Sooner or later, we are faced with the need for repairs in the apartment. It is impossible to embrace the immensity, but we will consider a dozen topics.
10. Drilling
Modern drills have pin stops. But they are uncomfortable and often lost. It is much easier to mark the planned drilling depth directly on the drill with a piece of electrical tape.
Shavings and chips are very annoying when drilling walls and, especially, the ceiling. Put any suitable plastic jar on the drill - most of the dust and chips will remain in it.
Or you can stick a simple stationery sticker on the wall right under the drilling site. Bend it - and the box is ready, in which crumbs will pour.
9. Screws and screws
Each type of fastener should be used strictly for its intended purpose (fortunately, now you can find the whole assortment in stores). But what to do if there was no suitable screw at hand, but there are self-tapping screws for metal? Screwing them into wood is not a good idea. A self-tapping screw enters the wood much more difficult than a screw. Keep a piece of simple laundry soap on hand and lubricate it with self-tapping screws before screwing in.
Particleboard is still widely used in furniture and in construction. But the screws in it are very unreliable. Pre-drill a hole, fill with glue and stick a piece of a suitable soft tube into it. You will get an ersatz-dowel of just the right size - screw in it and screw it in.
8. Nails
Small nails are difficult to hold without hammering with a finger. Tweezers will help out - and if it is not, a sawn clothespin. An ordinary comb can serve as an ersatz-tweezers, and even a sliver gently chopped from one edge.
Keeping nails handy is uncomfortable even in a jar - it's easy to sprinkle. If you stick a magnet on the handle of the hammer, it will become much more convenient to work. Only better to stick closer to the handle. From the far end of the hammer, the nails will be torn off upon impact from the most powerful magnet.
7. Glass and tile
If only a couple of tiles fell off, it’s a shame to buy a whole can of special glue for repairs. Normally they will hold a few drops of molten tar. Or you can even put small pieces of polystyrene in the right places and lightly pour them with acetone. The foam will melt and become a great glue.
Usually glass is drilled with special drills. They are quite scarce. You can make an era drill from a needle file of a suitable size. And you can use a simple drill for metal. Surround the drilling site only with a plasticine rim, and fill the resulting bath with a mixture of turpentine and camphor.
6. Staining
If you decide to paint the walls, add a few drops of vanilla extract to the paint. And it will be easier to paint, and the room will have a pleasant aroma for a long time.
The most difficult thing is to paint the ceilings. You can do without scaffolding if you extend the handle of the paint roller. And on the roller, you can attach a tin tray from the side of the handle - you get much less dirty.
Old paint in a can is quite difficult to mix. An electric drill with a wire nozzle will help - but how to protect yourself from splashes? The shank of the nozzle must be passed through the hole in the center of the lid and put the lid on the jar. Now you can work!
Before closing the underused jar with a lid, cover the hole with an old plastic bag. And it will remain better, and then it will be easier to open.
5. Concrete
Cement mortar for concrete work is usually prepared in tin troughs. The composition is traditionally mixed with a shovel - the same one with which it is then transferred. Believe me, if, instead of a shovel, it is mixed with garden pitchforks, the work will not only be much easier, but the solution will be much more even.
It is impossible to put concrete in frost - the water inside will freeze and the product will become loose. And when laying concrete in the summer, do not forget to water it for two to three days.
4. Stucco
Various holes - both in wood, and drywall, and plaster, are traditionally covered with plaster. If the pit is medium in size, try driving small cloves along its perimeter and evenly along the bottom. Such a patch will hold much better.
If there is no plaster or putty on hand, and a small hole spoils the white surface, try using ordinary soap. Or even a baby wax crayon. Yes, even a candle. Crush the composition smaller, moisten slightly and knead. It will turn out quite a good ersatz putty.
3. Magnet
If you have to drill metal, put a magnet near the place of work - most of the chips will be on it.
In general, it is convenient to remove any iron debris with a magnet. But after that, the magnet itself will be hopelessly dirty. But if you wrap the magnet with a film before work, cleaning will become a matter of minutes.
By the way, it is often required to find nails or screws "hidden" on the floor under a layer of paint. With a large magnet, this is very difficult. But you can magnetize the needle. Hang it on a string and carefully drive it over the floor with such a “metal detector” - bending down, the needle will point to the nail with the tip.
2. Garbage
If you have to take out a certain amount of construction waste, usually use large "construction" bags. But, firstly, they are not sold everywhere. Secondly, they may simply not be at hand.
Oddly enough, inexpensive, but durable bags sold (and sometimes just handed out) at the cash registers of some supermarkets can come in handy.
If you drill holes in a plastic bucket, it will become impossible to carry water in it. But where it is easier to spill solid debris. Especially, such inconvenient as pieces of plaster and concrete chips.
1. Miscellaneous
The construction level is not always accurate. But even a level with a "knocked down setting" is quite possible to use. Just take the measurement twice - turning it 180 ° a second time. The same deviation of the bubble in both cases suggests that the surface is horizontal.
It is better to saw thin metal, sandwiched between two sheets of plywood. The same applies to thin plastic or plywood. So you get a smooth, "not ruffled" cut.
If the ceiling is behind, but the plaster has not completely fallen off, it can be returned to its place. Puncture the center of the “bubble” and fill it with glue like “Bustilata” using a large syringe. Then gently squeeze and smooth. It will hold on even better than before.