Fantastic Fireplace Facelift

Everyone loves before and after stories, so I thought I show some pics of the fireplace at our East Nashville project. We started with the common story- broken & cracked tile, overpainted mantle and bland.

When we were done it was one of my favorite parts of the house, even though the fireplace wasn't functional. It was still a nice centerpiece to the living room.

We started by removing the mantle. At first I thought we could strip and stain it, but after getting started, I'm not sure that the wood was worth the trouble. I used my wood scrapers to clean out much of the paint and get it looking sharp. After sanding we painted it with the brown trim paint that was an accent color for the house. (I love that color, but you don't want to overdo it!)

The tile was the really fun part. The old wall tile came off in huge chunks. I built a new support system for them with 2x4s and cement board. This was tedious because the depth had to be exactly right so that once it was tiled the mantle would fit over it right with no gaps.

The hearth was easy- I just filled in the holes with floor leveling cement and tiled right over the old tile. This made a new surface that was raised a bit from the floor, but that was fixed by adding some trim around the edge that was stained to matched the hardwoods.

I found this incredible tile at the Habitat Store in a mixed lot. I had been saving them a long time waiting on just the right project to use them on. They are Italian ceramic tiles in different sizes. I tried a few different patterns until one worked. I used smaller squares around the outside and put the larger 12x18 rectangular pieces for the hearth.

You can't use it to burn anything except candles, but it looks great.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Save Your Home with Gutter Extensions

No, that title isn't melodramatic. I'm serious!

I've seen hundreds of homes where gutter problems over the span of a few decades have practically ruined the house. The purpose of gutters is to collect that rainwater and get it away from the house. However, so often the downspouts just deposit the water right next to the foundation.

Having all this water next to the foundation will eventually lead to loads of expensive problems from either the settling of the structure or the moisture getting into hidden areas and causing rot and/or mold issues.

The sad thing is that the fix is super-easy. Just add a gutter extension onto your downspout and get the water away. The one in the picture is expandable and found at most home centers for under ten bucks. It will fit either the large or smaller downspout sizes and comes in brown & white.

When you install them, make sure you attach them with some gutter screws to hold them in place. Otherwise, a big rain is sure to loosen them and eventually, you'll be without your all-important downspouts extensions again.

Even if you have a professional gutter installation or live in a brand new house, you should check to see where the water ends up. Home builders often leave the gutter extensions for you to fool with, although every good home inspector will look for this and comment on how well the water is directed away from the structure.

Think of it as your home's first line of defense against the elements. In my opinion, it's a no-brainer.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Use a Studfinder to Nail with Confidence

If you haven't added a studfinder to your toolbag, now is the time. The days of putting eight holes in the drywall before you locate the stud are over.

There are numerous occasions when a studfinder is invaluable. For instance, the other day I was installing crown moulding in a finished room. With the studfinder I was able to locate a place to nail so that the crown doesn't sag later like it did at the house from this post.


It's also helpful when hanging heavy objects or installing a bookshelf or even a baby gate that you want to hold when the kids are climbing over it. :)

Basically, you just press a button the studfinder and slide it across the wall. When it finds a stud it lights up and even has a beep to alert you. As you can see in the picture, they are so easy to use so that even my 4-year-old could go around the house finding studs.

I've got a Zircon StudSensor SL, which is a fairly baisc model that sells for around $15 at Home Depot. There are some that get quite fancy and also find live wires within the wall and other hidden items.

Next time you want to hang a heavy mirror or bookshelf that won't give you the drop, make sure you find the studs first.

-Peter

http://www.carpentryguy.com/

Basement Retaining Wall Repair

Old homes are notorious for having basement and crawlspace problems. Most are related to water entry for various reasons. Our East Nashville fixer was no exception. It had a basement window on the side of the house where water was definitely getting in and eroding the basement walls, which were just dirt. From the picture you can see how bad it was around that window.

Basement & Crawlspace problems usually have a two-fold solution:

1) Stop the problem from getting worse

2) Repair the damage

If you do one without the other, you'll still have problems.

