Table Of ContentTHE COMPLETE P H O T O GUIDE TO
HOME
REPAIR
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
www.creativepub.com
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Contributing Editors, Art Directors,
Set Builders, and Photographers
Phil Aarrestad, Glenn Austin, Randy Austin, Kim Bailey, Mark Biscan, Bill Lindner, Earl Lindquist, Daniel London, Barbara Lund, Curtis Lund,
Stewart Block, Rose Brandt, Gary Branson, Greg Breining, Mark Macemon, Bernice Maehren, Dave Mahoney, Paul Markert,
Dave Brus, Keith Bruzelius, Ron Bygness, Jennifer Caliandro, Brett Martin, Jamey Mauk, Bryan McLain, John Nadeau, Paul Najlis,
Rudy Calin, Tom Carpenter, Dan Cary, Julie Caruso, Janice Cauley, Bill Nelson, Charles Nields, Mette Nielsen, Kristen Olson,
Tate Carlson, Marcia Chambers, Scott Christiansen, Tom Cooper, Carol Osterhus, Brad Parker, Mike Parker, Christian Paschke,
Paul Currie, Cy DeCosse, Jim Destiche, Doug Deutsche, Mike Peterson, Greg Pluth, Anne Price-Gordon, John Riha,
Diane Dreon, Arthur Durkee, Barbara Falk, Jerri Farris, Cesar Rodriguez, Tom Rosch, Susan Roth, Andrea Rugg, Karen Ruth,
Mary Firestone, Steve Galvin, Jennifer Gehlhar, Abby Gnagey, Gary Sandin, Dave Schelitzche, Joel Schmarje, Philip Schmidt,
Patricia Goar, Paul Gorton, Lynne Hanauer, Barbara Harold, Joel Schnell, Mark Scholtes, Ned Scubic, Gina Seeling,
Carol Harvatin, Rebecca Hawthorne, Tom Heck, Jon Hegge, Cathleen Shannon, Mike Shaw, Hugh Sherwood, Jon Simpson,
Mike Hehner, Tami Helmer, Paul Herda, John Hermansen, Michelle Skudlarek, Steve Smith, Angela Spann, Brad Springer,
Jonathan Hinz, Sara Holle, Lori Holmberg, Jim Huntley, Rex Irmen, Dick Sternberg, Lori Swanson, Andrew Sweet, Dianne Talmage,
Mark Johanson, Troy Johnson, Kari Johnston, Rob Johnstone, Glenn Terry, Keith Thompson, Vryan Trandem, Gregory Wallace,
William B. Jones, Phil Juntti, Andrew Karre, Patrick Kartes, Kevin Walton, Joanne Wawra, Robert Weaver, John Webb,
James Kegley, Geoffrey Kinsey, Tony Kubat, Michele Lanci-Altomare, Brad Webster, Wayne Wendland, John Whitman, Dan Widerski,
Marcus Landram, Karl Larson, John Lauenstein, Thomas Lemmer, Christopher Wilson, Mike Woodside
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Contents
The Complete Photo Guide
to Home Repair
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Ceiling & Wall Techniques . . . . . . . . . . 92 Replacing Wall Sheathing. . . . . . . . . . 188
Painting Cabinets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Repairing Siding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Eliminating Stair Squeaks. . . . . . . . . . . 96 Repairing Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Repairing Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Replacing a Broken Stair Tread . . . . . . 98 Identifying Exterior Paint Problems . . .196
Repairing Joists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Preparing to Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Eliminating Floor Squeaks . . . . . . . . . . 14 Maintaining Windows Applying Primer & Paint . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Replacing Trim Moldings . . . . . . . . . . . 16 & Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Using Paint-spraying Equipment . . . . 208
Repairing Hardwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Solving Common Door Problems. . . . 102 Staining Siding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Replacing a Damaged Floorboard . . . . 20 Weatherizing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Repairing Stucco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Replacing Sections of Wood Floors . . . 26 Replacing Thresholds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Maintaining & Repairing Concrete . . . 216
Replacing Laminate Flooring . . . . . . . . 28 Improving Window Operation . . . . . . 122 Identifying Problems
Repairing Vinyl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Repairing & Maintaining with Concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Storm Windows & Doors . . . . . . . . . . 128
Repairing Ceramic Tile Floors . . . . . . . 38 Patching Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Installing New Window Sashes . . . . . 132
Repairing Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Caulking Gaps around Masonry. . . . . 222
Securing Windows & Doors . . . . . . . . 136
Sealing Interior Concrete Floors . . . . . 44 Filling Cracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Tuning Up Garage Doors . . . . . . . . . . 142
Repairing Wallboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Repairing Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Removing Windows & Doors . . . . . . . 148
