Q: I’d like to move a backyard shed about thirty feet to make room for a new deck. Is there a way to move it
Q: I have a metal handrail that has some rust spots, including an area at the bottom of the hollow post where the metal has
Q: What’s the best way to match a popcorn-textured ceiling when making a repair? A: Home centers will usually carry a Popcorn Texture Patch product
Q: I’m planning to build a deck attached to the rear of the house. It will be about 2 feet high. Is it necessary to
Q: The fan to my furnace/AC system stays on after the furnace has finished its heating cycle. This causes it to blow unheated air non-stop,
Q: I’d like to add a ceiling fan in my bedroom, but the center of the room (where I’d like to locate it) falls right
Q: I replaced the floor tile in a bathroom. The new tile isn’t nearly as thick as the old tile, and now my toilet sits
Q: What is the best type of screen material for a screened porch? A: Fiberglass and aluminum are the two main choices for a screen
Q: Why is it necessary to wait a few weeks before staining a new pressure-treated deck? A: Treatment with waterborne preservatives leaves moisture in the
Q: Is there any easier method of extracting a broken fence post than digging up the entire concrete base? A: After removing the fence rails
Q: I saw a photo online of what looked like interior wooden curtains that slid together on an overhead track to cover a window. How
Q: Will plastic sheeting be an okay moisture barrier to use beneath hardwood flooring? A: Avoid plastic sheeting on wood subfloors because it only serves
Q: I inherited a house from a cigarette smoker. How can I remove the residual odor? A: Cigarette smoke can leave a smelly film over
Q: What’s the best way to fix a sagging car headliner? A: Those annoying cloth headliners always seem to eventually detach from the foam backing
Q: What is the difference between face brick and brick veneer? A: Face brick is exposed brick on a home’s exterior or interior. Brick veneers
Q: What’s a more durable wood finish, shellac or varnish? A: All wood finishes fall into one of two categories: evaporative or reactive. Evaporative finishes
Q: How do I get bats out of the attic? A: This is a timely question for our October issue. Bats can be annoying, leave
Q: What’s the most reliable method for attaching a treehouse to a tree? A: Consider using a Treehouse Attachment Bolt, also called a TAB. This
Q: What is domino joinery in woodworking? A: Similar in application to biscuit joinery, Festool’s Domino Joiner tool cuts mortises into the edges of wood
Q: What is the best way to prevent knots from leading to rot in a wood deck surface? A: We recommend sealing knots with stainable,
Q: I want to install a new faucet that has a hidden hose for the spout to double as a spray nozzle. My old two-handle
Q: I’ve heard of a Japanese method of preserving outdoor wood that involves charring the surface. How is this done? A: “Shou Sugi Ban” is
Q: The dishwasher leaked at my mother’s house and damaged the flooring. She has adhesive vinyl floor tile, and I can’t find a match. Is
Q: I read about the wonders of rubber-based sealant as an alternative to silicone, but are there applications where this type of product would not
Q: How do I cut a quartz backsplash? A: Currently popular for countertops, quartz is an attractive but very hard material. Its density and durability
Q: How do I patch an aluminum gutter? I had to relocate a downspout, and now there’s a hole where it used to be. A:
Q: What’s the easiest way to adjust a garden’s soil pH? A: If your garden soil pH level is below 6, the soil is too
Q: How do I remove a laminate kitchen countertop and backsplash? I want to replace it, but the existing countertop is stuck in place, even
Q: Can a DIY’er install a granite countertop? A: For a small end table or island, a couple of DIY’ers strong enough to lift the
Q: I’d like to add a garden of ferns and flowers on the roof of my chicken coop, to provide some decoration and provide insulation
Q: What’s the best roofing material to use for a flat roof? A: For a flat or low-slope roof you’ll need a built-up roof, rubber
Q: Do you have any tips for removing a stripped screw? A: Start by placing a thick rubber band over the screw and then slowly
Q: The electrical fuse in my house keeps blowing. Should I use a bigger fuse? A: Fuses must always match a specific wire size. No.
