Tag: repair

How to add a stud in the wall to sturdy a towel bar

So this is an unexpected post. I had a guest use my shower recently and they apparently yanked the towel off of our towel bar, pulling one end of the bar, drywall anchor and all, out of the wall. Suffice it to say, I am not pleased. While I don’t have a photo of the towel bar in situ, this is what I am working with.

Not a pretty sight.

After some youtube reviewing, I have decided to cut a hole in the drywall to expose the studs on either side of the towel bar and insert a 2×4 to use a new stud to anchor the towel bar to. Then I will have to patch the drywall and put the towel bar back on, screwing it into the new stud so this doesn’t happen again.

This is a handled device that holds a saw blade so you can use it as a one-sided saw. It is working for now but i have to be careful to cut slowly and not cut in long strokes or the blade will bend. I am using a hacksaw blade because that is what I had on hand, but they do make saws specifically for drywall and I am sure they work better than this one.

To start out, I tapped around on my wall to discern where the existing vertical studs are. This isn’t a very scientific approach, but I don’t have a stud finder. Then I inserted my little saw into the big hole left over from the towel bar and slowly cut a hole between the two vertical studs in the area I need the towel bar to be. I am trying to cut the drywall at an angle so I might be able to pop it back into place when I am finished, like a big patch, although this little saw is difficult to control without bending the blade.

Once I had sawn to the edge of the vertical stud, I gently pulled on the drywall until it popped up.

This stud is in the middle of my towel bar area.
The stud to the left. I will have to cut farther than my hole on that side.

Other stud exposed.

Next, after both vertical studs are exposed, I have to measure the space between them so I can cut a piece of wood to fit across.

Measuring the space between the studs.

Next I cut a piece of wood to fit the space. It’s not quite a 2×4 but should work.

Then I found some long screws that I had available and pre-screwed them into the ends of the board, unscrewing it just enough that they don’t protrude on the ends.

Predrilling screws to make it easier to install.

Then, very carefully so as not to drop our hard earned wood into the wall, I shoved it into the wall space and screwed it in. I was careful to leave enough space between the edge of my new stud and the inside edge of the drywall to allow for the edges of my screws, which will stick out slightly from the board’s surface.

It’s not pretty, but it should hold the towel rack as long as I use long enough screws on the towel rack. I will also have to be careful not to over tighten the screws on the towel rack, as I don’t want my drywall to crack because of the gap between drywall and wood.
Cutting for the second section
Second stud installed.

Now that both studs are installed, it is time to clean up and prepare for patching the drywall.

This is what I plan to use for my patch job, along with the pieces of drywall that I cut out.

First, I used the all purpose compound to mud the edges of the hole. I figure this will act as a glue.

Then i shoved the pieces of drywall back in place, carefully piecing them into the same locations, making sure not to push them too far into the hole.

Next i used the mudding spatula to put a thin layer of mud around the edges of the cuts.

Then i cut off pieces of the mudding tape to push into the mud so they are glued in place. I taped them over the cracks so the cracks won’t be as noticeable.

With a few pieces of tape over the cracks.

Once the tape is where i want it, I put another thin layer of mud over the tape to hide it. Then I used the spatula to make the compound mixture as flat and smooth as I can. I will sand it once it is dried, but it will be helpful not to have mounds of uneven compound to sand off.

With all of the tape on, plastered over with the mudding.

Now I let it dry for at least 24 hours, per the compound instructions.

It is lightening as it dries.

After the patch dried completely, I found a few shallow areas where it shrank into a hole. I skimmed another thin coat of plaster patch over those areas.

A small depression where the patch shrank into the hole.
A fresh coat skimmed over the depression and smoothed out.

After the plaster is smoothed to your liking and has completely dried out, it is time to sand. I used an electric sander because I have one handy, but it was messy and also sanded some areas more than I would have liked.

This electric sander got dust all over my bathroom and over sanded some areas because it isn’t as easy to control as a hand sander.

Ideally I should have used a hand sanding block or a sanding sponge. Anyway, this is the result.

Oversanded. There are a few areas where the paper tape is showing.

