One of the best things about our work is when we get to visit with tool manufacturers and try out new tools and see what
Power tool accessories make trusted tools more versatile than ever.
I was reading a commentary by Michael Anschel over at Hanley Woods Remodeling and it got me to thinking. Anschel proposed four elements to improve
Need a new place to keep books, a television or hobby supplies? Then build one.
Replacing your shutters? Consider installing decorative urethane shutters for years of low-maintenance curb appeal.
A PVC decking and handrail system serves as an attractive, low-maintenance alternative to traditional building materials.
Synthetic roofing provides a beautiful and durable replacement alternative.
Can I use Pex in Swimming Pool Applications?
Q: What’s an effective method to kill clover on my lawn? I don’t like the little white flowers that attract insects. A: Clover is
Q: How do I drill through tile without breaking it? My wife wants me to hang a knife rack on our kitchen backsplash. A:
Q: I’d like to refinish a cast iron clawfoot tub, but the prices I’ve been quoted are outrageous. Is this something I can do myself?
Q: Our dog has brought fleas into the house. How do I get rid of them? A: You need to apply insecticide products that
A reader asked me about using a five gallon plastic bucket instead of a store bought system, and the quick answer is yes you can.
Well $1500 later, including a new main pump for the filter system and a rebuild of the Polaris Vacuum System all is well. Here is
Jonathan Whitman of Helena, AL won the DeWalt Worm Drive Saw provided by Tyler Tool for Extreme How-To’s Ultimate Man Expo event held at the Birmingham(AL)-Jefferson
By: Hal Jones A month into our family gardening project, the kids are over the excitement of seeing flowers and green vegetables. The question I
The weekend warriors will be hanging out this weekend at Birmingham’s Ultimate Man Stuff Expo. This is our first local show for Extreme How-To and
By: Hal Jones Father’s Day Special Feature This weekend is Father’s Day and I am taking this opportunity to thank all of the dads
New Tools, Materials and Techniques for this Traditional Flooring Material
One of the cooler demonstrations we had at Bosch was the new technology used in its Speed-X Masonry Drill Bits. The rig used to test
When Milwaukee introduced its painting system it ventured into new territory for the Wisconsin based company known for its quality commercial power tools. The Milwaukee is
When Bosch first introduced this little drill at its 2009 World Media Event, the woodworking editors salivated over getting
Check out Grizzly Tools new Hybrid Tablesaw in dazzling white with an incredible introductory price. Introductory price is $758
Lawn and Garden Father’s Day Ideas Husqvarna introduces its Extreme Mower for landowners and we just couldn’t resist putting
Husqvarna’s LS series garden tractors with side discharge are ideal for large properties. They feature wide cutting decks, extra heavy-duty chassis, first-class ergonomics
I miss weeding. These inverted/upside-down, “Topsy Turvy” planters have taken away weeding as an excuse to get outside for some quite time. Basically, I water
Those of you keeping up with the trials and tribulations know about the swimming pool pump and motor giving up the ghost after many years
After many years of service, the Hayward pool pump at dad’s has succumbed to old age and arthritic bearings. I returned from Chicago and when
I spent the last week in Chicago at the Bosch Media Event held at its Chicago headquarters. The Bosch event is unique in that it
MyFixItUpLife breaks the mold on the regular home improvement call-in radio shows. Fun, fast and informative, think Live with Regis and Kelly meets Ask This Old
This years design interests in soft metallics has opened up a fresh approach to decorative plasters. Lusterstone provides the technical ease and beautiful results that
Not much to report, the main pool pump’s bearings are shot and will have to be replaced. See my earlier articles for my thoughts on
It has been two weeks since we planted the patio planter and already we are seeing blooms and some fruit setting. You can see from
Ok, so I admit it. I hate taking care of a swimming pool. But I hate my mother paying a pool service even more and
It’s a bad day when while driving on the hottest day of the year, your air conditioner suddenly fails, you try and slow down to pull
Extreme How-To will be suggesting some ideal Father’s Day gifts during the next few weeks. Today’s suggestion is for the dad who appreciates fine-quality workmanship
After years of getting my parents pool ready for the summer months, I have finally given up any hope of being able to uncover the
Q: My wife drove the car into the garage wall and did a lot of damage. She managed not to completely drive through the wall,
Q: I need to install fiberglass insulation batts in the drafty crawlspace of the “fix’er upper” house I recently purchased. How do I do this?
Q: I’d like to finish my basement, which currently has bare concrete block walls, but I’d prefer to avoid drywall because of all the mudding
Q: Is there any way to stop condensation of a toilet tank? Water beads up on the tank and drips onto the bathroom floor, and
Q: How do I repair a deck joist that is starting to rot? A: The easiest way is to repair a joist is to
Q: We have a flagstone patio with the stones mortared in place. The mortar is crumbling, leaving the stones loose and making a couple of
Q: I’m planning to build a deck on the back of my house. I want to put a ledger board along the rear wall, but
Q: Is it possible to smooth out the relief on interior textured walls? A: You have three options. The first is to sand the
One of my favorite stories involved my dad, of all people, who hated gardening and never understood why my mom insisted on having a garden.
A Step-by-step guide to Upgrading a Bathroom Faucet
Growing up in Alabama, my mother always had a garden. When we lived in the country, the garden was on a plot below our house.
In our series on working with solid surface countertops for the homeowner or DIY, our second of four installments is up. Today’s segment shows how
Design and Layout Instructions, Part II
Q: I’d like to purchase an HDMI cable for my new HDTV, but the 6-foot cables at the electronics store are $50 each. I’ve found
Q: I’ve heard that the new CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs are incompatible with dimmer switches. Is that true? A: The problem with most
Too much window and not enough wall is a big problem when upgrading some kitchens. Here’s how to solve it.
