DIY For Dummies, UK Edition E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 620

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

This hands-on guide will help you prepare for and manage simple home repairs and improvements. Jeff Howell (the Sunday Telegraph's DIY columnist) and a host of other experts guide you through the trials and tribulations of DIY, helping you to carry out a range of projects - from fixing a leaky tap to hanging wallpaper - safely, cheaply and with minimum disruption. The full-colour drawings illustrate the step-by-step techniques and the lay-flat binding is perfect for on-the-job DIY advice.

DIY For Dummies covers:

PART I - Planning Your Home Improvement Projects
Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your DIY Adventures
Chapter 2: Being Safe and Prepared
Chapter 3: Working with (And within) a Budget

PART II - Basic Home Maintenance and Improvement
Chapter 1: Repairing Walls and Putting Up Shelves
Chapter 2: Windows Don't Have to Be a Pane
Chapter 3: Doors: An Open-and-Shut Case
Chapter 4: Roofs and Walls
Chapter 5: Dealing with Damp
Chapter 6: Electrical Repairs and Replacements

PART III - Painting and Wallpapering
Chapter 1: Planning Your Painting Project
Chapter 2: Preparing Surfaces for Painting
Chapter 3: Painting, Finishing, and Cleaning Up
Chapter 4: Choosing Wallpaper and Preparing Walls
Chapter 5: Hanging Wallpaper

PART V - Carpentry, Woodworking, and Flooring
Chapter 1: Flooring: Keeping a Leg Up on Foot Traffic
Chapter 2: Drilling, Driving, Fastening, and Gluing
Chapter 3: Understanding the Carpentry Process
Chapter 4: Finishing Wood

PART VI - Plumbing
Chapter 1: The Plumbing System in Your Home
Chapter 2: Heating, Ventilating, and Insulating Your Home
Chapter 3: Plumbing Materials and Tools
Chapter 4: Unblocking a Sink or Bath Drain
Chapter 5: Unblocking and Fixing a Toilet
Chapter 6: Fixing a Dripping Tap

Leseprobe

DIY For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

Foolish Assumptions

How to Use This Book

How This Book Is Organised

Book I: Planning Your Home Improvement Projects

Book II: Basic Home Maintenance and Improvement

Book III: Painting and Wallpapering

Book IV: Carpentry, Woodworking, and Flooring

Book V: Plumbing

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Book I: Planning Your Home Improvement Projects

Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your DIY Adventures

Taking Everything into Account

Calculating the cost

Tallying the time

Scrutinising your skills

Hiring Help the Smart Way

Finding a good builder

Covering all your bases

Gearing Up for DIY Adventures

Totting Up the Top Tools

Gizmos and Gear

Tools: To Buy or To Hire?

Chapter 2: Being Safe and Prepared

Practising Fire Safety

Common sense can prevent fires

Smoke alarms: Gotta have ’em

Fire extinguishers

Preventing Carbon Monoxide Danger in the Home

Protecting Your Home from Intruders

Maintaining Electrical Safety

Testing Residual Current Circuit Breakers

Chapter 3: Working with (And within) a Budget

Establishing the Scope of the Project

Looking at Things Room by Room

Getting Estimates and Prices

Pricing materials

Sticking to your budget

Allowing for fun (and your mental health!)

