Deck Staining and Powerwashing

This is one of my first videos of a deck I power washed and stained in the Park City area. It’s from my You Tube page so check it out and feel free to subscribe but don’t be too harsh with the comments. Ha ha…remember this is one of my first attempts at this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chPvqQQmsh8

Window Screen Repair

Well I thought I would do a little section on how to rebuild a damaged screen.  I am sure some of you may know how to do this but since I am just getting started with this handyman blog I think this is an easy subject for the beginner handyman and blogger for that matter.

This is a pic of a damaged screen from an insurance job I did last week near WSU.  If you are familiar with Wichita you know that WSU stands for Wichita State University….uh?? Anyhow, the screen on top is obviously the damaged screen and the one below it is an extra screen the customer just had laying around the house. 

 

 

Here we take the two screens apart being careful not to damage the mesh and I will use as many parts from the damaged screen as I can so I only have to cut two rails.  The extra screen is larger than the one we are repairing so it works perfect for this little rebuild.  If an extra screen is not available you can buy kits at your local home store relatively cheap.  I used my miter saw to cut down the new rail lengths or you can use a hack saw.  Miter saws work great with any carbide tipped blade on this soft aluminum as long as you run the blade through the cut nice and slow.  NICE AND SLOW!! Or you will end up with a screen rail stuck in your shop wall or worse in yourself!

Here I am installing the mesh in the new frame I made from the rails I cut down off the extra screen.  I even managed to salvage the original mesh from the damaged screen so I won’t have to trim the screen when the ribbing is installed.  Sorry I forgot to get a pic of the ribbing but most of you probably know what it is.  If you look close it’s the little black cord holding the mesh in the rails.  You know the stuff you used to pull out of your parents screen when you were a kid with nothing better to do but stare out the window when it was raining out! He He!

Here is a shot of my screen roller tool I use for this job.  Very low cost tool you can get at your local home store along with a bag of screen rib for future damaged screen repairs.  These things work great and make the job much easier.  They also work great for tightening your screens when the ribbing just gets a bit loose.

Finally here is a pic of the end result.  Pretty easy huh…!  With a little practice and a bit of patience this will be an easy do it yourself project even worst handyman can be a master at.  Not sure what that says about me but oh well, till next time…as Red Green always says “If your wife don’t find ya handsome make sure she finds ya handy!” He He!!!

Exterior Deck Stair Rails

This will be the first on many different segments on home improvement and repair so look back here often! Or keep an eye out on FB if ya follow that sort of thing. This stair railing is a fairly easy project to start with and is actually on my own house. We built this 12’ x 12’ balcony off my daughter’s bedroom upstairs from a sliding door we installed last winter. We had a window up there before that was rotten beyond repair and decided this would work great for a future guest room, that is if our daughter ever decides to move out..LOL! We have kept the door locked with a sign on it saying “do not open!” so no danger there. Oh yeah and we kept all exterior ladders out of sight if ya know what I mean..ha ha! I always say outta sight outta mind.

Here is a shot of the steps coming from the pool area gate. Notice I have already installed the 2x6 treated rails between the posts from top to bottom. The 6x6s at the bottom will eventually get a decorative cap on them that small planters or something can sit on.

First off I will rip some cca treated 2x4s directly in half. Usually as shown here it comes out that you split the 1 ¾” mark with the center of the blade. I use a 10” Craftsman table saw with a 7 ¾” inch blade on it for more ripping power. These treated 2x4s can be a bit stubborn if ya know what I mean.

I have my wife on the other end helping support the 12’ boards as I get past the half way point on the boards. She is the one holding the camera if ya didn’t know..he he. This makes things much easier! Whoever you have helping you make sure they don’t try to steer the board, only support the end. The steering is up to the pushing end always! That doesn’t sound right?? Well you get what I am saying..I hope!

Here is a shot of the 12’ 2x4s ripped in half. We used 12’ because that works out best for step balusters and deck rail balusters as well. You can get lengths like 34” for the deck rails and have 8 balusters per board or 42” – 48” lengths for step rails and get 6 balusters per 12’ board. You can buy all these pre cut but it cost a bit more and I don’t feel like you get a full 1 ½”x 1 ½” baluster, it’s more like a 1 ¼”x 1 ¼” baluster and therefore not as sturdy and resistant to warping like the heavier home cut ones.  I don’t mind the little extra time it takes for the better quality. Oh yeah and it saves a little $ you can use on a beer after your done..ha ha.

After the 2x2s are cut to the length you want (here we are using 43” for our steps) you can make a mark on your miter saw like I have here and hold each board the same way so the rip side faces in when installed and make your cuts. This is a bit tedious but worth the time when all is done. This adds the decorative finish to the ends of the balusters.

