The complete photo guide to home repair

547 Pages·2016·95.313 MB·English

by  Black

The Complete Photo Guide to
HOME
REPAIR
4th Edition
With 350 Projects and Over 2,000 Photos
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
ISBN: 978-1-59186-663-3
Digital edition: 978-0-76035-079-9
© 2016 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
Softcover edition: 978-1-59186-663-3
First published in 2016 by Cool Springs Press, an imprint of Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc., 400 First Avenue North,
Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA. Telephone: [phone] Names: Black & Decker Corporation (Towson, Md.), creator.
Fax: [phone] Title: The complete photo guide to home repair : with 350 projects
and over 2,000 photos.
quartoknows.com Other titles: Black & Decker the complete photo guide to home
Visit our blogs at quartoknows.com repair | Home repair
Description: 4th edition. | Minneapolis, Minnesota : Cool Springs
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in Press, 2016. | At head of title: Black & Decker.
any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All Identifiers: LCCN 2015043593 | ISBN 9781591866633 (sc)
images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge Subjects: LCSH: Dwellings--Maintenance and repair--
and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility Amateurs’ manuals.
is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement Classification: LCC TH4817.3 .C655 2016 | DDC 643/.7--dc23
of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015043593
publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits
accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any Acquiring Editor: Mark Johanson
inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or Project Manager: Sherry Anisi
missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book. Art Director: Brad Springer
Layout: Danielle Smith-Boldt
Cool Springs Press titles are also available at discounts in bulk
quantity for industrial or sales-promotional use. For details contact Printed in China
the Special Sales Manager at Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.,
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
BLACK+DECKER and the BLACK+DECKER logo are trademarks of The Black & Decker Corporation
and are used under license. All rights reserved.
NOTICE TO READERS
For safety, use caution, care, and good judgment when following the procedures described in this book. The publisher
and BLACK+DECKER cannot assume responsibility for any damage to property or injury to persons as a result of misuse
of the information provided.
The techniques shown in this book are general techniques for various applications. In some instances, additional
techniques not shown in this book may be required. Always follow manufacturers’ instructions included with products,
since deviating from the directions may void warranties. The projects in this book vary widely as to skill levels required:
some may not be appropriate for all do-it-yourselfers, and some may require professional help.
Consult your local building department for information on building permits, codes, and other laws as they apply to
your project.
Contents
20
The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Ladders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
50
Paint Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Interior Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Preparation Tools & Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Repairing Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Room Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Repairing Joists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Primers & Sealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Eliminating Floor Squeaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Trim Painting Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Replacing Trim Moldings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Ceiling & Wall Painting Techniques . . . . . . . . . 102
81
Repairing Hardwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Painting Cabinets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Replacing a Damaged Floorboard . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Eliminating Stair Squeaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Replacing Sections of Wood Floors . . . . . . . . . . 26 Replacing a Broken Stair Tread . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Replacing Laminate Flooring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Repairing Vinyl Flooring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Windows & Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Repairing Ceramic Tile Flooring . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Solving Common Door Problems . . . . . . . . . . 114
110
Repairing Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Weatherizing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Sealing Interior Concrete Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Shortening Interior Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Salvaging Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Replacing Thresholds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Installing a Reclaimed Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Improving Window Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Repairing Drywall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Fixing Storm Windows & Doors . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Repairing Plaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Installing Replacement Windows . . . . . . . . . . 144
140
Replacing Paneling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Securing Windows & Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Maintaining Wall Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Tuning Up Garage Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Repairing Wallcoverings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Installing Garage Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Repairing Ceilings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Garage Door Openers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Repairing Water-damaged Walls & Ceilings . . . 78 Removing Windows & Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Removing Wall & Ceiling Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Installing Prehung Interior Doors . . . . . . . . . . 170
172
Final Inspection & Fixing Problems . . . . . . . . . . 84 Installing Storm Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Contents
(Cont.)
206
Hanging a New Door in an Old Jamb . . . . . . . 176 Resurfacing a Concrete Patio . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
230
Installing Entry Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Identifying Brick & Block Problems . . . . . . . . . 260
Installing Bifold Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Repairing Brick & Block Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Painting Brick & Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
Exterior Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Repairing Stonework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Inspecting & Repairing a Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Pressure Washing Masonry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Repairing Wood Fascia & Soffits . . . . . . . . . . .196 Repairing an Asphalt Driveway . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
263
Repairing Gutters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Maintaining a Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Removing Exterior Siding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Painting Metal Sheds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Replacing Wall Sheathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Jacking Up a Shed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Repairing Siding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Installing New Shed Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Repairing Exterior Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Replacing Shed Siding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Identifying Exterior Paint Problems . . . . . . . . 212
302
Preparing to Paint Your House . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Painting Your House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 The Home Plumbing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Using Paint-spraying Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Shutting Off the Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Staining Siding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Plumbing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Repairing Stucco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Plumbing Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Repairing Concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Copper Tubing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
330
Identifying Problems with Concrete . . . . . . . . 234 Rigid Plastic Pipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Patching Holes in Concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Shutoff Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Filling Cracks in Concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Compression Fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Repairing Concrete Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Fixing Common Toilet Problems . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Miscellaneous Concrete Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . 246 Installing Toilets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328
Resurfacing a Concrete Walkway . . . . . . . . . . 248 Fixing Clogged Toilets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
360
Building Concrete Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Fixing Toilet Flanges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
397
Fixing Sink Faucets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 Replacing Ceiling Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
421
Replacing Kitchen Sink Sprayers . . . . . . . . . . . 350 Replacing Vanity Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Fixing Kitchen Drains & Traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358 Hard-wired Smoke & CO Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . 458
Fixing Tub/Shower Faucets Doorbells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
& Showerheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Replacing Thermostats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
Fixing Tub/Shower Drains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Installing Motion-sensing Floodlights . . . . . . . 468
Unclogging Sink Drains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Troubleshooting Light Fixtures . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
450
Unclogging Branch & Main Drains . . . . . . . . . . 378
Repairing Chandeliers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
Tips for Replacing Supply Pipes . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Repairing Ceiling Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
Quieting Noisy Pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Repairing Fluorescent Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
Replacing Plugs & Cords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Replacing a Lamp Socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
Wiring Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
480
Wiring Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 HVAC & Appliances . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Wire & Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Maintaining Gas Forced-air Heat Systems . . . 496
Electrical Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Maintaining Hot Water
Electrical Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 & Steam Heat Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Wall Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416 Identifying & Repairing Exhaust Leaks . . . . . . 509
Types of Wall Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 Replacing Dishwashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
511
Specialty Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 Replacing Food Disposers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Testing Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430 Replacing Water Heaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
Receptacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434 Servicing Thermostats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
Receptacle Wiring Configurations . . . . . . . . . . 440
GFCI Receptacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
GFCI & AFCI Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 Metric Conversions . . . . . . . . . . . 532
525
Testing Receptacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534

