DIY For Dummies - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470974508 ISBN 13: 9780470974506

Publisher: For Dummies, 2011

Synopsis

This hands-on guide will help you prepare for and manage simple home repairs and improvements. Jeff Howell (the Sunday Telegraph's DIY columnist) and a host of other experts guide you through the trials and tribulations of DIY, helping you to carry out a range of projects - from fixing a leaky tap to hanging wallpaper - safely, cheaply and with minimum disruption. The full-colour drawings illustrate the step-by-step techniques and the lay-flat binding is perfect for on-the-job DIY advice.

DIY For Dummies covers:

PART I - Planning Your Home Improvement Projects
Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your DIY Adventures
Chapter 2: Being Safe and Prepared
Chapter 3: Working with (And within) a Budget

PART II - Basic Home Maintenance and Improvement
Chapter 1: Repairing Walls and Putting Up Shelves
Chapter 2: Windows Don't Have to Be a Pane
Chapter 3: Doors: An Open-and-Shut Case
Chapter 4: Roofs and Walls
Chapter 5: Dealing with Damp
Chapter 6: Electrical Repairs and Replacements

PART III - Painting and Wallpapering
Chapter 1: Planning Your Painting Project
Chapter 2: Preparing Surfaces for Painting
Chapter 3: Painting, Finishing, and Cleaning Up
Chapter 4: Choosing Wallpaper and Preparing Walls
Chapter 5: Hanging Wallpaper

PART V - Carpentry, Woodworking, and Flooring
Chapter 1: Flooring: Keeping a Leg Up on Foot Traffic
Chapter 2: Drilling, Driving, Fastening, and Gluing
Chapter 3: Understanding the Carpentry Process
Chapter 4: Finishing Wood

PART VI - Plumbing
Chapter 1: The Plumbing System in Your Home
Chapter 2: Heating, Ventilating, and Insulating Your Home
Chapter 3: Plumbing Materials and Tools
Chapter 4: Unblocking a Sink or Bath Drain
Chapter 5: Unblocking and Fixing a Toilet
Chapter 6: Fixing a Dripping Tap

About this title

From the Back Cover

The most important piece of equipment in your tool kit

Whether you need to fix a household problem or simply want to spruce up your property, this hands-on guide will help you prepare for and manage a multitude of home improvements and repairs. Learn how to sidestep the trials and tribulations of DIY with information on jobs ranging from fixing a leaky tap to hanging wallpaper. This full-colour guide uses step-by-step illustrations to take you through each project and offers a lay-flat binding that's perfect for on-the-job advice.

• Plan your project – assess the scope of your DIY dilemmas and find out how to budget and prepare for the path ahead

• Don't get in a tangle – easy-to-follow advice on performing electrical and wiring repairs, as well as dealing with damp, replacing window panes and more

• Colour your home beautiful – learn how to paint and wallpaper your walls without disaster

• Tread softly – get the lowdown on replacing and repairing wood, tile, carpet and vinyl flooring

• Get stuck in – find out how to carry out straightforward plumbing jobs, without calling in the experts

Open the book and find:

• The best DIY tools and how they work

• Essential health and safety info

• How to save money and avoid overspending

• Advice on preparing walls and choosing wallpaper

• Guidance on finishing wood

• Painless ways to unblock a sink or drain

• How to deal with damp

• When to call in the professionals

• How to find a good builder

Learn to:

• Draw up realistic plans and budgets for your DIY projects

• Achieve success with full-colour illustrations and step-by-step advice

• Tackle everything from putting up a shelf to hanging wallpaper or unblocking a drain

IN FULL COLOUR

About the Author

Jeff Howell is a renowned home-improvement expert who has practised, taught and written on the subject for the past 30 years. He writes a regular column in the Sunday Telegraph and was the presenter of the Channel 4 series Don't Blame the Builder. Roy Barnhart, James Carey, Morris Carey, Gene Hamilton, Katie Hamilton, Donald R. Prestly and Jeff Strong are DIY experts and authors.

Edition details

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0470974508
• ISBN 13: 9780470974506
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 432
• Editor: Howell Jeff