Revamp your kitchen. Kitchen makeover tips Protect against water damage Fix handles, hinges and drawer rails

Transcription

1 The Home July 2014 Vol 21 No 7 R32.00 (incl VAT) SA S ORIGINAL Revamp your kitchen CONSTRUCT WOODEN BUNKBEDS Kitchen makeover tips Protect against water damage Fix handles, hinges and drawer rails BUILD A PATIO ROOF RSA R32.00 incl. VAT Other countries R28.07 excl. tax excl. postage & packaging + plus Chalkboard paint Create trendy, writable surfaces anywhere in your home Enter Understand the Maktec/Makita the fundamentals Make a Kitchen of woodworking Gadget Competition joints

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3 EDITOR S NOTE Clumsiness is not an illness, it s a winter thing As I write this, I am sitting in my sunny office into which the sun spills for most of the day. It is pleasant, although the thermometer is stuck at 6 degrees. As a good friend of mine said: We hold more degrees in one office (we are a really small team) than the mercury will allow. The sad thing is, we are not boasting, it is just really cold! Luckily, by the time you read this, we will be just past the winter solstice, which is 21 June for South Africa at least. Now we can look forward to the days getting longer and warmer. You may ask why I talk about this; well, winter is keeping me from doing any constructive DIY. I have cupboards and a bread bin to finish and I am not getting to them! I have finally settled into my new home and have set up a wonderful workshop (which I will share about in more detail in the August issue). The problem is that all the working space, lighting and neat new storage solutions mean little if I dare not spend time there after hours. Garages aren t exactly best known for their insulation properties, and mine isn t any different. And working dressed like the Michelin man isn t exactly my definition of fun. Besides, the extra clothing makes you clumsy and hooks on things. But I can handle all of this; it is the cold, clumsy fingers that get to me. I try to hold something, hit a tiny nail or screw or even firmly grip something and it just feels impossible. To nail it on the head (or miss in my case), I hit myself with a ball pein hammer right on the thumb the other day. I d had enough, I closed up and decided it was time to rest, hibernate and wait out the winter. Needless to say, I was back the very next night. Dear diary; I hit myself with the hammer again. It is the same thumb as last night and it hurts. I am going back for more The Home Handyman is published by Home Handyman Publishing cc ck2000/036356/23 PO Box , Benmore Cypress Avenue, Bryanston Ext. 3, RSA editorial@homehandyman.co.za Tel: Fax: Publisher: Allan Swart Associate publisher: Michelle Funke Editor: Johann Stadler Assistant editor: Roelof Strydom Sub-editors: Lynne Yates, Loren Shirley-Carr Feature writers: Gina Hartoog, André Gous, Lynne Yates, Loren Shirley-Carr Editorial consultants: Sharl Bennie, Denis Lock Photography: Loren Shirley-Carr Layout & design: Rosemary Johnston-Fitch HOW TO CONTACT US: Editorial enquiries: Tel: / 5796 / 5924 Fax: editorial@homehandyman.co.za Advertising representatives: Shelagh Page Tel: / Cell: shelagh@homehandyman.co.za Debbie Heard Tel: / Cell: debbie@homehandyman.co.za HOW TO SUBSCRIBE: By sarah@homehandyman.co.za By hotline phone: By fax: Online: Subscriptions manager: Sarah Moodley Subscription enquiries: Tel: / 5796 / sarah@homehandyman.co.za Subscription rates: SA: R (incl VAT) for 11 issues Reproduction: AstraGraphics Printing: CTP Web, cnr Electron Avenue and Industry Road, Isando Distribution: Republican News Agency The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or its agents. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents, neither the editor nor the publisher can be held responsible for any omissions or errors. Every care has been taken to ensure that all the information and projects presented in this publication are accurate, reliable and safe. It should be noted, however, that the ideas for designs and product use are presented as suggestions only. The editor strongly advises that the reader check local by-laws and consult a qualified professional before undertaking any project and cannot be held responsible for any loss, damage, injury or death resulting from any information contained here. The Home Handyman, All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission from the publisher. Johann Stadler, Editor Roelof Strydom, Assistant Editor THE HOME HANDYMAN JULY

