DIY Archives

Home » DIY » Page 13

Can you paint drywall without primer?

Dave Farquhar DIY September 24, 2020September 13, 2022

Hanging drywall is a pain, so it’s absolutely tempting to try to skip steps when you can. So can you paint drywall without primer? It seems like an unnecessary step, but is it?

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

dfarq.homeip.net

How to keep paint brushes from drying out

Dave Farquhar DIY September 16, 2020September 12, 2020

It’s inevitable. You’re painting, and you reach a point where you have to let the paint dry, or you’re just out of time for the day. But you’re going to have to come back and paint again, so it seems like a waste to clean the brush, only to load it up with the same color paint again. Here’s how to keep paint brushes from drying out. Both during a project and at the end of the project.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

What is daisy chaining?

Dave Farquhar DIY September 15, 2020February 7, 2021

At my second job at Best Buy, we were taking out a display to make way for flashy new product that needed lots of space. That meant a new shelf layout, and new power strips. “No daisy chaining!” the manager bellowed as we plugged in the power strips. But what is daisy chaining? And is it always bad?

Daisy chaining means plugging one device into another, like tying together a garland from daisy flowers, rather than running wires all the way back to the original source. Daisy chains can be used for transmitting power, data, or both.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

How to not drill too deep

Dave Farquhar DIY September 3, 2020August 16, 2020

Sometimes when you’re working on a project, you have to drill a hole to a certain depth, and you don’t want to go completely through your workpiece. How do you not drill too deep? Here’s how.

To not drill too deep, you need to stop the drill from going any further than you want. You can use something called a drill stop to do this, or you can improvise your own with stuff you probably have in your shop.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

How to cut foam insulation board cleanly

Dave Farquhar DIY September 2, 2020May 12, 2023

Foam insulation board claims to be easy to cut. It says right on the board, usually. But when someone saw me cutting thick foam boards in the Home Depot parking lot, he said, “You’re a braver soul than me!” In this blog post, I’ll show how to cut foam insulation board with simple and very inexpensive hand tools, and minimal mess. The best way to cut foam board even allows you to cut it right in the parking lot, so the foam will fit in a small SUV.

Thin foam board will cut with just a utility knife, but you can easily cut the thick 2-inch boards, even with just simple hand tools.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

Make a picture ledge for your vintage computer

Dave Farquhar DIY, Retro Computing August 5, 2020January 20, 2024

Some Youtubers, including Casual Retro Gamer, use picture ledges to keep their vintage computer systems on the wall when they’re not using them. You can buy a picture ledge, but they’re easy to make, too. And if you make them, you can make them whatever length you want.

A picture ledge is a small, J-shaped shelf that mounts on the wall, normally used for displaying art without having to use a bunch of hangers. But their size works well for vintage home computers and game consoles too, allowing you to store and display them.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

How to remove sticker residue

Dave Farquhar DIY July 30, 2020April 26, 2022

As a retro computer hobbyist, former bookseller, and landlord, I’ve had to deal with stickers a lot. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible to remove sticker residue from almost anything. Even paper. Yes, even paper. I’ve removed stickers from inside books and left the page completely undamaged. Here’s how.

Removing sticker residue often requires use of several different techniques including heat and chemicals. My favorite is rubber cement thinner, as it will even remove sticker residue from paper, but different surfaces require different options.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

How to remove tape residue

Dave Farquhar DIY July 16, 2020July 12, 2020

There comes a time when we have to remove tape from something and don’t want to damage it. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible to remove tape residue from almost anything. Even paper. Here’s how.

Removing tape residue often requires use of several different techniques including heat and chemicals. My favorite is rubber cement thinner, as it will even remove tape adhesive from paper, but different surfaces require different options.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

Replace or repair roof? Know when it’s time.

Dave Farquhar DIY June 24, 2020June 20, 2020

Roofs are expensive. So there’s every incentive to try to make it last as long as you can before replacing it. But sometimes you reach a point of diminishing returns with repairs. Here’s how to know whether to replace or repair your roof.

When a roof tends to leak and repeated repairs don’t clear the problem, that’s a sign the roof has hidden issues. I’ll try to repair a roof once, but repeated repairs that don’t solve the issue is just throwing money away.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

Lawn mower bogs down? Try this.

Dave Farquhar DIY June 2, 2020September 16, 2023

If your lawn mower bogs down in thick grass or under any other heavy load, there are a couple of possible reasons for it. Fortunately they are also things you can fix yourself.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net