Super Handyman: Brush up on painting essentials

Springtime is a great time to paint. For some reason, it’s easier to get inspired when the sun is shining and the air is fresh. Once you get the hard part — i.e., prep work — done, it’s time for the fun to begin.

But not so fast. Let’s talk about paintbrushes first.

For small jobs — probably not the entire home — a disposable brush might do. Paintbrushes are like a lot of other products that you buy: You get what you pay for! If you want a good-quality paintbrush that will last a long time and give you great results, spend a little extra on it.

If you are using oil-based paints and primers, a natural-bristle brush is what you want. Synthetic brushes work better when using latex paint.

Before ever using a paintbrush, rub your hand over the bristles. This will loosen any that were not properly installed. You wouldn’t want these loose bristles to end up in your paint finish.

Choose the right-size brush for your needs. If you are painting a large area, choose a wide-bristle brush. For trim, you will want a thinner brush. When painting trim, decorative areas or hard-to-reach spots, an angled brush might be a better choice.

Try to clean your brushes after each painting session. That means paintbrush cleaner and/or solvent. Soak the brush for a few minutes first to loosen up the paint, then wipe the brush with a rag. Repeat this until the bristles are clean. Use warm water and dishwashing soap to get the rest of the paint out. Squeeze out the bristles, smooth them back into shape and let them dry.

When you are finished with the entire project, wrap your clean, dry brush in a plain brown paper bag. This will protect the bristles and keep them ready for your next project.

