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When you restore, upcycle, repurpose or make your own furniture, painting you want to be able to paint handles and hardware to match the finished project. Plus, you can't always find what you need in the stores, so it helps to know that you can - and how to - paint handles and hardware. |
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No DIYer or Home Handyman should ever be without a spirit level - small or large. A spirit level is used for determining horizontal and vertical levels and can be used on a variety of DIY projects in and around the home. |
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When taking on DIY projects such as tiling walls, fitting cabinets, installing door and window frames, or any project where you need to determine the level of a vertical surface, you will need to use a plumb bob - or laser level. |
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Being able to use SupaWood for bathroom furniture projects allows you much more scope when designing affordable cabinets and cupboards for a bathroom. However, we know that SupaWood is super-absorbent and should not be placed on a bathroom floor, or else it will swell. To overcome this problem I add roofing washers to the bottom of my bathroom furniture. |
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At our DIY Divas workshops we often get asked how power tools and hand tools should be cleaned. Not only does regularly cleaning your tools extend their life, it also allows you the opportunity to ensure they remain free from rust (if they have metal parts) and apply lubricant. |
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You will normally find cam screws on furniture designed to be shipped as flat-pack or where some assembly is required. Cam or locking screws are 2-part screws where the cam is fitted in one piece and the screw in a piece to be joined to this piece. By slotting the two pieces together and tightening the screw you have a reasonably secure join. |
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There are always a few tips and tricks that you can put to good use - whatever DIY project you may be tackling. Here are just a few clever tricks I have learned along the way... |
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I use a lot of Rust-Oleum spray paint for all different types of projects. One thing I hate about spray painting is the fact that my hands are always covered with paint. Yes, I could wear a pair of gloves but I like to be in touch with my projects. A couple of years back I discovered that WD-40 is great for removing spray paint from hands. |
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When you're tackling a DIY project on your own you want to make things as easy as possible. If you don't have a magnetised holder for your screwdriver bit it's easy to make your own magnetised bit, so that holding screws on the tip of the bit doesn't become an infuriating task. |
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Only recently I featured a project using a biscuit joiner to make professional picture frames. Since then, I have managed to find some videos that offer tips on using a biscuit joiner to make standard biscuit joints, L-joints and T-joints with a biscuit joiner, which will be valuable to know for those who have bought a biscuit joiner. |
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When you finally get round to that home improvement or DIY project you've been planning for a while, you'll be eager to get the job done quickly. Injuries, even small ones, can delay your project so it's important to take steps to prevent injury. |
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A French cleat is a way to hang heavy items onto walls. A single piece of wood is split in two at a 45-degree angle. Alternatively, two pieces of wood are cut at 45-degree angles to fit one on top of the other. Use a French cleat for mounting shelves and bookcases on a wall. |
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You only need a few pieces of PAR pine to make your own legs or feet for furniture. By making your own legs or feet you can design your own style to match a style or be a unique feature for furniture. I normally use 44 x 44mm or 50 x 50mm PAR pine for my pieces. |
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I'm a big fan of No More Nails and have used the product successfully for varied project. Now a new packaging has arrived and it makes No More Nails even easier to use in and around the home. |
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Plug cutters can be used to make your own plugs for filling counterbored or countersunk holes in wood. The biggest advantage of using a plug cutter is that you can get a matching plug by using scraps from the same project. |
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When using cartridge tubes of product, be it for applying adhesive or filling and sealing gaps, the best way to apply these products is by using a caulking gun. You can buy a caulking gun at your local Builders Warehouse and they range in price from around R30 upwards. |
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I receive numerous enquiries about how to drill holes in mirror, glass and tiles, and the Divas and Guys that attend our DIY Divas workshops are amazed at how easy it actually is to drill a hole in mirror, glass or tile. The secret is using the right accessory. |
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When you need to drill a hole into masonry or brick walls you need to make sure you get it right the first time, or you will end up with holes that need to be filled in. Drilling a hole into a masonry or brick wall is easy if you have the right tools and supplies that you need. |
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Walk into your local Builders Warehouse store and you might find it difficult to find the hinges you need for a project. It's hard to know what hinges are best, and they're not always where they should be on the shelves. Here's how to determine what hinge is best for a particular project. |
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One topic I love to discuss in our DIY Divas workshops is on how the screw has evolved over the years. Think back to when the only screw used was a slotted screw. Thank goodness we have moved on from then! |
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I came across this idea on Make. It's another great way to repurpose and recycle plastic bottles into a safety shield or safety glasses for when using an angle grinder or cutting metal and tile, etc.
