Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2014 i Family Handyman

BYE-BYE GASOLINE! The Cub Cadet RZT-S “Zero” riding mower isn’t named for just the zero turn feature—that is, its extremely tight turning radius. The term cleverly alludes to zero gasoline hassles, zero drive belts, zero oil and filter changes, and most important for suburbanites, zero noise. That’s because the mower is 100 percent powered by an electric motor and four 48-volt batteries. If you have up to a 1/2 acre of lawn and really like to mow at six in the morning, the Zero is the mower to get. Cub claims that it’s about as loud as a clothes washer. Before you get all lathered up, though, know that the Zero is going to set you back $4,000. Lots of money, but here’s the whole maintenance schedule: Sharpen the blades…

Paneled doors are the ultimate painter’s challenge. A large area broken up by shaped surfaces is just plain tough to cover before the paint becomes sticky and unworkable. And since doors are a prominent feature, ugly mistakes like brush marks or drips are noticeable. Even though I had painted dozens of them over the years, I still felt a twinge of anxiety whenever I saw “paint door” on my to-do list. So I set out to find easier ways to get better results. I tried different tools, used different paints and watched professional painters. Here’s what I learned. Before you start The actual work involved in painting a door typically amounts to three to five hours, depending on the condition of the door and how fussy you are. But add…

When a central A/C unit fails during a heat spell, you may have to wait days for a technician to show up. If you’re lucky, you’ll only have to pay about $300 for the repair. But if you’re comfortable working around electricity and are willing to spend about $50 on parts, you can probably fix your A/C yourself in about two hours and save about $225 on parts markup and labor. We talked to Ross Johnson, an HVAC technician at Superior Heating, Air Conditioning & Electric in Anoka, MN, to get his best do-it-yourself A/C repair and maintenance tips. They’ll help you with the most common “low cooling” and “no cooling” problems. You’ll need an inexpensive multimeter, a voltage sniffer, an assortment of screwdrivers and a socket set. Here’s how…

The paint on the leading edge of car hoods is on the front line for gravel and sand damage. Until recently, you only had two ways to protect the hood: install a “bra” or apply paint protection film. Bras are not only ugly but also lower gas mileage and trap road grit, which damages the paint. Paint protection film looks and works much better, but professional installation costs about $500. Now there’s a product that DIYers can apply to protect against paint chips—spray-on/peel-off paint protection film. Several companies make this paint film, but we chose the 3M Paint Defender product for this story because it lasts up to a year. It costs about $25 and contains enough material to coat the bottom third of your hood. Find it at any…

THAR SHE BLOWS! While shredding old checks and other documents, I decided my sluggish paper shredder needed lubricating. I happened to have a spray can of silicone lubricant, so I sprayed the shredding mechanism liberally as it sat on top of the catcher basket. When I pushed the switch to “on,” I was surprised by a small explosion. A spark had ignited the accumulated vapors in the enclosed area of the shredder. After taking a few minutes to calm down, I looked in the mirror and noticed my singed eyebrows and hair. Next time the shredder needs lubricating, I’ll do it outside and let it dry before mounting it onto the basket! Robert S. Messer One man’s trash ... Last spring we purchased a house to remodel for my daughter.…

editors@thefamilyhandyman.com Painting looks so simple that it’s hard to imagine anything going wrong. But in reality, it’s probably one of the most troublesome of all DIY projects. Everything from the weather to what mood you were in when you chose the paint color can affect the outcome. Consider the bewildering assortment of modern paint products alone, and it’s no wonder that painting is so challenging. To help you avoid mistakes on your next paint job, we put together this list gathered from painting experts, The Family Handyman editors and our Field Editors. You may have already learned the hard way to avoid some of these mistakes, but we hope you’ll pick up a new tip or two to help you prevent problems on your next painting project. 1. Trying to…

