The Family Handyman – September 2019

(Joyce) #1

STUFF WE LOVE


10 SEPTEMBER 2019 FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM

Fast roller cleaner


T


here are several products for cleaning roller sleeves on the
market, but the Roller Ready tool stands out because it’s so
simple to use. It fits in the chuck of your drill, letting you
spin off water as you rinse and clean your roller sleeve. The fully
submersible, smooth design (no nooks and crannies for paint to
get in) makes it really easy to clean when you’re done.
To clean a roller, slip the sleeve onto the Roller Ready, spin it
in and out of a bucket of water several times to rinse out the
paint, then spin out the water. The sleeve will be dry and ready
to use again in no time. You’ll find the hard-plastic version for
$18 and a Pro Version made of aluminum for $30 on Amazon.

RETRACTABLE


RATCHET STRAPS
The endless headache over
your tangled ratchet straps
may have finally come to an
end with Quickloader straps.
With standard straps, there’s
no easy way to store excess
strapping—you could spend
five minutes apiece rolling
them up to store in your vehi-
cle, only to have them unwind.
Instead, the Quickloader
straps use a spring-loaded
mechanism to keep the straps
coiled. Like the blade in a tape
measure, the straps are under
tension and able to retract into
the case. A 12-ft. strap rated
for 1,500 lbs. costs about $
at The Home Depot and online.

TIME-SAVING DRYWALL


W


hen it comes to a taping and mudding project, the corners that
meet existing walls are my worst nightmare. Not only do you have
to tape and mud the corner, but now you’re stuck painting the
entire wall, and there’s never a good way to tape up to a wood or brick
accent wall. Well, Trim-Tex makes a special tear-away bead so you don’t have
to lose sleep over a corner again.
Adhere the bead to the surface, staple it down, then run your mud-
ding knife along the raised edge. Before your final sanding, tear away
the leg that’s sticking out. Tear-away bead is perfect for repairing or
covering a ceiling or butting drywall to a surface you don’t want to mud,
like a paneled wall, exposed brick or existing trim. A 10-ft. stick costs
less than $3 at home centers.
MIKE BERNER, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Rinse
bucket

Spin
to dry

Tear-away
leg

Raised
edge

Neatly
retracted
Free download pdf