A great painting tip

You can find helpful painting tips by the score at sites like Taunton Press’s Fine Homebuilding or Home & Garden’s HGTV, but there was one important, but elusive tip I couldn’t find anywhere: how to keep paint roller fuzz out of the paint, and therefore off the wall. I’ve resorted to vacuuming roller covers before using them, and that helped, but didn’t completely solve the problem.

Today I thought I’d wash the roller covers (just with water) first to see if that would do the trick. I had to go to the store to buy some stuff, including roller covers. As I was leaving the store, I noticed tents set up in the parking lot, with various types of products on display. Went over to see what was up (and scored a free pack of yard waste bags), and had a look at the paint products display (brushes, rollers, kits, etc.). Matt Knight of Behr was demonstrating their new, top-of-the-line paint. It’s an impressive new technology similar to Benjamin Moore’s Aura line, both of which use pigments more finely ground than was previously possible, which enables the painter to apply fewer coats of paint and get better coverage. I could have used that 18 months ago when I painted a beautiful deep red below the chair rail in our dining room. It required one coat of tinted primer and six coats of red paint. The finished product is stunning, especially when morning or afternoon light hits it, but it was a lot of work. Matt Knight pointed out that Behr’s new line has primer built into the paint, so using a separate primer is no longer necessary. And I could have achieved the same coverage with two coats, rather than seven. Good stuff.

After the demonstration, I asked Matt how to keep the roller fibers out of the paint, and told him what I had been doing, and that I thought I might wash the rollers before use. He suggested I lightly dampen the rollers (not soak, but spritz them), then wrap painter’s tape around the roller, leaving it on for 15–20 seconds. “You won’t believe how much fuzz will be on that tape when you take it off,” he said. It works! I pulled a ton of fiber off, then for good measure, did it again, and pulled off a bit more. While I did have to retrieve a few (literally about three or four) fibers from the paint, that beats the huge amounts I've had to remove in the past.

More tips Matt shared:
1. Use better roller covers, the ones with a plastic core, not the cardboard-cored ones. The plastic-cored covers hold onto the fibers better.

2. If you’re going to use the roller cover again tomorrow, put it in a plastic bag in the fridge. This will slow down the drying process and keep the cover moist. (also found on Fine Homebuilding’s site)

3. Wait at least 16 hours before putting on the next coat. If you’re waiting only a few hours, you’re just rewetting the previous coat and pushing it around. If you’ve ever tried this, you know you’ll get pieces of paint film breaking off and making a mess of your paint job. Personally, I wait 24 hours between coats, just to be sure, and if it is very humid or rainy, up to 48 hours.

You’ll find a lot more great interior and exterior painting tips at the sites mentioned above.

I hope this proves helpful to you.

Our Yard: Before

We have a half acre of land, mostly shaded, and on a corner. The house sits on the crest of th property, so the yard slopes downward from the front and back of the house. The front has a slight slope toward the street, then about eight feet from the street, drops dramatically into a concrete drainage culvert (50¢ word for ditch). Currently, the steep part of the slope has grass on it. It is difficult, if not dangerous, to cut with a push mower. The trees in the front are big—all over 50'.

The back yard is fairly flat for about 30-35' out from the house, then gradually slopes down to the neighbor's house. The back yard is bordered by large trees, quite a few azaleas, and periwinkle as a groundcover, with grass in the middle. There is one, big, magnificent magnolia in the back.

I like trees, even very large ones, but sometimes a tree is in the wrong spot. I don't like the idea of having big trees too close to the house, as I wouldn't want one crashing through the house during a storm or due to unseen decay or shallow roots. We have quite a few large trees within damage distance of the house, so over time, those will be culled out. There are more pines than I feel comfortable with (I'd like none), including one 80-85' monster 50' from the house, and it leans toward the house. On either side of the driveway are 65-footers—one a maple, the other a tulip poplar. They have to go because they're pushing up concrete slabs, and I want them gone before they do serious (and expensive) damage to the driveway. All of the trees that need to come down are healthy, just in the wrong place. I don't like having trees over 35' anywhere near the house, so, unfortunately, they'll be cut down.

Over time, the trees we have cut down will be replaced with trees of a more appropriate size. I also intend to reduce the amount of grass in the yard, especially the front. Grass takes a lot of time, money, and resources to keep up, and doesn't work well in shade, anyway. We like having the front of the house shaded in the afternoon, so the big trees in front near the street will stay, as they aren't really within striking distance of the house. And that dangerous slope in front is going to be terraced. Right now, I think I'd like a Japanese garden in the front, which would be beautiful with the terraces.