Q. I varnished a table with a satin-finish polyurethane product. After it dried, some areas were glossy while other areas were nearly matte flat. What
Design and Layout Instructions, Part I
Two tools I discovered invaluable in my latest tile job are the Bosch Tile Layout Laser and the Wagner PaintEater. The Bosch Laser built for
The tile are installed and grouted. I won’t say there weren’t moments of exasperation, but now that it’s all behind me, I can sit back
Installing Flat-lay Laminate Countertops
Rarely have I had tool failures, but this week has been an exception. Monday night I had a Dremel rotary tool die an ignoble death.
Master concrete stainer, Gaye Goodman, explains the staining procedure in step-by-step detail.
Create a new look for an old room by blending various trim styles and building a home-improvement design vocabulary.
Installing ceramic or porcelain tile should not be an intimidating project and with the right tools you can get professional results. My first tile installations
Several factors affect tile layout. My suggestion is before installing the tile permanently, do a dry run. Lay out the tiles, dry(using no mortar) to see what
This was almost a trick question. Ford receives credit for inventing the charcoal briquette, but did he really invent it? Nope, the patent preceded the Ford
Many years ago I converted a porch into a sun-room for my parents. The room gets more use than others and has become a family
Who invented charcoal briquettes?
What a beautiful weekend we had to begin the dock renovation. Several sections of metal roofing on the fish house had to be replaced following a fall
Q: When building a deck, is it necessary to fasten the deck ledger board to the house, or can I build a freestanding deck? A:
Q: What is Cat 6 wiring? A: Whereas you’re probably familiar with Cat-5 wiring, which is used for cable television among many other things,
Q: How do I determine what size of air compressor to buy? A: The most important rating for an air compressor is the SCFM
New water-conserving toilet valves can save money and resources.
Accesories to Make Your Shop Safer As you plan your projects, why not plan to work safely and efficiently with a new line of tablesaw
Here’s a three-fold approach to a new basement floor, including an insulated subfloor system, engineered cork flooring, and easy-to-install carpet squares.
Well it has been a few weeks since I updated the progress on mom’s bathroom renovation. The tile layers had begun their part of the
Bosch Introduces Impact Tough™ Accessories Mount Prospect, Ill., March 26, 2010 – Bosch Power Tools and Accessories this week introduces a full range of accessory
Just like you, I cringe when I have to pick up material for a big project. The current stage of dock renovation is painting everything,
Four! Whoops … that golf ball just made a smash landing right in your living room! Whether a stray soft ball or a ladder that
Well this past weekend temperatures here in the Deep South hit the mid 80s. What happened to the mild 70s I wanted? The greening of
You have seen HID lights, the bright-bluish white car headlamps that were once only found on high end sports models but are more prevalent now.
During the past month we surveyed one million EHT Newsletter subscribers. Here are the results from the customer satisfaction survey. I was surprised by the
Bosch Laser Dual Line Laser 360 degree coverage
This past weekend I had a few tools to use and review that I was really excited about. Now many times, these great expectations die a quick
A couple of products being reviewed this weekend have me excited. For starters I will be taking a look at a new HID Flashlight from
Howard Hughes, eclectic, reclusive and sometimes nutty billionaire was not a Horatio Alger rags to riches story. What was the source of his fortune? If
What did the Apollo 8 astronauts use to fasten down tools during weightlessness on their 1968 moon-orbiting voyage? Answer in the comments section below. Hint,
Do you remember the first real knife you ever had? I mean a knife that didn’t come from a gumball machine or a discount store and was made in Pakistan. It was probably a Schrade, Boker, Gerber or a Buck. Well mine was a Buck 110 and I will never forget how different it was from my other pretend knives. The blade stayed sharp and it didn’t rust at the first sign of humidity. I kept up with that knife through college, which is amazing since I lost sunglasses at a rate that kept many offshore sweat-shop mini factories in business. I discovered Ray-Bans in college, the aviator glasses I was told were a good way to attract girls. I still have Ray-Bans from college. I think there is an innate desire in us to hold onto items we perceive to have quality. So the extra money spent on such items, I came to see as an investment.
It is springtime in Alabama. Forsythia is already blooming, jonquils and crocus are beginning to drop their blooms, but the nights are still cool and
Q: Our concrete driveway has an old piece of lumber used to form an expansion joint. The lumber has rotted away. What’s the best way to
Q: Is there any difference in procedure between installing a picture rail and a chair rail? A: Installing a picture rail is basically the same
Q: When trying to replace a toilet, I stripped the nut that bolts the toilet to the flange. How do I get this off? A:
Q: How does a split-jamb door work? A: Prehung split-jamb doors are designed for situations where an interior wall’s rough frame is thicker than a standard
ShopBot is bringing its annual Jamboree back to Durham this spring. The ShopBot Jamboree celebrates industrial design and digital fabrication by demonstrating how CNC machines
I was talking with my good friend Doug Mahoney yesterday. Doug is editor of ToolSnob, and writes the tool columns for Popular Science and Popular
About a week ago I polled 10,000 readers regarding various areas related to Extreme How-To. Thank you to all who participated. Surveys help us better
Armstrong-Clark’s deck and siding wood stain has nondrying conditioning oils that separate from the drying side of the formula. These oils penetrate deep into the deck or siding wood fiber where the wood’s natural oils used to be. This process rejuvenates the wood. The drying oils stay at the surface, lock in the conditioning oils […]
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