Interior Paint Ideas for Your Home

May 10, 2024. Posted by Russell Jenkins in Handyman • Dallas-Fort Worth

Do you want to paint your home’s interior but are unsure how to choose the perfect color? Several factors should be considered when choosing a paint color, such as the room you are painting, the mood you want to set, the rest of your decor and furniture and more.

Choosing a paint color can be fun but difficult. However, once you make your choice, you can make the task easier by hiring a handyman to do the painting for you. A professional paint job is guaranteed to look great, saving you time and hassle.

Interior Paint Ideas for Your Home

Choosing the right paint color can transform a room. For example, a simple coat of paint can make a small room feel larger and more open. Lighter shades reflect natural light and create the illusion of space, which is why interior designers recommend light colors for tight spaces.

On the other hand, paint colors … Read Full Post »

What to Know About Replacing Siding on a House

May 2, 2024. Posted by Russell Jenkins in Handyman • Dallas-Fort Worth

Many homeowners take the siding on their house for granted, sometimes even forgetting it’s there. We often don’t realize its importance to our house’s structural integrity. It protects the home from sneaky pests and outdoor elements, and improves insulation. It also makes a massive difference in your home’s looks, as it is the most visible part of the exterior.

While vinyl, fiber cement, brick and wood sidings are durable, they’re not indestructible and will eventually need replacing. If you’re wondering if your house needs new siding, we’ll cover the signs you need to look out for and how you can perform the task. However, replacing the siding on your house is a complex project that takes up a lot of time and should be done by a professional.

Let a professional handyman do the job. With their tools and expertise, your home’s new siding will look flawless.

Replacing the Siding on Your House: … Read Full Post »

How to Paint Trim Without Tape and Other Tips

July 8, 2020. Posted by Steve Ambrose in Handyman • San Antonio

a homeowner wearing red and yellow painting gloves with a paintbrush in hand getting ready to paint trim without tape

Updating a room with a new coat of paint is an inexpensive and relatively easy way to redecorate the whole house. Painting is a great home project—with just a roller, a can or two of paint and a few hours of your time, you can freshen up your space. But many people decide to forego painting the trim, since it seems like more of a detailed project requiring lots of precision and attention to detail. The mere idea of taping it all off is enough to turn some people off! The good news is, it’s actually fairly simple to learn how to paint trim without tape and make it look great. All you need is a few simple tips and tricks to make sure you’re doing the job right. If it turns out to be too big of a job, you can call in a professional to ensure that it … Read Full Post »

How to Power Wash a Deck and Other Surfaces

June 22, 2020. Posted by Russell Jenkins in Handyman, Power Washing • Dallas-Fort Worth

A white home with a wood deck that has been power washed

A deck provides you with additional space on your property for relaxing and gathering with friends and family. In many residential areas, these spaces get a lot of use. Unfortunately, dirt, pollen, dust and other grime can build up over time, which can detract from your deck’s appearance. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem: power washing.

Power washing (also commonly referred to as pressure washing) is a great way to maintain your deck, as it is often the most effective way to make your deck look brand new again. Pressurized water is a powerful force, and it can even loosen up ground-in dirt that’s been there for quite some time. If you’ve never used a pressure washer before, however, you should know that you can damage certain surfaces and that there are risks and dangers associated with these machines. Once you learn how to power wash a deck, you … Read Full Post »

How to Clean Gutters From the Ground

June 8, 2020. Posted by Steve Ambrose in Gutter Cleaning, Handyman • San Antonio

Cleaning your gutters is a necessary task, but it’s not something the average homeowner is excited to do. From handling dirt and debris to making sure you are using your ladder safely, the whole process can easily turn into a lot more than you bargained for. If you clean your gutters yourself, it can be tempting to put it off for quite some time.

However, it’s possible to simplify gutter cleaning at least a little. Specifically, it’s not always necessary to climb a ladder to clean your gutters, particularly if you recently had gutters installed or do keep up with regular cleaning. In fact, you may be able to remain on the ground the whole time if you have the right equipment. You have a few options for cleaning the gutters from the ground, depending on what tools you already have or are willing to rent or purchase.

