| Kickplate |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-304 |
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Q: I'd like to dress up my front door a little. What do you suggest? A: (from Brad Staggs, Ask DIY Home Repair Expert) I've got the perfect suggestion for enhancing a plain door: A brass kickplate. Materials: Kickplate (magnetic or with screw holes for affixing to wood)
Screws of the appropriate size
Tape measure
Drill
Pencil
Level - Before you buy a kickplate, you'll need to know whether your door is wood or metal. If you have a metal door, installation is a snap: All you'll need to do is purchase a magnetic kickplate of the right size, position it in place on the door and you're done!
- If your door is wood, you've got a little more work to do. Kickplates for wood doors have holes along the top and bottom edges for the insertion of screws. This is the first requirement for your kickplate.
- The second requirement is proper size: the total width of the kickplate should be just slightly less than the total width of the door. When determining the right height for your kickplate, take into account any details or architectural features your door may have. For example, the door shown here features an inset panel limits the height of the kickplate (figure A).
- Once you've found a kickplate with the right dimensions, you're ready to position it on the door. Begin by taking a horizontal measurement to determine the door's width, then mark the center point with a pencil (figure B).
- Next take a vertical measurement from the bottom of the door to the highest point you'd want the top edge of the kickplate to reach. (figure C). Now subtract the actual height of the kickplate from the distance between the door's bottom edge and the designated cut-off point at the top of the area.
(In this case, the kickplate has a height of 6", while the vertical measurement of the space is 6 3/4". This leaves a total difference of 3/4".) - Divide the difference by 2 (in this case the result is 3/8") and measure down that distance from the top point of the area; make a small pencil mark at this point.
- Then hold the kickplate so that its top edge is aligned with this mark and the center screw hole is aligned with the center mark made earlier. Now you're ready to make a third mark in the screw hole (figure D) so you'll know where to drill the first hole.
- Use a small piece of colored tape on your drill bit to mark the depth to which you want to drill; this distance should be equal to that of your screws. Then put on your safety glasses and drill the appropriate size hole into the mark made in the screw opening (figure E), stopping when the tape flag reaches the surface of the door.
- Now put the driver bit on your drill and place the screw on the end. Holding the kickplate carefully in place so that the center screw mark is positioned over the drilled hole, drive the screw down so that it's secure but not completely tightened down (figure F).
Note: The brass screws sold with many kickplates can become weakened and break off due to excessive or rough handling, so treat them with care. - Check the alignment of the kickplate using a level (figure G) and make any necessary adjustments.
- Once your kickplate is level, repeat steps 8 and 9 in one of the holes on either side of the center screw. (Again, leave this screw slightly raised for the moment).
- Carefully pull off a corner of the protective film covering the kickplate (figure H), peeling it back until it's free of the surface.
- Then just tighten down the first two screws, drill the remaining holes and drive in the rest of the screws...and that's it!
RESOURCES :
homeworking.com
An informational site devoted to people who work from home.
Web site: www.homeworking.com
X10 Home Solutions
Web site: www.x10.com
smarthome.com
Web site: www.smarthome.com
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