Easy bundles for newspaper recyclingIt#146;s possible to recycle just about everything these days. If you don#146;t have curbside pickup, there are other places you can take these items. One super way to take care of newspapers is to tie them up in a bundle for recycling. Find a cardboard box that is about the same size as your newspaper folded flat. Then make a slit in the center of each side of the box, from the top down about halfway. Before putting any papers in the box, lay some string from one side to the other and out the slits. Do this going in both directions. Now place the papers in the box. Once the box is full, tie the opposite sides of the strings together, and you will have a neat bundle ready for recycling.Keep that plug in placeJust a little further, almost there #8212; and then the plug of the extension cord comes out, and you are 200 feet away from it! Ain#146;t it always the way? Well, we have a neat way to avoid this. Just install a cup hook next to the outlet and loop a rubber band around the cord, near the end, and then loop the rubber band around the hook. This will allow for some give without unplugging the extension cord from the outlet. It#146;s simple, works pretty well and will save you lots of hiking #8212; and griping #8212; time!Super hintsŸ If you find yourself having trouble driving nails into wood, try lubricating them with a little soap or wax. Rub the nail over a bar of soap or an old candle, then grab the hammer. You#146;ll find that it goes in much easier. Ÿ I am not an artist, but I like to paint. Most of the time, I am only allowed to paint walls, but if I#146;m really good, I can do some #147;artwork#148; on a cabinet door or a tabletop. On those occasions, I like to use an easel. I don#146;t have an easel, but I use my stepladder as one. I put a couple of C-clamps along the rails, across from each other, and these help support my #147;canvas.#148; It#146;s easy to set up and just as easy to take down. Voila! Another masterpiece is born!Ÿ Before spending hours masking off window panes, cut a piece of cardboard the size of the pane. Hold it over the glass while you paint that frame, then pick it up and move it to the next pane and paint it. It will go much faster this way.Q. I have an old dresser with a mirror that has some scratches on it. Can I fix this somehow? Can you tell me how?A. Resilvering can cost quite a bit, but it#146;s necessary if you are working on an antique. But if this is just for looks, try taping a piece of smooth aluminum foil on the back of the mirror behind the scratches. If you don#146;t like that idea, you might try removing all of the silver and putting a new mirror behind the glass. And remember, a few wrinkles aren#146;t such a bad thing!Q. With two large dogs, we have more than our fair share of mud during the rainy season. I#146;ve tried a lot of different ways to get rid of the mud, but I#146;ve never found a really good way. What would you do?A. Use rugs and mats wherever you can! Sometimes it#146;s better to let the mud dry and then vacuum it up. Some mud does have #147;stain#148; in it, and you may have to use a stain remover afterward. Perhaps a small carpet cleaner would be a good investment.Q. I am looking for a less-expensive, homemade recipe for a furniture cleaner. Do you have one for me?A. Three parts linseed oil, two parts turpentine and one part white vinegar is our favorite formula. It#146;s easy to remember, inexpensive and all ingredients are available at your hardware store or home center, or maybe even your garage! They work well and, with a little elbow grease, will keep your wood furniture looking good for many years. As with any cleaner, try a small, obscure spot first.Reader tipsŸ I tried something a little unorthodox. I wrapped some Teflon tape around a screw that had come loose in a hole on my cabinet door. I thought it might tighten up the screw by giving a little extra heft on the threads. It worked. I#146;m not sure how long it will last, but it#146;s been holding for more than a few months now. I#146;ll try it again if I need to.Ÿ The closet doors in many of our bedrooms are the sliding type. This is great for small rooms, but when they are closed, they can make a loud noise if you are not careful. I had some leftover foam weatherstripping and tried putting some of it on the door frame where the closet doors made contact. This has done a great job of quieting things down around our home. That one scrap was enough to take care of all of these doors, too.Ÿ I was going to recaulk the bathtub when my wife reminded me how messy I#146;d made the kitchen when I did the sink in there. I have to admit, she was right. So this time I masked off the caulking line with tape before I started. I applied the caulk, and then, before it started getting hard, I pulled the masking tape off. The caulking looks really good, and my wife has nothing but kind words for me now.Ÿ I needed to stain my fence, but once I started pricing paint sprayers, I decided to try a paint roller instead. It actually worked pretty well. The stain went on easily, without making any kind of a mess, and I saved a bunch of money on the sprayer. I even had enough money left over to take my wife out to dinner after the fence was finished.Ÿ My kitchen appliances all have been upgraded during the past few years #8212; all except for the dishwasher. I keep waiting for it to die so I can replace it with a black one to match the rest of the stuff. I was looking through the owner#146;s manual and discovered a wonderful secret: I found out that if I loosened the screw holding the front panel in place, I could remove it and turn it over to the other (black) side. Gosh, I feel like such a dunce. Now it matches!Shop talkŸ For summer furniture, you can#146;t beat PVC plastic pipe. It#146;s lightweight, inexpensive, easy to work with and weather-resistant. You can build just about any piece of furniture once you have learned the basics. We have put together a sheet on our website detailing the basics of working with the plastic pipe. Another good summer project might be a wooden picnic table. We#146;ve also got plans for a very simple, long-lasting family picnic table made from wood. This table is a one-piece design that is both safe and convenient. Ÿ NuTone has a full line of indoor and outdoor ceiling fans. They come in a wide variety of finishes, including some dual-finish blades that double your design options. Many are Energy Star-qualified and feature 13-watt CFL bulbs. Some of the optional accessories include a remote control and adapters for tall or sloped ceilings, and all come with a 30-year limited warranty on the motor. They also have a reversible feature for both winter and summer usage. Check them out at www.nutone.com and at select home centers, including Home Depot.Ÿ Cuts+More Scissors are the perfect scissors for the home workshop. They cut like standard scissors but have a special #147;power notch#148; for cutting light rope, wire, twine and other similar materials. They also have a pointed awl tip, built-in bottle opener and a super titanium-coated knife blade. The scissors are designed to come apart for easy use of the knife blade. It even comes with a nice sheath with a built-in tape cutter and ceramic scissors sharpener. This handy tool is available at a variety of local outlets, and you can find out more by going to www.fiskars.com online.Ÿ Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or visit the Carrells#146; website at thesuperhandyman.com.$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$© 2011, Cowles Syndicate Inc.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$