home maintenance

Repair kitchen counters that show a history of wine spills, dropped pans, and unidentified sharp objects, and you’ll maintain the value of your kitchen and home. You can easily hide some counter mishaps, while only professional contractors can solve other surface problems.

Here’s a look at counter cures and lost causes.

Granite

Even granite counters suffer kitchen wear and tear. But you can make them shine with a little time and know-how. After you fix them, don’t forget to reseal them.

Installing barn door hardware or sliding interior doors that are mounted on exposed tracks seem to be everywhere these days. No denying the look is fun, clever and it some cases a practical solution. Here are some tips and steps to installing one.

Fall is in the air. Even though the drop in temperature is slight here in Atlanta, it's enough to get folks thinking about colder months ahead and toasty fires. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are thinking about getting your fireplace ready for the season. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, fireplaces and chimneys cause more than 25,000 house fires every year, resulting in at least 10 deaths annually. Some of the dangers of fireplace operation include the following:

Hot water heaters work hard for you, providing warm baths, clean clothes, and sparkling pots and pans.

So show your water heater some love by following a routine maintenance schedule that will keep it running for its 15-year expected lifetime, and perhaps beyond.

Here’s what you need to do:

Adjust the thermostat to 120 degrees. You’ll save up to 5% in energy costs for every 10 degrees you lower the temperature, plus you’ll reduce the risk of scalding.

Lighting can play an important role is the overall look of your interior and we are often held back by the thought of how to switch something like this out. You might want a fixture that provides more light or you may just want something that reflects your tastes. Either way, replacing a fixture is doable. At DogGoneHandy, we can help tackle this.

Get your home in peak condition for the winter by following a few of these home maintenance tips.

Look for signs of peeling or blistering paint. Besides being unattractive, it’s a sign that the exterior paint film is failing and can no longer protect the siding of the building, leading to wood rot.

As you go about your cleaning routine, take a few minutes to inspect the condition of your wood furniture and trim. Are any of the finishes looking dull, murky, and tired? Though you may choose to refinish worse-for-wear woodwork at some point in the future, in the meantime you can try an easier way of revitalizing it. In many cases, simply applying mineral spirits—otherwise known as paint thinner—goes a long way toward restoring warmth and shine to surfaces.

Dry rot is wood decay caused by a type of fungus that typically thrives with very little moisture. Common areas infected with dry rot are window sills, shutters, and roof run-offs. It can also be found in wooden outdoor furniture such as picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. Dry rot repair must be completed to prevent the spread of the fungus which will completely destroy the piece of infected wood.

Step 1 - Prepare the Work Location

We all can become victim to the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality when it comes to home maintenance or repair. The health of an older shower pan can certainly fall under this category. If your shower pan becomes faulty, it’s time to take action.