anneavece's Profile

This tip saved me today (from http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/how_to/4290501.html) :

"One of the basic challenges of many home-improvement projects is removing a painted-over screw.

THE QUICK FIX
If you don’t have a screw extractor, try this trick from Douglas Adams, of Adams Construction in Brooklyn, New York, who has faced this many times. He says, "I use a lighter or match to heat the head of a nail or screw until it is red hot. [Editor’s note: Grip the nail or screw with pliers to avoid burning your fingers.] Touch the head of the heated metal to the head of the painted-over screw and the paint will burn off. The heat will also make the screw expand. Cool it with a small chip of ice and it will contract, making it easier to remove."

Thankfully, the paint didn't burn off so much as gently melt off- but this really worked! I got the decades old hinges off of my pantry door with no trouble at all!

I've been using post-its this cure (my second try) every time I have an idea about something I want to change in my apartment. That way, I can write the idea down before I forget and place the post-it directly on the part of my apartment that my idea relates to (e.g. "Pegboard goes here," "This shelf should go away," etc.). Yes, there are tons of 2x2 neon squares all over my home now, but it's very easy to visualize the changes I'm thinking about and give them some time to sink in before I act on them.
Also, image spark (imgspark.com) has been great as a virtual style tray. I think it's way better than flickr for collecting images that inspire you (see example here: http://www.imgspark.com/image/listing/annenelsen).