Door Jamb Jam

Painting all of the trim in our house has also caused me to paint the doors as well.  Of course, things never go back on as easily as they came off.  After I hung the door in our spare bedroom it wouldn't stay closed.  After several attempts at loosening, straightenting, and tightening the hinges (x23) I was frustrated. Then I realized that it wasn't the hinges, it was the strike plate. Here's a little trick for moving the strike plate from a previous position.

First dip several toothpicks in wood glue and stuff in the hole that you are trying to fill. It should be a very snug fit.  It's okay if they don't fit in there evenly.

Let it dry for 24 hours.  Then simply snap off the toothpicks at the base.

This leaves a very rough edge.  Use a chisel to level the toothpick flush with the door jamb. If your chisel is sharp you should be able to take care of it in one blow.

Now it's time to put the strike plate back on.  I chose to tape the strike plate in place so I knew it would not move while I was putting the new screws in.

This worked like a charm and the door closed perfectly.

Updated Ceiling Fan on the Cheap

One of the very first projects I worked on when we moved into our home was updating a few of the ceiling fans.  There wasn't a thing wrong with them except, well...THIS!

So, about the only thing right was that is worked.  I disassembled as many pieces as I could.  I found that spraying each individual piece created a more professional look instead of taking a can of spray paint to the whole fixture.  The screws were stuck in pieces of styrofoam for spraying. I wiped down each piece to remove the last 25 years of dust off.  I did not sand or prime before I sprayed the metal areas. 

Notice the gold detail on the blades?  Major yuck!  I simply sanded the surfaces to remove any finishes and stained with Minwax Dark Walnut stain.  I did flip the blades over so that all shades of gold are now on the top side.  

The only money I spent on the project was the new glass shades that ran $7 each.  I have since found a place to buy them cheaper.  This project didn't go without it's excitement though.  Upon re-hanging the fixture and flipping the breaker, something went "POP" and I might have seen a bit of smoke.  My husband suggested that maybe I shouldn't be doing electrical work in out home.  It's not stopped me yet.