Wardrobe ‘Upgrade’ At Balmain

A Balmain customer called needing some handyman work done. The first job was quite unusual and consisted of removing very old ‘foam’ tiles (for want of a better description) from a 1960′s vintage wardrobe and replacing those tiles with a timber panel to make the wardrobe more attractive. The tiles were removed carefully using a combination of a plastic scraper (to minimise damage to the timber surface), a small set of tile cutters and some ‘elbow grease’!. Once removed the area was sanded down using a coarse grade sandpaper and then once the area was relatively smooth a cedar timber panel was glued into place. Once the glue had dried (and modern glues often have a curing time of just a couple of hours) the timber panel was laquered to bring out the grain and preserve the timber. The nett result was a far more attractive wardrobe for the client.

Many handyman jobs we are asked to do in the inner west can be quite unusual and this adds to the variety of work and challenges we enjoy. Working predominantly in Sydney’s inner west means we can respond to clients promptly. If we do not think we can do the required work we will tell the client and can sometimes recommend someone who is able to do the job for the client.

Letter Box Replacement At Balmain

The second job that the Balmain client needed doing initially seemed very simple – replacing an old rusted out letter box. In handyman work, it is often the case that what seems like a ‘simple’ job can end up being far more complex that first envisaged! In this instance removing the old letter box from a hardwood post proved to be quite difficult. The mounting screws that had previously been used to secure the letter box onto the post were made from mild steel and had rusted severely over time. This meant that the ‘heads’ of the screws were damaged and rusted making it virtually impossible to use a screwdriver to remove them. Because of the geometry of the letter box and its location in relation to the timber post it was very difficult to try and remove these screws. In the end i was able to use a pair of ‘multigrips’ to get a secure grip onto the damaged screw heads and slowly rotate the screws a few degrees at a time until they finally came out!

Once removed, the old letter box and mounting screws were discarded and a new stainless steel (meaning it would not rust in the future!) secured back onto the post. A ‘simple’ job completed!