The LHM repairs a pickup tailgate

I have a Nissan Frontier pickup truck, the tailgate latch of which was poorly made. This latch really should be metal, but was made of plastic (as were parts of the transmission, which gave out at 99,998 miles).

The latch broke for the first time 4 years ago, but I was able to drill a hole through the two parts and put them back together with a small bolt and nut, with some 2-part epoxy for insurance. For the last four years, I have gingerly pulled the latch to make sure I don't break it again. Despite my care, the latch did break again about a month ago, and this time there was no repairing it. I ran over to the local pull-a-part place to snag a latch off of a junked Frontier. There were five Frontiers on the lot, all with the tailgate latch removed. That tells you something about how often these latches break.

Since my dad had just given me a drillpress left over from his airplane hangar, as well as a big piece of aluminum (3/16" thick), I thought I'd fashion a good sturdy version of my own. When my brother-in-law Karl, whom I refer to as the Most Handy Man in America (MacGyver got nothin' on Karl), visited over the 4th of July weekend, he said, "Yeah, you could make it, but really, you could find it on the internet, and it would save you time and hassle, and I'd bet it would be cheaper than you think." Karl was right on the money. Found the part on e-bay and for less than $13 (for the part and shipping!), it was shipped to me in less than a week. Brand new part (not from Nissan, though).

The replacement part is pretty much the exact same thing as the original, but didn't come with two nuts I needed. Good thing I saved all of the original parts. Also, there are two little plastic guides that pop into the "scissorblades" on the latch, then clip onto the rods that operate a bolt (much like a deadbolt on the door of a house) on each end of the tailgate. The guides on the replacement part kept falling off of the scissorblades, so I knew they wouldn't work. I took the guides off of the original latch, popped them into place, and they fit nicely.

An indispensable tool
From time to time, a part is gonna fall into a place appendages and digits just can't access. There are a couple of tools perfect for retrieving said part—one a magnet on the end of a long, flexible stick or rod, the other a retractable claw on the end of a flexible metal device. The magnetic tool is great for retrieving metals subject to magnets, but the claw is more versatile—it can grab metal, plastic, the occasional small bone from your murder vic—I mean any other material.

Having immediately dropped a nut inside the tailgate, this tool came in handy tout de suite. I had it at the ready because I'd need it to pull up those latch rods to attach to the latch. (Literature teachers, note the skillful use of alliteration in that last sentence.) The claw worked as advertised. I was then able to put everything back together, test out the new latch, and can use my truck as usual.

A little about pickup trucks
I'm not really a pickup truck type of guy. I'd rather drive something along the lines of a 5- or 7-series BMW. But, practicality overruled my desire for a sport sedan. I bought the truck to haul stuff around for photo shoots, as well as doing house and yard projects. Besides, my wife has a Volvo 960 sedan, and usually when we need that, we're together, anyway. No need to have two of them. And we don't have the shekels (or driveway space) to afford a third vehicle.

My first real exposure to the value of a pickup came when my dad bought a used '67 Chevy pickup to do his house and yard projects. Dad has always driven sport sedans (still does), so when he brought home the old pickup, we laughed at him. In less than a week, my siblings and I were fighting over it.

Once you have a pickup, like that retractable claw, it becomes indispensable. You can't imagine life without it. Unlike me, it's so handy. You can put just about anything in it, pile it high, and not worry about whether the stink will last—just wash it out. Even in a small pickup like mine, you can haul stuff you can't fit in a big SUV, because there is no ceiling to get in the way. Sure, you might have to cover it, strap it, or get a good neighbor to sit on it while you drive, but it's very flexible.

As for how big a truck you need, whatever size you decide on, I recommend getting one with at least a little extra space behind the seats. If you can, get a 4-door pickup. I can't believe I'm writing this (or even thinking it), but my next dream vehicle would be a 4-door pickup with a diesel engine, and run it on refined restaurant fryer grease.

That's all for now—gotta go smack my thumb with a hammer.

A House in Progress: Before

We've had the good fortune to buy a solid house that was built in 1965, and beautifully maintained by the original owners. The only thing we had to do before moving in was have the hardwood floors refinished due to some discoloration in some areas. Fortunately, the dark places were only in the finish, so the floors look brand new. We did get some painting done before we moved in, but there is much more to go. There is no basement or garage, but the utility room is large enough for the washer and dryer, as wells as tools, the lawnmower and some other stuff. I'm going to add in some shelves to better organize the space. It's kind of tight, so a shed is in the near future.

