Update your kitchen with a painted countertop

If you have a dated, boring laminate kitchen countertop but don't have the budget for granite, consider painting a new look. Not only will it look good and fit your budget, but it also will eliminate the need for demolition and a crew of workers. Here is how to do it.

The paint you need to use is epoxy, and Rustoleum has a complete kit just for countertops, called "Transformations." You can buy it at your home center, paint store or hardware store. You can use another brand or just epoxy paint if you like.

As with most projects, you need to clean the countertop first with soap and water. Repair any large chips with epoxy putty. Remove excess caulk and glue down loose edges.

Use a small-grit sanding block to sand the entire surface to remove the glossy finish, for the best adhesion. Do all the edges, too, and vacuum up all of the dust you create. Wipe it down with a damp rag until it's thoroughly clean again.

Mask off areas not to be painted, like your sink, walls and cabinets, including your sink drain.

The special adhesive goes on next. You use a brush to do the small areas, like cutting in, and a roller to finish. You need to work fast on this area, so you may want to have a buddy for this part of the project.

While it's still wet, you spray on a wetting agent and the color chips that come with the kit. Let it dry for 12 to 24 hours.

Use a vacuum to remove the excess chips, and then smooth the surface with your sanding block. Vacuum again, and follow with a damp rag.

The protective top coat is the last step. The two-part finish is brushed and rolled on to give you a smooth, shiny surface that, once cured, should last a good long time.

Not bad for a couple of days' work on a small budget.

An easy way to store nails for small projects

Small projects might require only a few nails - not enough for you to drag out a nail apron or a tool belt. But there's a better way to hang onto small amounts of hardware other than stuffing them into your pocket or holding them in your mouth (never a good idea). Slip a rubber band around your hammer handle so you can hold a few nails under the rubber band. They will be easy to reach, so you can get your chores done a lot quicker and without having to wear a tool belt or nail apron while doing it.

Here's a neat trick for adding storage to your pegboard wall

I like to keep tools and supplies where I can see and reach them easily. My pegboard wall is full of these items, and I'm always looking for ways to hang even more stuff there. My favorite way to hang tubes of glue and other tubed items is by tape. Just cut off about an 8-inch piece of tape and fold it in half, securing both ends of the tape to the tube, leaving an inch or so of the folded end of the tape above the end of the tube. This creates a tab that you can punch a hole into, making it easy to hang on any spare hook on your pegboard wall.

Super hints

• If you have a lot of stick-on address labels like I do, use them to identify your tools and other items that you might loan out to friends, family and neighbors. It's no guarantee you'll get them back, but it might remind some borrowers to return your things.

• I like spray-on lubricants, but sometimes you just want the oil and no solvent with it, which most sprays include. You can make your on spray-on lube by just putting some oil into a small spray bottle. It's simple to do, and you'll use it just as often, or maybe more, than the more expensive, store-bought cans.

• You can give your kitchen counter, island or bathroom vanity a new look by simply adding stock wooden legs, available at your home center. Paint them to match, and you'll be amazed at how neat they look.

Q. My new dryer is larger than the old one. I have found that the dryer sticks out a little past the doorway because the vent hose is behind it. I want to know if there is some way to work this out. Any ideas?

A. Some dryers have an alternative access place on the side of the dryer so that it can be vented out the side instead of the back. There also is a specially designed vent that is flatter than the typical round vent material used on the back. Check your dryer and then check your hardware store or home center.

Q. I need to find out how to prevent white stains on my pool deck. These are mostly coming from splashing from our hot tub. How can we bring the wooden look back to our deck and maybe prevent it from fading again?

A. Use deck cleaner to help remove the stains, which mostly are going to be surface damage. Then you can use a penetrating stain to bring some color back into the area. If you get a good match, you won't have to do the whole deck. The parts that you don't end up staining also will need a layer of penetrating sealer to keep them from fading again.

Q. I would like to know if we can do something to make all of our door locks the same, so that one key would unlock all of them. Is this possible to do?

A. Yes. If you are buying new locks, there will be a code on the package so that you can get all of the locks with the same code. If you have existing locks, they sometimes can be re-keyed by a locksmith to accomplish this. It really helps if they are all the same brand lock.

Reader tips

• You'll love this idea. I got it while at my office and tried it at home. If you have a cabinet door, you can tie a bungee or rubber band around it and slip papers up under it, either inside the cabinet or on the outside. I've been doing this at work for a while now, and it really has helped me keep key items super handy. And at home, I use it for receipts. It works great

• I've used wallpaper stripper before, and it gets pretty expensive when you have a large room to do. I've found that I can use hot water to get off some of the old paper, along with a few slices with a wall knife here and there. But I have found that if you add some fabric softener to the hot water, it will work even better. The fabric softener helps it soak into the paper better. Then, if you still have some tough-to-remove areas, you can use a small container of chemical stripper.

• At the end of the growing season every year, I try to gather and save the seeds of some of my annuals, like flowers and vegetables. I let them dry out and store them in labeled plastic bags, so I can use them next year. I've been doing this for several years, and they usually have good germination. I think this has saved me a lot of time, and I really enjoy it. I even share them with some of my friends and neighbors.

• I have several large paintings in my home. They always seemed to need straightening, so I devised a great way to keep them from moving around as much. I added some small pieces of foam weatherstripping to the back side of the frames. It touches the wall and keeps the frames from moving around. I haven't had to adjust any of the artwork since I did this. It's absolutely amazing!

• My sister cleans houses for some extra cash. I learned a neat trick from her. She has a plastic tote with a handle on it that she carries with her around the house. It has a variety of cleaners, rags and sponges, detailing brushes and trash bags. She can go from room to room with this tote and get everything cleaned as she goes. She will go back and vacuum some areas but, since I've started doing this at home, my cleaning time is cut in half. I actually enjoy cleaning the house now - somewhat.

Shoptalk

• Has your water pressure dropped off over the years, especially your hot water? Most of the time, this is simply due to a buildup of mineral deposits in your plumbing system. There's a little trick you can play with a dime on your pipes to clear out some of these deposits. We've written down the steps so that you can try this yourself to clear out your plumbing lines.

• Every year, dryer vents catch fire and destroy homes here in our country. It's important to keep your dryer vent clear. One way to monitor the flue is with LintGard. This small device is mounted to your wall adjacent to your dryer and, with a simple to install sensor, measures the back pressure in your dryer vent. It will let you know when it's time to clean out your vent, which will prevent fires and keep your dryer running more efficiently. Check it out at www.gardusinc.com. These are available at select hardware stores and home centers.

• If you've ever had to reach around a corner or some other odd angle to loosen or tighten a screw, you could have used a flexible-shaft screwdriver. The Viper Driver has a 7-inch flexible extension stored in the handle that can be pulled out of the shaft. It can be locked into place so that it will turn as needed, but the extension is flexible while you are using it. Check it out at www.mit-tool.com.

• Write to Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit online at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2014, Cowles Syndicate Inc.