How do I learn?
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive January 2007:
How do I learn?
My home needs several minor repairs dh& i should be able to handle. Neither one of us is mechanically inclined and no one ever taught us how to do any of this stuff. We've basically ignored a few things because starting is overwhelming and i'm afraid of making it worse. My tub faucet is leaking, my closet door is off track and i have a cabinet that won't hold screws in the hinge. i screw them in and they fall out. I really want to learn how to tackle these types of things. What would be a good way to go about this? Is this just a learn as you go? I know its silly but i'm a little scared 
See if your library has some books on basic home repair. I have one from Reader's Digest, put out many years ago, that I often refer to. If you live near a Home Depot, some Home Depots have classes on how to do minor home repairs yourself.
As for the cabinet screws, it is highly likely that the screws have come loose so many times that either the holes have gotten enlarged, or the threads on the screws have stripped. If the screws look OK, try putting some slivers of wood into the hole before you put in the screw. That makes the hole "smaller" and may hold the screw in place.
I generally have a few different methods. First I google. There's a lot of there on do-it-yourself projects. Another thing I do a lot is go down to my local hardware store, grab one of people who've been working there for awhile and get their advice. If the person you've grabbed doesn't know, ask them to find somebody who does. I have learned A LOT simply from asking those people.
One more strategy I use is ask people on my message boards. Which you've done.
DH and I are not handy. I am more so than DH, so I take care of the small things but have hired a Handyman for the bigger stuff. DH is good with computers, so he and our Handyman barter their services. It works out very well!
I watch alot of HGTV. They had a short short (like a commercial short) on between shows about how to change a faucet. They go thru each step and it looks easy enough that I could do it. But it would scare me, too.
The screw that keeps coming out needs this plastic expanding thing. Go to a Home Depot/Lowe's/hardware store and tell them what happens. And take the screw with you so you get the right size. They will show you what you need. It is a hard plastic thing that goes into the hole and then expands once it gets past the sheet rock. It won't come back out. Then you put your screw into that. Sorry I can't tell you what it is called. I've just seen dh do it and I think "cool". If I can get hold of him today, I'll ask him what it is called.
And there are some good do-it-yourself books at the hardware store. You can probably find them at the library, too.
DIY and HGTV have been great in teaching me projects. I prefer to do the work rather than hire someone. I will research a project, for example: leaking faucet and go from there.
http://www.ehow.com/how_117402_fix-faucet.html
The "screw that expands" is an anchor and that will not work on a cabinet hinge. It sounds like the threads are worn off or your hole is too big. Take the hinge off the cabinet. If the holes are too big in the cabinet, you can use wood filler and once it dries drill new holes.
If the threads are worn away you will need to replace the hinge.
Most projects can be tackled in a step by step manner. I never considered myself handy but I refuse to pay anyone to do something that I can do. Since becoming a homeowner, I have tackled a lot of projects my hubby did not think I could do. Surprise I can! When you research a project and take it step by step, you can do just about anything. Right now, I am remodeling my kitchen. The only thing being done professionally is the granite install, the rest I am doing myself.
Actually, for the cabinet all you need to do is insert wooden toothpicks into the hole. Generally two or three will do, enough to "fill the hole. Snap them off at the surface of the cabinet, doesn't need to be perfect as the hinge will tighten them down and hide them as you screw it in. Put the door in place and then screw through the hinge. You can also apply a bit of wood glue to the toothpicks and let dry for a few minutes if you choose to. You do want to check the thread on the screw.. If they are bad then take the screw with you to the hardware store and they will have a similar screw there, I am sure.. This is a cheap fix as most people have tooth picks around the house...
As for the closet door, what kind of door is it?? The track could be bent, it should be in a half round all the way down the track, like a U. If it is not the door will, jump off the track each time it hits that spot. You will need to use a pair of pliers to shape it back into the U. We had closet doors in our old house that would come off the track and I had to unscrew the wheels/brackets that hold the wheels on the top, place them into the track and then rescrew the brackets that hold the wheels on to the door. Then you adjust the bottom screw until the door slides smoothly.. I would need to see the door to tell you for sure what it might be, LOL, so try to describe the issue or maybe do a search on it and see if you can figure it out.
The leak can be a huge pain in the rear, if you don't know what you are doing. You will need to do a search on tub faucet repair.. Let see...
A Common Problem With Older Faucets: Replacing A Faucet Washer
You can buy a repair kit at the local hardware store... It is easy enough but you need to follow each step or you can cause a bigger issue than you start out with...
Any more issues? LOL
Thanks everyone! This may sound weird but I always thought I would just somehow magically "know" this stuff,lol. I've made alot of things look worse trying to make them better so now I freeze, and I want to take care of things myself instead of paying someone. It sounds like its time to get reading
Rayelle---You CAN do it! After you finish your first project, you will have more confidence. You will discover that it is very rewarding to do your own home improvements.
Right, you will take on a bigger sense of pride when you know that you yourself made such and such a repair all on your own.. Start small and work toward the big things and in time you will be handing out tips yourself...
Sorry, I was reading too quickly and missed the hinge part. I was thinking about a screw going into the sheetrock. And dh gave me a great website, too. Shucks!
Good luck. My little piece of advice. Try whatever you deem the smallest project. Keep fiddling with it till you get it right. Then you'll feel good about it and ready to take on something a little bigger.
Here is the website dh sent me anyway:
http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair
There is some good, straight forward stuff and links. And there are link to ads to pay for it. But the little bit I checked looked like instructions that I could follow on something.
Sorry I don't know how to make it a link.
My Home Repair
How to link for those that don't know. 
\ link{http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair,My Home Repair}
Don't space between the back slash (\) and the word link... The address is copy pasted, put in a coma (,) and then you type in an identifying name (My home repair). Click on preivew/post message. The link should show us as the title you typed. Click on the link and make sure it works. Back button to your post preview page and click post this message if the link worked.. Some times they won't work, depends on the way the address is typed. Those you have to put in as a copy paste in your post as you did but most of the times they do.. Not to hard huh??
All the tricks to the board can be found here...
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