Use Your Hose

The first … Read Full Post »

Types Of Textured Walls And Other Painting Techniques

June 19, 2019. Posted by Steve Ambrose in Handyman • Austin

Many homeowners reach a point when they feel the urge to freshen up their interior living space. This might occur when you first purchase your home and want to update the colors of your walls before moving in, or it might not seem necessary until you’ve lived there for years and slowly arrived at the realization that you want a new look and feel for your home. Either way, making changes not just to the colors of your walls and ceiling but also their texture can be a great way to give your home a truly unique appeal. There are many types of textured walls to choose from in order to create the aesthetic you want, and each type is applied in a particular way, using certain tools and techniques.

The most popular options for wall textures include popcorn, orange peel, comb, slap brush, stomp brush, rose bud, sand swirl or … Read Full Post »

What Does A Carpenter Do? Why To Hire A Pro

June 17, 2019. Posted by Russell Jenkins in Handyman • Dallas-Fort Worth

Many homeowners find themselves looking around their property and finding things they want fixed here and there—whether it’s siding that needs to be repaired or a whole new deck that they want in their backyard. The issue is, who’s the right person for the job? Maybe a carpenter? But what does a carpenter do exactly?

The lines often blur between what a carpenter, woodworker and handyman can do because quite frankly they can perform many of the same tasks.

Generally, carpenters construct, erect, install and repair structures and fixtures made from wood and other materials. Carpenters can do anything from small repairs, such as fixing your crown molding, to bigger home projects, such as adding on new areas of your home. Basically, a carpenter can make improvements on nearly any part of your property.

While some of these smaller repairs around your home may seem like easy do-it-yourself projects, many homeowners end up … Read Full Post »

How To Stop Birds From Building Nests In Gutters

September 28, 2018. Posted by Steve Ambrose in Gutter Cleaning, Handyman • Austin

Most people understand the purpose of installing gutters around the roofline of their homes and garages: to divert rainwater from the roof and house to someplace safe, well away from any structures that could potentially sustain water damage. Pretty simple, right? Yet this standard home-maintenance task is one that many homeowners push to the back burner in favor of dealing with seemingly more pressing problems.

Part of the issue is the old saying about “out of sight, out of mind”. This is especially true with gutters, since they are located well above our line of sight. Most people can’t see the debris collecting in their gutters without going to some trouble to do so. Clogged gutters can lead to big problems down the road, however, including water damage, flooding issues, unwelcome visitors like birds and mosquitoes nesting or breeding in gutters, and more.

Following is the lowdown on how to … Read Full Post »

Ask a Handyman: Should You Grout or Caulk Around Tub?

December 4, 2017. Posted by Steve Ambrose in Handyman • Austin

Grout and caulk are two completely different substances, each with its own use and function. If you live in a home with an older bathroom, you may use one (or both) to make a repair or install a new bathtub, toilet or fixture. Do you know when you should use grout or caulk around your tub?

Grout is a mixture of water, cement, sand and sometimes fine gravel. This paste can be tinted different colors and is often used between tiles. Grout keeps water out and gives your walls and floors a cleaner look. Grout requires a crevice to “hold onto” and can prevent tile edges from chipping. Since grout doesn’t contain latex, it can crack with movement. Years of use can leave grout looking discolored and dirty.

On the other hand, caulk is silicone, acrylic or latex-based, so it’s both flexible and waterproof. Caulk is strong enough and pliable enough to adhere … Read Full Post »

What Can a Handyman Legally Do?

November 1, 2017. Posted by Les Stobart in Handyman • Austin

What if you could get all of those little tasks on your “honey-do” list completed without having to lift a finger?

Home repairs, maintenance and weekend projects can quickly eat up all your free time. It’s only natural that homeowners are looking for ways to outsource these tasks at the lowest possible price. Depending on the nature of the tasks involved, you may find yourself wondering which jobs are suitable for a handyman and which tasks are better performed by a licensed contractor. Since virtually anyone can call themselves a handyman, you might ask yourself, “What can a handyman legally do?” Is there a real difference between the training and skills of a handyman and a contractor? What type of jobs should you hire a handyman to complete? Some homeowners have an even more basic question: What is a handyman in the first place?

A handyman may be a jack-of-all-trades or … Read Full Post »