How to stop the door from sticking

A sticking door can be more than just an inconvenience; you could get stuck in the room! Even getting stuck in the kitchen wouldn't be great for long. Most sticking-door problems can be fixed, so try some of these ideas on yours.

See if you can determine where the door is binding. Place a strong light behind one side of a closed door. Then from the other side, look for light coming through around the door. Mark the areas where no light shines through with chalk or tape.

Use a level to check the level and plumb of the door frame. This should tell you whether the door or the frame is the problem.

If the frame is the problem, you can adjust it by removing the trim and adding or removing shims and screws to adjust it.

If the frame is right, check the hinges. You might be able to adjust the hinges to resolve the issue. Check the screws on the hinges. One or more might be loose, and tightening them down might straighten the door. If a screw is stripped out, choose a larger or longer screw to replace it, or fill the hole and start over again.

If the door seems to be too far away from the hinge at one point, you can try mortising out the area under the hinge just a little more.

If the opposite is true, you can shim up the hinge with a piece of cardboard cut to fit just under the hinge on the jamb.

If the door is wood and you think it is too tight along the edge of the door bottom, you can shave some wood off with a plane or saw. You should take the door down to do this, and don't trim off too much.

Once you have the door set correctly, it might be a good idea to seal all surfaces, especially the ones on the edges of the door -- including top and bottom. Moisture can get in and cause the door to swell and bind again.

You can tackle and solve this problem with a little patience and trial and error.

Hang on to wires

Whether you are working on a wall receptacle or light switch or installing a new thermostat, the one thing you have to worry about is losing your wires. Once you get the covers off and the wires unhooked, you can put a clothespin on the wires so they won't slip back out of the box or into the wall. With larger wires, this won't be a problem, but this trick also can be used to help you keep them more accessible for hooking them up to the new lamp or other device you are installing.

Pulling nails

Pulling a nail out of wood can be done several ways, but the old reliable hammer claw is still your best bet. You get a lot of leverage, and that's enough for most nails. Longer nails might benefit from the addition of a scrap of wood. Once you get the nail partially out, slide a scrap of wood -- about 1 inch thick -- under the claw, and pry the nail the rest of the way out. This raises the surface you are pushing against with the hammer claw and gives you enough leverage to pull even a 16-penny nail out.

Super hints

• If you are caulking your countertop or bathtub and you want it to look perfect, just put down some masking tape on either side of the area to be caulked to block slopovers. After applying the caulk, pull the tape off for a perfect bead of caulk.

• Closed-up places will start to smell musty when moisture is present. Try keeping a few charcoal briquettes in the area to absorb some of the bad smell. Use these in closets, basements, boats, freezers and lots of other musty places in and around your home.

• Pull-out storage trays inside your cabinets are nice, but they can be expensive. I use cardboard boxes. I find one that will fit inside the cabinet door and pull out easily. Then I trim the sides down to about 4 inches in height. I load it with all of the things that I need to store in the cabinet and slide it in. When I need to access it, I just pull it out. Of course, I need to support it with my hand or set it on the floor, but I can still get to what I need with ease -- and I've saved myself a lot of money and installation time too.

Q. The fluorescent fixtures in my kitchen cast an odd color on things. Can I switch to a different bulb?

M.T.

A. You might try some of the newer bulbs. They say they make things look better, but if that doesn't work, you might consider switching to a new fixture. The fluorescent fixtures are an older trend, and your kitchen might be due for an updated look. It will make a difference.

Q. Our basement is finished, and we had some water damage to the wood paneling. The water damage was from rising water, and it came up the wall about 1 inch. Now the bottom of the paneling is sort of wavy and discolored. What can we do to hide it?

H.D.

A. You can try sanding and staining it if the damage isn't too bad. You also could just install shoe molding around the base of the room. This should cover all of the damage. If this is an ongoing problem, you should have it repaired, or you will be dealing with a mold problem soon.

Q. There are several small, hairline cracks on my driveway. I would like to see about filling or sealing them. What is the best material to use?

L.P.

A. The easiest form of concrete patch for hairline cracks comes in a ready-to-use tube. You also can use the type that comes in a caulking tube, but make sure the application tip is cut very small. You can smooth over the cracks with a putty knife if you need to.

Q. My fireplace is brick and has green paint on it. I would like to paint it white to brighten up the den. What do I need to do to prep the surface for another coat of paint, and what type of paint will work best?

D.T.

A. Provided that the old painted surface is still in good shape, you can paint right over it. Just scuff-sand the gloss off and apply a good primer/sealer followed by your any kind of paint for the facade.

Reader tips

• I am trying to get my patio furniture in good shape before spring comes. I have washed it down and sanded off the rusty spots. I noticed that water seems to sit in the seats after it rains, and this was where most of the rust was. I just drilled a couple of small holes in the lowest part of the seat so the rain water would drain out instead of sitting there. Then I primed and painted all of it. Everything looks brand new and might stay looking good a little longer from now on.

R.T.

• I got a label-maker for Christmas. I love it and have used it all over the house. I even put an "I love you" sticker on my wife's side of the bathroom mirror. I have labeled all of the circuit breakers in the box. This way, I can easily turn off the one that I want to turn off without turning off others. I hate having to reset all those clocks and timers in the house!

J.D.

• I saw an expensive drying rack for sweaters that I thought would be nice to have. However, I came home and put one together myself. I set up a couple of those flat drying racks and put a box fan behind it. The fan blows over the racks and dries the clothes in half the time. Mine might not look as pretty as the expensive one, but it works exactly the same -- and that's all that matters to me.

N.T.

• I painted my kitchen cabinets and ran out of paint thinner while I was still trying to clean up. I tried WD-40 with great results. I just sprayed it on my hands, and the paint came off very easily. Another use for the most useful stuff I have in my garage!

R.M.

• We had been getting a draft under our back door for a while, and I thought I was going to have to replace the threshold. I even priced some and tried to figure out how to get the old one out so I could install a new one. Then I noticed that the door sweep on the inside of the door was damaged. The rubber strip that was supposed to be there to block the air had been torn away. I think our dog pulled on it or chewed it away. I bought a replacement for only a couple of dollars and installed it in a couple of minutes -- we're back to normal again. That was a lot easier than I thought the job was going to be.

W.M.

Shop talk

• There is a simple add-on for straight tool handles that will make using them much easier. The Back Saver grip is a super new gadget that will fit easily onto most long-handled tools, like shovels, rakes, hoes, brooms and many other tools, in order to give you a more ergonomic way to handle them. It reduces the bending, leaning and lifting that can lead to back and shoulder fatigue. It's made from tough ABS plastic and is guaranteed never to break or wear out. To learn more or find a dealer in your area, visit www.backsavergrip.com.

• Using a sprayer to apply cleaners, insecticides and other liquids can make things easier in most cases. But if you have trouble using a sprayer because of weakness, arthritis or other causes, then the repetition can cause fatigue and pain in your wrist and fingers. The Cepia Sprayer uses battery power to spray, so you don't have to squeeze or pump the bottle. The Cepia comes in a 48-ounce spray bottle, 1 gallon unit and fanny pack sprayer, with some pretty innovative accessories. The sprayers are made well and won't drip, and they are fully adjustable to spray or stream. To learn more about the Cepia Sprayer, visit www.cepiallc.com on the Web or call (800) 225-9319.

© 2008, Cowles Syndicate Inc.