Mike Klimek

Installing crown molding is precise work that requires patience and perseverance. An essential tool for this job is a power miter box saw, which cuts corners quickly and cleanly.

Installing a pre-hung door to replace a damaged door takes time but is hard to screw up.

Fixing a damaged concrete step is surprisingly easy. You probably have some of the necessary tools, so you will only need to buy, rent or borrow a few specialty tools.

Towel bars usually come loose because the hole in the drywall becomes elongated and enlarged, and the screw and anchor pop out of the wall. Fortunately, there is a quick and inexpensive answer.

The average clogged sink can be cleared very quickly, but be forewarned: It’s a messy job.

The toilet is running because either water is running in the toilet or water is running out. You need to replace the fill valve and/or the flapper.

Q: My home is about 20 years old. My problem is with the lights in the kitchen. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. When I turn on the switch, the light flickers or just partially lights. I have replaced the fluorescent tubes, but they still don’t work properly. What should I do?

To keep the sliding glass door from sticking, you need to replace the rollers on the bottom of the door. This is not hard, just a little cumbersome. The door is large and somewhat fragile.

Changing out the baseboards is an easy job that gives you a lot of bang for the buck. You can go from boring to breathtaking in an afternoon.

Painting is a job that is inexpensive in materials but intensive on labor. In other words, you get to put in the elbow grease. It’s not difficult work, but you can’t be careless about it, either.

There are several possible reasons for not getting hot water after a new water heater installation. Recirculating pumps need electricity to run, and so it may be as easy as plugging the unit back in or testing the outlet for power.

Many newer showers use a single-handle shower valve and a tub spout diverter, rather than a diverter valve in the wall. Getting replacement parts for the diverter in the wall may not be as easy as going to a home center, so you will likely have to make a trip to a plumbing supply store.

There shouldn’t be any movement in the shower arm, only in the showerhead. It may be that the riser wasn’t strapped to the wall, or it may be that you need to reinstall the shower arm.

When you screw together two pieces of hardwood, you need to predrill the hole. This allows the shaft of the screw to enter the hole without splitting the surrounding wood.

An essential tool for testing light switches is a continuity tester. You also can use a multimeter by turning the dial to read “continuity.”