Mike Klimek is a licensed contractor and owner of Las Vegas Handyman. Questions may be sent by email to handymanoflasvegas@msn.com. Or, mail to 4710 W. Dewey Drive, No. 100, Las Vegas, NV 89118. His web address is www.handymanoflasvegas.com.
Q: Several of the drains in my house are backed up. I have tried plunging the toilet and clearing the drain trap in the sink, but I can’t get it to drain. My neighbor has a cable drain machine with several attachments included, but I’ve never used a device like that. Can you give me the details?
Replacing a plug on an electrical cord is pretty easy, but you might want to check the condition of the cord; if it is cracked or damaged, you must replace it to avoid a shock hazard.
Q: We were moving into our house over the weekend and while moving a large dresser, we gouged the wallpaper and tore a piece out of it. We found a roll of wallpaper left by the previous owners, but we need to know exactly how to patch the damaged area. Any advice?
Carpet is expensive, so you must protect it as you paint. If you are going to roll the walls and brush the baseboards, probably the easiest way to shield the carpet is to use a large drywall taping knife.
Q: I have a corner in a home office where I want to build a corner cabinet. The question is how to make the front of the cabinet round so that the radius of the front goes from one wall to the other. Also, I haven’t decided if I want to paint it or have it stained so the wood shows through. How can I make the front of the cabinet rounded?
Q: I have been planning to paint a bedroom for several months now, but I’ve spotted a problem. Various dimples are popping up on the walls. I have tried to repair them by putting spackle in there, but they always return. I’m tired of fixing these, so what can I do?
Q: A while back, you wrote about changing the cabinets to accommodate a built-in refrigerator. I was able to buy a used one and am ready to install it. Is it different than a regular refrigerator, that is, one that is not built-in?
The most logical way to solve the vibrating sound in kitchen faucet is to try to isolate it. If the sound occurs only at the kitchen faucet and dishwasher, then they have one thing in common: hot water.
To install a built-in refrigerator, you must replace the cabinet above it first. You can leave the crown molding in place and drop the cabinet down, which will leave the molding untouched. But when the new cabinet comes in, you will have to change it.
Shower leaks are very common, but many people ignore them until they get really bad, which will also make them expensive. The last thing you want to do is to cut open the ceiling to look for the leak. The first thing to do is to head upstairs and start looking around.
A saddle valve is unique in that it just clamps around the pipe and it intercepts the water and diverts it. This type of valve is perfect for an ice maker.
Removing the carpet tack strip from your floor is just the beginning. Your carpet pad is secured using adhesive, and the floor will undoubtedly be tired-looking, so you will have to refinish the floor once you remove everything from it.
Q: I recently bought a house that has Formica tops and a ceramic tile backsplash. I am going to replace them with granite and tumbled marble. How difficult would it be for me to remove the backsplash? Also, is there something that dissolves grout or is it something that has to be chipped away?
It can be a frustrating problem if you’re not getting hot water in one shower. The tricky part is trying to isolate the cause since there could be so many of them.
Concrete loves to drink up water and, as it does, it slowly releases moisture. So, any wood that is in contact with the concrete gets a little damp. The dampness wicks up the wood and breaks the bond that holds the paint to the wood, causing it to peel.
