Dear Maintenance Men:
Dear Maintenance Men:
How do I safely remove a large mirror from a bathroom wall without shredding myself or my helper in the process?
Dear Tom:
Removing a large piece of glass or mirror can be spooky.
Safety first, be sure you are wearing eye protection, gloves and a sleeve
long sleeve shirt or jacket. Next,
use duct tape on the face of the mirror diagonally in both directions.
This will help keep the mirror whole if it cracks or breaks.
If the mirror is glued to the wall, cover the glass with a blanket or
tarp and tape it to the top edge of the mirror and letting it drape to the
bottom. You are now ready to remove
the mirror, should it shatter, the blanket will contain the shards, protecting
you and making the clean up much easier.
Dear Maintenance Men:
What are the pros and cons of a shower door versus a
shower curtain in my rental unit’s bathtub? How do you replace a shower door?
I don’t want to poke holes in the bathtub.
All Wet
Dear All Wet:
While appearing as a guest on "The Tonight Show" one evening, famed hotelier Conrad Hilton was asked by his host (Johnny Carson) whether he had a "message" for the American people. With great gravity, Hilton paused momentarily before turning to the camera. "Please," he pleaded, "put the shower curtain inside the tub!"
Keeping with Mr. Hilton’s thoughts, we are big fans of
shower doors as opposed to shower curtains, because residents also leave the
shower curtain outside the tub. Shower
door installations are a great do-it-yourself project, because it is easy to do
and the results looks great.
After removing the existing shower curtain, clean the tub
and walls to remove any accumulated soap scum. Measure the tub ledge wall to wall and subtract
3/16th of an inch (to leave room for the wall channels) and transfer
the measurement to the bottom rail track of the shower enclosure. After measuring
twice and cutting once, temporally set the bottom track on the tub ledge and
tape it in place. Next, set the wall channels in place, use a level to make sure
it is plumb with the wall. Mark
the mounting holes of the wall channel with your pencil. Do the same thing for
the other side. Remove the
channels and before drilling, center punch the hole mark to keep the drill bit
centered. If drilling through tile,
use a ceramic drill bit. Once you
have made your holes, insert wall anchors.
Now you are ready to set the bottom track.
Use adhesive caulk and if you feel the track may be abused, also use some
Liquid Nails adhesive at several spots under the track. Remove any excess caulk and then use duct tape to
temporally hold the track in place. Before
fitting the side channels, run a bead of adhesive caulk on the backside of the
channel. Install the channel, use
the supplied screws and bumper to fasten the channel to the wall, repeat on the
other side. Wipe away any excess
caulk. To install the top rail
channel, measure from wall to wall at the top of the wall channels. Subtract
1/16 of an inch and cut the top channel to that length. Again, measure twice.
The top channel should fit snug between top of the wall channels.
Lastly it is time to hang the doors and adjust the fit. Most doors come
with good instructions, read them, as there may be details not included in our
explanation.
Dear Maintenance Men:
I’m a new owner of a four-unit apartment building and I am having a bit of sticker shock when it comes to getting maintenance work done at the property. I have found that local handymen charge considerably less than professionals or contractors. But, I am a little worried about liability, quality of work and warranty to name a few. Other than price, how do I decide when it is OK to use a Handyman and when I need to use a Professional?
Frank
Dear Frank:
Good question! If
it were only about price, the answer would be a no-brainer. The handyman is
always cheaper … unless something goes wrong or someone gets hurt.
Handymen are on the most part “Generalists” with practical knowledge
and skills that span several trades. The
handyman keeps his or her prices down by working alone and not carrying
workmen’s comp or liability insurance.
For small low risk jobs, the liability to the owner may be worth the risk
incurred by hiring a non-licensed and non- insured worker.
If the job you want done has the potential liability to
risk “Life, Limb or Property”, hire a professional who is a master in the
field you need. If something goes
wrong and someone or something gets hurt or damaged, the professional is
licensed and mandated to carry the proper liability and workmen’s compensation
insurance. This removes the risk
from you the Owner and shifts the liability to the Contractor.
Remember when you hire a handyman, you become an employer, be sure to carry both Worker’s Comp insurance and adequate liability insurance. You are then also responsible for issuing a 1099 at year-end should you pay your handyman more than $600 in a calendar year. The saying: “Penny Wise and Pound Foolish” applies here.
Did you know: Light Emitting Diodes, commonly called
LEDs are just tiny light bulbs except that the movement of electrons in a
semiconductor material causes them to illuminate?
They can last as long as standard transistors.
Source: Howstuffworks.com
Bio: