2017 - Page 4 of 26 - Pretty Handy Girl

Electrical, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, Home Maintenance, repair

How to Repair a Dishwasher

How to Repair Your Dishwasher - Control Panel Replacement

How to Repair a Dishwasher: Control Panel

The holidays are here and your kitchen will surely be getting a work out! Now is NOT the time for your dishwasher to break. Recently we found ourselves with a non-functional dishwasher. The control panel buttons stopped working and nothing I did would start it working again. You may recall that I fixed our grill igniter a few months ago by ordering the parts from Sears Parts Direct. As smoothly as that repair went, I knew exactly where to turn to order parts for our dishwasher. Once again I’ve partnered with Sears Parts Direct to bring you this tutorial for Repairing Your Dishwasher – Replacing the Control Panel.

Before we start, let’s talk real quick about how much you think it would cost to hire a repairman to come fix your dishwasher. If the average appliance repair person charges $75 per hour, the initial diagnosis visit fee would be $75. When the repair person diagnoses the issue as the control panel, he or she will have to order the part and come back a second time. Automatically you are in for $150 for the two visits. Now, factor in the cost of the part ($125 – $200 depending on any mark up that may be added.) In the end you are looking at repair costs in the range of $300 or more.

At this point many homeowners will make the decision to buy a new dishwasher instead of paying $300. But, what if I told you that you can repair your own dishwasher for only the cost of the part? You are probably excited to hear that, and are ready to get fixin’.

Diagnosing the Problem:

To diagnose the problem, visit the Sears Parts Direct Repair Center and answer a few questions about your dishwasher problems. You can also view these 5 Easy Dishwasher repairs to see if the symptoms match your problem. You may end up with a few suggested fixes, but hopefully you can narrow down the issue with some logic. For our dishwasher, I knew it was likely a control panel problem since the buttons had been acting up a few weeks before it stopped working all together.

To order the part for your dishwasher, locate the model number. (Hint: It’s usually located inside the door.) If you have any problems locating the model number, Sears Parts Direct has some recommendations. Write down the model number and head over to Sears Parts Direct to order your part.

After entering the model number, you’ll get a list of parts for your dishwasher. Locate the control panel and order it. The panel will usually arrive in a week. Hopefully you can suffer through hand washing dishes for a few days. (Don’t complain too much, I suffered through it for 4 months when we were without a kitchen.)

How to Replace Your Dishwasher Control Panel:

Preparation: Hooray, you have the part in hand. Now send the spouse away with the kids and tell them you need complete concentration for 2 hours while you repair your dishwasher! (Truth: It’s going to take you less than 10 minutes! So enjoy the rest of your hour and 50 minutes by binge watching Grace & Frankie on Netflix.)

Materials:

Instructions:

Always start by turning off the circuit breaker for your dishwasher.

Open your dishwasher and locate the torx screws securing the door panel.

Remove the screws using a torx head screwdriver. Place the screws in a cup or bowl to prevent from losing them. (Yes, I started a timer to show you how long this repair will actually take.)

For simplicity, you may be able to remove only the control panel and set it on a stool while keeping all the parts wired.

Remove the door latch wiring by lifting it off one side at a time.

Use a flathead screwdriver to gently release the electronic control board.

Lift the control board off the control panel.

Gently disconnect the control board from the control panel by sliding off the ribbon wiring.

You might need to wiggle it back and forth a few time to release.

Check for any other parts that need to be removed from the control panel (like the handle) and remove them.

Set the new control panel in place of the old panel on the stool.

Work in the reverse order of the parts removed. Add the handle onto the new control panel.

Attach the ribbon wiring from the new control panel to the electronic control board.

Press the control board into place in the new control panel.

Reset the door latch wiring in place.

Set the new control panel onto the door.

Drive the torx screws in place to secure the new control panel. And, BADABOOM, you are done! Let’s check that timer please: 8 minutes and 37 seconds!