4 CONTENTS FEATURES 12 Create your dream kitchen Design a new kitchen or give your existing one a new lease on life 18 Kitchen TLC We tackle some common kitchen cabinet problems 22 Seal your kitchen s fate Protect your kitchen cabinets from the damaging effects of water Trendy chalkboards We show you step by step how to make a trendy chalkboard 30 Top 10 tips for kitchen renovations Find out how to ensure a successful kitchen renovation Small change Tips on how to choose and incorporate appliances into a small kitchen 34 Tool talk Looking for a 115mm angle grinder? We take a look at some models available to DIY ers 38 DIY patio roof Paul Lambrecht demonstrates how he erected a patio roof 18 Competitions & giveaways WIN a Makita GA9020K Angle Grinder... 6 WIN a Bosch PLL 360 Line Laser WIN a Triton Multi-stand MSA Paved with good intentions The secret to keeping paving visually appealing lies in the correct cleaning and maintenance 46 Woodworking Peter Alkema shares how to make bunk beds for children 50 A woodworker s diary Denis Lock continues his discussion on woodworking fundamentals and focuses on butt joints 54 Reader s project Digby Wesson explains how to make a barbet s nest 2 JULY 2014 THE HOME HANDYMAN

5 12 REGULARS 4 Off the shelf All the latest products for the DIY er 6 Voice your views Your chance to air an opinion 22 8 DIY matters News, views and reviews from around the globe 10 Ask our experts Your DIY queries answered by our panel of experts 36 Lets get social DIY has a social media side as well Bright ideas Readers share their DIY ideas and projects 54 Woodworker s corner An opportunity for readers to showcase their work 62 Subscriptions Save by subscribing to The Home Handyman and win great prizes 64 Tailpiece Reuben the Screwman thinks he is athletic and finds himself brought back to earth 42 THE HOME HANDYMAN JULY

6 OFF THE SHELF Your guide to the latest products in the world of do-it-yourself On the bench The six-inch Woodster gg 66 bench-mounted grinder helps keep drills, chisels and shears in tip-top condition and is also useful for metal shaping, smoothing and polishing. It is an ideal choice for any DIY enthusiast: It includes one 36-grit and one 60-grit wheel for grinding a wide variety of projects. Both wheels are 150mm in diameter (16mm wide x 12.7mm bore). The combined eye shield and wheel guards protect you from flying particles and sparks. Adjustable tool rests enable controlled presentation of the workpiece. Specifications: Dimensions L/W/H: 290 x 190 x 255mm Grinding disc: 150mm Grinding disc bore: 12.7mm Grit grinding wheels: Left: 36-grit, Right: 60-grit Weight approx: 6.3kg Motor: 230V Input: 150W Magnify your work Visit: Tel: If small model work or making clocks and jewellery is your hobby, a proper desk magnifier lamp will make your work easier. The M0118 desk magnifier lamp, available from Cape Watch, is a good quality hybrid desk mounted model. The daylight white light globe makes for proper illumination, while the 100mm round glass lens gives good scope to work from. It is ideal for small, intricate hobbies that require good lighting and magnification. Order this product online for only R395. Visit: Tel: Durable paint Plascon Wallseal is a flexible, durable acrylic water-based wall coating with great waterproofing properties. It has great resistance against water and moisture and will offer long lasting protection. Other features include: Excellent flexibility, which allows it to expand and contract over cracked surfaces. Very good UV resistance. Low dirt pick-up. Washable. Plascon Wallseal is a white, pastel base paint, available in 5L and 20L Visit: Tel: Make working easier The Triton Workcentre System Series 2000 allows a handheld power saw to be mounted upside down with the blade through the tabletop, making it a safe means of accurately trimming and sizing large sheet timber products, as well as accurately working with smaller timber. Other features include: It operates in cross-cut and table saw modes. Reversible and adjustable aluminium fence. Adjustable, clear guard with pressure fingers and riving knife. Sliding push stick. Compatable with mm circular saws. Specifications: Cuts: Capacities: Sizes: Weight: Rip, mitre, 45 bevel rip, cross-cut, bevel cross-cut and compound mitre Rip: 0-620mm Cross-cut: Up to 500mm Standing: 900 x 600 x 1 300mm Folded: 350 x 440 x 1 000mm Table: 870 x 640mm 35kg Visit: Tel: JULY 2014 THE HOME HANDYMAN

