Build It

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Day 2 – Fixing a Sticking Door

Welcome to Day 2 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. Today I'm going to show you a tip for fixing a rubbing or sticking door. Day 2. Fixing a Sticking Door Do you have a door in your home that rubs on the frame or gets stuck certain…
Water alarm
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31 Days of Handy Home Fixes – Day 1 – Protect from Water Leaks

Welcome to Day 1 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. I am always amazed at how a great house can fall into disrepair. This doesn't have to happen. Each day you can learn a quick fix for your home. For the entire month of October I'll be bringing…
Benjamin Moore Yellow Highlighter Painted Interior Doors | Pretty Handy Girl
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Good Day Sunshine – Yellow Painted Doors

I painted my interior front doors Benjamin Moore's Yellow Highlighter. It's my way to start my day off on the right foot. When I get up in the morning and head downstairs, I see my front doors and immediately Good Day Sunshine starts to…
How to Add Security Film to Glass Doors & Windows | Pretty Handy Girl
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Install Security Film to a Glass Door and Protect Your Home

The folks at Allstate Insurance have graciously sponsored this post, which will help you learn how to install security film to safeguard your doors (or windows) from a potential break-in! It's a simply DIY solution that could potentially…
Flying Yellow Jacket | Pretty Handy Girl
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How to Identify Yellow Jackets and Protect from Being Stung

Summertime is here and I can't keep shoes on the kids... ...or clothes for that matter. I think my kids inherited it from me. I have fond memories of running around our backyard as a child barely clothed. I also have a not…
How to Trim Closet Doors with Dremel UltraSaw | Pretty Handy Girl
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How to Trim & Install Closet Doors {Dremel Ultra-Saw Review}

I have a friend named Holly. She and I live in the same neighborhood and we help each other out with DIY projects. Last week she asked me to help her come up with a solution to hide her dirty laundry. Holly and I were trying to figure…
5 Minute Ceiling Fan upgrade | Pretty Handy Girl
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5 Minute Update for Your Ceiling Fan

When I was updating my son's bedroom, I gave the ceiling fan a 5 minute update! You can easily change the look of a ceiling fan by quickly swapped out the light shades. I removed the scalloped edged glass shades and replaced them with square…
Easy! How to Install a New Showerhead | Pretty Handy Girl
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How to Easily Install a New Shower Head

Raise your hand if you have a sad excuse for a shower head! Is it drippy, rusty or clogged? If you answered yes to any of those questions, I'm about to show you why there is no excuse for you being able to install a new shower head yourself!…
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How to Move a Floor Register in a Window Seat

Remember last month when I showed you how to build a window seat in a bay window? I had promised to share with you how to move the floor register. I'm true to my word and am back with the tutorial today. When I built our kitchen window…
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Cracks in Drywall: 5 Steps to a Permanent Fix with 3M Patch Plus Primer

Do you have a crack in your drywall that keeps coming back? Today's post will help you fix this annoying problem in 5 easy steps using 3M's Patch Plus Primer. This weekend I was cleaning out the guinea pig cage that sits in our living…
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How to Cut Bar Stools Down to Counter Height Stools

Yes you can make those wood bar stools fit your counter.  Here's an easy DIY fix to make bar stools into counter stools (and a quick makeover too!). Bar stools typically sit at 30" high, this is fine and dandy if you have a proper bar…
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Water Leaks, Polybutylene Pipes, and Mold – What to Do

Photo courtesy of Grotuk via Creative Commons Today's regularly scheduled post has been interrupted by a leak in our laundry room. I hope my misfortune is your gain. These are the things I've learned about burst pipes, polybutylene…
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Baseboard Trim – How to Remove and How to Install

  I'm back to work on the bonus room makeover, and I couldn't be happier with the results of the project. I had to prep the back wall for a little something special. And it required removing the baseboards. I saved them to re-install…
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How to Solder Metals Together – Tool Tutorial Friday

  Wheee, it's another episode of Tool Tutorial Friday! Do y'all miss TTF? I do too, but this handy gal only has so many tools in her toolbox. I added a new one a few weeks ago, a soldering iron. Let's learn How to Solder Metals Together! When…
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How to Replace Garage Door Rollers

How to Replace Garage Door Rollers Let's give a big round of applause and a thank you to Jeff from Home Repair Tutor for his tutorial on Changing Your Garage Door Extension Springs. Today I'll help you learn how to replace your garage…
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How to Remove a Stuck, Stripped or Painted Screw