Go ahead and turn the power back on for your dishwasher.

Check the buttons to see if it works. YES! We have a working dishwasher again.

Didn’t that take a lot less time than you originally thought? Plus you are richer because you didn’t have to pay a repair person or replace your dishwasher! What are you going to do with that money you saved? Why not go ahead and buy yourself that present you really want.

Now that your dishwasher is working, did you know there is a right way to load your dishwasher? Or that there are items you should NEVER wash in your dishwasher?

If you haven’t already, you really need to check out SearsPartsDirect.com to find that part to fix all your broken appliances and more! Follow Sears Parts Direct on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube to see a variety of repair articles and videos.

I’m ready for the holiday baking rush now that our dishwasher is working, how about you? I’m also feeling relieved knowing that when my Mom visits for Christmas, she won’t feel guilty about our broken dishwasher and try to wash all our dishes by hand. Moms will always be moms, won’t they?!

Have a Happy Holiday y’all! I’m off to clean the baseboards around our dishwasher. I’m so embarrassed to see dirt and dog hair in that photo above. Ack!

Save your friends $$$ on dishwasher repairs by pinning this image:

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Sears Parts Direct. I was not told what to write. All opinions are my own. I was compensated for my time and efforts to create this tutorial. I am very particular about the brands I represent. Because I value your trust, you will always be notified when you are reading a sponsored post on PrettyHandyGirl.com.

November 24, 2017/5 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Build It

5 Tips to Building Professional Looking Furniture

5 Tips for Building Professional Looking Furniture

5 Tips to Building the Best Looking Furniture

It’s Shara here again from Woodshop Diaries and today I want to share Five Tips to Building the Best Looking Furniture, which will result in more professional looking results.

I build a lot of DIY furniture–like the modern dresser cabinet in the image above. Over the past couple of years I’ve learned a few simple tips (mostly the hard way) that can make a huge difference in the look and quality of your DIY furniture. Luckily, these are simple tips that won’t take much time or effort to learn. Now that we’re friends, I’ll share all my pro secrets with you. 😉

1. Putty or Caulk Imperfections

Never assume that paint will hide imperfections. Overfill any small cracks, imperfections, or holes with wood putty. (Be sure to use stainable putty if you are staining instead of painting your furniture.) After the putty dries it will shrink slightly (which is why you should overfill). Then sand it down smooth.

If you have a seam between two pieces (i.e. a piece of trim secured to lumber), caulk the seam with paintable caulk. Caulk will flex as the two pieces move independently. Let dry and paint.

2. Sanding Isn’t Optional

Sanding is an absolute must. I know, I know! Yuck, right? No one likes sanding. But, for a clean and professional looking piece of furniture, you’re going to have to sand.

A few sanding tips to make your life easier:

Use an orbital sander (or belt sander if necessary) to smooth all pieces before assembling. I usually sand all my pieces with at least 220 grit before putting anything together. It’s hard to sand those hard to reach areas after assembly. Doing it before saves you time and energy later.
After assembly, sand uneven areas with a low grit (like 60, 80, 120) to smooth edges, then buff out sanding marks and smooth down with a higher grit (like 220, 320). After sanding with 220 or 320, it should be super smooth (like a baby’s bottom!)

Need more sanding tips? I wrote a whole post on sanding here.

One more note: Be careful when sanding plywood. Sanding plywood veneer with high grit sandpaper can easily remove the top layer and ruin your piece. Sand plywood very lightly and with a low grit to prevent this from happening.

3. Account for Blade Widths on Cuts

Saw blades for circular, miter, and table saws are typically about 1/8″ wide (measure your own to be certain.) This is not something I considered when I first started out. I quickly learned that this was important to know when I cut some table legs and realized that a couple were 1/8″ longer than the other—after it was already assembled.

