Top 10 Simple Tricks That Make Projects Much Easier

It’s called a backing rod and is the perfect way to fill in large gaps in trim or along a floor. (The backing rod is made for this purpose, but any small foam tube will do!)

Because it is easy to handle, you can cut it to the size you need and squeeze it into the smallest places:

It’s especially useful when you have a large gap to fill — you’ll have to use a lot of caulk. With caulk, you have to fill in the caulk, then repeatedly wait for it to dry, fill in more, let it dry, etc.

With this, you can fill in that gap, you’ll save all that caulk and you can finish it off with a bead of caulk right over it.

3. Paper bag instead of sandpaper

I love this little trick and use it often.

Simply “sand” the entire surface with the paper bag, and it will remove all of that and leave you with a completely smooth, non-marking surface.

4. Make cheap woodworking

I always use select pine for areas that you will really see…like the trim on the front of bookcases.

This pine has one coat of paint, but you can see some flaws:

Often times, I will spread the paint thickly over these areas and then let it dry. You can see here that the paint didn’t fill in that rough spot enough.

I also use putty (which I use when filling drywall holes) and it holds up just as well.

Use a putty knife to push the filler in and then lightly sand (and clean) before painting again. You won’t even notice the imperfections when you’re done!

5. Fillings are your friend.

You can use them under, behind, and in between to get everything perfectly level.

But it’s also useful for compact projects and getting a very professional front-end look:

Have you noticed how smooth these front frames are on the bookshelves? In my opinion, this front is the most important part — it’s what you see more than anything else!

If your trim doesn’t match up perfectly, you can use shims to bring the trim forward until it’s even with the rest.

I didn’t take the time to do this on the built-in ones in my office. To fix it and bring the front trim on the shelves forward a little, tap the thin end of the brackets behind that trim until it’s brought forward enough:

By the way, it’s not the end of the world… most of the time, you’re the only one who’ll notice these little flaws. (And anyone else who does gets a cookie…)

You may have to do this from the top and bottom, but this will do! When you have the filling where you want it, scratch it with a razor blade where it meets the trim and break off the end with the thin part behind the trim.

Use caulk to fill any gaps created by the brackets at the top of the shelf. (In bookcases, most of the gaps will be above your head anyway.)

6. Choosing the perfect piece of wood

The more you spend on wood, the less you have to look for defects. In my opinion, it’s worth spending (a lot) less on pine and spending more time digging to find “cleaner” boards.

Watch for large knots (they may come out of the wood over time), sticky sap (which is impossible to remove), cracks in the wood and missing pieces.

If you find a board that meets all of those items on the list, you’ll also want to check the wood for warping.

The wood may look great in the store, then you take it home to realize it’s so uneven you can’t lay it flat.

You can avoid this by holding the board in front of you on the floor and watching it directly in the middle:

You will be able to tell right away if it is straight and flat.

If you look closely, you’ll see that my board is slightly curved at the end — just a slight bend going to the right. This doesn’t bother me if I’m using wood for the front trim, as I know I’ll be able to secure it well enough.

I always check thin molding pieces for any bends. If they are thin enough, you will be able to straighten them during installation, but some pieces should be avoided altogether.

7. Ease of uniform spacing distribution on wall treatments.

If the distance is not constant, you will notice this little flaw more than you think.

I found that a coin is an easy way to get that perfectly thin, consistent gap between each plank:

You will need to slide it down the board while you nail it in. Sometimes I use a penny for a smaller fraction, other times I use a fiver.

Cutting scrap wood to the length you need is also a great way to easily keep measurements consistent when installing a trim project:

It makes maintaining continuous spaces a lot easier if you repeat the same design throughout the space:

8. Cut a hole in the middle of the wood.

Sometimes, you may need to cut an opening for an outlet, switchboard, or vent on a wall. A power saw is the best way to cut those small, detailed spots:

This is easy to do when your cuts are on the side of the board – just start cutting with the chainsaw from the side.

But if you need to cut a hole in the middle of the board, this trick will come in handy.

Alternatively, use a drill and a large drill bit to add holes in your wood as a “starter” for the chainsaw:

This way you can insert the jigsaw blade into the slot and start making a straight cut. I like to use four slots so I don’t have to make any curved cuts.

9. Use scrap to protect your projects.

I tend to keep a lot of scrap wood… I’ve learned to let go of smaller pieces over the years but it hurts my soul a little every time. 🙂

I keep some scraps around because I’ve learned that it’s hard to finish a lot of DIY projects without them!

When you have a piece that’s really tight in place (and you don’t really want to cut millimeters off for a third time), use scrap bits to hammer the pieces into place:

Here I grab the metal piece underneath the trim and hammer it into place until it is level. If you try to do this directly on the pretty trim part, you will cause scratches in the sides or face with the hammer or mallet.

You never want to force wood into a place where it doesn’t fit, so if it’s too long, cut it down.

For a piece that is close to being installed, you can easily hold it in place by hammering it in with your remaining wood. The “good” wood you made will still look great!

If you look closely, you’ll see that I also use snips to write down my measurements. This is especially helpful if you’re going up or down stairs to cut wood and tend to forget the exact measurement by the time you get to the saw. This can happen to me. 🙂

I also use scrap wood pieces to remove the pieces – if you put too much pressure on the crowbar, it will cause dents or breaks in the drywall:

If there is too much resistance when you push the crowbar back to pull the base away, it will scratch the walls. Place a thin piece of scrap wood behind the crowbar and the wood will disperse the pressure.

10. Clean paint brushes easily.

I use this brush cleaning comb every time I clean my paint brushes:

You can use it to comb out paint and dry parts of a paintbrush. I use it when I wash my brushes, and sometimes after they dry to remove any extra bits of paint before painting again.