Indy Total Construction

Standard features of all houses, however plain. Although each performs a specific job, they also provide ornamentation and a chance to vary decoration.

As the years pass, they’re bound to come in for a few knocks – and will most likely be covered in several layers of paint, which not only get chipped but also eventually clog up their profiles. Skirting boards, in particular, are also prone to rot if walls or floors are damp. However, since wood trim is in no way part of the house’s structure, repairs and even replacement should create no major problems.

Slight dents and cracks can often be repaired with cellulose filler – or perhaps glass fibre repair paste for larger or more accident-prone areas. In most cases you’ll have difficulty blending in the filler by hand with an ordinary filling knife. Instead, you can use a template cut to the profile of the molding from plastic sheet (a large plastic ice-cream container is ideal), or hardboard or cardboard; run it along to smooth the surface after applying the filler.

If the damage is more serious, you may be able to saw and/or chisel out the bad part to leave clean edges, and glue and pin in a small piece or pieces of prepared molding, or else plain timber shaped to fit.

If patching and filling won’t work, you need a completely new piece. This, however, can be a snag if your existing molding is one of the scores of obsolete types, because you won’t be able to match it off the shelf.

You may occasionally be able to buy something suitable – on site where an old house is being demolished or renovated, or perhaps from a demolition contractor who stocks secondhand timber. Otherwise, many joinery firms will cut a molding specially if you take in a sample of the pattern; but that’s likely to prove very expensive.

Your next option is to substitute a readily available pattern of molding throughout the room. But that’s a pity – not to say a lot of trouble – if most of it is sound. A third possibility, probably the most attractive if you only need a small piece, is to make it yourself. You can mold the shape with a power router, or perhaps a plough plane, combination plane or scratch stock.

A scratch stock consists of a piece of steel (for example part of a hacksaw blade) ground and/or filed to the profile you want. It is then clamped with screws between two pieces of hardwood in an improvised stock, and scraped along the timber till the desired shape emerges.

Externally curved moldings, such as plain chamfered skirting and architrave, can of course usually be formed with an ordinary bench plane and glasspaper. Lastly, it’s sometimes possible to make the molding up in sections from smaller ones, glued together and filled where necessary.

The opening lights of windows often suffer from the same defects as hinged doors — loose joints, faulty hinges, etc — and the remedies are similar. However, you have to proceed with more care to avoid breaking the glass, especially on repairs that involve driving in wedges.

But the most common defect is rot, usually in the window sill. If the rotten section is not too extensive then you can make a repair, but if it has spread, you may find that the best policy is to remove the frame completely and fit a modern replacement window.

If the rot is in the middle of a sill, make a saw cut about 75mm (3in) each side of the rot. The cuts should be at an angle so that you remove a wedge-shaped piece from the sill. You will then have to cut a new piece to fit. Timber merchants sell standard sill sections but in the case of older houses you’ll have to buy a rectangular section and shape it yourself.

Treat the new timber and the cut ends of the existing sill with preservative. The repair is held in place with dowels set at intervals of 100mm (4in) and fixed into the frame. Smear all meeting surfaces with adhesive before finally fixing in place. For additional strength on wider sills, fit steel repair plates to the underside of the repair. Corner repair pieces are fitted in the same way, except that they are slightly more difficult to shape to the correct profile.

Remember that the outside of any window is exposed to the weather so be sure to give any new timber a coat of primer and then a good coat of gloss paint to protect it. Older properties are more likely to have sash windows and for a complete discussion on how to repair these.

The panels in a paneled door are usually rebated into the stiles at each side. These panels are relatively thin and can easily crack and split, perhaps because of accidental damage or simply through old age.

A crack may have been filled in the past and covered up with layers of paint and it’s only when you strip the door that it becomes apparent. Stripping the door can also loosen the glue holding the panels in place so the panels become free to move and the split opens up even further. A crack of this sort is impossible to fill and if you plan to leave the door unpainted you would not want to see a line of filler anyway.

The only answer is to make a proper repair which forces the crack shut

External door frames can start to rot at the bottom and the rotten parts must be cut out and replaced. Probe into the timber to find out how far the rot extends, then cut out the affected portion plus a further 75mm (3in) of sound timber. You get a considerably neater finish if the new timber is scarf-jointed into the frame.

Remember to treat the ends and back of the new timber with preservative and then screw it in place into wall plugs. If the original frame was machined out of solid timber you will find it easier to make a matching section out of two separate pieces which are glued and nailed together.

If the doorstep is wooden the frame may be tanned into it, so you will have to saw through the tendon in order to remove the defective part. There is no need to try to tendon the new timber into the step.

Faults can also develop in the door frame — for example, part of it may work loose from the wall. In this case you’ll have to find the heads of the nails holding it in place — they are usually visible under the paint — and drive them deeper into their timber plugs with a hammer and punch.

However, if the plugs have split or shrunk this remedy will not work. So for a more secure repair drill through the timber and into the masonry behind with a masonry bit. Twist a plastic wall plug onto the end of a screw and insert the plug into the hole in the frame. Tap the screw head lightly with a hammer until the plug is fully home, then tighten up the screw. Fit as many screws as necessary to secure the frame.