Considering Financing Options

Remortgaging your home

Buying with low- or no-interest credit cards

Watching Every Penny to Avoid Overspending

Reviewing expenses regularly

Hitting the sales

Collecting items yourself

Book II: Basic Home Maintenance and Improvement

Chapter 1: Repairing Walls and Putting Up Shelves

Working on Walls

Filling cracks

Repairing nail pops

Patching holes

Repairing sagging plaster on walls and ceilings

Decking the walls

Building Shelves

Putting up a simple wall shelf

Installing a shelving system

Adding a wire shelf system to a wardrobe

Chapter 2: Windows Don’t Have to Be a Pane

Know Your Windows

Window Maintenance

Heave-ho: Unsticking a Stuck Window

Replacing Sash Cords

Crash! Replacing a Broken Window Pane

Wood-frame window

Metal-frame window

What a Rotter: Repairing a Rotted Windowsill

Energy-Saving Projects

Weather-stripping, step by step

Sealing, step by step

Window Enhancements and Add-ons

Installing a window blind

Installing a venetian blind

Installing curtain rods and hardware

Chapter 3: Doors: An Open-and-Shut Case

Maintaining Locks and Hinges

Lubricating hinges

Lubricating door locks

Tightening loose hinges

Fixing Folding Doors

Keeping Sliding Doors Smooth Operators

Getting your patio door to slide better

Maintaining sliding wardrobe doors

Locking Up

Replacing standard door locks

Installing a deadbolt

Securing sliding patio doors

Maintaining Garage Doors

Chapter 4: Roofs and Walls

Your Roof: The Fifth Wall of Your Home

Cleanliness is next to godliness

The naked truth about flashing

Fixing Slipped or Damaged Slates and Tiles

Safety first

Replacing a slate

Replacing a tile

Putting Your Mind in the Gutter

Cleaning gutters and drainpipes

Patching leaks

Cladding: Armour for Your House

Treating wood cladding

Cleaning PVC-U cladding

Maintaining aluminium cladding

Maintaining and Repairing Brick Walls

Cleaning

Repointing

Replacing damaged bricks

Repairing render

Repairing roughcast and pebbledash

Chapter 5: Dealing with Damp

Is a Fungus Amongus?

Preventing Moisture from Building Up under Your Home

Rooting out the cause of moisture

Using gutters to reduce moisture

Draining water away from the house

Lowering ground levels

Giving the problem some air

Saying ‘oui’ to a French drain

Chapter 6: Electrical Repairs and Replacements

Replacing a Fuse and Resetting a Circuit Breaker

Wiring Switches and Sockets

Swapping a light switch

Replacing a standard switch with a dimmer switch

Replacing Double Sockets

Replacing a standard socket

Replacing a socket with a residual current circuit breaker

Repairing a Faulty Lamp

Replacing a Ceiling Rose and Bulb Holder

Wiring a Telephone Extension

Book III: Painting and Wallpapering

Chapter 1: Planning Your Painting Project

A Primer on Finishes

Water-based or oil-based?

First things first: Primers and sealers

Categorising finishes

Choosing an Exterior Finish

Exterior water-based paint

Exterior oil-based paint

Paint versus stain

Exterior stains and clear coatings

Choosing the Right Interior Paint

Finding the Perfect Interior Stain

Estimating How Much Paint to Buy

The Workhorses of Painting: Brushes and Rollers

Brushes

Rollers

Foam painting pads

Brushing Up on Techniques

It’s all in the wrist

May I cut in?