Repairing Plaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Miscellaneous Concrete Repairs . . . . 230
Installing Prehung Interior Doors . . . . 150
Replacing Sheet Paneling. . . . . . . . . . . 58 Resurfacing a Concrete Walkway . . . 232
Installing Storm Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Maintaining Wall Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Rebuilding Concrete Steps. . . . . . . . . 234
Hanging a New Door
Repairing Wallcovering. . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 in an Old Jamb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Resurfacing a Patio Slab . . . . . . . . . . 240
Repairing Ceilings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Installing Entry Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Sealing Concrete Floors. . . . . . . . . . . 244
Repairing Water Damaged Walls Installing Bifold Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Painting Concrete Floors . . . . . . . . . . 249
& Ceilings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Identifying Brick & Block Problems . . . 252
Removing Wall & Ceiling Surfaces . . . . 70 Exterior Repairs . . . . . . . . . 167 Repairing Brick & Block Walls . . . . . . 254
Final Inspection & Fixing Problems . . . 74 Inspecting & Repairing a Roof . . . . . . 168 Cleaning & Painting Brick & Block . . . 260
Ladders & Scaffolds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Repairing Wood Fascia & Soffi ts . . . . 176 Repairing a Firebox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Paint Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Repairing Gutters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Repairing Stonework . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Preparation Tools & Materials . . . . . . . 80 Repairing & Replacing Replacing Flagstone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Room Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Chimney Caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Pressure Washing Masonry
Primers & Sealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Evaluating Siding & Trim. . . . . . . . . . . 184 & Stonework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Trim Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Removing Exterior Siding. . . . . . . . . . 186 Repairing an Asphalt Driveway . . . . . 272
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Maintaining a Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Fixing a Leaking Toilet . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 Wall Switch Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
Repairing a Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Fixing a Pressure-assisted Toilet . . . . 362 Testing Switches for Continuity . . . . . 470
Installing a Toilet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Fixing & Replacing Wall Switches . . . 474
Plumbing & Wiring . . . . . . . 283
Clearing Clogs & Fixing Drains. . . . . . 368 Installing Dimmer Switches . . . . . . . . 478
The Home Plumbing System . . . . . . . 284
Clearing Clogged Sinks . . . . . . . . . . . 369 Repairing & Replacing
Working with Plastic Pipes. . . . . . . . . 286 Incandescent Light Fixtures. . . . . . . . 480
Fixing Leaky Sink Strainers . . . . . . . . 371
Cutting & Fitting Repairing & Replacing
Clearing Clogged Toilets. . . . . . . . . . . 374
Rigid Plastic Pipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Recessed Light Fixtures . . . . . . . . . . . 485
Clearing Clogged
Working with Copper Pipe . . . . . . . . . 292 Repairing Chandeliers . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
Shower Drains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Cutting & Soldering Copper . . . . . . . . 294 Repairing Track Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
Fixing Tub Drains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Using Compression Fittings . . . . . . . . 300 Repairing Ceiling Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
Clearing Clogged Drum Traps. . . . . . . 378
Using Flare Fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Repairing & Replacing
Clearing Clogged Floor Drains . . . . . . 379
Fluorescent Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
Working with Galvanized Iron . . . . . . 304
Clearing Clogs in Branch
Replacing a Plug. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Working with Cast Iron. . . . . . . . . . . . 308 and Main Drain Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Replacing a Lamp Socket. . . . . . . . . . 502
Repairing Valves & Hose Bibs. . . . . . . 312 Advanced Clog Clearing. . . . . . . . . . . 382
