Question: The doors on our kitchen and bathroom cabinets don’t self-close any more. Our house is an original Del Webb house built in 2001. The hinges are Amerock and they have a flat spring steel spring built into the hinge that closes the door. The spring no longer is strong enough to close the door, and some of them are broken.
Answer: I have some good news and some bad news. I contacted the Amerock customer service, and they said that those hinges have a lifetime warranty. Unfortunately, that hinge has been discontinued and they can’t supply the hinge or the spring.
Some of your cabinet doors get very little use and the springs are still good. You can exchange these hinges with some of the more heavily used hinges to make these doors self-close again. You might exchange only two of the three hinges to give both sets of doors some degree of self-closure.
Question: Seeking to replace the glass shower doors for the double-seat master shower with two sliding glass panels in the APN six-plexes, and I’m sure, in many of the other APN and single-family homes. Do you know where to buy replacements? I have one panel that has broken and would like to replace it without having to replace the entire doorframe and both glass doors. Do you know whether and where I can find one online or in a store?
Answer: One company that could replace the glass in your shower door is Touch of Glass. They usually have a booth at the Sun City consumer expo.
mrtouchofglass.com/residential-glass-service/
Question: We moved in last July. I was trying to install the steel storage cabinets we brought from our old home. I used my stud sensor to locate studs to anchor two wall-mounted cabinets. I drilled several pilot holes by couldn’t hit anything solid. A Sun City neighbor said the garage walls are heavily insulated. It is fire-rated drywall, plus a thick foam insulation. What tools do I need to find wood studs so I can anchor the cabinets securely to the wall?
Answer: There is something wrong with your neighbor’s description. None of us think Del Webb used any foam insulation, but even if they did it would be between the studs. The drywall is definitely screwed into the studs. There is nothing else that would support it. You should use a stud finder that uses a magnet to locate the wallboard screws. The fire-rated drywall is 5/8 inch thick so be sure to use screws long enough to reach through it.
Question: The white woodwork in my 15-year-old Fox has developed yellow stains. I was told the woodwork was factory finished and not painted by the builder. Does it need to be sanded and primed to be painted?
Answer: What you need is a primer made to cover the stains you are seeing. That primer is Kilz Stain Blocking Primer. This primer will also cover water stained drywall. After the primer dries you can then put the finish coat of paint on.
Warning: There are many new residents in Sun City in the past few years. Since almost every house is over ten years old it is important to check the smoke alarms. If they have never been changed they are beyond their useful life of ten years and should be replaced.
If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com
