Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [preparation]

62 questions
30
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12 answers

What are the "must do" tasks before winter hits?

I've had my furnace serviced in time for winter, but what other things should I consider doing before the snow and the ice come?
Jeff Yates
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29
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10 answers

What are the most important things to check/do after buying a home?

We are in the process of purchasing a home that is over 20 years old. What are some of the most important things we should check/patch/do right away to make sure the home is running correctly and efficiently? We live in Canada, so keep in mind that…
Mario
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9 answers

How do I prepare an already painted wall for new paint?

We are repainting a number of rooms in our home, do we need to put primer over the existing paint? Are there any other gotchas that we need to prepare for before repainting the walls?
Noah Goodrich
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11
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2 answers

Re-do paint over plaster in bathroom: How to feather/match?

I want to understand what went wrong, and how to repair it: This bathroom in a loft was done in 2012. The plasterwork is really good --- smooth and shiny; but the last year or so the paint (Dulux Trade, 2-3coats) has been peeling off. It has all…
user3445853
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4 answers

Do I need to pre-drill holes in particle board for screws?

I'm set to buy a bunch of IKEA furniture, which is notoriously all particle board. (Ah, particle board.) I'd like to strengthen some of the beams of the HOPEN bed with L-brackets from the big-box hardware store of choice. My question is this: since…
Aarthi
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6
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1 answer

How do I prepare an interior cement floor for painting?

I have an enclosed carport that serves as 4th bedroom/den in a 30 year old house. This room has long been used as storage, etc, and is in fairly bad shape. I'm rehabbing it to serve as a home office, but so that it can still be advertised as a…
kylben
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6
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5 answers

How to fix cracks where wall meets ceiling? Flex Spackle? Caulk? Tape and Compound? Wall Paint Prep

I'm looking for guidance on fixing some cracks before I repaint. I need to make some repairs in a bedroom where a cracked formed where the wall meets the ceiling. It mainly cracked due to settling, and from demolition in the bathroom on the other…
RocketManZ
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1 answer

Should painted stair treads be stripped before repainting?

I would like to paint my staircase black (treads) and white (risers). I would like it to look something like this: When I bought the house the staircase was carpeted. After removing the carpet and underlay there was quite a bit of old glue residue…
Robert Long
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6
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2 answers

What preparations can I do before I paint the ceiling of my bathroom?

I want to paint my bathroom ceiling, but there are some bathroom fixtures that I can't remove and that will be very hard to cover up. What preparations can I do, and what should I keep in mind when painting? Is there anything I can do to avoid…
Stewie Griffin
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2 answers

Charging Irrigation System, Can I Do This Myself?

Every spring some company comes out and "charges" our sprinkler system. Can someone explain what this is and whether or not this is something I can do? It basically seems like they come out, turn on the water to the system, run each zone, and check…
allnightgrocery
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2 answers

What do I need to do to prepare this trunk for painting?

I've got this trunk. My eventual goal is to paint it red and use it as a combination storage space and coffee table in my (tiny Manhattan) apartment. It's about fifteen years old. It's covered in a substance that's sort of textured to look…
hairboat
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4
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2 answers

Blue-collar / Foreman / Project Management Vernacular

I'm going to be installing something over and over again in many homes, and in order to help me keep track of what I need to do the job, I'm creating two parts lists for the three-hundred or so different items that I need. One list is for items that…
Michael
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1 answer

How to prepare fresh new plaster on old walls for painting?

What is the best way of fixing minor blemishes in new plaster before painting interior walls? In particular, should I sort them before or after mist coating? Background: I bought a 1930s house in the UK, with brick internal walls coated in old lime…
JRI
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5 answers

How do I properly prepare newly-finished drywall for priming?

What is the minimum amount of dust that can be left on a wall before it adversely affects primer application? If it has to be completely free of dust, how do you get it all? Taking a damp rag over the wall seems to be the way to do this based on…
oscilatingcretin
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What can I mix with paint to avoid mold?

I am helping a friend painting his garage. He has lots of problems with mold because it's an underground garage. He already bought the paint. I know there are some additives you can buy at specialized stores, to avoid or delay mold but I am actualy…
nsn
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