How To Handyma’am | A Home Improvement Comedy Podcast · Samantha Pearl|Lic. Builder, Emily Pearl Reist|Lic. Builder, and Arly Streed

Ep 15: To Fix or Not to Fix | When to DIY vs. Replace 6 Common Home Repairs

·51 min·3 clips

A fairy statue with butterfly wings is repaired after six failed products using Gorilla Glue Two-part Epoxy Glue.

1. How To Handyma’am centers this episode on “To Fix or Not to Fix,” a comparison of repairing versus replacing common home problems. 2. Samantha, Emily, and Arlie host the episode, and Rich Hopkins of RTA Wholesalers is named as the owner of a cabinet company in Carson, California. 3. The episode asks when a homeowner should spend time and money on a repair and when replacement is the better choice. 4. The hosts begin with RTA Wholesalers, a ready-to-assemble cabinet company that they describe as beautiful, reasonably priced, and easy to order. 5. They say the company’s cabinets arrive unassembled, which lowers shipping costs compared with fully assembled cabinets. 6. They note that RTA Wholesalers lists prices on its website and offers in-stock and custom cabinets. 7. They also say the company sends missing parts overnight and that Rich Hopkins answers the phone and email himself. 8. Emily then names epoxy grout as a recent favorite, and the hosts describe it as a two-part product that comes with a purple caulk gun. 9. They explain that the grout works for large-format tile seams and for outside corners where two tiled surfaces meet. 10. Samantha describes using the epoxy grout to wrap a shelf corner so the seam was hidden and the edge was not sharp. 11. Emily next recommends Gorilla Glue Two-part Epoxy Glue after a fairy statue with butterfly wings broke and six other products failed. 12. The failed attempts include construction adhesive, super glue, melting the break, and trying to brace the piece with nails. 13. The hosts say the epoxy glue fixed the statue instantly and that they now use it at client sites. 14. They explain that two-part epoxy cures by chemical reaction rather than by exposure to air, which makes it useful for sealed repairs. 15. Samantha then recommends Valspar paint from Lowe’s, especially the Signature line and a bonding primer she likes for cabinet and trim work. 16. The hosts contrast Valspar with higher-priced Sherwin-Williams lines, saying Emerald and Emerald Urethane can cost around $90 to $98 a gallon without a discount. 17. The repair-versus-replace section starts with ripped linoleum, where the hosts distinguish a clean tear from stretched damage caused by moving a refrigerator. 18. They also cover hollow-core doors, noting that painted doors can be filled with wood Bondo, while stained veneer doors are much harder to repair cleanly. 19. The episode keeps a comic, informal tone with side jokes, a pee break, and repeated asides about learning from trial and error. 20. Listeners who like practical DIY product recommendations will get the most from this episode, while people wanting a tightly structured how-to lesson may skip it.

As heard by us

A playful, practical look at when a repair is worth the time and money.

The episode turns a Shakespeare-leaning home-repair chat into a straightforward question: when does a fix still make sense, and when is replacement the better call?

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Why you'd press play

Need help deciding whether to repair the broken thing or buy new?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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