filipino globe
section F life
filipino globe
home, health & beauty, money, travel, stars & sports
June 2008
23
Weekend house painter leaves messy trail and the wife isn’t pleased
Q
I just applied a fresh coat of dipped in the solvent indicated on water. Rinse thoroughly and wipe
paint on our bedroom walls.
DIYBOB
the paint container label or use dry. If any traces remain, allow
I’m quite happy with the results
do it yourself
turpentine. to dry, then scrape gently with a
but my wife keeps reminding me Do not soak the stain, as the razor blade.
that it was far from perfect. solvent will damage the rubber To Remove paint stains from
You see I left paint stains on
ROBERT
backing and pad. Continue leather or suede, gently scrape to
the carpet and also soiled one of
LUNARIA
to wipe with a clean, solvent- remove the excess. Mix a solution
her leather shoes and my belt. I dampened cloth as long as the of mild soap in lukewarm water.
have used my best techniques, stain is picked up. Swish to create a great volume of
but these won’t work. What am Sponge with water and wash suds.
I to do? with a concentrated liquid carpet Apply only the foam with a

Stan Pelayo There are any number of shampoo. sponge. Wipe with a clean dry
Mandaluyong stain removal techniques. We Sponge the area with water, blot cloth. Allow it to dry. If stain
have selected your particular excess liquid, and allow it to dry persists, test a dry-cleaning
A
Painting is a quick and situation, as well others that thoroughly. solvent on an inconspicuous
easy way to update a room. are often encountered by so-
prevent household surfaces from
For stains on ceramiic glass and place. If safe to use, gingerly
Unfortunately, you also leave called weekend warriors, those
becoming innocent victims of your
tiles, do not scrape ceramic glass apply to the stained area, and
something to show for your effort: irrepressible do-it-yourself guys
home-improvement zeal.
range tops – soak to loosen the allow it to dry.
oil-based paint and stains that who come out of the woodwork on
To remove oil-based paint or
stain.
can be stubborn as they are weekends.
stains from your carpet, gently
Wipe the stain with a cloth or Send your questions or comments
sometimes dangerous. These stain removal tips should
dab at the stain with a cloth
sponge dipped in warm sudsy to diybob@filglobe.com
Show me your
toolbox, I’ll
tell you how
good you are
Pete Madriaga goes through the basics of the
handyman’s trade and finds a lot of practical
uses for some strange-sounding tools
A
ny seasoned do-it-yourselfer
Gone are the days
knows the importance of a
well-stocked toolbox. Here, of squeezing to
we review three of the tools that are
most often called into service for
draw a bead of
household projects.
caulk along a tub
One of the weekend warrior’s most
valuable tools for cutting holes and
or tile. Cordless
irregular shapes in flat materials is
the jigsaw. caulk guns make
apply weatherstripping and fire-
Easy to maneuver (it’s light and
small), it’s handy for such jobs as
manual caulking
stopping materials, to repair or install
auto glass, to seal plumbing fixtures,
cutting an opening in a countertop
obsolete
to repair concrete, and to provide a
for a sink or in paneling or plywood
seal against water and sound.
for outlets, pipes, skylights – even
For perfectly angled cuts, a
stereo speakers. A craftsperson could
the blade a starting point. Other
compound miter saw (aka “chop
also use one to make the curved cuts
important considerations include
saw”) is indispensable. Its 10-inch
needed for making a rocking horse or
choosing the proper blade, facing
blade will help you replace the base
any number of other projects.
the “right” side of the material down
and crown moldings throughout your
The jigsaw employs an
before cutting, and clamping it
house, and then tackle that backyard
approximately three-inch-long blade
securely to a surface before cutting.
fence you need to build, cutting
that moves rapidly up and down
Gone are the days of squeezing and
the picket tops to perfect 45-degree
through a hole in the tool’s “foot.”
squeezing to draw a bead of caulk
points.
The upstroke is the cutting stroke.
along a tub or tile. Now, cordless
The powered equivalent of the
A popular upgrade is the capability
caulk guns make manual caulking
manual miter box, the electric miter
of orbital action, which allows the
obsolete.
saw features a blade assembly that
blade to make a “scooping,” J-shaped
This new breed of caulk gun
can be angled to make a bevel (an
movement on the upstroke. This
eliminates hand fatigue and allows
What’s in the box angled cut across the depth of the
helps cut relatively soft materials,
the user to work easily with (clockwise from left):
material) or a miter cut (an angled
such as plywood and plastic, more
high-viscosity materials, such as miter saw, jigsaw
cut across the width of the material).
quickly.
windshield urethanes. It’s as simple and caulk gun. They’re
For flexibility, the fence of the saw
Before starting to cut with a
as pressing a trigger. especially useful during
can be moved into a forward or rear
jigsaw, one must often drill a hole
Like their manual counterparts, renovations or for fixing
position for handling various widths
in the surface of the material to give
cordless caulk guns can be used to
things around the house.
and lengths.
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