TEST, TEST, TEST! If there’s one surefire way to improve your wood finishing, it’s to test your stain and finish. It’s not unreasonable to spend more time on the testing than on the actual finishing. Here are some pointers: ■ Sand the test pieces exactly the way you sanded your project. Wood absorbs stain differently depending on the degree of sanding. ■ Be sure to apply a clear topcoat, too. The stain color is likely to deepen or shift slightly with a clear finish over it. ■ Try multiple coats of stain. Often that’ll give a richer, though darker, color. ■ Don’t be afraid to mix colors, but it’s best to stick to one manufacturer. ■ For stained wood, be sure to test end grain too. It’s also a good…

FROM OUR READERS handyhints@thefamilyhandyman.com BETTER TREE WATERING I got tired of hauling buckets of water to my distant trees and dumping the water at the base of the tree only to see it quickly run off. I took some old 5-gallon buckets and drilled a 1/4-in. hole near the bottom of each one. After plugging the holes with dowels, I fill the buckets and haul them in my wheelbarrow to the trees. Once I unplug the holes, it takes several minutes for the buckets to drain, allowing the soil to soak up every drop. Rake rack Don’t throw away that old rake. When the handle broke on our old rake, I decided to repurpose it for use as a rack to store my garden hand tools. It fits the gardening…

Whether you’re doing framing, plumbing or electrical work or just hanging shelves, eventually you’re going to tackle a project that requires fastening to bricks, blocks or solid concrete. There are dozens of specialty masonry fasteners on the market to help you finish those projects. In this story, I’ll show you which fasteners I prefer for various projects and share some tips for quick, easy and long-lasting fastening solutions. MEET THE PRO Mark Petersen is a contributing editor at TFH. He spent 20 years in construction, first as a siding guy, then as a general contractor. Use panel adhesive on foam insulation When you’re fastening foam boards to a concrete or block wall, make sure you use a construction adhesive that’s specially designed for foam. Regular construction adhesive can melt through…

A good hammer is like a best friend. Always by your side, always true, always dependable. If you’ve been trying to get by with a cheap hammer or Grandpa’s old war club to sink and pull nails or beat framing into alignment, you owe yourself a trip to the home center or hardware store. You’ll never believe how much difference a quality hammer can make. We’re covering general-purpose hammers in this article. Not big, long hammers for framing carpenters, or little precision hammers for woodworkers. Not brick hammers or sledgehammers. Just regular, all-purpose hammers that will serve most DIYers (and many carpenters) for 99 percent of their work. For a simple tool that pounds in nails, hammers have a surprising variety of features. That explains the wide array of hammer…

If you live next to railroad tracks or near an airport or have a neighbor who restores cannons for a hobby, you know all about irritating noises. But sometimes it’s not the obnoxiously loud noises outside that drive us insane, but those persistent little sounds in our own home. The good news is that most home noises are easy to eliminate without spending hours on repairs or a ton of money. We’re sure there are at least a few tips in this story to quiet your house and ease your mind. And as for your neighbor with the cannons, maybe you should get him interested in your stamp collection. CLINK, CLINK, CLINK OF THE CEILING FAN CHAIN Even if a ceiling fan is perfectly balanced, the breeze from the fan…

Preparing walls for paint inevitably involves patching. It’s one of the most important steps. But sometimes it takes more than just a can of spackling and a small putty knife to get good results. We’ll show you some wall patching tips and products that will help you speed up the job and avoid problems. 1 Use self-priming filler Patches made with traditional patching materials need to be primed with a sealing-type primer before painting. Otherwise the patched areas could show through the finished paint job as foggy spots. But if you patch with a self-priming patching material, you can avoid this extra step. There are several brands; just look for the words “self-priming” or “with primer” on the container. 2 Use setting compound for big holes It’s fine to fill…

Working alone can be a blessing and a curse. It’s nice to work at your own pace, whistle all you want and fix your goof-ups before anyone sees them. But when it comes time to hold up the other end of the board, you’ll need help. When calling a helper isn’t an option, try one of these tips. BAR CLAMPS CAN BE YOUR THIRD HAND Bar clamps are ideal for working alone because they tighten with one hand, leaving the other hand free to hold up the board. They’re available at home centers and hardware stores and cost about $15 to $25, depending on the length. When you’re soldering pipes, tighten a clamp across two floor joists for temporary support. Use the same trick to support drainpipes, ducting or framing…