After sanding, I vacuumed off the dust, and then wiped it down with a damp cloth. As far as the exposed tape is concerned, I am hoping that my paint will cover most of it.

It may take a couple of coats of paint to cover the dried plaster, but once it is done you can proceed to rehanging your towel bar.

My paint job isn’t as beautiful as it could have been, but it is so much better than it was!

In retrospect I should have put another skim of the plaster patch on after sanding to properly cover the tape, as there is now a small bubble under the paint where the tape is. I can live with it, however, as I have always been more about function as far as these things are concerned, as long as it doesn’t draw my eye (I am only noticing the bubble now in the photos as it isn’t that obvious otherwise).

Anyway, I hope this helps!

How to Refurbish an old cat Scratching Post

This morning, as I watched my cats joyously scratching on their post, I realized that these posts were LONG overdue for refurbishing.

The first of the two- this post was refurbished about 10 or so years ago. Definitely needs the sisal replaced.

The smaller, more simpler of our scratching posts has been around through ages, surviving many cats. I replaced the sisal rope about 10 or so years ago, at least. It has absolutely seen better days. My cats absolutely destroyed it. But, alas, it has more life to give!

I started with a quick trip to Menards for replacement sisal. I bought 100 feet of the cheapest sisal rope I could find.I was careful not get anything too thin as it wouldn’t last long, nor too thick as it would be more difficult to work with.

This worked perfect.

After selecting a good rope (1/2 inch thick x 100 feet, as I used it on 2 posts), I got to work removing the old wrapping. I used my handy-dandy box cutter to cut off all but the bottom few inches of rope, as that section was seldom used by my cats and still seemed in fair condition.

I tied the end of the new rope to the end of the existing rope that was still in good shape. If your old rope is all bad, just tie a knot in the end of the new rope, then use a fencing staple to nail it to the wood post. I will show examples of this later on in the post.

I tied the end of the new rope to the end of the good section of old, and then wound the rope around and around the post, keeping it nice and taught so the pieces don’t overlap each other. Keep the coils nice and tight, and push them against each other tightly so they make a nice mat for the cat to scratch on.

Keeping the coils tight to the wood, keep them pushed close together as you wind the rope all the way up the post.
These fence staples come in handy!

If you have a simple post like mine, don’t bring the rope coils totally flush with the top. I kept mine about an inch down to prevent my cats from pulling the topmost coil up over the top of the post and unraveling it all.

Keeping the rope tight, hammer in one of these awesome fence staples so it holds the rope tight to the post. Hammer it in good and secure so the cats can’t pull it out–give it a good tug to make sure it is really in there! After the nail is in, you can tie a knot in the rope on the other side of the nail and cut the loose end of the rope. The knot will help keep the end of the rope from sliding through the nail staple.

It should look like this (except hopefully a little neater). Notice the heavy duty staple on the other side of the knot, helping it keep the rope securely in place.

That’s one post done. The cats were scratching at it before I was even done wrapping the coils!

Here is the second tragedy–I mean post. They really did a number on this one! The rope has never been replaced on this 14-ish year old post.

My second scratching post was just awful! I hadn’t realized all of the damage they had done to the rope, as it was turned away from view. First I had to remove the old rope, as before. I removed all but the bottom few inches. This post was trickier as it has the platforms to work around. I ended up cutting the old rope as close as I could to the platforms, but a few strands were stuck where the post and platform connect so I just cut them close to the post, as the new rope covered up the tiny fragments of old.

Cutting with my handy-dandy box cutter.
As before, I tied the old rope to the new and began to wind upwards.
When I got to each platform, I ended up just winding the rope as close as I could to where the platform connected to the post and then continuing over the top of the platform, as pictured. I just focused on keeping the spacing of the coils as consistent as possible with the rest of the post.
I tied a knot in the end when I was at the top of the post, then used one of the fence staples to nail it in place on the post.
Placement of the fence staple.
Finished post. The cats (I have 5) are already excited to use it!

I hope this article gives a better idea of how to recover different types of cat scratchers. My cats were very grateful and excited to have their posts repaired. Any questions or comments? Feel free to post in the comment section!