When you make your cut marks, always remember to set the blade on the scrap side of the mark. Don’t cut in the middle of the mark and don’t line up the blade with the wrong side. One eighth of an inch doesn’t seem like much, but it can really throw off your project. For added insurance, mark an “X” on the cut off (or scrap) side of your lumber.

If you accidentally cut one board for a project a little short because you forget about the blade width (which, by the way, is also called “kerf”), it’s okay. Just be consistent. If you made the mistake on a table leg, then make sure to cut all the legs a little short. If you made the mistake on a table apron or the frame panel of a cabinet, just make sure to cut all the others in the project a little short. As long as you are consistent, you can usually recover.

4: Check for Square

This is usually something most people (like me) learn the hard way. I can’t tell you how many times I built something with doors and they looked crooked. Usually either the door or the cabinet isn’t square. Once you’re to this point, it’s usually too late to fix.

If you are building a cabinet or a table (or anything really), check for square after each step. If you aren’t a math person and don’t want to think about the logic behind Pythagorean’s Theorem, this is how you measure for square:

Depending on what you are building, this may look slightly different. Let’s say (for example) you are building a cabinet and you have all the sides together and are about to put on the back. You want to check that it’s square before you nail on the back piece because you don’t want to nail it on crooked. Take your tape measure and place it on one outside corner and take a measurement to the opposite outside corner.

Then repeat for the other two corners.

The two measurements should be equal as shown above. If they are not, make any necessary adjustments. Making adjustments can be as simple as removing screws and repositioning, or simply clamping two corners to pull them together before you nail on the back. Whatever you do, don’t move on to the next step until you’ve squared up your piece. This will save you headache later on, I promise!

5: Square your edges

Speaking of square, squaring off your board edges before using them can really take your DIY furniture up a notch. Your joints will look cleaner; your measurements will be more accurate; and it will be much easier to assemble.

What do I mean by squaring off your board edges?? When you purchase any 2x board (and sometimes 1x boards too) at the building supply or big box store, the edges are rounded like this:

When you try to join a flat edge to this round edge, you get this large, awkward gap.

To fix this issue, you can use a table saw to rip this corner off the boards so the edge is square and flat like this:

Then you have nice clean joints.

One thing you have to remember about squaring off your edges is that your board will now be slightly narrower. If you are following plans you found online or in a book, you may need to make a few adjustments to account for this change in width. It’s slight, but just like the kerf we talked about before, it can really throw you off if you aren’t careful. Want to see more details about squaring off boards? You can check out my post here on how I square off my board edges and how I make my own 2×2 boards.

Those are my top five tips for how to get better looking and better quality DIY furniture. I hope some of these were helpful and you can start improving your furniture builds today. What are your tips for quality looking DIY furniture! Leave a note in the comments about your best tip to improve your DIY furniture.

Happy Building!

~Read more of Shara’s Tutorials~

November 22, 2017/1 Comment/by Shara M

Electrical

Warm Solution for a Cold Room

Warm Solution for Cold Rooms in Your House

Warm Solution for a Cold Room

I’m excited to share this solution with anyone who has a cold room in their home. Sometimes a room may be cold because it lacks a heating duct, is missing insulation, or is on a concrete slab. Whatever the reason, today I’m going to share with you a Warm Solution for that Cold Room in your house.

My friend Beth has a bathroom in her home that no one (including guests) want to use. Unfortunately, I experienced the shock of using this bathroom once before and vowed never again. The half bathroom, added onto their home, has always felt like an ice box in the winter. And as you know, a cold bathroom means a cold toilet seat. Need I say more?

Beth had accepted the fact that she couldn’t do anything about her frigid bathroom without tearing down all the drywall or adding a vent (which would be messy and costly solutions). Then I discovered these wall heaters from Broan. Being that I am a Broan-NuTone influencer, I reached out to Broan to find out if I could get a complimentary heater for Beth’s bathroom. Of course, they felt for Beth’s situation and gladly agreed to send me the Broan 170 Wall Heater.

