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Ceramic Tile Repair: Remove a Broken Tile
Weatherproofing Windows
Securing Windows
Preventing Draft
Ceramic Tile Repair: Remove a Broken Tile
Oddly enough, even a single ceramic tile on your kitchen or bathroom wall breaks youíll suddenly feel like you're living in a transient hotel. Luckily you can replace it using a few simple steps:
· Use a grout saw to remove the grout around it.
· Score the tiile using a glass cutter to cut lines from corner to corner in an X shape.
· Wearing goggles, tap the center point with a chisel and hammer. It should break neatly into four pieces
· Clean the area of remnant grout and tiles, smear adhesive on the replacement tile, center it in the hole and it in place with masking tape.
Tools You Need
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Grout Saw |
Goggles |
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Glass cutter |
Tile Adhesive |
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Hammer |
Masking Tape |
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Chisel |
|
Weatherproofing Windows
If you live in a drafty house and want to reduce your heating costs, consider insulating with clear plastic window covers. They are easy to install either outside or inside the windows. For outside seals, you simply nail the cover over the window to create dead air insulating space. For indoor weatherproofing, just tape down the edges and blow a hair dryer over the plastic to shrink and seal it over the window.
One thing to keep in mind though, this is a one shot solution. If you loosen the tape, you will have to start all over. So only do this on windows you'll never want to open all winter long.
No Windows of Opportunity
Don't give burglars the chance to use the easiest of access point in your home-windows. Here are two quick and inexpensive ways to secure your double-hung windows.
· Use a lag-screw that includes a special key that can sink or retrieve the screw. To install this system, just drill a hole in the upper corner of the lower window frame and align it with the holes in the top sash. Drill holes for a closed position and for a partially opened one. Then insert the screw in the holes so the window can't move.
· Screw in a piece of wood vertically along the upper sash of your window so that it blocks the bottom window from being opened too much. And don't forget sliding glass doors. Simply place a long pole or broom handle along the track so that it can't slide open.
Draft Dodging
As you gear up for winter, don't forget to check out the air tightness of your windows and doors. A quick and easy way is to hold a lighted match to their edges on a blustery day. If it blows out and the smoke flutters, it's time to stock up on new weather stripping. And get to it fast. Once it gets cold, the temperature makes the weather stripping adhesive far less sticky.
