Question: I need to do some minor paint touchup on interior doors and moldings on our 10-year-old Dearborn model. The original touch-up can of paint provided by Pulte has long ago dried up. The can had no brand name or specific color, although I believe it was called âantique whiteâ and it appears to be a semi-gloss finish. What brand and color would you recommend I buy to try to match the original color interior trim in my house?
Answer: That dried up paint in the old can might be the answer to your problem. Every modern store that sells paint has equipment to scan a paint sample and derive the formula to mix that color. I have even brought in a fabric sample from a drape to mix a paint sample to match.
If you donât have any of the original paint, dried up or not, you can remove a piece of the trim and take it to the store to scan.
Every time I paint a wall I always paint a 2-inch by 2-inch sample on a piece of wood that I can use later to scan to retrieve the paint formula. Years ago I used to get a copy of the original formula, but found one time when I went to have a can of paint mixed that they had changed the base paint into which the color is mixed and could not get the original.
As to brand any paint carried by a major chain store should work well for you.
Question: The large sliding screen patio doors at the back of my house seem to be “sticking” and no longer open smoothly in one fluid motion. I heard there is an adjustment to fix this problem but I don’t know what it is. Could you advise me how to make the screen sliding doors open more smoothly?
Answer: Most of the time when the screen wonât slide easily it is because one or both of the bottom rollers has come off of the track. This is very easily fixed with a putty knife. I could describe how to do this but there is a three-minute video on YouTube by Tomahawk DIY that shows very clearly how to fix this:
If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com