For our situation, the fix involved first diverting the water from the house by re-grading the outside and build up the window-well a little better. Then we could work inside to re-support the structure in the weakened area.

The grading was easy- I had my cement guy do that when he was regrading the backyard. For whatever reason, the yard was sloped toward this window. We added some bricks to make the window well a little taller and then graded the yard so the water would run away from the house. This seems obvious, but there are tons of houses out there with this exact problem!

My job was to handle the inside repairs. My plan was to build a block retaining wall to support a couple short jack stands. A short wall was already present so I would just extend it up. The new wall would then carry most of the weight since the outside wall was damaged.

I filled behind the wall with concrete all the way up to the foundation so that the dirt wall would be supported and the foundation wouldn't move anymore. Then, I replaced the window covering with new plywood and caulked it well. In the end, it looked much better and was quite dry the next time it rained.

Dry basements are a good thing.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Give the Tree a Crew Cut

I get to do all sorts of work for people. As an odd example, last week I got to trim an apple tree for some of my favorite clients. I'm not sure the tree had ever been pruned.

You can see how overgrown it was from the picture. Most of the green that is visible is actually three very healthy vines that were tangled throughout the tree. Many of the upper branches had broken because of the weight of the apples. In addition, it was made up of 6-8 large trunks that were twisted all over the place.

Anyway, it was hard to know what to save. I cut out the broken pieces and the branches that were twisted into the tree as well as any that hung over the fence onto the neighbors yard. It didn't leave much.

It will take a few years of new growth to look normal after this major surgery, but in the end it will be a healthier tree that will produce plenty of fruit.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Beadboard for Your Porch Ceiling

I've replaced a couple porch ceilings on older homes and I love the look of beadboard. Often, I've seen people just throw some normal plywood up there, but beadboard is a great touch that is fairly simple to install and keeps the older look of the home.

The porch in this picture was actually not original to the house. The homeowner had the roofing contractor add them for weather protection and to improve the curb appeal of the home that was basically a small box with little character.

I was commissioned to finish the trim on the porches and wanted the beadboard look without the expense of purchasing actual beadboards. To do this, I like to use the plywood beadboard that is sold at Home Depot and other home centers. I much prefer the type that is real wood as opposed to the thin paneling that they also have.

The wood variety is stainable and much easier to work with. In addition to this, the edge is designed with a lip so that the peices overlap. This hides the seams as long as you don't have any butt joints to deal with.

The plywood beadboard will cost you under $20 a sheet, a little more than the cost of the paneling variety, but I think it's totally worth it. The cheap stuff tends to look cheap when you're done in my opinion and it's nearly impossible to hide the seams without covering them with trim.

This is also a great product for wainscoating in a bathroom or sunroom.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Caulking Basics

Today I was helping some homeowners in the Courtside subdivision in Brentwood. They have their home on the market and wanted to take care of some trim joints that need re-caulked after a few years of humidity and possibly some settling. They had beautiful crown moulding throughout the entire home, but most of it looked like this:

I thought I'd cover some of the basics of how I handle caulking. First, it helps so much to have a great caulk gun. The last time I bought one I splurged and bought the heavy duty one. Boy, am I glad that I did!

For one, the handle is solid so it will never bend from use. There's nothing more annoying than a cheap bent handle on a caulk gun! :) It also has a clipper to take off the end of the spout as well as a little 'poker' to break the seal with. No more searching through the nail pouch for something else to break that seal.

Basic Steps to a Good Caulk:

1. Make sure you have the right caulk for the job. It amazes me how many types there are, but they are designed for a specific purpose and it's best to use them accordingly.

2. In addition to the caulk gun, I take a roll of paper towels, an old cardboard box, and my index finger.

3. For trim caulking, I trim off less than 1/4" of the spout. Any more, and you'll likely have way too much to deal with.

4. Use the least amount of pressure on the handle to get the caulk you need out. If you over-squeeze too much will come out again. The key is to stay in control of the caulk... Run it along the joint.

