Home Improvement For Dummies
A Whole-House Repair Manual of Minor Home Improvements You Can Do Yourself

By Gene Hamilton, Katie Hamilton

Step-By-Step Guide to Repairs and Home Improvements You Can Do Yourself

The most important tool you need to make home repairs is know-how—to fix the problem at hand and to buy the other tools and hardware you’ll need!

Home Improvement For Dummies is a whole-house repair manual for everyone from fledgling do-it-yourselfers to seasoned handymen and women. This anybody-can-do-it approach will help you with a repair that needs fixing right away or get you started on a project you’ve been planning. This book is for you if you need advice on these topics and more:

• Painting and decorating
• Carpentry
• Plumbing and electrical
• Outside repairs
• Building shelves
• Tiling
• Insulating

• Refinish and stain wood
• Repair squeaky stairs
• Install floor tiles
• Improve your home’s energy efficiency
• Maintain and upgrade plumbing
• Install an outdoor sprinkler system
• Install a ceiling fan
• Maintain central air conditioning and heating

Whether you just have a few pesky projects you want to fix quickly or you want to become a home-improvement expert, this easy-to-follow guide gives you everything you will ever need to know. A helpful appendix is packed with online resources that let you network with other do-it-yourselfers.

About the Authors:

Gene and Katie Hamilton write the syndicated "Do it Yourself . . . or Not?" newspaper column and are authors of For Dummies guides to carpentry, painting & wallpapering, and plumbing

Table of Contents:

Introduction.

PART I: Getting Down to Business.

Chapter 1: The Biggest Room in Your House.

Chapter 2: Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?

Chapter 3: Gearing Up for Your Home Improvement Adventures.

PART II: Painting and Decorating.

Chapter 4: Interior Painting: A Quick Facelift for Your Rooms.

Chapter 5: Exterior Painting: Now That's a House of a Different Color!

Chapter 6: Refinishing and Staining Wood.

Chapter 7: Wallpapering Projects.

PART III: The Nuts and Bolts of Carpentry.

Chapter 8: Walking the Floor Over You.

Chapter 9: Windows Don't Have to Be a Pane.

Chapter 10: Doors: An Open and Shut Case.

PART IV: Plumbing and Electricity.

Chapter 11: Becoming Your Own Plumber.

Chapter 12: Maintaining and Upgrading Plumbing Appliances.

Chapter 13: Light Up Your Life with Electrical Repairs and Replacements.

Chapter 14: Maintaining and Upgrading Electrical Appliances.

PART V: Improvements Inside and Out.

Chapter 15: Inside Repairs and Improvements.

Chapter 16: Outside Repairs and Improvements.

PART VI: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Avoid Common Painting Mistakes.

Chapter 18: Ten Important Ways to Burglar-Proof Your House.

Chapter 19: Ten Great Ways to Save Energy.

Chapter 20: Ten Things to Remember When You're Hiring a Contractor.

Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Make Your Home Safer and More Accessible.

Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Kid-Proof Your Home.

Chapter 23: Ten Quick Fixes to Transform Any Room.

Appendix: Home Improvement Help Online.

Index.

Book Registration Information

 

Soft-cover, 456 pages
Published 1998

ISBN 978-0-7645-5005-8