Roller Techniques

Chapter 2: Preparing Surfaces for Painting

Preparing Exterior Surfaces

Scrubbing the house down

Battling mildew stains

Cleaning chalking surfaces

Cleaning stucco, render, and other masonry

Sealing cracks and holes with caulk

Patching surface cavities before painting

Preparing Interior Surfaces

Cleaning a room for painting

Preparing kitchens and bathrooms for painting

Clearing the way

Smoothing the walls

Repairing and preparing to recoat painted wood

Making final preparations

Chapter 3: Painting, Finishing, and Cleaning Up

Preparing to Paint the Exterior of Your Home

Using ladders safely outdoors

Scooting safely up scaffolding

Consulting the weather forecast

Planning your painting sequence

Making last-minute preparations

Tooling up for the job

Priming the surface

Painting the Exterior of Your Home

Cladding

Windows and doors

Finishing things off

Painting the Interior of Your Home

Ceilings and walls

Decorative paint effects

Woodwork

Doors

Putting on the finishing touches

Cleaning Up the Mess

Choosing tools to help you

Using the three-container approach

Chapter 4: Choosing Wallpaper and Preparing Walls

Choices, Choices: Looking at Different Wallpapers

The front

The back

Selecting a pattern that suits the room

Matching repeating patterns

Buying Wallpaper

Sketching the layout

Estimating the number of rolls to buy

Tooling Up for the Task

Choosing Your Wallpaper Adhesive

Clearing and Cleaning the Room

Removing Wallpaper

Knowing what you’re up against

Preparing for the mess

Gathering tools and supplies for removing wallpaper

Choosing a removal technique

Finishing off

Chapter 5: Hanging Wallpaper

Plan Before You Hang

Locating seams

Working around wonky ceilings and walls

Finding a starting point

At Last You’re Ready to Paper

Cutting strips of wallpaper

Pasting the wallpaper

Hanging the wallcovering

Trimming the paper

Smoothing seams

Papering around awkward obstacles

Papering inside corners

Papering outside corners

Applying the final strip

Quick Fixes for Wallpaper

Sticking down seams

Repairing a tear or stained area

Border Incidents

Making your borders straight as an arrow

Hanging borders

Using corner mitre cuts on borders

Book IV: Carpentry, Woodworking, and Flooring

Chapter 1: Flooring: Keeping a Leg Up on Foot Traffic

The Subfloor: A Solid Base

Fixing low spots in the subfloor

Making repairs to subflooring

Understanding underlay

Hardwood Flooring

Refurbishing: When hardwood only needs a touch-up

Refinishing: Making your floor look new again

Repairing damaged hardwood flooring

Replacing a Wooden Floor

Choosing the right flooring type for your project

Installing a prefinished hardwood floor – the way the pros do it!

Ceramic Tile

Replacing a damaged tile

Replacing cracked or missing grout

Installing a ceramic tile floor

Sheet Vinyl Flooring

Using a template to cut your piece

Carpet

Laying carpet with underfelt

Laying cushion-backed carpet

Patching a hole in carpeting

Silencing Squeaks

Fixing a squeak from below

Fixing a squeak from above

Chapter 2: Drilling, Driving, Fastening, and Gluing

Trial Assembly Pays Off

Drilling and Power Driving

Accessorising your drill/driver

Watch your speed!

Drilling techniques

Driving Screws

The Nail Hammer: The Quintessential Carpentry Tool

Taking precautions

Driving nails (into wood, not from the shop)

