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Give your home a makeover with an easy upholstery job

When you need a new chair, couch or bench, you do have choices. You can go big and buy something custom-made and very expensive, or you can go cheap and recover something that you already have or something nobody else wants.

Here is some information about reupholstering. Even if you choose not to do it yourself, you’ll at least have an appreciation for those who do take on the task.

By the way, it’s kind of fun.

The easiest upholstery job you can do is just to cover a chair cushion. The kind we are talking about is the typical dining-room chair cushion you can remove by unscrewing a few screws from the bottom and releasing it. Then you can cover the existing cushion with a piece of fabric, stretch it out and staple it in place on the underside with a staple gun. Then you can screw the seat back onto the chair frame.

A second option might be to buy a stock slipcover to fit your piece. If it fits well, you’re going to be fine, but if it doesn’t, then it’s going to be a hassle. You may be able to customize it a little by making a few alterations yourself. Put the cover on inside-out and pin areas that need to be taken in. Then you can sew it by hand or with a sewing machine. If you don’t sew, use iron-on fabric tape. The advantage of a slipcover is that you can remove it and clean it.

If you want to do a whole chair or sofa, grab a seam ripper and start taking off the current covering. Try to take it off in layers and reuse what you can.

Take photos of the project as you work to remind you of the correct order for putting things back together. You can use what you remove as the pattern for the new materials. Use upholstery-grade fabric and materials for the best results. If you can’t find a local source, check online. Replace old foam padding with new if it is starting to deteriorate.

If you take your time, you can do it. If not, you certainly will appreciate the cost of having someone else do it for you.

Recycling old furnitureRecycling old furniture, or just #147;remodeling#148; it, is a great way to save money when you are trying to make your place look better. A dresser, cabinet or even an old trunk that sits on the floor can be raised up just by adding legs to the bottom of it. You can buy new legs at your hardware store or home center and a few online sources as well. Most are easy to install and, with a little paint or stain, will give that old dresser a new look for a fraction of the cost of a new piece of furniture.Solid storage solutionsA few concrete blocks can be used to create some super storage for your yard tools. The more you have, the more versatile you can make it. Three or four blocks can be stacked up and the handles placed into the core created by the blocks. If you set two or three on the ground, then stagger stack a couple more on top of these and add a third row, also staggered, you will have created a whole line of storage holes for these tools.Super hintsŸ Rubber gloves are tough, but they won#146;t last forever. When they wear out, you can cut them into slices to create a bunch of assorted rubber bands. You can get quite a few, and lots of different sizes, too. Use them all over your shop and home.Ÿ I don#146;t have a lot of fancy jewelry, but I have tons of necklaces, bracelets and earrings that I love to wear. I installed three coat racks, with four hooks each, right on the side of the dresser that is in my closet. This is where I keep all of my accessories. It#146;s great because I can see everything I have and pick out just what I want to wear, try it on right in front of the mirror and I#146;m ready to go.Ÿ Whenever you are making a joint with wooden components, remember that if you add a little heat to the wood, it will shrink. You can do this by heating it in an oven, if the parts are small, or use a hair dryer for larger parts. Then, overtime or with the addition of glue, the joint will swell again and become super tight.Q. I have a free-standing range/oven combo. It#146;s a great appliance, but now that we have a child I am wondering if I should try to attach it to the wall somehow to prevent it from accidentally tipping forward. What do you suggest?A. Check your owner#146;s manual or the manufacturer#146;s website to see if it offers an anti-tipping bracket. Most manufacturers will have this available to you. Good for you #151; it#146;s a smart thing to do. If you cannot find one, you can use some screws and a metal angle iron shaped to fit.Q. I need to replace a window screen. Should I use metal or plastic?A. Metal is tougher than fiberglass screens but it can be harder to work with. The fiberglass screens also come in a few colors and even solar shades that help block the sun. They may need to be restretched. Of course, you will want to match what you already have, so that may make the decision for you. If you#146;ve never done this before, fiberglass might be your best choice. Q. I need to replace one of the acrylic panels in my storm door. The problem is that the screws don#146;t seem to have slots on the heads. How can I remove these to replace the door?A. You may have to use a screw extractor to get them out. This usually is quite a battle and may cause more damage than good if you are not careful. It seems odd that a manufacturer would do this, so maybe they are not screws at all. See if you can contact the company and ask them directly for help. They should be happy to help. We#146;re sorry that we can#146;t be of more assistance. Let us know what you find out so we can pass on the info to others who might have this same issue at some point. Good luck!Reader tipsŸ I found a great way to store my router bits. I got a couple of scraps of pegboard and stacked them, one on top of the other, four high. I set it up with two rows of holes, 15 holes in a row. Then I trimmed them so they were all exactly the same size. I glued them together and have set this on my bench top. I can store the bits in the holes of the pegboard and I have noted the size of each one on the front. It#146;s a fantastic way to store your bits and have them handy to choose from when you need one for a project.Ÿ Our new sink faucet is a lot better than the old one. It pulls out from the base and can be used to spray vegetables and dishes clean. It can change from a stream to a spray. The old faucet had a separate sprayer and it came up through a hole in the sink next to the old faucet. I was going to just buy a plug to fit over this hole, but my hardware store had a soap dispenser that was made to fit into this space. It#146;s a soap-pump bottle, and it#146;s so much neater than having a bottle sitting on the counter next to the sink. What will they think of next, right?Ÿ We decided to use epoxy paint on our garage floor this summer. I wanted to do it because I wanted it to look better. I cleaned off most of the stains and followed the directions. I had no idea what the paint would do to the cleanliness of the garage. There#146;s no more dust! For years, we had concrete dust on the floor that got tracked into the house. Now it#146;s gone. The garage is always clean now. Who knew? Well, I guess you probably did.Ÿ I have a new shop vacuum and it#146;s a lot better than my old one. When the old one quit working, I was going to throw it away but decided to save some of the parts for other projects. The cord is long, so I cut it off and saved it to use with another appliance at some point. I also saved the canister part. It#146;s large and on sturdy wheels, and I keep my garden tools and other supplies in it. It#146;s perfect and very handy.Ÿ We painted our playroom floor some wild and crazy colors. It#146;s mostly for the kids, and they really enjoy it. I also added some numbers and letters to the floor. We use it as a teaching tool. We even added some carpet tiles in a variety of colors to help them learn their colors as well. Maybe when they are older we#146;ll tone it down a little, but right now it#146;s a lot of fun.ShoptalkŸ Bosch Power Tools is just coming out with a 12-volt Heated Jacket. It features three quick warming core heat zones and will provide up to six hours of heated time. It has three levels of heat and comes in six sizes. It even has a USB portal so you can keep your phone charged, too. You have to see this for yourself, so go to www.boschtools.com. Look for it at hardware stores and home centers starting in October.Ÿ LeakStopper will, as you might have guessed, stop leaks. This stuff is super easy to work with and does a great job. It#146;s available in a clear formula, which is much better than the usual black. LeakStopper is flexible, so it expands and contracts in all weather conditions to hold tight. It can be used on roofs, fiberglass, gutters, wood, concrete, rocks and can be used indoors and out. It goes on white but will dry clear and will not cloud or yellow. To find out more or to locate a dealer, visit their website at www.gardner-gibson.com.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.© 2013, Cowles Syndicate Inc.

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