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The Essential Tool
Iβm not good at household repair, nor do I have enthusiasm for getting good at it, so when I lived with someone who knew his way around a power drill, I was happy to take a back seat. When I moved on and barely owned a hammer, I had to build my toolkit from the ground up. Now I have the basics, but itβs still laughable watching me do even the most remedial fixit job. The other day when the plate fell off that the cable guy used to cover the hole in my wall, I tried screwing it back on, but there was nothing to hold the screws in place. For a moment I panicked, and then, eureka! I reached for the duct tape.
Photo by Uwe Schramm
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Duct tape solves all. I’m certain that men are taught that as soon as they come out of the womb. π
Just figuring that out.
Wendy, if you can’t fix it with duct tape or a martini, it isn’t worth fixing.
I did need a handyman for my garbage disposal, which I sorely missed when it was broken.
I have 3 words for you my friend.
You Go Girl!
I think I’m going to put “Get comfortable with cordless drill” on my New Year’s resolution list. Right after “Buy more duct tape”.
Yeah, that’s the right order. And WAY BELOW these two are subscribe to online dating site.
a little heads up, cause I’m from GA & I care. LOL
http://memearchive.net/memerial.net/2609/does-it-move.jpg
Love this!
Okay, let me see if I can troubleshoot this for you, since your duct tape won’t seal it well and that’s the #1 way for bugs to get into your home. You say it’s a plate. Take it off, and see if there is a metal contraption inside the wall that has little holes that look like they could fit a screw in them. If yes, insert screw there. If not, look for little plastic circles in the drywall. If those little plastic things are there, insert screws there.
If not, your cable guy is a moron and you probably need drywall anchors. Drywall is basically dust glued together, and it’s probably not going to hold much without a proper anchor. If the screws have ripped out, you probably need to patch the wall before inserting these, though. Call a handy friend for help. The handier, the better, since a drywall patch could be applied to permanently seal the hole if it no longer has use, or a good, sturdy fix could make it last for years if it’s the plate around the cable outlet. None of these fixes are expensive, and they’re only time-consuming in that putty or spackle needs to dry before finishing. I’d guesstimate 15-45 minutes of actual work, with 24-48 hours (depending on humidity) of drying time between.
THANKS. I’m going to do exactly what you’re suggesting, and will report back. But first, I’m going to have a martini.
Letting it ride for a martini (or several) will not be problematic. π Sounds like a problem if only left long-term. I’d suggest, if you need to call in help, offering the help a martini or three for their efforts. π AFTER they do the work, of course (power tools and alcohol are a bad combination, and if you need anchors, a drill and maybe a hammer will be involved).
Sounds prudent to keep the power tools and martinis a safe distance from each other.