Settlement of the building or loose joints may force the frame out the square, and then the door will not fit properly. The only answer is to reshape the door to fit — removing excess timber, adding a fillet here and there and shaping these until the door matches the opening as it should.

An easy way to do this is to cut the top of the door to match the angle of the doorframe, add an extra piece to the bottom and then reran the door. First transfer the angle of the frame to the top of the door using a small block of wood and a pencil, and then cut along this line.

It’s worth taking off a reasonable amount to make sawing easier —12mm (1/2in) would be about right. Measure the gap left at the top of the door and add a batten of wood of this thickness to the bottom. Finally, move up the hinges by the same amount so the door fits correctly, and adjust the latch striker plate too, cutting a new mortise if necessary.

Doors are subject to constant use, so it is understandable that they don’t always open and close properly. All doors have the same problems. They are caused either by the frame and door or by the hardware. Door and frame problems include:

• Swelling

• Warping

• A loose fit

Wood swells when moisture gets into it. Never sand or plane a swollen door. Wait until the weather gets drier or remove the door and keep it in a dry, warm place until the swelling goes down. If the door continues to stick even after the wood is dry, inspect it to find out where it is binding. Then lightly sand the area until the door moves freely. Seal the wood and finish with paint or varnish. The sealer and paint will keep moisture from swelling the wood again. Be sure to seal top and bottom of doors as well.

Humidity can also cause doors to warp. A warped door lets heat out in the winter and, in summer, lets heat in. You can straighten a warped door by removing the door and piling weights on the, bulging part. But it’s usually easier to pry loose the side stop and renail it to fit the warped door.

Since there is always a little swelling and shrinking, doors should be smaller than their openings. To have the door work properly but fit tightly, use weather stripping. The simplest weather stripping is adhesive-backed plastic foam. To install it, first clean the door stop. Remove grease and dirt. Then press the weather stripping along the top and side of the door frame

Seal the bottom of the door with a folding (hinged) threshold seal, or use a special aluminum-plastic strip that tacks into the threshold. You can purchase weather stripping in specific lengths or cut it to size.

Self-adhesive weather stripping is pressed along the door stop as the paper backing is removed. Since straightened doors fre quently warp again, it is easier to move the door stop to fit the door than to try to reshape the door. Remove the stop. With the door closed, draw a guide line on the frame and renail the stop along this line.

The bottom of the door can be sealed with a special strip attached directly to the door. Another type of seal, made of plastic and aluminum, fits right into the threshold.

Building a picnic table is a hefty project. Here are some tips that will help you to build something both you and your family can enjoy.

Prep tips:

1) Placement.

Stand in the area where you think you will be placing the picnic table and think about which size and shape will work best with your yard or patio and your family size. A family of four will need a different table than a family of six.

2) Size and shape.

Do you want the normal rectangular table or do you want an octagon shape? How much sun does the space get and do you need to design a table that can hold an umbrella for shade? Will you be using your outdoor eating area for entertaining? How do you plan on accommodating guests?

3) Find a design or create one.

There are many very intricate start-to-finish details of building a picnic table but once you know the size and shape you want, you can hit the design books. Don’t forget about the internet. There are several designs available online.

If your space and family need something more creative than what is available in design books, you can try designing your own. However, review various professionally designed tables to ensure you are incorporating all the necessary elements.

Construction tips:

1) Cedar is an excellent wood for use outdoors. It is not just for closets. The oil inside cedar helps it stand up to the elements and the wood is beautiful with a nice even grain. If you include some pieces of aromatic cedar, you will also experience built-in pest control.

2) Lumber. Some designs call for the table to be made out of 2×4 pieces of lumber. 2X4 pieces of lumber work well for the support structure but 2X6 pieces seem to work better for the top and/or seating. Do not use anything smaller than 2X4.

3) Work outside. Unless you have a very large workshop, you may want to consider working on this project outside. You will need a good amount of space for cutting the long pieces of wood and for assembly. Make sure you check your weather report before beginning.

4) Use decking screws for the top and carriage bolts for the supports. Some designs call for nails to be used on the top and seating. Screws, however, work better in the event a board should get damaged and need to be replaced.

5) Paint, stain or varnish. Even beautiful cedar needs a protective coat. Most paints and stains, even outdoor ones, will fade with sun exposure. Using a varnish that will bring out the natural beauty of the wood will work better. Make sure you pick a tough varnish that can stand up to the elements and apply it properly. Marine varnish, sometimes called spar varnish, is an excellent choice for a picnic table.

If the varnish you use contains linseed oil, make sure you properly dispose of any soaked rags to avoid potential problems. As linseed oil dries, it oxidizes. As it oxidizes, it will generate heat and may cause wadded rags and towels to spontaneously combust.

As always, use diligence when dealing with any power tools. Always follow proper safety procedures including eye protection and hearing protection. If you properly build your own picnic table, it should outlast commercially available tables by years.