5. Use your finger to smooth the caulk into the joint and remove the excess. Wipe your finger often with paper towels to keep it relatively clean. This is key to not making a mess. Plan to use lots of paper towels. For tight spots like inside corners of crown moulding, I take some fresh paper towel to get the excess out and make the joint look sharp.

6. Use the cardboard box to deposit the used paper towels or to set the gun down. This is mainly important if you're in a finished space like I was today. You don't want to accidentally leave a pile of caulk on the carpet.

BIG TIP OF THE DAY: After you apply your bead of caulk, quickly hit the 'switch' to release the pressure on the caulk tube. This is the secret to stopping the caulk from coming out when you don't want it to. Before I figured this one out, I'd waste more caulk than I would use. Now that you know the secret, I guess you're in the caulking club.

There's really not much to it. Like anything else, take it easy and watch where you point that gun.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Painter's All-In-One Tool

After yesterday's post about carefully removing trim, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight another tool that I always have with me, a painter's all-in-one.

It looks like a fancy putty knife, which is actually a fairly accurate description. It has a stronger blade than a typical putty knife, though the blade is thin and sharp. I like that the butt end of it is reinforced so I can hammer on it without hurting the handle.

At the store, these are often called things like painter's 5-in-one, etc. I think that mine actually said it was a 14-in-one or something ridiculous like that. You can get a 7-in-1 on Amazon here for under $6.

Anyway, in addition to loosening trim it's great for:

1. Scraping old caulk off of trim for reuse

2. Scraping off peeling paint

3. Applying leverage to trim to make tight joints (like crown moulding)

4. Pulling some nails

5. Sharp curve can cut linoleum and rigid insulation (see this post)

6. Anything you would use a putty knife for- glazing, applying wood filler

7. Opening windows

8. Bottle Opener

9. Lots more, be creative here

Get your own, I'm hanging on to mine!

-Peter

http://www.carpentryguy.com/

How To (Carefully) Remove Trim

There are many times when trim needs to be a removed for a project, but saved and possibly reused. Trim often breaks easily or gets damaged when removed. Here are some steps to take that will help:

1. Start by using a utility knife to cut along all of the edges of the trim. This will sever the caulking and allow the trim to come loose. Otherwise you'll likely damage the wall or the trim itself because the caulk adheres so well.

2. Next, I like to use my painter's-all-in-one tool, which is like a fancy putty knife, to pry the trim from the wall. It is much thinner than a pry bar and less likely to damage things. This tool has a ton of uses, but I've found nothing better for getting trim off without causing trouble. Once you get it loose you could use a pry bar in some places. Just be careful not to pry against the drywall where there is no stud because this will quickly put a hole or indention in the drywall.

3. After the trim is off get some end nipper pliers to get the nails out of it. DON'T use a hammer to beat them backwards, instead, use the pliers to pull them from the back of the trim. This way, the front of the trim is not damaged whatsoever. It will be ready to put back up with only the new nail holes to cover, not the old ones as well.

4. Finally, label the trim on the back so you'll know where it came from. This will be especially helpful if you have several pieces that look alike. It will save you from having to play the trim-matching game later.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Don't Do Casing Like This

Yesterday, when I arrived at a job to do some trimwork I found some very creative door casing to fix. A homeowner had wanted to 'dress up' the rooms a little so they installed decorative fluted casings with rosettes. It wasn't bad except that they put the plinth blocks above the baseboard! (see the picture)

Casing is a term used to describe the trim around a doorway. There are many varieties dependant upon the style and material used.

Plinth Blocks are the decorative piece sometimes found at the bottom of door casings that simulate the base of a column. They should be installed flush to the floor and butt up to the baseboard.

Correcting the casings was no simple task, because it involved taking all of it off and removing quite a bit of baseboard. Thankfully, it wasn't every doorway in the house, but only about 4 in the main living area.

In my next post, I'll talk about the best way to go about removing trim without causing more harm than good...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com