Hi! I love to hear from my readers. Tell me about your projects. Ask me a question or feel free to drop me a little note. Comments are so far and few these days, an email lets me know that someone is still reading my tutorials. Believe it or not, emails from my readers are the joy that keeps me blogging.PrettyHandyGirl (at) gmail.com
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I’m so happy to have found your site. My husband died a few years ago and I’m clueless about home maintenance. Even when I know what needs to be done, I have no idea how to do it and can’t follow the directions because I don’t know the terminology. Your explanations break everything down enough for me to understand and actually be able to handle some of these projects.
Thanks for the descriptions of screws and nails and drywall. I’ve hammered nails into drywall, hung pictures, and watched the whole thing come crashing down. That pretty much sums up my home maintenance skills, so you can imagine how excited I am to be able to learn how to care for my home.
Carole, so nice to virtually meet you. And I’m thrilled you found my site. I’m sorry to hear about your husband.
You’re awesome. It’s so great to see women doing this kind of work. You (and other women in the filed) have inspired me to learn more about home renovations and woodworking, and I now plan to change careers and start my own business, and possibly a charity. I’ll be in touch. Thanks for being fearless.
I just found you.. Thank Godness — What I have read is great !! We needed a women to talk “women” talk about fixing things.
I have a question. I have a Casablanca fan in the bedroo m, no remote, wall switch with a switch that turns fan on off and another one for the light I need to replace the blades, because one of them got broken. Can I use the Casablanca mechanism to buy any fan and put it up, or do I have to buy a Casablanca one or a whole new fan and replace all the “inners”. Thanks, debbi
Debbi, I’m not sure I understand your question. What is the Casablanca mechanism you mean? In terms of fan blades, you may be able to purchase the new blades. Try contacting Casablanca.
Morning! Over the years, I’ve watched you and your blog grow and grow. Wonderful!
When I start a project with tools I haven’t used for a while, you’re my go-to so I can refresh my memory, and frankly, refresh my confidence in my ideas! I have to search, though, for Tool Tutorials. My request/suggestion is to add a link to your banner for Tool Tutorials?
I can certainly continue to search, and I’ll always continue reading. But as the reference you’ve become for many of us, that would be very handy.
Keep up the great work!
(Christine —
who is now attacking built-ins for my mudroom with CL cabinets, my own face frames, doors and drawers. Yeah! Got it in my head. Now I’ve just got to get it into the mudroom.)
Christine, thank you so much for your feedback. I’ll try to get some buttons back up for you to find it easier. In the meantime, the tool tutorial should be under the project gallery on the navigation bar. Or here: https://prettyhandygirl.com/category/tool-tutorials/
Thanks for the quick reply!
Hi! I’ve rediscovered your website and have been going back through old posts. I’m curious–how did Wipe New product hold up on your car’s headlights since it’s been a year since you posted about it?
Thanks!
It held up great, but we sold the car about 2 months ago. It still looked fantastic.
Is it possible to see the 31 day of Handy Home Fixes. All I can get to is the opening page but I can’t seem to see any further links.
Thank you. Mimi
Mimi, I updated the gallery just for you 😉 https://prettyhandygirl.com/category/31-days-of-handy-home-fixes/
Hi im making outside Cedar table tops but during them an 8 inch by a 1/4 inch crack appeared. I would like to fill the crack with a clear easy pouring fluid .
Do u have any ideas ?
please and thanksG
Gord, you could try an epoxy 2 part mixture.
Good afternoon Brittany!
I came across your website by accident but am so glad I found it! I am 65 years old and hearing impaired.. My husband is in bad health and there are some things around the house that need fixing:) The instructions for the faucet replacement for the bathroom sink looks easy enough (I hope). However, I would like to install a towel bar in the tub area. The instructions I saw was for mounting the bar into sheetrock. What or how can I mount a towel bar into tile? The tile goes up the wall to about 18 inches from ceiling. Can you help me???
The other question I had was regarding the solution for hard water. Mine is not on the sink but in the toilet bowl. How can I apply to mixture so it does not come in contact with the water in the toilet bowl???
Thank you so much for your time and help!
Sincerely,
Jeanette
P.S. LOVE your website!
Jeanette, if the towel bar is strictly for holding a towel and not to help you or your husband get in and out of the tub, you can look into a strong adhesive to secure the mounting bracket to the tile (Liquid Nails Fuze* It or GE Sealants Iron Grip). You could also drill into the tile and insert anchors made for tile, but you’d probably have to use the screws that come with the anchors and not the towel bar.
Hard water stains on a toilet bowel can usually be scrubbed off with a pumice stone and a little elbow grease. Then follow up with a good cleaning.
Brittany, you are an inspiration! Your skill, can-do attitude, and generosity in sharing both your knowledge and encouragement has been invaluable to me. Thank you!
Lys, thank you for leaving this kind note. I appreciate it. Have a great week!
Hi,
Thank you for publishing this. I was struggling to get the 3 way dimmer to work correctly and there is nothing in Lutron’s manual that would have gotten me to what you described. It worked great for me! Greatly appreciate it. Thank you Thank you Thank you!
