Don’t you like people who encourage you? Maybe you are having a not so good day and out of nowhere, some one tells you, “Hey you look great today- or Good job, and then your step is lighter, the work is not as hard. Bottom line, you are encouraged and have a different attitude. If I do my job right, you will be encouraged to tackle all the DIY jobs I talk about. I tell you what product to use, and how to do it right the first time so that when you are done, you are proud of your work and confident to try the next job. So today I want to tell you about some easy things to do around the house, just to get your feet wet.

Do you have a door that will never stay open, or closed? There is an easy way to fix that and it costs nothing. Just take out the middle hinge pin of the door and with 2 pliers rough up the pin. The friction you created will hold the door in place when you put back in the pin in the hinge. Simple. Do you have a knob that has wiggled loose and the screw just goes round and round but never tightens up? Well take a tooth pick and put in the hole and then tighten down the screw - it will hold. My daughter had a handle on her oven that the back of the screw fell down in the door- she put some steel wool around the screw and tighten it back up and it holds just fine. Do your cabinets look sad in the kitchen? Well Feed & Wax will perk them back up, and all you do is wipe them down using the Feed & Wax and a soft rag. Wood floors usually don’t have to be refinished when they have lost their shine- just use Quick Shine, a dry swiffer and put on a few coats. They don’t call it Quick Shine for nothing! Even my sweet wife JoNell is a DIY. Last week she put on her own license plate. With 2 pliers, and 4 screw drivers she handled that job. And when she was through, she was grinning from ear to ear.

This week we go to the National Hardware Show. I love the show! I look down every aisle to look for things to make your life easier, safer, and economical. And you can bet that when I find something, you will hear about it first. And guess what? We are going to open the web site back up to send you the things that I write about. Give me another month- and we will have it ready.

And remembe r- e-mail me if you don’t know what to do about a project that you want to start. We will answer it right here – in the article.

Now to the e-mail….

Question: I read about your solution for patio doors that are hard to open and close and you mention Tri Flo. Where can I find that?
Answer: Any hardware store will carry that. (www.triflowlubricants.com) check out the website – they have an 800 number to call.

Question: Boy are we glad that you are back! I was just wondering about the ceiling fan that you recommend and where to find it- can you fill us in?
Answer: The fan is made by Regency. (www.regencyfans.com) They have a website that shows all the fans and also a retailer locator. We carry their builder fan; it comes with a light and a 12 degree pitch on the blade. But look at the site- they have beautiful fans, that not only look good- but they move the air.

Question: The spacers in my driveway rotten out long ago. I read in your article that you suggest “Big Stretch”. Should I put something down in the space first?
Answer: If the area is deep between the concrete slabs, fill with sand to about a ½ inch from the top. Then fill with the Big Stretch. Sand is cheap, so use that for a filler.

Got a question for Johnnie? Tune in to Johnnie's radio show Saturday mornings on KKYX from 11-12 or call (21) 341-1573. Reach him on the web at www.AcmeLumber.com.