Not something that happens every day. A commercial bathroom panel completely detached from the wall!
Pretty large hole from the original anchor bracket screws!
No worries, a hole big enough to run a plywood cleat from stud to stud should? be a secure and permanent attachment.
A brand new shiny wall bracket attached with security screws……
And voila! Mission accomplished! Just another day at the office!
Kitchen Faucet week recently here at the International Fixit Headquarters based in Raleigh, NC.
As a purveyor of small batch handcrafted home repairs those of you with long memories may remember at least one previous entanglement with kitchen faucet repairs. (CLICK LINK HERE)
Two different brands, two different experiences. The first adventure was with a premium Delta Kitchen Faucet approximately 10 years old with an unusual problem. The main tube clamp through the countertop had broken into two pieces and left the entire faucet spinning loose and unanchored.
I called the Delta Warranty Phone Line on a SATURDAY and was connected with an extremely knowledgeable help desk Technician. I explained the problem and he immediately set up a case account for me and walked me through the steps required to receive a replacement part.
I would need to send pictures of the installation so they could analyze the situation. So I sent a series of pictures to their email account later that afternoon.
The view from underneath the sink.
The model number tag.
And an overall shot of the faucet spinning loose in the hole. (Note handle at the front)
Monday morning I called to see if the email pictures had arrived in good condition and I was connected to another, DIFFERENT extremely knowledgeable help desk Technician. She immediately found the email pictures and advised me repair parts were unavailable as that model was obsolete but the current model was almost indistinguishable from this older version and that she would set the wheels in motion to deliver a completely new faucet by UPS Package. Monday Afternoon I received an Email with a package tracking number for a brand new ($365.00) Delta Kitchen Faucet sent directly to the homeowners address.
Imagine my amazement when the package arrived on Thursday Afternoon of THAT WEEK to a very surprised and happy Homeowner! Yes, the last time I had such uneventful warranty service was with a Sears Craftsman Wrench (CLICK LINK HERE)
So all is well that ends well. The homeowners have a brand new Delta Faucet at no cost. And I have a picture of the very odd metal failure that was at the heart of their distress.
Yes! Another handcrafted small batch home repair and improvement!
After photograph – existing posts fitted with caps and new contemporary balustrade
Freshening up an existing entry way need not be a major production. Blend existing posts
with new handrails; add decorative caps and bingo! A more up-to-date appearance!
Before photograph- vintage 1980 entry handrail
After photograph- modern replacement balustrade attached to original posts.
For another example of balustrade work from the archives CLICK LINK HERE
Too expensive to replace a customized cabinet and counter top? Drop a new porcelain overlay sink into the existing hole.
The dog days of August ended with a flurry of faucet and sink replacements, a somewhat truculent toilet flush valve and even a little cosmetic medicine cabinet and baseboard work! Good cool air conditioned indoor work! Just a few simple changes can make a big difference in the feel of a bathroom.
Rusty vintage 1920’s medicine cabinet dominating the wall over the sink? Remove the poor thing and hang a framed mirror in the same spot.
An old timey surprise! Used razor blades from the medicine cabinet razor slot piled up in the rough vintage plaster wall!!
Sometimes a basic faucet replacement is all you need to freshen up an otherwise usable lavatory sink and countertop. But there could still be complications!
This time not so much! The rusty bolt sheared apart as soon as the wrench tried to twist the nut! Whew! For an example of a rusty faucet gone wild CLICK THIS LINK HERE
In other news, apparently there are some “Universal Toilet Replacement Valves” that are not so “Universal”.
This particular design is too large for the crowded low flow water saving tank. If the flap cannot close the water will just keep running down the drain.
Other work in this particular bathroom included an FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) overlay panel to dress up the battered plywood surface on the base cabinet and fresh baseboard to create a clean line with the existing floor tile.
Little changes for a big difference in appearance and overall “feel”!
A small job, but an important one. This is an interior cottage door jamb which has seen better days.
The new, special order brass latch plate will camouflage most of the more egregious dings and scrapes of yesteryear. With proper hand chisel work all is well.
Of course, a sharp chisel helps to do the work on this vintage door jamb. (CLICK LINK HERE)
The Corona Chronicles-like everyone else -work here at Handyman Headquarters in downtown
Raleigh sputtered along in 3/4 or even 1/4 time during the dreary Spring Incarceration of 2020.
Long hours alone surrounded by sawdust and powertools punctuated by explorations of
Buckminster Fuller’s Geodesic Dome for the Cabin Fever Crowd (CLICK LINK)
and, of course, the ever popular Gatorade Snaptop Canister made from 2 recycled Gatorade plastic bottles.(CLICK LINK)
Howsomeever, there were and continue to be JOBSHOP PROJECTS!
Similar to jobshop projects from the recent past
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some part of this custom bathroom vanity lay on the work bench through most of March, April and May.
Big pieces of lumber and plywood cut into small pieces of lumber and plywood (Step 1)
Said small pieces of lumber and plywood reassembled into other larger pieces of lumber and plywood. (Step 2)
Hardware and fixtures assembled and installed! (Step 3)
Finally, the completely assembled unit at the jobsite!
Wow! Six of the dozens of Corporate Office Holiday Food Drive Donation Boxes! Way to go Raleigh!
I agree office chairs take quite a beating and frequently die,but most of the
ones I see by the side of the road have perfectly functional rolling bases which
can make an excellent mobile shop tool caddy.
Just remove the seat and use the same bolt holes for your storage platform for whatever you need, a box or flat platform or storage drawer to access frequently used tools.
Another fine idea from the Skunkwerks brain trust.
Fun and frolic with a pantograph- the analog human powered version of a CNC machine! Medallion version 2.0– Different Font; Stronger Color!
So here is a replacement for the factory original equipment medallion (Version 1.0) that was summarily removed by some young Odocoileus virginianus one fine summer evening. Cut by pantograph from a blank made from repurposed milk jug plastic (HDPE 2) and inlayed with 2 part epoxy. A fine fun project! Fie on those cumbersome fancy Silicon Valley computer widgets!
Yup, before CNC we had analog human powered pantographs. Here at work on a custom replacement medallion (Version 1.0) for a Mercury Mountaineer. Great Fun!
Many times have I reiterated a reiteration I reiterated many times in the past but still am I surprised when I must reiterate my reiteration yet again.
To wit: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SIMPLE JOB
People ask what will be the cost to fix this? Many times I answer: ” I have no idea” and this is why:
THERE REALLY IS NO SUCH THING AS A SIMPLE JOB.
Many jobs are not straightforward out-of-the-box repairs.
The other day I went to tighten a stretched out cable for a suspended bird feeder.
Simple enough.
Loosen the clamps, pull up the slack and tighten the clamps once again.
Unfortunately, the cable had not stretched. The fascia board loosely attached to the house was the culprit and became even looser when I stretched the cable taut.
Yikes!
20 feet above ground on a ladder and a good chunk of the afternoon to detach and reattach everything properly with reinforced hardware so the bird feeder cable would not sag was the actual repair requirement.
And this is not the first time things went awry in a quick hurry.
So reiterate after me:
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SIMPLE JOB.
Kattermann's Handyman Blog 