Putting on the finishing touches

Pulling nails

Fastening with Staples

Getting Down to Nuts and Bolts

Pliers: Grippy, grabby, and pointy

Spanners: A plethora of options

Clamping Stuff Together

Getting Sticky with It: Adhesives and Glue

Cluing in to gluing: Understanding how glue works

Working with wood glue

Choosing contact cement

Relying on resin glues

Honing in on hot glue

Guns for Pacifists

Hot glue gun

Caulking gun

Chapter 3: Understanding the Carpentry Process

Following Plans: Making Sense of Diagrams, Dimensions, and Procedures

Checking out your materials list

Numbers, give me numbers: Measured drawings

Putting the pieces together: Using a procedures list

Creating a Cutting List

Selecting the best section of the board

Organising your cutting list

Preparing the Board for Milling

Making the Cut

Putting It All Together

Preparing for assembly

Dry-fitting

Applying the glue

Clamping

Squaring up the parts and verifying flatness

Cleaning up your mess

Letting it sit

Chapter 4: Finishing Wood

Filling Holes and Cracks

Fixing small imperfections

Dealing with big holes

Raising dents

Smoothing Out Wood

Sanding

Scraping

Adding Colour with Stains and Paints

Pigment stains

Dyes

Paints

Protecting Your Work with a Topcoat

Shellac

Oil

Wax

Varnish and oil-based polyurethane

Water-based polyurethane

Book V: Plumbing

Chapter 1: The Plumbing System in Your Home

Figuring Out When to Do It Yourself

Knowing When to Call a Pro

Working Out a Plumbing Contract

Understanding Building Regulations, Water Regulations, and Bylaws

A River Runs through It

Getting Water to Your House

The main shutoff valve or stop cock

The water meter

Figuring Out Your Soil-and-Vent Pipes

Locating Shutoff Valves

Barring water from the bathroom

Keeping water out of the kitchen

Taking it outside

Chapter 2: Heating, Ventilating, and Insulating Systems

Looking After Your Central Heating

Gauging the pressure

Bleeding the radiators

Ventilation: Letting You and Your House Breathe

Interior ventilation

Structural ventilation

Insulating Your Loft

Upgrading loft insulation

Upgrading suspended timber ground floors

Chapter 3: Plumbing Materials and Tools

Finding Replacement Parts

Common Plumbing Supplies

Finding the Right Water Supply Pipe

Copper pipe

Galvanised steel pipe

Plastic pipe

Buying Drainage Pipes and Fittings

Cast iron pipes

Plastic pipes

Stocking Up on Valves

Using Plumbing Tools

Basic woodworking tools

Tools for measuring

Wrenches, spanners, and pliers

Pipe clamps

Pipe cutting and bending tools

Plungers and augers

Chapter 4: Unblocking a Sink or Bath Waste Pipe

Unblocking a Sink or Bath Waste Pipe

Removing the sink trap

Taking the plunge with a bath or sink drain

Charming the drain with a snake

Unblocking a Tap Aerator

Unblocking a Waste Disposal Unit

Cleaning and Adjusting a Drain Stopper

Trip-lever drain

Pop-up drain

Chapter 5: Unblocking and Fixing a Toilet

Diagnosing the Problem (Yuck!)

Clearing a Blocked Toilet

Using a plunger

Using a toilet auger

Using a snake

Clearing the Main Pipe

When the blockage is beyond the fixture

Still blocked? Call a plumber

Nice to Meet Loo: Fixing Your Toilet’s Parts

Solving Ball Float Valve Problems

Addressing Ballcock Problems

Chapter 6: Fixing a Dripping Tap

Stopping a Compression Tap Leak

Replacing a worn washer

Replacing the valve seat

Stopping a leak from a tap handle

Stopping a Washerless Tap Leak

Ball-type tap

Cartridge-type tap

Ceramic disk-type tap

Fixing a Dish Sprayer

DIY For Dummies®

by Roy Barnhart, James Carey, Morris Carey, Gene Hamilton, Katie Hamilton, Don R. Prestly and Jeff Strong

Edited by Jeff Howell

DIY All-in-One For Dummies,® 2nd Edition

Published by John Wiley & Sons, LtdThe AtriumSouthern GateChichesterWest SussexPO19 8SQEngland

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Visit our Home Page on www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex, England

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex

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ISBN-13: 978-0-470-97450-6

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About the Authors

Jeff Howell is a qualified bricklayer, university construction lecturer and chartered surveyor with more than 30 years’ experience in the building industry. He writes about building and DIY for a variety of British newspapers, magazines and construction trade journals, and appears regularly as a guest expert on TV and radio. His website is www.ask-jeff.co.uk.

Roy Barnhart is a lifelong do-it-yourselfer and former professional building and remodelling contractor. He enjoyed eight years as Senior Building and Remodelling Editor for two national home improvement magazines in the USA. As a freelance writer, editor, and consultant, Roy has contributed articles to more than a dozen home improvement magazines, including Family Handyman and House Beautiful. He has also contributed to four books.

James and Morris Carey, known as the Carey Brothers, are experts on home building and renovation. They share their 20-plus years of experience as award-winning, licensed contractors with millions nationwide through a weekly radio programme in America, daily radio vignette, syndicated newspaper column, and comprehensive Web site (www.onthehouse.com), all titled ‘On the House’. Morris and James continue to own and operate a successful home remodelling and construction firm, Carey Bros., and have been named to Remodeling magazine’s Hall of Fame Big 50, which recognises top achievers in the industry. They’ve also been honoured as one of the nation’s top 500 companies by Qualified Remodeler magazine.