7 Powerful rotary hammer The powerful three function Skil 1766 L-shaped Rotary Hammer, which is ideal for use in DIY applications, is now available in South Africa. This three function hammer can be used for a variety of drilling and screwdriving applications. It features a rotation stop function for chiselling work, a hammer drilling function, and a hammer stop function for regular drilling and screwdriving. The Skil 1766 Rotary Hammer has a powerful 1 500W motor, which allows for effortless drilling. It has a drilling capacity of 13mm in steel, 40mm in wood and 36mm in concrete. The SDS+ system allows for fast and easy bit change. SDS+ drill bits are available in 8mm, 10mm and 12mm sizes. It also has a speed preselection wheel, which allows the user to set the correct speed for any task. Visit: Tel: Precision bonding Whether you re installing a water feature, repairing a swimming pool or extending your irrigation system, if PVC pipes are involved, a strong adhesive such as Tangit PVC-U Weld is a necessity. Tangit PVC-U Weld has been designed for bonding PVC-U pressure pipes, fittings, cables, sewage pipes and gutters. The adhesive works by slightly melting the PVC plastic and then welding two substrates together. It is perfect for use on rigid PVC piping or unplasticised PVC and is best suited for high pressure systems (0-16 bar; most households average 6 bar). Available in 50ml and 100ml tubes, as well as 250ml, 500ml and 1L tins, Tangit PVC-U Weld is available at hardware stores countrywide. Visit: Early detection Before drilling into a wall at home, use the advanced Bosch PMD 10 Digital Detector to swiftly and accurately identify power cables, metals and drywall constructions, thereby eliminating the risk of personal injury or damaging important infrastructure features such as water pipes and power cables. The detection depth of the tool is 10cm for ferrous metals, 8cm for non-ferrous metals, 5cm for power cables and 2.5cm for wooden and drywall substructures. The user-friendly detector has an integrated handle that enables you to comfortably guide the tool over the desired drill position before alerting you to a positive search result by emitting an audible signal and changing the colour of its luminous ring. The detection result can be read graphically on the illuminated display. Visit: Tel: Handy sealing tape Sika MultiSeal-ZA is a self-adhesive, bituminous sealing tape that has one side laminated with aluminium foil. This handy DIY product is an ideal, quick-fix solution for sealing and repair work against water ingress and draughts in roofs, including sheet metal work, building cracks, inside of gutters, bituminous felts and other types of roofing sheet. Sika MultiSeal-ZA is UV resistant, easy to apply, economical, weatherproof and it can be painted over. It allows easy adhesion to many substrates, is bitumen resistant and can be applied at low temperatures. Using it is easy: Simply clean the surface area, cut the tape to the necessary length, remove the release film and press the tape firmly onto the substrate with a suitable pressure roller. It is available in three new sizes: 50mm x 2.5m, 75mm x 2.5m and 100mm x 2.5m and is available at all good DIY stores. Visit: THE HOME HANDYMAN JULY

8 VOICE YOUR VIEWS Do you have any thoughts or comments on issues of DIY? Allen vs hex The other day, while watching the movie Rush, which documents the Formula One rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt during the 70s, I noticed some Allen keys in the car. I had thought Allen keys were a slightly newer addition to the fastener family, with them really gaining popularity in the last 30 years. So I decided to do some research and had my answer along with another interesting fact. Records suggest that the idea of a hex socket screw drive was probably conceived as early as the 1860s through to the 1890s, but that such screws were probably not manufactured until around In 1910, William G. Allen patented a method of cold-forming screw heads around a hexagonal die. Published advertisements for the Allen safety set screw by the Allen Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut, exist from Although it is unlikely that Allen was the first person to think of a hex socket drive, his patent for a manufacturing method and his realised product appear to be the first. In the interests of safety, a wave of adoption of the hex socket head, beginning with set screws and followed by cap screws, followed. This was an industrial safety campaign, to get headless set screws onto the pulleys and shafts of the line shafting that was common in factories of the day. The headless set screws would be less likely to catch the clothing of workers and pull them into injurious contact with the running shaft. But why do some people call them hex drive or hex nuts then, while I have grown up knowing them as Allen keys? Well, this is the rather interesting bit, which I didn t know. It turns out that the Allen name is a registered trademark, originated by the Allen Manufacturing Company, and currently owned by Apex Tool Group, LLC. Its widespread use is discouraged by this company. This is why the standard generic name used in catalogs has become hex key. It just doesn t have the same ring to it though Emile van Niekerk, Pretoria WINNING LETTER Winning letter This month s winning letter comes from Emile van Niekerk who wins a Makita 5704RK Circular Saw 6 JULY 2014 THE HOME HANDYMAN

