12 of the handiest quick fix products

Even the professionals use quick fixes every now and then. Here are 12 of the handiest quick fix products that professional carpenters, plumbers, painters, electricians and fix-it gurus use.

• Screw-in drywall anchors drive in easily without pre-drilling and they hold firmly.
• All you need to install these is a screwdriver.
• The light-duty type is perfect for hanging lighter shelving and artwork.
• Use the toggle bolt–type screw-in drywall anchors for heavier shelving, towel bars and curtain rods.

• With thin, hardened shanks, aggressive coarse threads (fine threads are just for metal studs), and deep Phillips or square-drive heads, versatile screws are tough enough to drive into most woods without stripping or pre-drilling.
• Most pros keep a selection of coated exterior deck screws on hand for treated wood, and black, coarse-thread interior screws for everything indoors.
• They'll also keep a few stainless steel and gold-coloured screws with them for special repairs like replacing stripped-out brass hinge screws.

• Bumpers do lots more than just stop cabinet doors from banging.
• Stick them under ceramic pots or hot plates to keep them from scratching tabletops.
• Place some bumpers at the corners of your toilet tank to silence a rattling toilet tank lid.
• Use felt bumpers on varnished wood surfaces.
• Plastic bumpers can eventually leave marks.

• A few drops of thread-locking compound will permanently fix screws that hold handles and doorknobs, yet still allow you to remove the screw later.
• A heavier-duty variety of this compound is also available.

• You can make your chipped appliances look new with matching epoxy touch-up paint.
• Fill chips with multiple thin coats instead of trying to cover them all at once.
• Use the porcelain-type version of this paint for stovetops and sinks.

• Two-part epoxy glue is rock-hard, fills huge gaps, bonds to almost anything and dries very quickly.
• Some brands of epoxy glue now come with an applicator tip that automatically mixes the two parts so you can spread it like a regular glue, without mixing.
• This glue is perfect for gluing dissimilar materials to each other.
• Most epoxies set in five minutes, but you can buy quicker-setting types.

• Two-part filler has to be mixed and it doesn't rinse off with water.
• This kind of filler is much tougher and a much better choice for any hole bigger than a nail head, especially outdoors.
• Along with using this on wood, you can also use it to patch metal, fibreglass and even concrete.

• These specialized bandages stay in place and protect hands better than standard, one-size-fits-everything bandages.

• You can use these general purpose solvents to remove stickers, tar, gum, dried paint drops, grease and other substances without a lot of scrubbing.

• Keep a package of assorted fender washers in your toolbox.
• These are great for increasing the holding power of a small screw, but they also make indestructible shims for furniture, woodworking and interior or exterior building projects.

• Fast-setting drywall compound lets you finish small repairs and fill deep holes in minutes instead of waiting days for premixed joint compound to dry.
• The small boxes that most kinds of this compound come in are also easier to store and more likely to get used up than the large bags or buckets of premix.

• Silicone lubricant and lithium grease that are perfect for plenty of quick fixes.
• Silicone dries quickly and invisibly and doesn't attract dirt, making it a good lubricant for drawer rollers, window tracks, door locks, bike parts, and other plastic, metal and rubber surfaces.
• It also helps protect metal against rust.
• Lithium grease is a long-lasting, weather-resistant (though somewhat messy) lubricant for garage door tracks, car doors and latches, and other metal parts that get heavy use outside.

Keep these 12 of the handiest quick fix products in mind when you're restocking your workshop or toolbox and you'll be better equipped to tackle more jobs like a pro.