When I say the house is beautifully maintained, I mean there is very little wear on anything. I've done more damage to the place in our first 40 days than the original owners did in 40 years. And the place looks like 1965, too. Check out the den, and that green lamp hanging in it. It looks new, even up close, but it is vintage '60s. Not our taste, so it'll be replaced.

The knotty pine paneling in the den is in great shape, but is kind of dark. That room is on the north side of the house, and the front porch overhang (and big trees in the yard) let in little light, so it's pretty dark in there. We've also just had plantation shutters installed, so it’s even darker. It is, however, cool, even on a 100º day. Right now, I think we’ll add a big mirror ($8.25 at Goodwill) to see how much it brightens the room.

The black lamp put the kitsch in kitchen. Not shown is the egg-shaped receptacle that the cord can retract into to adjust the height of the lamp. It has been replaced by a simple, craftsman-style, square flush-mount lamp that we we bought at a place just around the corner. That wallpaper was the 1980s update. There are two more layers beneath it. The wall to the left, between the kitchen and dining room, will be taken down to a half wall with a bar. This will open up the space, and allow more light in through the dining room to the kitchen. Right now, the kitchen has nice morning light, but is on the dark side the rest of the day.

We're trying to nail down what colors we want to use in the kitchen. Somewhere between Provence and Tuscany, we think. And we'll use the same tile we had in the dining area of our previous home in Georgia. Yeah, we like it that much. Here's that beautiful morning light streaming into the kitchen, as seen from the dining room.

This wallpaper in the dining room was actually the second layer. The first looked very much like it, but with a larger pattern. Ya gotta wonder why they did that. The kitchen cabinets are in great shape. The pulls are copper, and most are fine, but some could use some refinishing. Note the hip angle at which they're placed. The vanities in the full baths have the same pulls, but in chrome. The question is, do we refinish the copper pulls and reuse them, or get more up-to-date hardware? If we keep them, do we put them back on at the same angle, or not at an angle? Do we paint or stain the cabinets? No clue yet.
The master bath vanity. Good morning light, tile is in great shape. That '80s wallpaper was the third layer. The frameless mirror has been cut down and framed in a nice, wide espresso-colored wood. Looks tons better. And that's the master bath lamp. The only socket in the bathroom is a small one on the bottom of the lamp. The lamps in the guest bath and half bath (downstairs) have the same feature.






A few more features of the house:

The front screen door. These louvered doors are popular around here. I like it.















Back of the house. We have 1/2 acre, pretty well wooded. There will be a deck back there some day. A man's gotta have a place to put his grille.








The gas log fireplace is in the den. The utility room is off of the den.



































That's all for now.

Why "The Least Handy Man?"

Welcome to my inaugural blog, "The Least Handy Man." I refer to myself as the Least Handy Man in America because I can design just about anything, but don’t (yet) have the skills to make things, outside of anything ad- or graphic design-related. My dad is incredibly handy. Not only can he build a house, which he has, but he built an aerobatic airplane in the garage when I was in high school and college. Yes, it flies and is quite safe. Dad is a consummate craftsman. It's not that I cannot learn how to make things, or that my dad didn't want to teach me, but I was always off doing my own thing during the years a boy oughta be learning those skills from his dad.

In addition to having a very handy dad, both of my brothers and all five of my brothers-in-law have advanced handyman skills. My brother David built a deck onto his house, and remodeled the kitchen (his wife did help). My brother Steven added a new wing onto his house, and is going to add a deck soon. As for my brothers-in-law, Mike jackhammered the slab in his house to add in a new bathroom as part of a project in which he made two bedrooms, closets and built-in furniture out of a big, open space in his house. Lloyd built a big shed ("Plans? I don't need no steenkin' plans!") in which he does handy stuff. Randall put himself through college as a welder. Steve built a shed (again, who needs plans?), which served him for several years, then tore it down and built a bigger one ("No steenkin' plans!") that also has play space for his many daughters. Steve also used discarded lumber he picked up here and there, keeping the cost down. Karl does it all—he is probably the Handiest Man in America. Those are only a few of the many projects these guys have done.

I think you see what I'm up against. And my poor, patient wife is married to a guy who thinks a Philip's head is the CEO of a multinational conglomerate. Amps, volts, watts—hey, don't speak Martian to me! But all of that needs to change, as I don't have the big bucks to pay contractors to do everything. Like build the shed I've needed for years. Or the deck we so sorely need so that I can buy a grill to put on it to grill out. So, among other posts not necessarily related to making stuff, I will chronicle my efforts and education in handymanism.

Thanks for stopping by, and look for photos soon.