Questions tagged [removal]
379 questions
88
votes
13 answers
How to remove screws with stripped heads?
I have wood screws whose heads are stripped from trying to remove them with a drill. The drill (or screwdrivers) can't grip the heads anymore. What can i use to remove these screws easily?
LordHits
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68
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11 answers
If metal expands when heated, how does heating a bolt loosen it?
If you're having trouble removing a stuck bolt, common advice is to heat the bolt up. But if metal expands when heated, wouldn't heating up the bolt just make it harder to remove? How does heating the bolt get it unstuck?
Tester101
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34
votes
5 answers
How should I remove a swimming pool from my back yard?
Our house had a nice cedar pergola in the backyard, about 20'x16', whose posts began to rot at the base. It was covered in grape vine... Nice for shade but not for a falling down pergola. Needless to say, a few months ago we got a pretty good wind…
tbox
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33
votes
18 answers
How to remove nails with heads cut off?
Yes, I know I can go to the big box store and buy lumber. That is not the point of this question.
I have some boards that have the nail heads removed, leaving the nail flush with the surface of the board. The boards come from pallets where…
bgoodr
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31
votes
12 answers
How can I remove a really stuck screw?
I often come across screws that just won't budge with a manual screwdriver or even a driver bit in a drill. They are of different screw types and heads in a variety of different materials. What are some techniques I can use to try and remove them?
Tester101
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27
votes
4 answers
How do I remove and reinstall baseboards (Skirting Board) without damaging them?
I need to temporarily remove the baseboards in a couple rooms. I am interested in some suggestions for removing the baseboards without damaging them so they can later be reinstalled. Suggestions may include
Helpful tools
Pitfalls
Removal…
Mario
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21
votes
7 answers
Disassembling IKEA furniture—how can I deal with broken dowels?
IKEA furniture often has wooden dowels that are used to hold pieces together. The problem is that these wooden dowels break easily when you're trying to disassemble IKEA furniture:
In the first picture I could just use pliers to pull the broken…
neubert
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19
votes
4 answers
How do I remove a flush mounted ceiling light fixture dome?
My bedroom has a very nice looking flush mounted ceiling light with a glass dome. However, all the bulbs have gone out and I cannot get the glass out to replace them. I'm 5'4" and standing on the bottom corner of my bed I can reach up with my arms…
Katey HW
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16
votes
2 answers
Removing faucet from kitchen
I have a faucet that leaks at the valve, and I would like to remove that faucet to replace it with a new one.
The trouble is that it is mounted tightly between the wall and the sink, so there is very little space to work with.
I would like to avoid…
Bram
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15
votes
3 answers
How can I remove a plank from the middle of the field?
My attic has tongue and groove planking down as the floor, and I need to do some work up there. I'd like to only remove a couple planks in the middle of the field, rather than pulling up half the floor to get to the point where I need access.
The…
Tester101
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13
votes
5 answers
How can I remove a stump?
I need to level a patch of ground in order to put in a shed, but there's a large stump right in the middle of where the shed will go.
Since I'm in a suburban setting, dynamite is out, fires are illegal, and I can't get a truck anywhere near the…
chris
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12
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8 answers
How can I break up a small boulder without power tools?
I have a boulder/rock that is about 2 feet long and 1.5 feet in diameter. It is too heavy to lift and I would like to break it into smaller pieces. Without power tools, are there any good methods besides going at it with a sledgehammer?
Programmer
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11
votes
1 answer
How to remove/clean black mold?
What is the best way to remove black mold from wood?
Specifically, the mold on my back porch is black mold. Is the best option to use something like Kilz over it?
warren
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11
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3 answers
How can I remove stuck anti-vandal rings in tap head?
Most of the taps in my new house are fitted with so-called "anti-vandal" screws in the tap heads, as shown in the image. These screw into the tap head to tighten them onto the stem.
I can't remove most of them because they are stuck. I suspect…
Bruce
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11
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3 answers
How do I remove THIN layer of carpet glue from concrete?
The folks who owned this house before us were the cheapest people around. They glued carpet to our concrete floor with a very thin layer of glue. Now, I'm having a terrible time scraping it off. I tried using some adhesive remover we got from…
joshmax
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