Gene and Katie Hamilton have been working on houses and writing about home improvements for over 30 years. They’ve remodelled 14 houses and write a weekly newspaper column entitled “Do It Yourself . . . Or Not?” which appears in newspapers across America and on Web sites. The Hamiltons are authors of 16 home improvement books, including Home Improvement For Dummies, Carpentry For Dummies, Painting and Wallpapering For Dummies, and Plumbing For Dummies. They’re the founders of www.HouseNet.com.

Don R. Prestly is a former senior editor for HANDY Magazine for The Handyman Club of America, as well as a former associate editor for Family Handyman magazine. In addition to his nearly 20 years of writing and doing home improvement projects, he spent several years as a manager for one of the Midwest’s largest home centres.

Jeff Strong began creating sawdust at a very young age while helping his father, a master craftsman, build fine furniture. An accomplished woodworker, Jeff has designed and built countless pieces of furniture. He is the author of Woodworking For Dummies.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Commissioning, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Simon Bell

(Previous Edition: Rachael Chilvers)

Commissioning Editor: Nicole Hermitage

(Previous Edition: Alison Yates)

Assistant Editor: Ben Kemble

Copy Editor: Kate O’Leary

Proofreader: Sally Lansdell

Technical Editor: Andrew Leech

Publisher: David Palmer

Production Manager: Daniel Mersey

Cover Photos: © Robert Cocquyt

Cartoons: Ed McLachlan

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Lynsey Stanford

Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Erin Zeltner

Indexer: Cheryl Duksta

Introduction

Welcome to DIY and Home Improvement All-in-One For Dummies, the only repair manual you’ll ever need. One glance through this book and you quickly see that it’s not overloaded with technical details and obscure advice that you’ll never want or need to know. Our goal was to compile a book that explains, in a fun and easy-to-understand style, how to complete a wide range of projects. This anybody-can-do-it approach appeals to fledging do-it-yourselfers and seasoned handymen and -women. We encourage you to dust off your toolbox and tackle simple repairs and improvements using our idiot-proof instructions.

Basic steps and illustrations throughout the book walk you through the key points of maintaining and improving your home. These are tried-and-tested solutions to everyday home repair and improvement questions.

Foolish Assumptions

In this book, we make a few assumptions about who you are. We assume that you care about the appearance and condition of your home. We don’t think that you’re a home improvement fanatic or that you’re a DIY expert – you don’t need to be. All you need is this book, the right tools, and a desire to see your home be safe, functional, and attractive both inside and out.

How to Use This Book

You can use this book in two ways:

If you want information about a specific topic, such as stopping cold draughts with weather-stripping or cleaning out gutters, skip to that section using the index or table of contents and get your answer pronto.

If you want to be a home improvement guru, read the whole book from cover to cover. You’ll end up knowing so much that Handy Andy will be calling you for advice.

How This Book Is Organised

This book is actually five books in one. The chapters within each of those books cover specific topics in detail. You can read each chapter or book without reading what came before, so you don’t have to waste time reading what doesn’t apply to your situation. Occasionally, we refer you to another area in the book where you find more details on a particular subject.

Book I: Planning Your Home Improvement Projects

Undertaking a home improvement project without planning is a recipe for disaster. This book walks you through the decision of whether to take on a task yourself or hire a professional, helps you gather the tools you need to do most home improvement projects, and gives you important tips for staying safe.

Book II: Basic Home Maintenance and Improvement

This book takes you through the various parts of a home, from the foundation to the roof, and tells you how to make common repairs. Included are chapters on window and door maintenance.

