Save money by ripping up strips of carpet

I've been saving up for a wood floor in my bedroom. As much as I love carpet, my allergies are getting bad again, and I think wood flooring would be much less irritating than carpet. I've decided to save some money by removing the old carpet first. You also can do this, and save some bucks. Here's how:

• First of all, wear a dust mask because you will be stirring up a lot of dust and dirt.

• Use a very sharp carpet knife and cut the carpet into 3-foot-wide strips, from one side of the room to the other.

• Grab a corner and try to loosen it, then pull it up. Roll it as you go and keep going until you have reached the other side of that strip. Use masking tape to secure the roll. Do this with each three-foot-section until all are done. Then carry the carpet rolls out to the curb or dumpster.

• The padding should be done the same way, if it's not falling apart.

• Vacuum the whole floor before working on the tack strips. Keep the dust mask on for this part, too. An extra filter will help keep the dust from getting back out into the room.

• You'll need a thin pry bar to pull up the tack strips. Use pliers to pull up any nails that are left behind.

• Sweep, and vacuum again.

• If you see any gouges left behind by the nails, use floor filler to smooth them out.

Now you are ready for your new floor, and you saved yourself some cash, too!

Add more light to a room

Want to double the amount of light you have in a room? Just replace your plain lamp screw-in socket with a double socket. This is a great way to get extra light in a dark basement, garage or closet. You can even add more of these, by replacing the socket of one of the bulbs with a double socket. You can keep adding to this if you like, and you can create a whole light fixture if you feel the need. The only caution is that you need to use LED or CFL light bulbs, not incandescents, to avoid overloading your outlet. As an added bonus, these bulbs last longer, too.

Make simple storage bins

I like storage bins, especially when you can see what's in them. The bins also need to be easy to access, and I have a super way for you to make small storage bins that you can attach right to your garage or shed wall. Plastic jars, like the ones peanut butter comes in, work well. Remove the lid and attach it to the side of a wall stud so that the container will be in the wall cavity. Screw the jar into the lid, which will now be sideways. Use a utility knife to cut out the side of the jar. Now you have a super see-through storage bin right on your garage or shed wall. Plus, it will be inside the wall cavity area and not sticking out into the work area.

Super hints

• If you have extra paint, siding, crown molding, flooring and other good building supplies, donate them to a local charity that helps people in need make repairs to their homes. Check with your church or city management for possible sources.

• I try to have the paint store do most of the stirring of my paint, but sometimes you don't get to it in time and need to do a little stirring of your own. Since I like to keep things reasonably clean when I'm working, I have an extra paint-can lid that I have drilled a whole into to do this with. I remove the paint-can lid, run my stirring bit through this extra lid and then chuck it into my drill. Then I put this lid on the paint can and tap it down. Now I can keep all of the paint inside the can and off me!

• Butcher block counter tops are great in a cook's kitchen. You need to keep them clean, though, to avoid contamination. I use kosher salt and lemon juice to scrub them clean. Do this after each use to keep them in good shape.

Q. Our front porch has an old-type metal railing and some columns around it. I want to paint it, but the old paint seems dusty. I've cleaned it, and it still has a layer of white dust on it. How can I get this off, and what kind of paint should I use?

A. Some older paints were meant to slough off dirt, and this is called "chalking." Clean it off again with TSP and water. This is available at a paint store. Use a rust-preventive primer and enamel paint meant for metal surfaces, and you should be good.

Q. You aren't going to believe this tale. I was up on my roof using my plumbing snake to clean out my vent stack. I don't know how it happened, but it slipped through my hands and is now inside the vent stack. How in the world will I be able to get it out?

A. Secure a magnet to the end of a rope and see if you can "fish" it out that way. If that doesn't work, see if you can cut through the pipe in your attic and get it out from there. A little pipe glue, a joint and a few minutes to repair the pipe there is all you will need after that. Hopefully you won't need to cut into a wall inside your home to get it out.

Q. I am getting ready to paint our entryway ceiling. We are going to wallpaper the walls, too. There was a leak in our roof from years ago that left a stain on the ceiling. I've been told that it might show through the new paint. How can you get rid of it before painting?

A. It's true. Water spots will bleed through the paint unless you use a sealer/primer first. Kilz is the choice of most painters, and I've used it more than any other one myself. After it's dried, you can use the ceiling paint of your choice. Here's a little tip - continue the paint down the wall about an inch. This way, when you put up your wallpaper, any irregularities along your ceiling and walls won't show.

Reader tips

• I wanted to clean out my gutters to get ready for our spring rains. I tried a couple different tools, but ended up using my kitchen spatula. It was the perfect size for scooping out the leaves and was easy to handle. I also added a leaf guard to the downspout, as it was clogged full of leaves.

• My daughter is going to culinary school, and I noticed that she had wrapped some leopard duct tape around the handles of all her kitchen tools. She said it would keep her tools separate from her classmates' tools. Great idea, I thought. So I did something similar to my hand tools. But I marked some with orange tape to store in the garage and blue tape to store in the house. Hopefully this will help the whole family keep the tools where they are supposed to be stored.

• I decided to make larger house numbers, as the only ones visible were small and faded. We had painted the front door and were looking for the numbers, but couldn't find any large enough to spot from the street. I got on my computer and found a font that I liked and created stencils for the numbers in a large size. Then I used a contrasting paint to put them directly on our front door. They look great, and you definitely can see them from the street.

• Our home has copper water lines, and so I've learned how to do the sweat soldering so I can make some of the repairs. Here's a plumbing trick that I learned from my dad: The pipe has to be dry when you work on it, so you can make a wad of white bread and stuff it into the pipe to absorb any small amounts of water that still might be in the pipe. After soldering, you can test the pipe. When you turn on the water supply, it will dissolve the bread and the bread will go away.

• My wife asked me to try to fix her iron. It was coated with gunk on the bottom and wasn't steaming any longer. I took it out to my workshop and dumped the water out. Then I filled it back up with vinegar and plugged it in and turned it on HIGH to steam it out. I let all the steamed vinegar run out, then refilled it with water and let all of that steam out. The base was easy to clean with some steel wool and WD-40. I then polished it with warm, soapy water and a soft towel. She said it's working great now, like new.

Shoptalk

• If you have done a good job of weatherproofing your home, it will be sealed up tightly. This will save energy, but may, in some cases, create a mildew problem. Mildew not only looks and smells bad, but it also can ruin walls, carpeting and just about any surface it touches. Learn how to rid your home of this problem once and for all. We've put together a pamphlet called "Mildew Around Your House," and it is full of tips on how to get rid of mildew and how to keep it from coming back. More information also is available through our website,

www.thesuperhandyman.com, so come on by. Good luck!

• WD-40 is super, but the company offers more than one formula. WD-40 Specialist formula is a water-resistant, silicone-based lubricant that dries quickly, is completely clear, won't stain and leaves no messy residue. It's great for just about everything that WD-40 can't be used on. To find out more, go to www.wd40specialist.com. You'll also see that the company has several other formulas that you probably didn't even know about.

• G/Flex Epoxy is a super tough, versatile, liquid epoxy that will permanently bond with fiberglass, plastic, ceramic, metal and even damp wood. It's a little more flexible than other epoxies so is great for outdoor situations. To fine out more, visit www.westsystem.com, and find it at your hardware our outdoor supply store.

• 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.