Not the handiest ...

[guavagirl]

Hi, all --

I am just writing to vent my frustration with my lack of "handy" skills. And to think that I am the handiest in the household. :eek:

The good news is that I just installed a lovely shoji paper shade in my home office all by myself! The bad news is that in the project's wake are two extra (unused) holes in the wall -- one of which I attempted to fill with this green-colored epoxy plaster gunk. And pencil marks. And it looks like, even though I measured everything except the circumference of my head (perhaps I should have started there), the shade isn't centered.

... and this comes after DH accidentally flushed the crossbar from the toilet paper holder down the apparently receptive john.

Oy...!

p.s. Any suggestions on how to fill the holes? And is it possible to buy tiny amounts of interior wall paint?

p.p.s. Thanks for the venting opportunity.

[Little Bit]

Hi guavagirl,

Congratulations on the shade success experience. I recently put up curtain rods, and had all sorts of trouble, so I don't have any trouble remembering the exasperation of it all.

I think you need some sort of spackling compound. The stuff we have is fluffy white stuff that you use to fill nail holes in sheetrock. (Fill the hole, scrape the surface flat, sand it down when dry if you need to, and then paint. Not hard, except for the 'finding the quarter cup of just the right shade of paint' you need to cover the white dots, LOL!

Maybe someone else knows the stuff I mean?

[SueK]

My husband travels quite a bit, so I usually try to fix things myself most of the time. (Much to his dismay, I must add, since my motto is "When all else fails, use Super Glue!

Anyway, I ended up subscribing to Family Handyman magazine. It's pretty helpful. It is published by Readers Digest and they also have a web site at www.familyhandyman.com

I've used their web site archives a few times for various questions that I've had.

[funnybone]

You can buy small amounts of house paint, but the problem is that if it is in a visible spot, you will notice it (unless the rest of the wall has been fairly recently painted and it is an EXACT color match). I am speaking from past experience on this issue. Now, maybe it was noticeable because I knew it was there, and where exactly. Maybe an outsider does not notice it though. It's worth a try though, as the white spackle will me noticeable as well.

[Lynn B]

Oh quavagirl!!! I know what you mean! DH is quite handy and always does a meticulous job at whatever he is doing... but if he isn't home, and I want it done NOW... well... I just do it myself!

You definitely need to spackle the holes. Easy and inexpensive. Then, I would recommend that you go to a local craft store and pick up a bottle or two of the 2 oz size of acrylic paint sold there. Made by Deco Art, Delta, Aleens, Folk Art, etc., this is primarily the paint of stencil artists and decorative painters. These paints are about $1 a bottle, and come in hundreds of colors and hues. You will probably be able to come VERY CLOSE to or even exactly match your wall color. If the closest color seems a little dark, buy a cream color or white and mix it a little at home on a paper plate or styrofoam meat tray. Then just paint it on with a small brush or Q-tip. I have had excellent results with this technique!

Lynn

[guavagirl]

Bless all of you for your kindness and helpful hints! You've instilled in me the confidence to move onward to Spackle Land!

Plus I lucked out today when I found the old paint can with a few remaining drops -- granted, like an animal visiting the kennel, I had to crawl into a 4x4x5-foot cubby to knab it, but that's another story. Had the paint been absent, I would have headed straight to the craft store. A thousand thanks.

Next project: plumbing! :)