Strata Repairs and Maintenance

Lesson 3: Your repair kit

Goal: carry the right kit so most jobs get finished on the first visit.

A good handyperson’s reputation comes from finishing jobs, not starting them. Most return visits happen because a part or a tool wasn’t in the van.

The everyday bag

An open case of screwdriver bits in rows, Phillips, flat, Torx and hex, with a blue ratchet screwdriver handle in the middle. — A bit set with a ratchet handle covers almost every screw in door and window hardware. Photo: Pittigrilli, CC BY 4.0

Tool	What it’s for
Cordless drill/driver and an impact driver	Screws, pilot holes, mixing small batches of compound
Bit set (PH1, PH2, PZ2, flat, Torx T10 to T30) and Allen keys (1.5 to 6 mm)	Door and window hardware; lever grub screws are often 2.5 or 3 mm
Tape measure, pencil, 600 mm spirit level	Measuring backsets, setting out patches, hanging things straight
Utility knife and spare blades	Cutting plasterboard, scoring paint, trimming silicone
Stud finder and a cable and pipe detector	Before you drill or screw into any wall
Torch and head torch	Ceiling spaces, cupboards, dark plant rooms
Moisture meter	Is it still wet? Lesson 4
Phone camera	Before, during and after photos for every job
P2 masks, gloves, safety glasses, ear muffs	Lesson 2

The patching and painting kit

A wide stainless steel scraper blade with an orange and black rubber handle on a white background. — A broad knife. Carry three widths: 50, 100 and 250 mm. Photo: HomeSpot HQ, CC BY 2.0

Broad knives (50, 100 and 250 mm) and a small hawk or tray for compound
Ready-mixed lightweight filler for small holes, and base coat and topping compound (or an all-purpose one) for bigger patches (Lesson 5)
Self-adhesive mesh patches (50, 100 and 150 mm), paper and mesh joint tape
A plasterboard saw (jab saw) and offcuts of 10 mm and 13 mm plasterboard
Sanding block, sanding sponges and a pole sander; 120 and 180 grit paper
Brushes (50 mm angled sash, 75 mm), a 230 mm roller frame with medium-nap covers, a tray and a short extension pole
Stain-blocking primer (Lesson 7), a plasterboard sealer, and the building’s touch-up colours
Drop sheets (canvas, not plastic, on floors: plastic is slippery), painter’s tape, sugar soap, rags

A black plastic paint tray on a grey drop sheet holding a roller with white paint, a brush and a stirring stick. — Roller, tray, brush and drop sheet: the touch-up kit. Photo: whereareyousimon, CC BY 2.0

The hardware box

Keep a small stock of the hardware your building actually uses. Every building is different, so build it from what you replace:

spare levers and latches in the building’s brand and finish (passage and privacy sets)
door stops, buffers, hinge screws in 30 and 50 mm lengths, and longer 65 mm screws for fixing hinges into the frame
spare window catches, handles and winder parts for each window brand on site
silicone (neutral cure, white and clear), a caulking gun, painter’s acrylic gap filler
wall plugs and anchors for plasterboard and masonry

The building’s paint record

Practitioner tip: the most useful document in the toolbox isn’t a tool. It’s a list of every paint used on common property: brand, colour name and code, sheen (flat, low sheen, semi-gloss), and where it goes. Get it from the last painting contractor’s handover, or take a chip to a paint shop to match. Keep a labelled litre of each colour on site.

Area	Product	Colour	Sheen
Corridor walls	(brand) interior acrylic	(name and code)	Low sheen
Corridor ceilings	Ceiling paint	Ceiling white	Flat
Door frames and doors	Water-based enamel	(name and code)	Semi-gloss

At Jacaranda Court

Your predecessor left a box of mismatched levers and three half-tins of paint with no labels. You start the paint record with the strata manager’s copy of the 2019 repaint specification, buy one litre of each colour, and label them. The next scuffed corridor takes 20 minutes instead of a week waiting for a colour match.

On the job 3

Start your building’s paint record and hardware list. For each, note brand, model or colour, and where it is used. Photograph one of every lever, catch and window handle in the building.

Sources

Gyprock (CSR), Plasterboard installation and repair guides
Australian Government (2016), Lead Alert: The six step guide to painting your home, 5th edition (preparation and clean-up)

Quick quiz

Pick an answer for each question. Nothing is recorded.

Why keep a record of the paint colours and sheens used in the building? Insurance needs it So touch-ups match without repainting a whole wall It's required by law
Show answer
Answer: So touch-ups match without repainting a whole wall. A touch-up in the right colour and sheen disappears. A near match shows, and you end up painting the whole wall.
What is a moisture meter for? Checking if a wall is dry enough to patch and paint, and tracing a leak Measuring humidity in the air Finding studs
Show answer
Answer: Checking if a wall is dry enough to patch and paint, and tracing a leak. It tells you whether plasterboard or timber is still wet, so you don't paint over damp, and helps you follow a leak to its source.
Which screwdriver bit do most Australian door and window hardware screws take? Flat Phillips (PH2) or Pozidriv, plus Torx and Allen keys for some brands Only Torx
Show answer
Answer: Phillips (PH2) or Pozidriv, plus Torx and Allen keys for some brands. PH2 covers most screws, but lever grub screws often need a small Allen key and some brands use Torx.

General education, not trade or legal advice. Licence limits, asbestos rules and window safety laws differ by state and change, so check your regulator before you quote or start. If a job involves electricity, plumbing, gas, waterproofing, fire doors or anything you think may contain asbestos, stop and get the right licensed trade.