FixItRight
The Journal
How Much Paint Do You Need? A Room-by-Room Guide
A practical method for figuring out how many gallons a room actually needs, why the number on the can isn't the whole story, and how to avoid the two most common buying mistakes.
How to Patch a Drywall Hole: Matching the Fix to the Size
Nail holes, doorknob dents, and fist-sized disasters all need different fixes. Here's how to tell them apart and repair each one so the wall looks untouched when you're done.
How to Tile a Small Bathroom Floor: A Beginner's Walkthrough
A small bathroom is one of the most forgiving places to try tiling for the first time. Here's a realistic walkthrough of the process, from layout to grout, and where beginners usually go wrong.
Caulk vs Grout: When to Use Each (and How Much You'll Need)
They fill similar-looking gaps, but caulk and grout do fundamentally different jobs. Here's how to tell which one a joint actually needs, plus how to estimate the amount for a project.
Choosing the Right Wall Anchor for Drywall, Plaster, or Masonry
Not every wall holds weight the same way. Here's how to match an anchor to your wall material and the load it needs to carry, and when to skip the anchor and find a stud instead.
How to Plan a Weekend DIY Project (Without Running Out of Time)
Most weekend projects don't fail because the work was too hard — they fail because the plan didn't account for prep, cleanup, and the one thing that always goes sideways. Here's a better way to plan one.
The Beginner's Home Repair Toolkit: 20 Tools Worth Owning
You don't need a fully stocked workshop to handle most everyday repairs — just a well-chosen set of tools that covers the jobs that actually come up, plus a clear sense of what to leave to a professional.
Picking a Wall Anchor by Load and Wall Type: A Worked Walkthrough
Two questions decide which anchor you need: what's the wall actually made of, and how much weight does each individual anchor point have to carry. Four worked examples show how the answer changes.
Where the Drywall Patch Method Actually Changes by Hole Size
A drywall repair isn't one method scaled up or down — it's five different methods, each valid only in its own size range. Here's exactly where those boundaries sit and why, with real numbers.
Locate Wiring and Pipes Before You Drill or Cut Into a Wall
Cutting into a wall is the single most dangerous routine act on a home-repair project — the cavity behind that drywall can carry live wiring, water lines, or gas pipe. Here's how to check first.
How Much Caulk Do You Actually Need for a Job?
Add up every joint in a real bathroom project and the math isn't as simple as tube-per-joint. Here's how combining joints correctly can turn a three-tube estimate into a one-tube job.
Tile Count Math: Room Size, Waste Percentage, and Buying in Boxes
Dividing room area by tile area is the easy part. Waste percentage and box rounding are where a tile order actually goes wrong — here's the full calculation, worked with real numbers.