I have never left a reply, but after reading your email this morning about your involvement in the march on Saturday, I have to reply. First off, I have to ask these questions: Are you pro-abortion or are you pro-life? Are you a feminist? Are you a God-fearing Christian? God did not make a woman to be able to do the same things that a man can do. We don’t have their build or their strength. There are some things that a woman has absolutely no right doing. I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in you. I have been following your blog for a few years now. I have enjoyed it up until now. Because of the so-called feminist movement, women have literally messed things up for themselves as well as for the rest of us who do not agree with their cause. Men have lost respect for women. Our country is a mess.. and these women (and men that follow them) are only making matters worse. What they are doing is not the answer. God is America’s ‘only’ hope. I could go on, but you should get my point. Thanks for all the great projects and ideas! God Bless
Colleen, thank you so much for your reply. I’m so glad you felt comfortable sharing your views and opinion. I was brought up to believe that girls can do anything boys can do. Maybe it was a generational thing or maybe it was because I’m the oldest of three girls. My father and mother bought a small house that they added onto themselves. Both my parents saved a lot of money doing much of the work themselves. And naturally they included my sisters and I in the projects. I agree that God made women into amazing creatures that can bear children and feed them from their own breast. But, I do not think that women are incapable of doing things men can do. In fact I am here (among many many other women) as living proof that I can do things that were stereotypical for a man’s job decades ago. I recently earned my general contractor license. In my work and my daily live, I’ve rarely run into subcontractors or men that don’t respect me. In fact the builder of our 39 year old home (who is now retired) was one of my biggest cheerleaders and wrote me my reference letter to earn my General Contractor License.
I will continue to be a cheerleader for women (and men) to encourage them to learn how to fix their own toilets, rewire outlets, build furniture, and any other projects that I know they can do.
Again, I really appreciate your thoughts and comments. I want us all to be able to bridge the divide and hear each other in our struggles as we try to go forward making this country the best it can be. Hope you have a great week!
You go girl….I just wish I could do of the things you do….I have a friend who is a Mom of two daughter & two sons, and one granddaughter, She is jack of all trades…she can do anything around the house…doesn’t have to ask her husband everytime something needs fixing, she does it herself….He’s a Policeman so I’d say probably doesn’t know as much about things like that as she does lol, I just think it’s amazing that women want to do things like this too…..I never ever wanted to, but wish now I would have learned in my earlier days….if I need a fan installed, I have to call someone to do it for me….you won’t ever have that problem….
I just wish I could find someone to build me a cabinet to fit under my sink in my bathroom…I can sure tell someone how to build it but I can’t build it……can’t even find people to do things like that for you…can’t buy one , they don’t make them…. I have checked at Lowe’s , they don’t have them .,…and no one wants to work, they want to stay home and collect a welfare check…..that is my big gripe….
So just go girl and do your thing…..girls can do what guys do I always say…..but who wants to do Plumbing….not this gal, it stinks….but building things like you are doing I think is wonderful…and your husband loves it because he don’t have too…..he can work a 9-5 job and come home and see what you have made for the day or sit back and watch you build…..LOL
A woman who loves power tools, ah, my friend! I was given, last Christmas, a Ryobi cordless drill and a diamond ring. Couldn’t get any better than that could it? I have purchased a chop saw and a table saw (Ryobi, of course) and they gave me a scroll saw for Christmas. I feel like doing the Tim Allen “Men are pigs” grunt. 🙂 So far, I have built 4 window boxes for the front of my house, scrap benches (scrap wood from an add on), two little plant stands, two adirondack tables (a gift), and a swing bed. Which is freaking awesome!!!! I am in the process of repurposing a broken small fridge into a cooler, as we speak. It looks really good, just trying to tweak it. I couldn’t find plans for a mid size one. Lord, I love it!!! My husband looked at me like I was crazy when I said that I was building the swing bed. Red and white, with lots of pillows. Sorry, I got carried away! Go do it girls. Rub a little sawdust behind your ears, and get to it. LOVE your site.
Debbie, thanks for your comment. You go girl! Keep it up.
Hi Could Debbie post pics. of what she had made ? We would love to see them?I clicked on reply under her comment, but it would not take it…..
Hello,
I’m interested in having 3 coffee bars made with the face in sheet metal patina, is this something you do?
Sorry Terry, I can’t make custom items. I put the tutorials out there so you can do it yourself ;-).
Thank you, Brittany, for your excellent instructions on installing the PartsmasterPro pop-up-sink part no. 58423. I have two sinks to repair with the same problem.
Problem for me, no replacement gaskets came with the kits.
I have not yet disassembled the mechanisms which, like your mum’s unit, are hard to get at.
It could be that the old gaskets are still good but the units have not been worked on for ten years at least..
How can I get two gaskets ?
Our local Home Depot is very good but I do not have confidence in the present sales staff to give me an answer. I have asked two of their employees for answers, both recommended 58423 but did not raise the possibility that the gaskets needed replacing even when I said there surely had to be some form of seal.
I’d be very grateful for your suggestions.
Thanks again and thank you for your excellent article.
Dudley, I’d suggest either going to Lowe’s or a plumbing supply store like Ferguson’s.