Installing an Electrical Box . . . . . . . . . 504
Installing & Repairing Sillcocks . . . . . 314 Fixing a Water Heater. . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Fixing & Replacing Doorbells . . . . . . . 506
Installing Pedestal Sinks. . . . . . . . . . . 316 Fixing a Gas Water Heater . . . . . . . . . 388
Installing Hardwired Smoke, Carbon
Installing Integral Vanity Tops. . . . . . . 318 Fixing an Electric Water Heater . . . . . 390
Monoxide (CO) and Heat Alarms . . . . 510
Installing a Drop-in Kitchen Sink . . . . 320 Replacing a Water Heater . . . . . . . . . 392
Repairing & Replacing Phone Jacks . . 512
Fixing Leaky Faucets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Maintaining a Water Softener . . . . . . 400
Fixing Ball-type Faucets . . . . . . . . . . . 324 Maintaining Septic Systems. . . . . . . . 402
Heating, Ventilation
Fixing Cartridge Faucets . . . . . . . . . . 326 Fixing Burst or Frozen Pipes . . . . . . . 404
& Air Conditioning . . . . . . . 517
Fixing Compresssion Faucets . . . . . . 328 Quieting Noisy Pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Maintaining Gas
Fixing Disc Faucets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332 Installing a Food Disposer . . . . . . . . . 408 Forced-air Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Replacing a Sink Faucet . . . . . . . . . . . 334 Maintaining a Dishwasher . . . . . . . . . 414 Maintaining Hot Water
& Steam Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
Installing Shutoff Valves Your Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Identifying & Repairing
& Supply Tubes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Understanding Circuits . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Exhaust Leaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533
Fixing Sprayers & Aerators . . . . . . . . 340
Electricity & Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Repairing Electric
Tub & Shower Plumbing. . . . . . . . . . . 342
Baseboard Heaters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
Fuses & Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . 424
Fixing Three-handle Tub
Repairing Wall-mounted
Evaluating Old Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
& Shower Faucets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Electric Heaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536
Inspector’s Notebook. . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
Fixing Two-handle Tub
Servicing Thermostats . . . . . . . . . . . . 538
& Shower Faucets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346 Common Receptacle Problems . . . . . 444
Installing a Ridge Vent . . . . . . . . . . . . 546
Fixing Single-handle Tub Receptacle Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
Installing New Vents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548
& Shower Faucets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Testing Receptacles for Power,
Fixing & Replacing Showerheads. . . . 350 Grounding & Polarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
Common Toilet Problems. . . . . . . . . . 352 Repairing & Replacing Receptacles . . 454 Reference Charts. . . . . . . . 550
Making Minor Adjustments . . . . . . . . 354 Installing GFCI Receptacles . . . . . . . . 456
Fixing a Running Toilet . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Common Wall-switch Problems. . . . . 460 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552
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Introduction
s millions of homeowners have discovered over the years, there’s a good reason for the enduring popularity of
AThe Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair: it’s got everything. Every major system and surface in and around
the house is covered with in-depth how-to text and detailed photos. No fi ller, nothing you don’t need—it’s full of
hundreds of projects and thousands of photos to help you keep your home in top shape. It’s no wonder this is the
bestselling home repair book on the market.
This third edition includes all the best of previous editions, as well as new repair projects for every area of the
house. All projects include:
• Step-by-step instructions full of pro tips and techniques. Our home improvement experts give you clear,
concise directions to help you from start to fi nish.
• Color photos of every stage of a project. Clear, realistic photos illustrate every step of the project so you’ll
know exactly hat to expect.
• Detailed anatomy photos and illustrations. We go to great lengths to show all the aspects of tool, system, or
project, so you won’t be left in the dark.
