How can I ask my landlord for cosmetic repairs to my apartment?

Its probably too late now, but I take digital photos of damage in an apartment before I move in. If you don't you are likely to pay for it out of your security deposit. If your landlord is good, you just have to ask. If your landlord is okay, you just have to ask several times. And otherwise, the worst that can happen is the landlord doesn't do it, or they do it and take the cost of it out of your security deposit (and if they do that, they probably were going to make you pay for it when you leave anyway). As long as you pay your rent on time, you are pretty safe. If you truly become an annoyance to the landlord they might not let you renew, but it doesn't sound like you've been asking for much so it should be okay. About doing it yourself....if you can do a professional job and the landlord knows that, than it should be okay, but otherwise, they probably don't want an amateur messing with things. Best of luck to you! ... more