No matter where you live, sooner or later something in your place will eventually need to be replaced or repaired. I’m fortunate enough to have a crack maintenance team to take care of most of these things, but I like to roll up my sleeves once in a while too. So here are a few do-it-yourself quick fixes:

A little patchwork

Everyone wants to hang a few pictures in their apartment. Pictures help fill in the space and make the place feel like home. However, when it’s time to redecorate or pack up for a move, your nail or wall hook can leave behind a hole in the wall that your property manager won’t appreciate. To close up these little holes try using just a little drywall plaster. You won’t need much, so don’t try to fill holes with this stuff. With a small plaster applicator, use just enough to cover the hole. Allow the plaster to dry then use a fine grit sandpaper to lightly sand the area taking care not to sand the painted surface unless you have to do some touch up repainting anyway.

Knicks and Dings

Having natural wood in your apartment is nice. It helps to give your apartment a cozy feel to it. However, there will be times when you will discover knicks and dings in the wood. There are a couple of ways to fix these little problems. If it’s just a surface scratch, you can use a furniture marker to color in the scratch. You should be able to find one pretty easily at Target or a similar store. I have been to some furniture stores that have them and they just gave me a few for free- and free is always good.

If you are looking at repairing something deeper than a surface scratch you should look into getting some wood putty. This stuff is awesome. Of course, you should read the directions, but they all pretty much work the same. You just take an applicator and scoop out a little. Then you carefully fill in the gauge, dent or deep scratch and there you have it. It should be good as new – mostly.

Most superficial apartment repair can be done in a few minutes and for just a few dollars. Mainly it’s to save you a call to the apartment maintenance guys. You should just fully plan any repair you plan to take on and keep your lease in mind. You don’t want to violate any terms spelled out in it.

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2. DIY Décor – Medieval Getaway
3. Not Allowed To Paint? Don’t Sweat It, You Don’t Have To!
4. Hotel Boxes – FUN, Durable Storage for Your Apartment
5. Apartment Noobs: Learn what to search for

Tags: apartment living, do-it-yourself, Drywall, Maintenance, patchwork, Plaster, repairs, Sandpaper, wood, wood putty