Introduction
Every homeowner needs a big book: A one-stop reference that covers all the fundamental home repair tasks we
face on a daily basis. And if that big book is sized so it fits nicely in your tool kit, so much the better. That’s
why we originally published BLACK+DECKER The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair in its convenient
6½ × 8½–inch trim size. And the fact that building codes change and new tools and techniques are always
showing up is the reason we’ve updated our little big book in this new fourth edition.
On the following pages you’ll find clear, step-by-step instructions for repairing and maintaining every major
system and surface in and around your house. No filler, 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.
This fourth edition includes all the best information from previous editions, as well as new repair projects for
every area of the house. Inside you’ll find:
• Step-by-step instructions featuring pro tips and techniques. Our home improvement experts give you clear,
concise directions to help you from start to finish.
• Color photos of every stage of a project so you’ll know exactly what to expect.
• Detailed anatomy photos and illustrations.
• Fully updated information that complies with all current national codes.
Every area of the house is covered. In the interior repairs section, you’ll find comprehensive repairs for
basements, walls, floors, and ceilings. There’s detailed information on minor and major repairs to flooring
materials from carpet to laminate. You’ll learn everything from how to make your existing windows more energy
efficient to how to replace old windows with new, high-efficiency models.
When it comes to exterior repairs, we cover everything from tips for winterizing and improving energy
efficiency to repairing flashing, garage door openers, stone walls, and much more. 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 and upgrades to wiring, plumbing, and HVAC 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 confidence and learn the skills to be
prepared for just about any wiring or plumbing emergency.
As a homeowner, you know your home is your biggest investment. The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair
is your indispensable resource for protecting that investment.
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