Preparing your home for winter

It won't be long before those crisp fall days will turn to full-on winter. Is your home ready? Follow this checklist and you can answer "Yes" to that question.

I always start off by touring my house inside and out with a note pad. Write down every area that needs attention. You'll make a shopping list from that.

• Caulk is going to be used for nonoperable cracks, like the places where two materials meet. Weatherstripping is for areas that move, like doors and windows. It helps you get a good seal when the door is closed. Of course, there are a wide variety of these materials, so read labels as you shop to get the right stuff for your gaps and cracks.

If you have areas with caulk that is damaged, old or needing to be replaced, the old stuff needs to come off first. Most caulk is silicone-based, so it needs to be cut off with a sharp utility knife or razor blade. Be careful not to gouge or cut any surfaces under the caulk. If it's not silicone caulk, rubbing alcohol might soften it up. Just make sure you get as much as you can and have a smooth, clean surface for the new caulk to stick to.

Use a higher-end caulk rather than the cheap stuff. It will go on smoother and last longer in most cases. You can buy it in colors a lot of the time, so choose one that will be less noticeable.

Use a good caulking gun and practice a little before doing your whole house. If you are not practiced, consider buying a smoothing tool to perfect joints.

• Weatherstripping also comes in tons of different forms, and you should be able to find just the right stuff for your door or window. Buy the best you can afford, and you'll get better results and more protection. Some of the cheap stuff will work well but won't last very long.

Don't forget to take care of less-common areas you might overlook, like spaces around utility entry points. Expanding foam is a good choice for wider, uneven areas like these. Make sure exhaust vents close properly. Wall cavities also can allow air in, so add insulated inserts to electrical outlets and switch plates on walls that have an exterior exposure.

Take care of these things now, and you'll be ready for that first cold snap - because it's coming!

Different dowels

When you need to reinforce a wooden joint, a dowel is a good choice. You can improve on these by using the type that is "fluted," or has grooves on the sides. The more surface area you have, the better adhesion you will get. You can buy the dowels fluted or you can make them yourself. Just grab a regular dowel with your pliers and pull the dowel through the teeth. This will leave grooves in the surface of the dowel and give you the added adhesion you are looking for.

Onion bags

I have used a small sump pump to drain the water out of some flooded areas. They work quite well, and other than the occasional clog, they're pretty unstoppable. I've even found a way to cut down on the clogs. I saved a mesh onion bag, placed the pump inside the bag and cinched it up. The netting catches quite a bit of the debris that would have been sucked up into the pump, clogging it and making it slow down or stop completely. You even can throw the bag away when it gets clogged and replace it with a new one.

Super hints

• Add pegboard to the inside of cabinet and closet doors. Add some assorted hooks, and you'll have a lot more storage for your stuff. This works in kitchens, utility rooms, laundry rooms, craft and hobby rooms and even bathrooms.

• Organize your freezer and refrigerator the same way you do your shop or home. Use containers that can be removed for restocking and cleaning.

Q. My front door is a nice, wooden door. It used to be dark-stained and had a glossy finish. But, over time, it has faded and lost its sheen. What can I do to bring the color back?

A. It's probably going to need a light sanding over the entire finish. This should remove the glossy finish over the whole door. Then apply some matching stain and apply it to the surface, more heavily in the faded areas. After the stain has dried, apply a layer of polyurethane to protect the finish. Both the stain and poly should be UV-ray resistant in order to help the finish last longer.

Q. I need some help. We have a tiled bar on our patio. There is a tile that has come loose. I tried to glue it back down but it's uneven and it looks bad. What's the right way to do this?

A. See if you can remove the old adhesive from the back of the tile. If you have a Dremel or other rotary tool, this is a great tool for grinding off the old stuff. Then remove the grout that was surrounding the old tile where it was installed, as well as the old adhesive left on the substrate. Apply new tile adhesive, following the package directions. After it has cured, apply new, matching grout and sealer.

Q. I bought a bookcase at a garage sale. I thought it would be perfect for my craft room. But someone put the price on it with a magic marker, and I can't wash it off. What can I do?

A. Try alcohol to dissolve the marker. That should do it. If you have to paint over it, don't forget to prime before painting to seal in the stain.

Reader tips

• This summer, we traveled to three states on our family vacation. At one point along the way, we had a flat tire. It was nothing serious, but we had to change it ourselves, so we had to unload the car to get to the jack and tire. The soil on the side of the road where we stopped was soft, and the jack kept sinking. My son looked around and found a flat piece of metal trash that we put under the jack. Then we were able to take care of the tire. I thought this was pretty smart, so I wanted to pass it along to others who might find themselves in the same situation. Heck, you might have something in your trunk that would do the same thing. We didn't.

• For the past few years, we have had a large garden. We have more than enough vegetables for our whole family, so we give the rest away to friends and neighbors. I have had trouble servicing my tiller, which is a workhorse for me. The oil port is on the side and hard to get to. I made a special funnel by attaching a flexible straw to the base so I can more easily position it to get the oil into the port. It's simple, but works quite well.

• Petroleum jelly is great for so many things. I received your list of uses but have another one to share with you. I put a thin layer of the stuff on all of my saw blades. It protects them from rust, which is a common problem on newly sharpened blades. It keeps them in good shape and helps them last longer between sharpenings.

• We have a small home, and because of the traffic in our front hallway, the bathroom door really needs to be closed most of the time. We started noticing moisture problems in the room this summer and tried to figure out how to add more ventilation to the room. We finally decided to cut a large hole near the top of the door and add a decorative metal grate. The grate covers the hole but still allows air in and out of the room, which has cut down on the moisture buildup. It might not be as good as a new powered vent, but it's well within our budget.

• My daughter is such a good kid. She won a trip out of town to accept an award, so I decided to paint her room for her when she was gone. I was just finishing up when she called to tell me she was on her way home. I got a couple of fans from the garage and brought them into the room and turned them on high to help the paint dry in time. It did, and she loves the new color. I'm glad. She deserves it for sure.

• Our basement has become the hangout for all of my son's friends. We bought a pool table, and they spend every weekend down there, playing and watching football on the big-screen TV. I wanted to do something cool to the walls, but paint just didn't appeal to me. Then I got the idea to put in corrugated metal panels. It was easy to do and looks so neat.

Shoptalk

• Vinegar is one of those everyday, household products that we all have in our homes. It has tons of uses there as well as in the shop and even outdoors. It's really inexpensive and can save you money in many cases. We have put together a list of some of our favorite tried-and-true uses for the stuff. You also can get this information, as well as a lot of other interesting tips, on our website at www.thesuperhandyman.com.

• When you are working outside the shop, a heavy-duty tool cart can be very helpful. The Pack 'n Roll Collapsible Service Cart from Olympia is a supermodel. It is easy to set up, can hold a lot of weight and has strong wheels to make it portable when in use. When you are finished with it, it folds almost flat, has a handle to carry it with and hangs right on a shop wall to be out of the way. To find out more, visit www.olympiatools.com.

• Zinsser makes a water-based Mold Killing Primer. It can be used to paint over existing mold, mildew, moss and fungi because it contains an EPA-registered antimicrobial to prevent mold growth. It can be used on interior and exterior surfaces in places like bathrooms and basements. It dries quickly and can be painted over in just one hour. Check it out at your paint or hardware store or home center. To find out more, visit www.rustoleum.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.