Vinyl siding easy to maintain

Vinyl siding is a very popular building material for homes. It's long-lasting and tough and can stand up to just about anything Mother Nature can throw at it. A little light maintenance is all that is needed to keep it looking great, and if you do have a problem, most are easily repaired. Here are the basics, just for your information:

A pressure washer is a super tool for cleaning vinyl siding. You can use water by itself or try some of the supplied chemicals on stubborn dirt.

If you have a damaged panel, you can usually repair it. If the damage is a split or a cut, try repairing it with vinyl adhesive. You can use the same adhesive as is used with PVC plastic pipe. Don't use the primer, as it usually has a purple color to it.

If the damage is large enough to warrant replacing a whole piece or part of a piece, you will have to remove the damaged section. This is easily done with a special "zip tool," available where siding is sold and at many hardware stores. This tool allows you to disconnect the damaged piece from the adjoining pieces, as they all hook together.

Once the damaged piece has been disconnected from the pieces under and over it, you can carefully remove the nails and the panel itself. If you can't remove the nails, just cut the heads off the nails or cut the damaged piece of siding off from the nailing strip and pull it away.

Measure the siding and cut a replacement piece of it the same length. Nail it into place and then use the same zip tool to reattach it, top and bottom, to the surrounding pieces.

It really is that easy. If you have trouble matching your current siding, try using a piece from the back of the house or garage or from behind some bushes, and put the replacement part that doesn't match so perfectly back in that less-noticeable area.

Hold in place

Tall bookshelves and entertainment centers are great for storing all sorts of things we need in our homes. But, because of the height, they can be a little top-heavy, making it easy for them to fall forward and possibly hurt someone. One simple way to prevent this is to install some screen-door hooks between the unit and the wall. Installed at the top of the shelves or cabinets, one on each corner or at least every 3 or 4 feet should keep the unit in place. The eye hook should be installed into a stud in the wall, and the hook should be installed in solid wood on the shelf or a bolt and nut should be used in the case of particleboard or some other material that is less strong.

Easy easel

If you are in need of an easel for painting cabinet doors, frames or some other object, try flipping a standard TV tray upside down and setting the object on the legs. With the legs facing up, the flat item can be laid across them to be painted or to dry after being painted. If you feel the need to protect the TV tray legs from paint or something else, lay some plastic across them first. Now you can go watch your favorite TV show while the paint dries. Of course, you can't eat in the front of the TV until you get that TV tray back!

Super hints

If your door doesn't fit tightly enough to lock when shut, it might be just a simple matter of loosening the strike plate, moving it in close and tightening it back down.

• If you are in a hurry to finish your drywall project or tired of waiting for the paint to dry, whip out the old hair dryer. Use it to help your projects dry faster. Don't overheat or push it too far, but in many cases, it can cut your drying time in half.

• Cleaning out shop drawers isn't much fun, but you can at least vacuum out the dust. Take a leg of your old pantyhose (those of you who wear them), and hold it over the end of the vacuum hose. When you vacuum like this, the pantyhose will keep small screws and nails from being sucked up, but will get most of the dust out of the drawers. It's a great way to clean sewing rooms too. You don't have to worry about vacuuming up pins and needles.

Q. I planned to replace the faucets in my bathroom with new, better-looking ones. The ones I want to use require only one hole, and my current tub has three. What do you think I should do?

V.N.

A. You've got two options. Some faucet bases will cover the existing holes. There are also covers that you can fit over the holes, but these usually don't look very nice. The only other option is to go back the store and see if you can't find a faucet that will fit better with the existing setup your fixtures have now.

Q. I believe that my home has lead-based paint on some of the trim and maybe the cabinets. How can I tell for sure before stripping it off?

T.P.

A. There are some easy-to-use lead test kits available at hardware stores. Before doing any stripping or sanding, you really do need to know. It might even be best to paint over the old paint rather than strip it off. The Environmental Protection Agency's National Lead Information Center has a toll-free hot line that you can call to ask questions and get some informational literature on lead paint. Call (800) 424-5323.

Q. I want to clean my siding, which is vinyl. It's especially hard to reach the second story, and there are some really dirty areas around the garage. What's the best way to tackle this job?

H.W.

A. A power washer is a great tool for this. You can use the cleaners that work with them to get the whole house clean. Avoid using the highest pressure, especially around windows and other delicate areas. If you need to scrub, use a swimming-pool brush on an extension pole. You should be able to reach the second story from the ground with one of these.

Reader tips

• When I have to sand small things -- or even larger, odd-shaped items -- I have a better way than most people. I tack the sandpaper down to my workbench and hold the small object and move it back and forth across the sandpaper. This way works just as well and is much easier in most cases. I've tried sanding sticks and other means, but this way is super fast and easy.

B.C.

• We finally bought a new, large, plasma TV. It's great. But we still have the old entertainment center and couldn't use it for the new TV, so we moved the center to the living room. Now it serves as a nice bar and storage cabinet. The area where the TV used to go is where we keep the liquor bottles and a few bar accessories. We installed some stem holders over that to hold wine glasses, and the bottom area is perfect for storing wine.

E.D.

• We had a large, very expensive mirror that was on our dining-room wall, and when we moved, it got scratched. I don't know how it happened, but I was heartbroken. My husband checked into having it repaired, but it was going to cost too much, so I put it in the garage for storage. My neighbor noticed it and a great idea to fix it. She taped a small hand mirror on the back of it, right over the scratch, and you can hardly see it. It's back up in the new dining room now, and I have a new best friend just across the street.

C.F.

• We remodeled our wet bar in the rec room. It worked OK, but it had glass shelves and just didn't fit in with the more casual decor we had going. We took the glass shelves out, and rather than painting the walls, we covered them with metal corrugated steel panels. They were inexpensive and easy to install. They really look neat, and everybody loves them. It gives the bar a whole new look that is really hip and cool.

R.M.

• Our basement is getting finished gradually. We work on it whenever we have some spare time or money. One problem area is the metal support columns. They are ugly. We were going with a sort-of tropical feel to the room and found a long match-stick blinds that we cut up and glued around the columns. Now they have a "tiki" feel to them to match the tropical feel of the room. We just used glue to attach them around the posts.

M.J.

Shop talk

• Here's a super new way to store tools -- magnetically. StuckOn Tools is a new line of tool sets that store on a magnetic board -- a floral household tool set, a garden tool set and a BBQ tool set. Each set comes complete with the most necessary tools for its designed purpose. The company also sells magnetic boards and accessories to store your own tools in the garage. This product line is new, and if you want to learn more or find a dealer near you, visit its Web site at www.stuckontools.com.

• If you have ever wanted to bend PVC pipe, you'll love the new Pipe Viper. It's a special bending tool that allows you to bend this type of pipe up to 90 degrees and works on electrical conduit too. Save money on fittings and joints with the Pipe Viper. It's anti-corrosive, lightweight and easy to use, and it won't kink the pipe. It comes in a variety of sizes for use on different sizes of pipe. For more information, contact Pipe Viper at (888) 214-8371 or visit them online at www.thepipeviper.com.

© 2007, Cowles Syndicate Inc.