After you get all the ends cut you should pre drill the screw holes. Drill two holes on the bottom @ 2” from the end and @ 6” apart and one on the top 2” from the end. You can set up a gage to drill them all but I just eyeball them..he he. I use a 3/16” bit which is about the same size as the threads on the 2 ½” deck screws. Some guys don’t pre drill the screws and just tap the screws in with a hammer to start then use a screw gun to finish them off. This can sometimes be done if the wood is green enough but still can cause some splitting, in our case the wood was dry and definitely had to be drilled. I also know this makes the railing pull together for a stronger tighter railing. Hey it’s a balcony railing so you don’t want to skip steps here or the worst case scenario could happen if ya know what I mean!

Before getting any further I wanted to show you a very important step not to skip! Where the balcony attaches to the 6x6 post and along the skirt attached to the house we use 5/16 or 1/4 “lag bolts 6” in length to secure each corner and secure the structure to the house. I used a 5/16” drill bit to pre drill through the board being secured and drilled no deeper than that. You can put a piece of tape on your bit at @ 1 ¾” to use as a gage so you don’t drill too deep if you don’t trust yourself.  I have a socket adapter for my Milwaukee cordless drill I use to drive the lag bolts home after drilling. You want to hang on for this, these new cordless drills have a ton of torque and can throw you right off your ladder if ya catch my drift! Make sure when securing to the house you feel the bolt catch something solid, you can actually see the wood pull tight if you watch carefully. Some of you may have heard in recent years about an accident nearby here with a balcony coming loose from the house. I won’t get into it all but I will say many people were hurt and one fatality. Not good!

Here we start putting the balusters on the rail starting at the bottom. I used a 4” scrap block I cut to mark the first one and every other one thereafter. 4” is the standard code width between the balusters so kids and pets don’t get stuck in them or fall through. If ya ask me the kids shouldn’t be trying to cram their heads through the railings but who says this safety measure is just for kids??? He he!

Every 5th or so baluster it’s a good idea to check how level you are and make small adjustments if needed. Good to use a 4 foot level that spans end to end because some if the balusters could be warped. In fact most of them will be warped to some extent and this is normal. Make sure the level is touching on both ends of the baluster and not rocking so as to get an accurate reading.

I screw the top in first and maintain a line 1 1/2” from the top of the rail to the highest leading edge of the baluster. I used one of the balusters as a gage and put a light pencil line along the top as a reference. Hey this isn’t rocket science! Got me so far…?? Ha ha!

The next obvious step is to place the 2 bottom screws in and then stand back and marvel at your hard work. Feel how much more sturdy the railing gets as you go along! That’s the cool part.

I used this board to prop in between the rails in order to take some of the natural warp out of both sides while attaching the balusters. This should help them maintain the correct shape after installing the balusters nice and snugly. I don’t know why but when you use CCA treated lumber or “green board” as some people say, it always warps worse than any other lumber you can buy. I always tell a customer that is wanting to save some money by using this stuff that as I said earlier “this stuff has a mind of it’s own”.

Here is a shot of the inside rail half finished.

Here is a shot of the completed project. Pretty sweet huh…?! I was happy with the end result and it really made the steps and everything extra sturdy. After a few months I will go back and check all the fasteners to make sure the movement of the lumber hasn’t loosened anything up.

Here I wanted to show you what I did to secure the top balcony rails to the deck surface for better support. I cut a 3 ½” 2x4 block to fit under the rail then a decorative inside block at 8” long to secure it all together. Yes I pre drilled all the screw holes so as not to split anything. I also secured the blocks from the bottom of the surface for better support. It also looks nicer because you can’t see any screws.



Here are a couple of shots from the top of my new balcony! Pretty cool huh! Great place to sit and watch fireworks in town!

Introduction To My Blog

Hello all! My name is Steve Niedens. I am rebranding my company with the name Central Kansas Home & Building Repair which supplies handyman, remodel, home repair and construction services to Wichita, KS and surrounding area. This blog is part of that rebranding. I have been in the building and construction industry here in Wichita and the surrounding area nearly every day of my life. I am not going to say exactly how long that is because that my reveal my true age….ha ha! I will say this much, it may be in the 30 or so year range. You do the math; heck most of you that know me already have the age so not really a big issue. Anyways….let’s just say I have been around the block a few times and I am one of many in the 3rd generation in the industry here in the Wichita area. A friend of mine inspired me to start this blog and I will talk more about that later. The blog will have as much information as I can properly relay about my day to day activities in the remodel, handyman and construction industry. Some may be good info and as in real life some may not be so good. I look forward to sharing as many of these experiences as possible with as many of you that are willing to read about them! Please feel free to comment, ask questions or heck even throw in a joke or two after reading my entries. If you find it boring then go to a better blog…..LOL! As far as I can tell this is the only blog of its kind in the Kansas area except for the one I noticed my little sis started for her hubby! I am sure I will touch on them also in the future. I will be posting small sections from new blog entries on the Central Kansas Home & Building Repair Facebook page so for all you FB fans you can use FB to remind you to look here when I have posted new reading material. Thanks for taking a look and please become a follower of the blog and also the FB page for as we all in business know that word of mouth is some of the best advertising…haha! Look through and check out some of the projects and go back to them in the future if you need a few hints on what to do or in some situations what not to do. Like I said I write about it all good or bad…hahaha!