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This post is by Dale in Joburg - on iDale - and is aptly named... How to hang frames like a real man! Thanks for this Dale, but you should know that women do this job just as well as real men!
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With everybody trying to do 'their bit' to help the planet, you can easily make a few changes to the way you work in the workshop and save yourself some cash while making a difference.
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Browse through some of our home improvement and home DIY projects and you will see that we love to use the pockethole jig for joining. Not only does a pockethole jig creates strong joints, it also allows you to hide the holes on the inside - or underneath - so that joints are out of sight.
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DIY does not have to be a daunting task, but the problem with many projects is that they are viewed in their entirety rather than as do-able smaller tasks.
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Our homes would be resplendent mansions, adorned in granite, hardwood, marble and gleaming chrome fixtures. Cooking, home renovation and decorating shows really do make it seem as if anyone can do it. And here’s the secret: sure, anyone can do it - if you take the time to plan! |
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With a few special tools and good sandpaper you can smooth wood easily and quickly with first-class results. Often even better than with a power sander. |
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When building a bookcase or shelving unit, there will be a time when you want to have adjustable shelves. The easiest way to mount adjustable shelves is to use shelf pins and we show you a trick for drilling the holes. |
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A wood chisel is a handy tool to have in your workshop. While you might not use it very often, there will be times when you need to carve out for a recessed door hinge, or mark a straight line when using a Dremel Trio. |
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A countersink bit is an attachment that fits into a drill/driver and is used to drill a depression that allows a screw to be hidden from view, especially when drilling into hard board products and hardwoods. |
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Removing old paint or varnish often reveals preserved metalwork and functioning hardware, although the removal techniques depend on the project, budget and facilities. |
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Here are a few tips to help you use wood glue properly and avoid sticky situations! |
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There have been many times when I could kick myself for not measuring properly. A few millimetres here and there can make a big difference when you start to assemble a cut project. |
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Choosing the right adhesive or glue is important for permanent sticking and bonding. Using the wrong adhesive can also damage or even destroy a project, so it helps to know what adhesives are available and what each type of adhesive is used for. |
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To drill a hole in any material, the correct type of drill bit must be used. For basic requirements, a set of high-speed steel twist drills and some masonry bits will probably be sufficient for the average handyman. But for more sophisticated jobs/material, others bits will be required - perhaps larger, or designed for a specific material/purpose.
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When making picture frames, installing cornice or crown moulding, fitting skirting, dado or chair rails, you need to be able to cut angled corners. There are various methods of doing this. |
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Sanding small, detailed areas or large flat surfaces, make sure you do it right for an ultra smooth and professional finish for all your projects. |
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The trick to cutting a perfect mitre angle in a mitre box is correctly measuring and marking for your cuts. |
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Trestles are easy to make as a DIY projects and great to have around the house. Use them as table support for indoors or outdoors, or use them in the workshop. |
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Practice your cutting skills with this simple bench project. You can use as a potting bench - as in this project - or use for storage in any room in the home. |
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As the new standard for portable power in consumer devices, Li-Ion batteries produce twice the capacity of energy as NiCad batteries but weigh 20%-35% less. |
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If there is one topic that is guaranteed to get the Divas giggling at our workshops, it's when we talk about screwing! But how do you know which screw is the right one? |
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Forstner bits are a good choice when you need to produce flat bottomed holes. They are also the only drill bits that can drill overlapping holes. |
"Launched in 2005, Home-Dzine was created to realise a dream; to express my love of home DIY and decor and share with other South Africans. As a non-commercial website I am free to express my own opinions and pass on valuable information to readers.
I feel that more people can benefit by being able to DIY home improvement and home repairs. And we're not talking about major DIY home repairs, but those that anyone with a bit of DIY savvy can do themselves."