Notes: A few notes about installing a wall heater. View the available heater options from Broan. The heater you need will depend on several factors. Contact Broan’s customer service department for assistance selecting a heater that is right for you. This tutorial is strictly for informational purposes. You need a licensed electrician to install the heater. You may need to pull a permit when adding a supplemental heater to your home. Check with your local building and permit office to find out what the requirements are.

Finding a Location for the Wall Heater:

Locate a good location for the heater. Ideally you want an interior wall that doesn’t have insulation. Check to make sure the wall studs are far enough apart to allow the heater housing box to fit inside the studs. (Need help locating your studs? Here are 5 Ways to Locate Wall Studs without a Stud Finder.) Make sure that the location for your heater does not have any flammable items nearby. (Curtains or towels located near the heater could pose a fire risk.) Finally, assess the air current direction from your heater. You need the air to flow freely into the room and not be blocked by doors or other items.

Preparing the Wall for Installation:

After locating an appropriate space for the heater installation, use the metal housing box to trace the opening size onto the wall. Cut through the drywall with a drywall saw or oscillating tool.

Check to see if the housing will fit in the hole you just cut. Make any adjustments as needed. (Beth’s wall studs provided the exact opening for the wall heater (lucky us!) If your wall studs are further apart, you can use the mounting brackets that come with the heater.)

The location for Beth’s heater just happens to be underneath two switches, but we needed to run new wiring to accommodate the electrical load the heater needed.

Adding Dedicated Electrical for the Heater:

**The power should be shut off during installation of the wall heater.**

We drilled a hole through the bottom of the wall plate inside the cavity.

As the electrician went into the crawlspace, I shone my flashlight down through the hole to assist with locating the newly drilled hole.

The electrician fed wiring up through the hole. . .

. . . and ran the other end of the wiring to the circuit breaker. After fishing the wiring into the space below the circuit breaker, he fished the wiring into the circuit breaker box (not shown below.) Depending on your circuit breaker, you may need to have a split breaker added if you don’t have room for a new breaker.

The electrician should handle installing the new breaker and connecting the wiring inside the breaker box.

Installing the Wall Heater:

The electrician inserted the electrical wiring through the bottom knock out hole in the housing box and then set it into the wall.

He secured the housing box with mounting screws into the studs (or he could have used mounting brackets if the studs were further apart.)

The electrician wired the heater to the house wiring following the installation instructions and wiring diagram that came with the heater.

Then he attached the grille to the heater with the two screws provided.

The thermostat knob was pressed onto the thermostat stem.

The electrician turned the power back on and I tested the wall heater.

Oh my! The warm heat blowing out of the heater was an immediate improvement in this cold bathroom.

Beth and her family are so happy with the new heater. She told me, “For ten years, our bathroom was labeled the Cold Bathroom. Today, my son announced the bathroom has a new name: the HOT BATHROOM.”

Now when Beth and I take our walks with the dogs I have no qualms about running in to her house to make a quick pit stop. LOL.

Do you have a room in your house that is more like an ice box than a climate controlled room? Did you know you can add a supplemental heater? Check out all these Broan heaters that could solve your cold issues.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Broan. I was not told what to write. All opinions are my own. I was compensated for my time and efforts to create this tutorial. As always, I am very particular about the brands I represent and you will always be notified when you are reading a sponsored post on PrettyHandyGirl.com.

November 20, 2017/9 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Tool Tutorials, Toolbox

Top 10 Power Tools Every DIYer Needs

Time and time again I’ve been asked what my desert island tool would be. But honestly I have a hard time narrowing my answer down to just one tool. Instead I decided to make a list of the Top 10 Power Tools that Every DIYer Needs in their tool arsenal.

