There has been an awful lot of fuss in the news since the election. Women demonstrating.....the issue seems to change from day to day. I'm totally confused. Seriously, there has never been a time in our world's history when women have so many options available to them. Forget about politics. Know this: YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO! I've never paid much attention to "the rules" that previously designated certain tasks as only for men or only for women. So instead of demonstrating, girls, pick up your power tools and get the job done yourself. You'll have a good time, really!
Which leads me to today's projects. Honestly, ladies, don't let the guys have all the fun. You men have been playing with tools your whole lives, so working with them comes more naturally to you. But girls, for this project all you really need is a phillips screwdriver and you, too, can get in on the action. And there's nothing more fulfilling than seeing a project completed that you did all by yourself.
I know, I know. What the heck, Debbie? Yes, you're looking at a simple doorknob. A very outdated doorknob. A "1980's" era brass doorknob. A doorknob that I have been wanting to be rid of for some time.
Now, we live in a farmhouse. A farmhouse that we have gradually been remodeling to suit our current tastes and needs. If you watch HGTV or any of the hundreds of do-it-yourself shows you are probably already dreaming of projects of your very own. For me, the creative juices in my brain are constantly coming up with ideas to bring more charm into our little house. (Much to Joel's chagrin) And one of those projects involves banishing any and all remnants of the 1980's decor.
I made a quick trip to Lowe's and picked up some door hardware which is conveniently packaged with everything you need inside it to change out a doorknob. The only tool you really need for this job is a screwdriver but I also opted for using the drill to speed up the removal of the screws on the old knobs. But really, no special tools are needed!
There are always instructions inside the doorknob packaging, but common sense tells you that first you need to remove the 2 screws which hold the old doorknob in place. Done.
The doorknobs on either side of the door simply slide out of the door once those 2 screws are removed. Easy- peasy, right? Next, remove the screws that hold the remaining portion of the knob "works". Notice I haven't a clue what in the world this part is called. I just know it had to come out. Hey, laugh with me, not at me....giggle.
Don't forget to remove the strike plate on the door frame. That's the metal piece that the door latches into once it's closed. Here I've already replaced the old one with the pretty dark metal one. Yea, making progress.
In reverse order replace the old parts with the new parts and using the enclosed screws, tighten up the knob so it doesn't wiggle. It's all in the instructions. And you're done! How cool is that? I replaced the knobs on 10 doors and now our house feels one step closer to "farm house appeal".
Oh, um, yes. There's just one more thing. When you change the color of your knobs you might want to consider also changing out the hinges. They kinda stand out as not matching now that all the knobs are done. So, it's back to Lowe's I go.....next week....I'm busy with other things now.
But when you go to your store, bring along one of the hinges you have unscrewed from your door so you match the size and shape. Who knew? Yes, hinges come with either rounded corners or square ones. You don't want to have to get into working with a chisel to take out wood from your door just to make the new hinges fit. It's so much easier to buy hinges that are duplicates in shape to your old ones, then it's a simple matter of unscrewing the old hinges and replacing them one at a time. You won't even have to remove the door that way!
Here's another quick and easy project that I recently finished up. At Lowe's I bought a pull out metal shelf for under the kitchen sink. I don't know about you, but that area of my kitchen is always a jumble of cleaners, brushes and a collection of who knows what. And I despise having to get down on my knees to reach something in the far back corner of a dark cupboard.
Now I can easily glide the shelf out (it fully extends from inside the cabinet) and remove any item I need without ruining my already arthritic knees. To install the shelf I first emptied all the items from under the sink. Four screws were all it took to install the sliding base of the new shelf and you're done. Seriously. Less than 5 minutes. And the messy area is now neatly organized. Now
that was a project worth doing!
Are you feeling empowered to do a project of your own now? I certainly hope so. You can do it! And when you're at the home improvement store, why not buy yourself a new screwdriver or two? I have been doing that over the last 2 years and now have my own collection of tools in a drawer of our butler's pantry. That means I don't have to ask hubby for one of his tools when I need to do something inside the house.
Love that feeling of accomplishment,
Debbie