Book III: Painting and Wallpapering

A simple coat of paint or layer of wallpaper can have an amazing impact on how a home looks. This book helps you choose the best materials for your situation and get them up onto your walls like a pro. The chapters on painting cover both the interior and the exterior of a house.

Book IV: Carpentry, Woodworking, and Flooring

Working with wood really isn’t too difficult, we promise. This book talks about the basics of carpentry and woodworking, from fixing pieces together to sanding and finishing wood projects. You’ll find chapters covering the processes of repairing and installing new flooring.

Book V: Plumbing

Plumbing may be an area that you’ve always found a little bit intimidating – many homeowners do. But when you understand how everything fits together, plumbing repairs aren’t any more difficult than other home maintenance projects. In this book, you find information about two major, vexing plumbing problems: Leaks and blockages. Before you call a plumber in a panic, check these chapters – you may be able to fix the problem yourself and save a packet.

Icons Used in This Book

We use the familiar For Dummies icons to help guide you through the material in this book.

Get on target with these great time-saving, money-saving, and sanity-saving tips.

Commit to memory these key titbits of information that come into play in various aspects of your home improvement adventures.

We don’t want to scare you off, but DIY is not for the accident-prone. This icon alerts you to potential hazards and how to steer clear of them. We also use this symbol to mark advice for making your home a safer place.

Let this icon serve as a warning that you’re treading in trouble-prone waters. Why should you have to learn from your own mistakes when you can learn just as well from others’?

Some projects and repairs require the skills, experience, and know-how that only a professional can offer. Novices and weekend DIYers take note. This icon reminds you not to bite off more than you can chew.

Most people want their toilets to flush, but some aren’t happy until they know how the toilet flushes. This book doesn’t bombard you with loads of technical trivia, but some background titbits can be useful. If you crave obscure details that most normal people don’t care about, seek out these icons. If you’d rather live in ignorant bliss, by all means skip these little diversions.

Where to Go from Here

We don’t care whether you start with the Table of Contents, the Index, Book V, or even Chapter 1 (what a novel idea). What’s important is that you get going. A better home is just around the corner!

Book I

Planning Your Home Improvement Projects

In this book . . .

Where do you start? Can you do it yourself? What materials, tools, and knowledge do you need? How much will it cost, and how do you keep from going mad in the process? Dig into these chapters that frame answers to these knotty questions.

Collecting basic household tools and the right stuff for specific jobs doesn’t have to be a struggle. Venturing into the local hardware store or home improvement centre need not be a struggle – although with the size of today’s DIY superstores, you may need to pack a picnic.

Whether you want to estimate the time and cost involved in a job, or check out the possibility of adding more hands-on adventures to your to-do list, you can build comfort and confidence with a cruise through this book.

Here are the contents of Book I at a glance.

Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your DIY Adventures

Chapter 2: Being Safe and Prepared

Chapter 3: Working with (And within) a Budget

Chapter 1

Gearing Up for Your DIY Adventures

In This Chapter

Sizing up costs, time, and skill level

Choosing the right person for the job

Getting planning permission

Stocking up your toolbox

Investing in great gadgets

You can expect to save at least 20 per cent and sometimes 100 per cent of the cost of any job by doing the work yourself. What’s more, you can enjoy the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes with a job well done. That said, you must remember that most people are hard-pressed for time and energy, and some projects require special skills and tools that you may not possess.

We’re not suggesting that you tackle really advanced jobs. But countless other projects, such as removing wallpaper or sanding wood, require little in the way of tools and talent. By beginning with unglamorous repairs, such as fixing a broken window catch or tightening a loose hinge, you can quickly build your do-it-yourself skills and confidence.

Just how do you know your limitations? That’s the $64,000 question. We know that a handy homeowner can do an awful lot, but when it comes to massive projects, such as replacing all the walls in a house or building a large extension, you have other factors to consider such as your time and your money. This chapter is all about weighing up the pros and cons of doing it yourself versus getting in the professionals.