Save Money by Doing It Yourself

When you think about the time and effort it will take to repair some part of your house, you may be tempted to grab a phonebook and call the nearest professional. But is it really worth it to pay a huge fee just to have someone replace the rubber in your faucet?

Depends on your time budget, right? If you’re one of those people who works nights and weekends, then an extra hour of sleep might be worth a lot more than the money you pay to a plumber. But if your schedule is any less hectic, you mind find that changing the way you spend a “lazy Sunday” might keep more dollars in your pocket.

Many of the things that go wrong in a house are have very simple root causes. Leaking faucets, broken tiles, problem toilets, and peeling paint can all be fixed relatively easily, with a few common tools, and a good dose determination.

You don’t have to have a clue what you’re doing. There’s so much out there in the way of step-by-step guides and tutorials you can borrow from the library or discover online. You might even be lucky enough to find a relative willing to teach you–without an argument about who knows what.

Share Your Story

Do you have a story to tell? It could be about anything home, garden or hardware related. We love hearing our reader’s experiences, and we’re pretty that you will enjoy reading each other’s stories too.

In fact, we just had an idea for future blog posts.

Why don’t you send us your stories in an email, and we’ll consider them for publishing? Sounds like fun. Let’s give it a try.

Our email address is info@stewartshardware.com.

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Ruined your screws?

That very screwdriver you’re holding could be the reason why your screws have big O’s instead of + signs.

Screwdrivers come in a variety of sizes, and for good reason. See, screws come in all sizes as well, and each screw is meant to be used with one and only one size screwdriver. If the one you’re using is too small, you will destroy your screws, sooner or later. So work smart! If you don’t have the right tool, buy it! It’s better to spend a little now on the right tool, than to spend a lot more money on repairs and replacements later.

How To Buy Paint

If it needs brightening up, paint it (your spouse and children being a big exception). Painting is a lot cheaper than buying something new, and so you may want to get familiar with a few terms and tips before you come out to Stewart’s Hardware, or your nearest paint store.

One of the first things you’ll need to know is exactly what paint is best for your project. You have two basic choices: latex, and oil.