Rebuilding wood is tricky, but these tips can help make it less so

Wood is used for many parts of our homes, and it probably always will be. But what do you do when the wood rots?

It's best to keep it sealed and protected, but sometimes it just happens, and it can be tricky to replace in some areas. There are some really great putties and epoxies that can be used to rebuild damaged areas when replacing the wood is difficult. Git Rot, LiquidWood and Wood Epoxy are just a few.

We would like to show you how these products work and see if they might be the right solution for your damaged wood areas.

These products are not new. Many have been around for years, but since many of us are trying to be more conservative with our spending and trying to save old materials from being tossed out too soon, they are becoming more popular than ever. Just check your hardware store or home center and see what it has on hand. Read and follow the package directions to get the best results.

Most will tell you to remove the damaged wood first. This can mean chiseling, drilling and sanding. Any rotting wood left behind may continue to spread the damage, and all of your efforts will be in vain, so take the time to do it right.

Once the damaged wood has been removed, you can start the filling or rebuilding process. If the area is relatively shallow, a thin mix will do, but if you are building a larger area back up, use a thick compound. All of these products can be sanded once they are fully cured. Keep in mind that some can cure rather quickly, so work efficiently to build the area back up before it starts to harden.

After the material has set up or cured, you can work on it to get the shape to match the rest of the wood. A rotary tool is a great help for this, as the many different sanding and grinding bits are easy to use and will do a great job of finishing.

Sand the whole area when you have finished, and make sure to remove all of the loose material and dust. Now you are ready to prime and paint.

Make sure you keep an eye on vulnerable areas around your home that could be rotting and take care of them before they get to this point. Caulking, painting and other weatherproofing methods are a lot easier than rebuilding the wood.

Lint-rolling power

Dogs and cats are wonderful pets, but not when they leave hair on the floor, furniture and lots of other places. A lint brush is still one of the best ways to clean up after a messy pet, but why use a small one when you can super-size it? Use a paint roller as your lint roller. Wrap wide tape, with the sticky side out, around the roller to cover it. Now you can run it back and forth over your couch or rug. Hair today and gone tomorrow!

Storing a power cord

People find all sorts of interesting ways to store a power cord with a tool. Sometimes they wrap it around the tool. Other times it's coiled up tightly and secured with a cable or twist-tie. Although these methods can work and may be better than just wadding the cord up, there are better ways. Power cords should not be folded up too tightly or crimped in any way. This can cause damage to the cord. A better way is to fold it up loosely and then secure it with a rubber band. The rubber band will not cause any damage to the cord and can easily be taken off and put back on without a lot of work or tools. You can leave the rubber band wrapped loosely around the cord so that it will be handy when you are ready to put the tool away. It's a simple thing to do, and it still works better than most of the newer gadgets.

Super hints

• Don't wear out your finger on your next caulking job. Use a plastic putty knife as your smoothing tool. Just grind off the sharp corner to a more rounded shape and drag it along your caulk bead for a professional-looking job. It's also easier to clean up than your hands.

• When you are painting, keep a couple of plastic bags handy to slip your hands into when answering the door or the phone. It will keep the mess from spreading from the painted room to the rest of the house, and will keep you out of trouble!

• I didn't want to have a trellis like everyone else in my neighborhood, so I made my own. I used some leftover copper pipe I had, plus a few more pieces from the home center. My design was simple, and I soldered everything together after dry-fitting it. I needed more practice sweat-soldering anyway. The trellis looks really great, and it was a fun project to do with leftovers.

Q. It's been a while since we used our fireplace, and we really messed up this time. We forgot to open the flue before we lit the first fire, and we got some black smoke stains on the brick face of the fireplace. How can we get rid of the mess?

A. TSP (trisodium phosphate) is a great cleaner for messes like yours. It's available in paint stores and the paint department of your home center. Use about a quarter-cup of TSP and 2 quarts of warm water, and scrub the stains away. Please be more careful next year!

Q. I want to have ivy growing on my house but don't want it to ruin the rocks. How can I do this? Do you have any creative ideas?

A. Why not install wire mesh in front of the wall? You can use wire fencing and concrete anchors as a base, and then grow the vines up that. Try to use a vine that wraps around the wire and doesn't have roots that might penetrate the wall. A garden center can help you find the right ivy.

Q. I have a good-size stain in the middle of my game-room floor on the white carpet. I've tried all of the grocery-store cleaners but can't get it up. We can't afford new carpet, so what would you recommend?

A. Check with the carpet dealers to see if they have a better cleaner. If the cleaners don't work, then you may have to patch it if you have some extra pieces. Check the hardware store for patching tape. It goes under the carpet to hold the old and new pieces together. Make sure you cut the patch exactly the same as the damaged area so they fit snugly.

Reader tips

• We just finished wrapping our water pipes in the basement with foam pipe insulation. It's a great way to keep the pipes from freezing or losing heat in the winter. I took the leftover pieces and put them around some of my tools. I added a piece to the handlebar of my mower and two of my shovels' handles, and even had enough left over to put a small section on the front of my trailer where it sometimes hits my truck when I'm hooking it up.

• I had to add some more grass seed to the front yard. I have some bare spots under the trees and have to overseed almost every year. I found a great way to do it - by putting the seed into an empty spice shaker. The holes in the top of the jar are the right size for the seed to come through, and all I have to do is shake a little here and there to get good coverage in those bare spots.

• My wife wanted a storage place for our pots and pans, but we couldn't hang one from the ceiling, so I installed a large, heavy-duty towel rack behind the stove and used "S" hooks on the pan handles to hang them with. She loves it, and, I have to admit, it does look good. It was inexpensive to do, also.

• I have done a lot of redecorating in my kitchen and have done most of it myself. My wife is a pretty good helper, too. After replacing the countertops and painting, we had spent most of our money. Our old light fixture really looked dated, but the one we wanted to buy was too much for our budget. We found an inexpensive aluminum hanging fixture and "remodeled" it. We found a nice pattern and drilled small holes into the aluminum fixture to give it a country look. It looks great, and it was only $15. Maybe next year we will get the pricey one - or maybe not.

• I tried something a little unorthodox, but it worked so well that I thought I would share it with you. I use cooking spray for baking to keep food from sticking to the pan, so I put some on my shovel when I was digging up the remains of the garden. It actually worked. The mud slid off and the shovel was pretty clean, even after working all day. I'm going to try it on the snow shovel next. I hear we are going to have more snow this weekend. Wish me luck!

Shoptalk

The new Linefinder Orbital Jigsaw from Black & Decker takes a lot of the guesswork out of setting up your saw for specific projects, and gives you super results. The Linefinder Pen (a fine-tip, yellow highlighter) makes it easy to see where you need to cut when illuminated with the built-in light. The SmartSelect Technology allows you to choose a project icon to automatically set up the saw, saving you time and giving you more precise results. Combined with the Accu-Bevel angle adjustment and the tool-less blade changes, you will love this upgraded saw. Look for it at your hardware store or home center, or online at blackanddecker.com.

• Sanding just got a lot easier and faster with Gator Ultra Power Sandpaper. The black zirconium oxide is one of the hardest man-made materials available, and it lasts three times longer and sands three times faster than any other paper. It comes in a variety of sizes and grits, and is made to fit a variety of sanders, including hand and belt. Check it out at your hardware store or home center. For more information, go to gatorfinishing.com.

• Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit the Carrells' Web site at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2009, Cowles Syndicate Inc.