Next week the stores will be crowded and your family may want to know what you’d like for the holidays. If you are like me and ask for tools over jewelry, you’ll want to take inventory of your tools and see if there’s that one tool that you are missing. The ones that make the cut on this list are the tools that I use over and over again on projects, home repairs, and maintenance.

In no particular order, here are my Top 10 Power Tools Every DIYer Needs:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

1. Circular Saw:

A circular saw is one of the most versatile tools in the shop (and on a jobsite.) This one tool can potentially take the place of both a miter saw and a table saw. But, you have to have a steady hand and set up a guide bar (or use a Kreg Rip Cut) to get precision cuts. If you are building a deck, fence, or other outdoor structure, nothing will take the place of this mobile tool.

Porter-Cable 15 Amp Circular Saw

2. Table Saw:

The table saw is the king of making rip cuts. You can cut your own custom lumber, shave off rounded edges on boards and cut down large sheets for cabinetry and furniture. The table saw can handle small rips and make multiple cuts at the exact same width (when you lock the fence in place.) One accessory I recommend for your table saw is a Microjig GRR-Ripper to keep your hands and fingers safe. You can see a good example of the uses for a table saw and the GRR-Ripper in this tutorial for building sports gear storage in a small space.

DeWalt FlexVolt 50v Max cordless table saw

3. Miter Saw:

Nothing beats the precision of being able to cut a miter and bevel cut, which is a necessity when adding crown moulding to your home. For that reason I recommend forgoing a standard chop saw and outfit your shop with a compound sliding miter saw. The sliding feature allows you to cut lumber that is wider than the actual blade width. I highly recommend saving up for a quality miter saw. You will get what you pay for on this power tool. For more information, see my video tutorial for using a miter saw.

Makita 10″ Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw

4. Drill/Impact Driver Combo:

A drill is the equivalent of your right hand man while working on any project. Go ahead and upgrade to a stronger drill and if you buy one that double as an impact driver, you’ll save room in your toolbox.

Milwaukee Drill and Impact Driver Set

5. Bandsaw:

Before I had a jigsaw, I used my bandsaw for many curved cuts (and even ripped some lumber with it.) Although it may seem like an extraneous tool, having a bandsaw can be your friend when you want to make precision profile cuts in any wood. You’ll notice I didn’t include a scroll saw on the list and that’s because I would guess that 90% of the time the bandsaw (or a jig saw) will perform the tasks you think you need a scroll saw for. One of my favorite projects using a bandsaw is making this pallet serving tray.

Delta Bandsaw

6. Cordless Finish Nailgun:

Having a cordless nailer is the way to go when you are working on small projects or installing trim. This battery-powered 18 gauge nail gun doesn’t require a compressor. In my book, this is a huge plus for anyone who hates to haul out a big, heavy, and loud compressor. Not to mention dealing with the maintenance on a compressor. One of my favorite projects using a finish nailer are these cute scrap wood trays using leftover moulding.

Porter-Cable 18 ga. Cordless Nailer

7. Oscillating Multi-tool:

Where would I be without a multi-tool? In a jamb, that’s for sure. The oscillating tool is a mighty little tool you can bring to the location that needs cutting. Notch out your framing lumber; cut detail areas; sand in tight corners; scrape up tiles; and even cut nails with this tool and a metal blade. The oscillating tool has been my BFF when I need a small hand held option to the bigger tools (like sanding inside a window sill after repairing wood rot.)

Rockwell Sonicrafter

8. Power Sander:

Save your energy for more important tasks than sanding. Let the power sander smooth, strip and finish any surface in no time. Honestly, I can’t imagine ever hand sanding again.

DeWalt Palm Sander

9. Jigsaw:

The jigsaw can be compared to the bandsaw, but you’ll find a jigsaw a must have when you can’t bring the project to the tool or when your piece is too big. A good jigsaw won’t set you back much, but it will definitely save you time (and as you know, time is money.) One of the handiest uses for a jigsaw is cutting inside sheet goods.