9 Let s get digital I live on a farm, just west of Tsumeb in Namibia. This is where I was born and still live here as a retired farmer. I was introduced to your magazine, which is available here, by a friend many years ago. I sometimes see it in the shops when we go to town, but I don t buy it anymore well, not the printed edition. With old age comes the difficulty to drive, walk and I seem to have a much shorter temper. I try to avoid going to town if possible. My son once asked me if I had seen your advert about your electronic version and I was immediately interested. To make a long story short, I got an ipad in my Christmas stocking. Now, several months later I download your magazine every month. I have my library with all the magazines and even get to send you this from the comfort of my home. Günther Herbst, Tsumeb, Namibia Index please I am trying to find an index that lists specific areas of interest or projects with the magazines that they appeared. I regularly decide to undertake a project and then have to scan through numerous copies of The Home Handyman, both paper and electronic, to find information on the subject. Would it be possible to create an electronic index on the home page and link this to the relevant magazines? This would save me many hours as when I start browsing the back issues, I find myself finding interesting subjects and reading these again rather than doing what I started out to do. Derek Morgan-Smith, by Ed replies: We publish a yearly index in the January issue. If you would like to order a copy or want me to forward the electronic index to you, please your request to editorial@homehandyman.co.za Reinventing the wheel I always look at my situation and think the dilemmas I find are unique to my situation. So it is always interesting to read that so many others have the same problems that I sometimes encounter. Over the years, I have always paged to the letters, experts and other readers projects. It is there that I find the things I always need help with. For example, very helpful was the Experts column in June, which explained a lighting problem I also wanted solved. I hope that in future you will allow readers to share more of their problems with you and give it even more priority than it currently gets. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we all can learn something from it. Pieter du Toit Ed replies: Hi Pieter, we appreciate your letter. We, too, take the lead from topics discussed with us by readers before we plan articles. Rest assured that we will share as many everyday dilemmas as possible in the magazine. WIN! A Makita GA9020K Angle Grinder Share your opinion Send us your views, ideas and opinions addressed to The Home Handyman: editorial@homehandyman.co.za Fax: By mail: PO Box , Benmore 2010 Letters may be edited for length and clarity Please note: Winners prizes may take up to six weeks for delivery once the issue is on the shelf. THE HOME HANDYMAN JULY

10 DIY MATTERS News, views and reviews from around the globe Lafarge sets the stage at Alliance Française Lafarge South Africa, the local presence of the international Lafarge Group, a world leader in building materials, recently donated innovative concrete products to create a community stage for cultural events at the Alliance Française of Pretoria. The project will be an asset for the local community and Lafarge s support is in line with the group s brand baseline of Building better cities. This reflects Lafarge s ambition to use its strength at innovation to contribute to the construction of cities that are more beautiful, durable and desirable living environments for everyone. Over the years, the Alliance Française has become a cultural drawcard in the capital city, attracting members of the diplomatic community, students, members of the Francophone community and public to its performances by African and local artists at its premises on Rivier Street in Sunnyside. On Friday 30 May, the new Lafarge stage was officially opened by Her Excellency Elisabeth Barbier, French Ambassador to South Africa, and Lafarge South Africa s Country CEO, Thierry Legrand. The inaugural event also featured a concert by well-known local guitarist and writer, Nibs van der Spuy. The stage was constructed using Lafarge Artevia Polish, a decorative concrete with a beautiful marble-like finish that is slip resistant. It forms a durable structural floor and has a high quality architectural standard finish. The pathways surrounding the stage were poured with Lafarge Hydromedia, allowing water to flow through the concrete into the soil. This product ensures rapid storm water removal from horizontal surfaces. Lafarge South Africa is proud to be associated with the Alliance Française and to have helped create this marvellous cultural asset for the Pretoria community, Legrand commented. We are in a unique position to contribute to building better cities and infrastructure through having a strong presence in all our construction related business lines: Cement, aggregates, readymix concrete and plasterboard. We use this wide footprint to support the communities around our sites and help make their environment more durable and more beautiful. Add budget-friendly style to your home If you re renovating your home or building a new one and want stylish, sophisticated taps that will complete the look but still come in on budget, then Cobra s new Cintro range should be an option. Part of Cobra s Classic collection of taps with timeless appeal, the Cintro range is modern yet elegant, making it well suited to classically-styled bathrooms and kitchens as well as those with a contemporary edge. The range includes a single lever basin mixer, a bath/ shower undertile mixer, a bath/shower undertile diverter mixer and a sink mixer. The basin mixers feature watersaving flow restrictors that limit water flow to six litres per minute and alternative flow straighteners for low pressure installations. All the mixers boast Cobra s trademark silk turn functionality for easy operation. Each piece has been crafted from DZR brass and superior chrome to Cobra s renowned quality standards, is JASWIC listed and comes with a 12-year warranty. on Cobra call or visit 8 JULY 2014 THE HOME HANDYMAN