak is from a hole in the drainpipe, you can do the following.
1. Turn off the water supply to the leaking pipe.
2. Clean the area you want to patch
3. With the help of a metal file, smoothen any sharp edges that could cut through the patch.
4. Then, apply the patch and repair the clamp.
5. Be sure that the clamp overlaps the leaky section of the pipe.
6. Finally, tighten the clamps to seal the leak.