Porter Cable Jigsaw

10. Rotary Tool:

A Dremel is one of those tools that you don’t think you need until you start using it. Then you wonder how you got along without one. Cut off metal; sand in tiny areas; drill; etch into a variety of materials and even trim your pet’s nails! This little tool can do so many things if you have the right bit. (My favorite use for a Dremel is creating a notch to remove stripped screws or bolts.)

Dremel Cordless Rotary Tool

11. Bonus Tool – Reciprocating Saw:

If you have all the tools above, go ahead and ask for this demo demon! A reciprocating saw makes fast work of removing studs and joists. Plus, if you like working with pallet wood, this tool is one of best ways (among 5 others) of removing pallet wood.

DeWalt Corded Reciprocating Saw

Did I miss any power tools that you find a necessity? Any tools that you’ll be adding to your wish list?

November 17, 2017/4 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, book, Build It

DIY Library Book Box

Hello Pretty Handy Girl readers! Sarah here from The Created Home to share with you a fun solution for housing library books: A Library Book Box!

Recently I had to cough up $10 to our local public library for a missing book — which sort of kills me since I have turned our home upside down looking for it. I mean, it’s Curious George, and those things are bright yellow! Has this ever happened to you? Even if it hasn’t, it is helpful to have a designated spot for library books. After all, we want to encourage reading, not get frustrated about trying to find them. Right?!

We love books around here. In fact, I built two reading nooks to support my own little readers. This elevated version in our playroom features bookshelves that double as a secret stairway. And this one is built right into my kids’ closet. Not ready for a full reading nook? This book box is a simple way to bring some reading fun into your home!

Materials:

Wood for box frame (We will talk about lengths in a bit)
Wood inserts for books
Wood glue
Finish nails
Brad nailer
2 books
Acrylic paint (optional)
[amazon_textlink asin=’B000BZZ3S8′ text=’Varnish’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’prett-wp-001-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ca82d0cd-c9af-11e7-a2c5-03ec0e36f2f5′]

Instructions:

Step 1

You’ll need a couple of books that you don’t mind deconstructing. Check your local thrift store to pick up some great vintage looking hardbacks or get creative with whatever look you like! The books will need to be the same dimensions for this project. Remove all of the pages from the books, leaving only the hard covers.

Trace two pieces of wood to fit inside the books. 3/4″ scraps worked perfect for this purpose.

Glue the wood into the book covers, leaving the outside cover free on both. This is for when you put them against the box you can open the cover and nail into the box sides through the wood. I didn’t do this with mine because I realized it would be a good idea too late.

Step 2

Make the box. This is an excellent scrap wood project! You can make the book box as long as you like, though 18″ seems to work well for us. My pieces are scrap flooring from a friend’s business, so they are approximately 4″ tall (1×6 would work just as well). The width of the box is determined by the width of your books, since they are the box sides. Your bottom piece of wood will need to be the width between the front and back pieces.

You can choose to simply glue and nail the pieces of wood together with a finish gun, or you can get fancy and use your router to dado a groove in the wood for the bottom to sit in. Either way works fine!

Step 3

Attach the book sides. As with the other parts of this book box, you’ll want to use both glue and nails to ensure stability. Nail right through the inner part of the “books” into the box sides. Be careful to line the nails up correctly so they don’t go through the box and out the side. Then glue the book cover closed to hide the nail holes.

Step 4

Add decorative touches and finish. Stain the wood if you like, or simply add varnish. You can choose to add lettering as well – a name or simply “READ” works well. I painted them fun colors because it is for my kids.

Step 5

Load it up! A box about this size holds somewhere around 20 children’s books. If I did it again I might go a bit larger. Another option is to put this on wheels, which would look great. (But, my kids have a tendency to turn everything into skateboards, so I left it grounded!)

That’s it! Hopefully this simple solution will keep your library books corralled and your account happily fine-free. If you make one be sure to share a photo, and happy reading!