4. Lay Off the Duct Tape

Duct tape fixes the seat physically, but damages it aesthetically. Credit: Flickr/emerson12

In our March 2011 issue of Canadian Home Workshop (on newsstands now), we have an article called “50 Things Every Handyman Should Know.” Item No. 4 in that list is our stance on duct tape.

Duct tape will not fix everything.

That’s right. I said it. It won’t. Now, as much as I admire Red Green’s adhesive creativity, I wouldn’t want him actually fixing anything of mine. Yes, he is a fictional character and the things he does, he does for laughs. But I have seen many real-life repairs that have relied too heavily on the Handyman’s Secret Weapon. The problem is that a duct-tape fix is really just a Band-Aid solution. Some people leave the Band-Aid on too long.

Now, after coming down so hard on duct-tape repairs, this next question may seem a bit unfair. But, do you have any egregious duct-tape fixes? Of my own shameful resume, I’ll only say two words–bathroom tile.