Home hacks just as brilliant today as they were 100 years ago

No need to scramble for a ruler every time you have to measure something big. Draw a ruler on your shop floor with a permanent-ink, felt-tip marker. It won’t be accurate enough for precise measurements, but for rough cutting it will save you time and effort. When the markings start to wear off, just redo them. — Christine Smith

Here’s a quick way to add another clothes rod in a closet. It’s especially useful in a child’s closet, because you can easily adjust the height to accommodate a changing wardrobe and a growing child. Use lightweight chain, attached to both the upper and lower rods with screw hooks. Squeeze the screw hooks closed with a pliers. — Jim Shephard

If you have a sizable hole in a painted hollow-core door, here’s a quick way to fix it: Completely fill the hole with spray foam insulation so the foam is about level with the door surface. Allow it to dry overnight. The foam will expand slightly as it dries, forming a slight mound. Slice off the mound with a razor knife so the foam is slightly lower than the door surface. Apply one or two coats of drywall compound, sand it smooth when dry, and paint. — Richard Loeb Jr

Here’s my solution to workbench clutter: I mounted vinyl gutters along both ends of my workbench to hold small tools and other items that usually end up buried on the work surface. The gutters are durable, inexpensive and it’s easy to find things in them. An added benefit is that small items that get knocked off the workbench no longer fall on the floor. Use an end cap at each end. — Scott Wright

When the blade in your utility knife gets dull, it’s usually only the point and the first 1/4 in. or so that’s bad. You can get additional life from your blade by snapping off the point with a pliers (wear safety glasses). It won’t cut quite as well as a fresh blade, but a lot better than the dull one. — Dennis Feldpausch

I had a lot of doors to spray paint, and I needed a quick and easy stand to hold each one upright, so I could paint both sides without moving it. This stand, made from one 2×4 stud and a triangular base of 20mm plywood, took about five minutes to build. Drive two nails up through the base to set the bottom edge of the door on. Drill a hole through the upper arm to allow an easily removable nail to be tapped into the top edge of the door. Paint the door bottom first if all the edges need to be sealed. — A. Westfall

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No more hammered thumbs, dropped and lost staples or broken wires: Use hot-melt glue to fasten low-voltage wire in place. Use it on phone lines, bell wire, garage door safety sensor wiring, outdoor low-voltage lights, or thermostat wiring. It makes a neat job, and the glue dabs can be painted to match the wall if necessary. (Note: This is for low-voltage lines only.) — Lloyd Ziegler

When I paint, I always place the paint can and my painting paraphernalia in a cardboard box—one that fits snugly between the legs on the fold-down shelf of my stepladder. The box allows for safe and easy transporting, makes dumping the can less likely, and catches those inevitable spills or drips while you’re working. — Jim Carabetta

Don’t miss 11 more little-known painting hacks from the experts.

Noisy, banging doors always annoyed me, until I discovered this easy fix: I stick three or four small self-adhesive felt pads — the kind used on cabinet doors — onto the door jamb stop molding. Besides quieting things down, they make the doors fit better. I also lubricate the latch with a dab of petroleum jelly, because it makes them work easier, further encouraging gentle closings. — Steve Bogumil

Here’s a way to keep dust to a minimum when you have a lot of drywall joints and surfacing compound to sand. Using duct tape, attach a standard swivel-head drywall pole sander to the rigid extension tube of your wet/dry shop vacuum. Keep the vacuum nozzle close to the sandpaper, and just below it. You’ll also need an extra length of hose for your vacuum to reach the ceiling and into corners. — Bruce Wallick

How to hang plasterboard: follow these pro tips for cutting and installing.