Every area of the house is covered. In the interiors section, you’ll fi nd comprehensive repairs for basements,
walls, fl oors, and ceilings. There’s detailed information on minor and major repairs to fl ooring materials from
carpet to contemporary laminate materials. You’ll learn everything from how to make your existing windows more
energy effi cient to replacing old windows with the latest high-effi ciency windows.
When it comes to exterior repairs, we’ve got you covered for all essential maintenance and repairs to your
home’s exterior, including tips for winterizing and improving energy effi ciency. We’ll show you how to patch
a leaky roof and repair and restore a worn patio, deck, or sidewalk. Repairs to every major siding material are
also covered.
Repairs to wiring, plumbing, and heating-ventilation-and-air-conditioning systems can be the most
intimidating for homeowners, and they’re almost always the most expensive to hire out. Armed with this book,
you’ll have all the information and direction you need to tackle common wiring and plumbing projects with
confi dence. Whether you’ve got a running toilet or a problem with old wiring, odds are you’ll fi nd a clear,
effective solution in this book—without a call to an electrician or a plumber.
As a homeowner, you know your home is your biggest investment. The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair
is your indispensable resource for maximizing your return on that investment .
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Interior
In this chapter:
• Repairing Floors
• Repairing Joists
• Eliminating Floor Squeaks
• Replacing Trim Moldings
• Repairing Hardwood
• Replacing a Damaged Floorboard
• Replacing Sections of Wood Floors
• Replacing Laminate Flooring
• Repairing Vinyl
• Repairing Ceramic Tile
• Repairing Carpet
• Sealing Interior Concrete Floors
• Repairing Wallboard
• Repairing Plaster
• Replacing Sheet Paneling
• Maintaining Wall Tile
• Repairing Wallcovering
• Repairing Ceilings
• R epairing Water Damaged Walls & Ceilings
• Removing Wall & Ceiling Surfaces
• Final Inspection & Fixing Problems
• Ladders & Scaffolds
• Paint Safety
• Preparation Tools & Materials
• Room Preparation
• Primers & Sealers
• Trim Techniques
• Ceiling & Wall Techniques
• Painting Cabinets
• Eliminating Stair Squeaks
• Replacing a Broken Stair Tread
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Repairing Floors
loor coverings wear out faster than other on to the subfl oor. Bathroom fl oors suffer the most
Finterior surfaces because they get more wear from moisture problems. Subfl ooring can pull
and tear. Surface damage can affect more than just loose from joists, causing fl oors to become uneven
appearance. Scratches in resilient fl ooring and cracks and springy.
in grouted tile joints can let moisture into the fl oor’s You can fi x these problems yourself, such as
underpinnings. Hardwood fl oors lose their fi nish and squeaks, a broken stair tread, damaged baseboard
become discolored. Loose boards squeak. and trim, and minor damage to fl oor coverings,
Underneath the fi nished fl ooring, moisture with the tools and techniques shown on the
ruins wood underlayment and the damage is passed following pages.
Floor covering
Adhesive
Underlayment
Subfloor
Joist
A typical wood-frame fl oor consists of layers that work together to provide the required structural support and desired
appearance: 1. At the bottom of the fl oor are the joists, the 2 × 10 or larger framing members that support the weight of the fl oor.
Joists are typically spaced 16" apart on center. 2. The subfl oor is nailed to the joists. Most subfl oors installed in the 1970s or later are
made of 3⁄4" tongue-and-groove plywood; in older houses, the subfl oor often consists of 1"-thick wood planks nailed diagonally across
the fl oor joists. 3. On top of the subfl oor, most builders place a 1⁄2" plywood underlayment. Some fl ooring materials, especially ceramic
tile, require cementboard for stability. 4. For many types of fl oor coverings, adhesive or mortar is spread on the underlayment before
the fl oor covering is installed. Carpet rolls generally require tackless strips and cushioned padding. 5. Other materials, such as snap-fi t
laminate planks or carpet squares, can be installed directly on the underlayment with little or no adhesive.
10 ■ THE COMPLETE PHOTO GUIDE TO HOME REPAIR
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