Isn't it frustrating when you are trying to unscrew a screw and the head is stripped? Or some moron painted the screw and now you can't get your screwdriver into the slots. (I might have been the painting fool mentioned.) Luckily there are…
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How to Fix a Broken Lamp – DIY Talent Condo Blues

Can you hear the bass drum and the band playing? The DIY Talent Parade is in full swing now. Lisa from Condo Blues is striding this way and ready to show off her mad electrical skills. I recently met Lisa at Blissdom and she is a real fun…
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How to Add an Outlet Extender

  Today I am going to show you How to Add an Outlet Extender. On Monday I showed you how easy it is to install the Flow Wall panels. The only thing that will slow you down is if you run into a light switch or an outlet. But, that's…
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Making it Easier to Take Out the Trash

I know that no one likes to take out the garbage in my house. How do I know this? I know it because we seem to be able to push our 9 gallon trash can to hold 12 gallons! Don't do the math, it is just one of life's unsolved mysteries. When…
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Miracle Stain Remover and a Healthier Alternative to Dryer Sheets

I've been keeping a secret from y'all and I just can't live with it anymore. I have a miracle stain remover recipe that has time and again proven to work on some of the most stubborn stains. Plus, find out why we don't need dryer sheets anymore! Miracle…
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Removing Door Knobs, Latches and Hinges

Removing a door's hardware (knobs, latch assembly, hinges) is really a piece of cake if you know what you are doing. There are several reasons you might need to remove a door from its hinges: The lock is broken and you can't open…
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How NOT to Replace an Escutcheon

Our downstair's bathroom is a little retreat for me from the boys. It is a great place to catch up on my Country Living magazines and if I bring my iPhone with me I can check email. Best of all the boys know to respect my privacy (well, most…
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How to Retrieve Items Dropped Down the Drain (You CAN Get It Back!)

While I was working on my Goodwill sweater, I accidentally dropped one of the pins down the drain. Now, I could have just left it there, but my "Ms. Fix-It" brain knew that I couldn't do that. If I left it, I would be dealing with a…
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Installing a New Toilet Seat

I just finished cleaning the bathroom. The mirror is spotless, the sink is clean, and the toilet is cl... ARGH! I just cleaned the toilet and that flaking hinge just dropped another metal flake on the seat! Do any of you have a similar problem?…
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Hanging New Blinds

Happy New Year! I love January 1st. It is a new beginning, with new goals, resolutions and a chance to start fresh. We had an open house style party on New Year's Day. I was talking with my friend Leslie about how little changes can really…
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Installing an Anti-Tip Bracket for Your Oven

I hate to break up the holiday glamour-fest, but it is time to put on my tool belt and share with you an important safety device. As some of you may remember, we had an oven fire this past September. We ended up replacing our oven and when the…
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Installing Cabinet Knobs

I spent the weekend in Norfolk, VA with my two wonderful sisters (Alana and Caitlin) and Alana's boyfriend, Eddie. We had fun kicking some DIY butt! Who knew you could have so much fun installing cabinet knobs! Most of the projects were…
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This Whole Post is on Repairing Holes!

How often have you removed a screw, accidentally dented your drywall, or had a hole that couldn't hold a screw anymore? And, how long has that hole stared glaringly at you? Let's talk about repairing holes. Today, I will empower you to fix…
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Hanging Jar Storage

Over the weekend I finally cleaned up our garage. This is our multi-purpose space, so it had multi-multi-multi items strewn everywhere. Check out this cool Hanging Jar Storage. Because our garage is small (fits 1.5 cars) space is a premium…
old outlet to new outlet
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Changing Out an Old Outlet

So, this is one of those not so pretty posts, but I promise it is Oh So Handy! Learn how to easily change out an old outlet. Changing Out an Old (UGLY) Outlet Our home was built in 1978 and most of our outlets are almond colored and many…
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Rewiring a Copper Wall Sconce – Out with the Old and In with the New

If you've been following the Pretty Handy Girl blog, you will recognize this copper wall sconce from the reading nook post. It was a $5 find at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore! The sconce was a wall mount, but plug in kind. The lamp was…
Top Ten Reasons to Do-It-Yourself
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Top 10 Reasons to Do-It-Yourself

Top 10 Reasons to Do-It-Yourself! Over the course of the last ten years writing this blog, I've met numerous people who have lamented that they wished they had skills like mine. Or have professed that they just didn't have it in their DNA…