Using a table for home projects makes it a candidate for repairs

Do you have a workbench, or do you just use your kitchen or dining-room table as one when you are working on projects? Well, you are not alone. It turns out that a lot of our readers do, too.

So, how does that table look? Well, again, you are not alone. Here are some fixes for the most common problems.

Scratches are, by far, the most common issue I am asked about. You can use a scratch-filling pen on most of them. These are available at most hardware stores and home centers, and are made to match common colors. If your table is a little different, you can use two pens to get a better match. These won't fill the scratches, but will help disguise them. To fill deeper scratches, use a colored filler putty stick.

Water stains and rings are the next-most-common problem. White blush marks can be treated the same way. Start by applying a thick oil, like petroleum jelly, to see if this will take care of it.

If the oil won't do it, try scrubbing with a little gel toothpaste, just over the stain. If you think a little more abrasion might work, try steel wool, which is very fine. Just be careful not to overdo it, or you'll be refinishing the whole table!

If neither of these tips works for you, try mineral spirits paint thinner. Test this on the underside of the table or the inside of a leg, if the underside isn't the same finish. If the paint thinner has a negative effect on the finish, don't use it on the top of the table.

Once you get the tabletop clean, it might be a good idea to apply a clear, protective coating, like polyurethane. Just clean the surface well before doing so. Another option for protection might be a plastic tablecloth, a sheet of acrylic or even glass.

By the way, you can make a very simple workbench from a kit, available at most home centers, that contains all of the hardware you need — you supply the lumber and labor. It might make more sense to have a real workbench for your repairs.

Help seedlings grow

I look forward to spring every year because I love to garden. While there are lots of things one can do in the garden during the winter months, nothing excites me more than when little seedlings come up in the spring. Warm days are a real booster for these little babies. One thing you can do to enhance the sun's warmth is to add a sheet of glass over your plants, raised above them so as not to squash them. An old window, glass tabletop or even a sheet of acrylic can be used. Just lean the glass against the garden edging or the side of your house, whatever is convenient. The heat gets magnified when it goes through the glass, and will heat up those seedlings, getting them off to a super start!

Keep reflective tape

Reflective tape can be used quite effectively to alert others of your presence on the side of the road, like when you're changing your tire. But does your car jack have reflective tape on it? Probably not. Nor does your car, jacket or anything else. The reflective tape is pretty inexpensive, so buy a roll and apply some to your car's jack. Apply more to other items that could be placed outside the car to alert others, like the cover that fits over the tire in your trunk. It's easy enough to do and very inexpensive, too.

Super hints

• If you are not a handyman but want to have drapes in your home, install a tension rod on the inside frame of the window. These come in a wide variety of sizes, fit tightly and can hold up even heavy drapes. You won't have to drill a single hole, and you may not have to sew anything, either!

• This year, after Christmas, I had a whole box full of packing material. Of course, you can just throw it away, but I try to recycle stuff whenever I can. The UPS Store is pretty close to where I live, so I loaded it up and took all of the packing material to them. They used most of it and really appreciate it. If they decide to throw it away, at least they have a larger trash can for it.

• Use a home-office hole punch to make holes in cardboard hardware, glues and other items so you can hang them directly on your pegboard wall in your workshop. That will make them easy to reach!

Q. I want to install wallpaper in my dining room. There already is wallpaper on the walls. Do I need to remove it before putting the new stuff up?

A. There are more reasons to remove it than to leave it up. The old wallpaper could fail, causing the new wallpaper to peel up, too. Even bubbles could form under the original wallpaper. It might be hard to do, but you really need to remove the old stuff first. Renting a wallpaper steamer will help you get through it a little faster.

Q. My car isn't new any longer, but it still is in pretty good shape. I did have a radiator hose break last fall, but I was able to repair it at home myself. Unfortunately, the radiator dripped rust all over my driveway. I can't figure out how to get the rust stains off it. Got any suggestions?

A. Use a rust cleaner that contains oxalic acid. You'll find a variety of them at your hardware store or home center. Bar Keepers Friend and Zud are even available at the grocery store. Just follow the package directions for good results. You may have to repeat the cleaning more than once, but it should work.

Q: We have an “off at dawn, on at dusk” light on our patio. It has stopped shutting off and just stays on all the time now. What might be causing the problem?

A. There are a couple of things you might be able to do to fix this lamp. First of all, see if you can locate the “eye” and make sure that it isn't clogged with spider webs or dirt. Clear it if it's blocked. Also, you might try turning it off, then back on again. Some lamps are programmed to reset when turned off and on, back to the standard setup. If neither of these fixes works, then it might be time to replace it. You also can try contacting the manufacturer for additional information. Good luck!

Reader tips

• Our utility room is a very busy spot in our house — it's the laundry room as well. Since everyone passes through this room on their way to and from the garage every day, I decided to make it the “home office,” too. I mounted a large, dry-erase calendar on the wall for everyone to use. I also installed a bulletin board next to it, and a hanging organizer for all of the mail. There already was a trash can, but I put it where it's easier to get to and added a shredder to the side of it. There also are hooks on both doors to hold our coats and hats, and so far, everyone is using it.

• I made a pretty neat storage bucket for my workshop. I do a lot of painting, so I have many five-gallon buckets. I cleaned one out and cut some dividers to put down inside it. I used some corrugated plastic panels, glued in place with caulk. This created four sections inside the bucket. It's perfect for storing enough tools and hardware for working on just about any project outside my shop. The handle makes it easy to carry around, too.

• I use my sawdust as a “floor sweep” on my workshop. But, believe it or not, I ran out. I have been busy doing other chores and haven't been working with any wood lately. But I did find out that you can go to your local lumberyard and, if you pick it out of the saw yourself, you can have all of the sawdust you can carry. So even if you aren't a woodworker, you can make your own floor sweep, too!

• It has been colder this winter than ever before where I live. It's so cold that the lock on my storage shed froze. I could not turn the lock, even after getting the key into it. I got the key back out and heated it with a lighter, then put it back into the lock. It heated things back up and allowed the lock mechanism to turn.

• By accident I discovered shaving cream will clean mirrors without allowing fogging later. I sprayed some on my bathroom mirror by accident and just wiped it off. But after my shower, I noticed that the mirror wasn't fogged over in that area. I used it to clean the whole mirror last weekend, and it really works. The mirror is clean and doesn't fog up after I shower. Who knew?

Shoptalk

• Baking soda isn't just for baking. As a matter of fact, it can be used for all sorts of things in the shop and home. Baking soda doesn't cost very much, and just about everybody has a box or two in the house, so why not use it to its full potential? We have put together a listing of some of our favorite uses, “Get Cooking with Baking Soda.” You can also find this list, along with lots of other useful stuff, at www.thesuperhandyman.com.

• The Pop-Out Outlet is a really neat way to customize your power outlets in areas where you may not want a highly visible receptacle in view. This outlet pops out with a simple push, and goes back in just as easily. It comes in a wide variety of colors, and some even have built-in lights. They are easy to install and really innovative. Check them out at www.burgesslighting.com to see what I'm talking about.

• The Guardian Angel Window Guard is a simple device you can add to a window to prevent children from falling out. The Guardian Angel is fairly easy to install, removable in an emergency, durable and fully adjustable to fit a variety of windows. Fresh air is a good thing, and now you can have it in your child's room without the worries and dangers of an open window. It is not a security device for intruders, but will protect a child from accidentally falling out. These and other similar devices are available at home centers and hardware stores. See the Guardian Angel at www.guardianangelwindowguards.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.

© 2015, Cowles Syndicate Inc.