Month: April 2020

How to Fill Cracks in Concrete

04/24/2020 Randy TeschLeave a comment Foundation

In the construction industry, concrete is known for being a super solid material that can last even for centuries, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t still develop cracks, crevice or holes. Temperature changes, moisture, and ground movement are the reasons behind these cracks. Apart from being a tripping hazard, when your driveway, patio, or walkway concrete has cracks, that lowers the value of your home.

Does your property have concrete cracks that need filling? If yes, hiring a professional to fill them may make sense, but another option that’s pretty easy and time-saving is to do it yourself (DIY). In this easy-to-follow guide, we’ll help you learn how to fill these cracks with ease.

MATERIALS AND TOOLS

•Concrete repair mix
•Hammer
•Wire brush
•Chisel
•Mason’s trowel
•Protective gear
•Putty knife

STEP 1: Choose your concrete repair filler product.

You cannot use concrete to fill or repair concrete surfaces. The right product to use is a concrete repair mix. You can purchase it at a nearby store or online. Some examples include latex patching material, epoxy compounds, and mortar mixes. If the cracks you want to fill are large or chipped edges, mortar mixes will be your most suitable pick. But if the concrete is ⅛-inch wide or narrower, then the other products are right for them.

STEP 2: Prepare the area that has cracked for filling

Begin by using a small hammer and chisel to knock away the areas of the concrete that has cracked and is crumbling or losing concrete. Chip deep enough to reach a one-inch depth beneath the surface plane. At that point, rinse the area well as you scrub it using a wire to get rid of any loose particles.

Make sure to protect yourself from dust using protective gear. For cleanup, you may have to spread a tarp below the work area.

STEP 3: Fill the concrete crack using your selected product.

Epoxy or latex

If you are filling concrete cracks that are ⅛-inch wide or narrower, get an epoxy or latex patching product to apply on it. Mix it as per the specifications of the manufacturer. Whether you use it with a mason’s trowel or putty knife, it’s all the same. Force the product deep into the cracks and smoothen the level of the product with the surrounding concrete. The effectiveness of each material bases on the way it is mixed. So again, follow the manufacturer’s direction as listed on the product.

Mortar mix

If the cracks on your concrete are larger, fill them with a mortar mix. You won’t find it difficult to create the mix as it involves combining a part Portland cement, three parts masonry sand, and plenty of water to create a thick paste. Or you can as well buy repair mortar mixes at a nearby store or online. Make sure to moisten them but without flooding the cracked area before applying the mortar mix using a mason’s trowel or putty knife. Press down very well to get rid of any air pockets from the product being applied and smoothen patch to flush with the level of the surrounding concrete. Within two hours of curing, lay plastic sheeting on the area so that it stays moist. As you wait for the surface to harden up, keep sprinkling water on it.

How To Replace Drywall

04/19/2020 Randy TeschLeave a comment Demo

Drywall has replaced the traditional cement plaster walls in the modern construction industry. Drywall is a product of gypsum plaster, which is usually hard-pressed between two paper sheets. Any water leakage on drywall can make it rot and look ugly. Now let us have a look at how to replace drywall with several working tools for the project required.some of these tools are; a joint tape, some drywall screws, drywall saw, utility knife, a prybar, screw gun, joint tape, approximately five-inch drywall knives, and a drywall compound. With the tools ready, the procedure is pretty straightforward.

Before starting your drywall replacement, select items and areas you do not want to get dusty and dirty and cover them. Such areas, like the floor, need to being covered with polythene or cloth. You need to cover air conditioners and vents using masking tape to protect them from the fine dust. Furniture will need to be either moved out or appropriately covered. Power connections also need to be cut off, and all electrical appliances removed as well. The reasons for drywall replacements vary from replacing a damaged one, upgrading the wall, or fixing a pipe. When you have done this, make sure the drywall you are repairing does not have crisscrossing pipes and wires, and with that, you are good to go.

Step One

Assess the drywall that needs to being replaced. The damaged part of the wall can be removed using a prybar or by the use of a utility knife. Use a screw gun to remove all the visible installation screws that were initially used to erect the drywall. Pull the drywall having nothing holding it in place.

Step Two

The second step is to make a replacement of the drywall and maintain the initial arrangement if a sheet was vertical replace with a vertical panel and if a panel was horizontal, replace it with a horizontal one. Use a screw gun to fasten screws on the drywall and drive the screws until they are slightly submerged on the drywall face, but remember the top part of the drywall is a paper, so do not break it.

For other drywall replacements like doors and windows, cut the same size of the drywall parts being removed; this can be achieved by using a drywall saw or a utility knife. Be accurate when measuring and cutting to avoid having a lot of drywall wastes.

Finally, you can now tape all seams of the replacement, now apply the joint compound over every seam. Allow the compound to dry and reapply two other coats allowing the coats to drying time before a consecutive coat is applied. The same compound is used to coat all the screws until they are no longer visible. When all this is done, you now get a pole-mounted sander for sanding the compound until the drywall surface becomes smooth. Some fine dust here may be harmful to your eyes. Therefore you need some goggles when sanding. Having done that you will have replaced your drywall

How To Paint An Ugly Wall

04/14/2020 Randy TeschLeave a comment Painting

Ugly walls can ruin the overall look of your home. No matter how hard you try to fix your furniture, it will still look bad. The best thing to do is to just paint it so that it will look better. However, there are some issues when painting uneven walls. You have to fix those issues first before doing any painting job.

1. Fix the Surface First

Before doing any painting, make sure to fix the surface of the ugly wall first. It can look chipped, damaged, or just uneven. You can still do something about it. No matter how ugly the wall is, all it takes is patience and hard work. Thorough surface preparation is a must if you want to have a beautiful wall after all your hard work. Skim coat is the best way to prepare your wall surface. Depending on how bad it is, you may need to do the skim coat entirely.

If you have the skills needed to do this by yourself, then go ahead and start doing it. However, it can be tedious and you may want to consider a professional to do this for you. But if you’re not aiming to have a super smooth wall surface, you can just go ahead and do it on your own. Just make sure that you have all the tools and materials that you need to make that surface smooth.

2. Just Cover It Up

If you’re not into making your walls smooth, why not do a textured painting instead? It can be a good idea instead of skim coating everything first. The textured wall painting technique can give your wall a different personality compared to the usual smooth surface. However, the imperfections can still be noticeable even if you have some paint on it already. But it’s not a bad idea if you want to save some time and effort.

How to paint an ugly wall depends on your plan. If you just want to make it look better, then textured painting can work well already. You can even have more styles to choose from. If you feel like being creative, you can even have used different tools to do your textured painting. Try sponge, brush, brooms, rags, and even your fingers.

3. Be Creative

Ugly walls can inspire you to be creative. You can use how it looks and it’s texture to look better. Try the faux painting technique. Instead of hiding the flaws from the wall surface, you can highlight and enhance it instead. Instead of trying to smoothen the uneven surface, you can use two-toned paint color so it will look as if it’s intentional but will look creative.

The best idea to create a better look with your ugly wall is to play with colors and textures. Then you can use a sponge instead of brushes to paint it. You can just do some rubbing and sponging so that it will look more creative. You don’t have to deal with ugly walls after you are done with this technique and you don’t even have to do too much painting job from there.

Conclusion

How to paint an ugly wall depends on what you want to achieve to be its new look. You don’t have to make it too perfect to make your walls look nice. All you need is to have a little creativity and you should have a better-looking wall in no time.