Q: A woodpecker keeps drilling a hole into the siding beneath the eaves of my house. How can I
Q: What bit should I use to drill a hole in glass? A: You’ll need a diamond-coated or carbide-tipped glass bit. The glass will have
Q: What are the advantages of stone veneer? A: Rather than thick, heavy stones that require additional structural support and mortar between the joints, stone
Q: I’d like to get an early start on my garden this year. What plants are appropriate to sow in April? A: Unless you experience
Q: What is shapeable concrete? A: A new product from Sakrete, called Shapecrete, is an easy-to-use, high performance, shape-able concrete mix that can be rolled,
Q: What are the advantages of marine plywood? A: Marine plywood is manufactured from durable veneers and wood plies with minimal defects so it performs
Q: The plastic nuts that hold the seat onto our toilet keep breaking. I’m worried that if I use metal nuts and washers, the porcelain
Q: How do I Fix a Leaky Outdoor Faucet? A: First, try tightening the handle. If the faucet leaks from the handle, tighten the packing
Q: My child has asthma. Is carpet a bad idea for flooring in our house? A: Significant scientific and medical research demonstrates carpet is a
Q: Can I install an Energy Star-approved appliance myself and still qualify for the U.S. Federal tax credit? A: Yes, you can install the eligible
Q: Can composite decking be stained? A: Yes, you can stain worn composite decking, but since it doesn’t have genuine wood grain you’ll need to
Q: How do I install railing in a concrete sidewalk? A: You can mount the railing with Anchoring Cement, which is a pourable cement that
Q: What is kickout flashing? A: On a roof, kickout flash-ing is installed where a lower roofline intersects a vertical wall. This angled piece of
Q: Do you have a spot-removal suggestion to use on carpet? A: A good standby is to mix 1/4 teaspoon of clear, non-bleach, non-lanolin, non-optical
Q: How do I install an outlet box in a finished wall? A: When running wire through finished walls and you can’t access a stud
Q: I’ve always jumped a car battery by connecting jumper cables directly from the positive and negative terminals on the good battery to the corresponding
Q: Should I use plastic sheeting as a moisture barrier before installing solid wood floors on the first floor of my home? A: You should
Q: I’d like to install tile in a room at the rear of my house, but my neighbor thinks the floor is not stable enough
Q: A valve near the top of my water heater is leaking into a drain line. When I flip the trigger I can open the
Q: The trap beneath our kitchen sink is leaking, and I can’t get the fitting to tighten. Is there a way to repair the leak
Q: I’ve picked up a couple of furniture pieces at yard sales. Their finish is intact, but pretty dull at this point. Is there a
Q: Can I remove a popcorn ceiling with water after it’s been painted? A: The fact that the popcorn finish has been painted means that
Q: How do I cut glass to repair a broken window pane? A: Generally speaking, picture-framing stores and certain hardware stores, such as Lowe’s, will
Q: My water bill has been on steady incline the last few months. The water department says I must have a leaking plumbing fixture, but
Q: When hanging drywall, how far apart should I space the drywall fasteners? A: Fastener spacing for installing gypsum panels depends on the particular drywall
Q: After installing a 2-by-2-foot drywall patch into a ceiling, I realized the piece was too thin and has a “pushed in” look, compared to
Q: How do I mount a screw-mounted fixture onto a tile wall? A: Installing a fixture in tile first requires pre-drilling a pilot hole through
Q: Thieves stole our bicycles by unscrewing the toggle bolt of the bike rack, and stealing the entire rack to which the bikes were chained.
Q. I’ve picked up a couple of furniture pieces at yard sales. Their finish is intact, but pretty dull at this point. Is there a
Q. Can I remove a popcorn ceiling with water after it’s been painted? A. The fact that the popcorn finish has been painted means that
Q. How do I cut glass to repair a broken window pane? A. Generally speaking, picture-framing stores and certain hardware stores, such as Lowe’s, will
Q. My water bill has been on steady incline the last few months. The water department says I must have a plumbing fixture, but I
Q: Can I mount a screw in a hollow core door? A: Since there’s not much solid wood in a hollow-core interior door, screws will
Q: The top of my kitchen island doubles as a butcher-block cutting board. What is a sanitary way to clean the cutting surface? A: Scrub
Q: How do I know what type of polish to use on my wood floors? A: Most wood floors installed over the last 30 years
Q: Is there an easy way to remove old glazing from a window? I’m afraid I’ll break the glass if I chip away at the
Q: I’d like to replace a 2-prong receptacle with a 3-prong receptacle but was told I could only do this if the outlet box was
Q: Why are some saw blades “carbide-tipped”? A: Carbide (specifically tungsten carbide and titanium carbide) is a common material used for cutting tools such as
Q: What is the advantage of a wireless light switch? A: These battery-powered switches control the new home lighting options that are controlled by radio
Q: We installed a new tile floor in the bathroom, but the toilet drain is now too low for the toilet flange. How can we
Q: Should I use concrete to set a fence post? A: Concrete will certainly work to set a fence post, but you should rest the
Q: Is it okay to use treated wood inside? A: Many pressure-treated wood products do not emit any vapors and are safe for interior use,
Q: How do I clean artificial stone in my house? A: First, protect the areas around the stone with a drop cloth. Fill two buckets
Q: Does copper kill bacteria? A: Antimicrobial copper alloys are the only solid metal “touch surface” materials registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to
Q: I’m installing additional loose-fill insulation in my attic. How far away from light fixtures should it be kept? A: Electrical codes generally require that
Q: Does track lighting require multiple electrical wires for all the individual lights? A:Track lighting requires only the standard wiring necessary to power a single
Q: How do I install crown molding when the nails won’t reach the ceiling joists? A: Due to the direction of the ceiling joists, two
Q: What’s the easiest way to run electrical lines through a finished wall for a new outlet? A: If you’re running the wire up from
Q: Our bikes where chained to a bike rack that was mounted to the wall of our back porch. Thieves still stole the bikes by
Q: My mailbox has fallen victim to a game of “mailbox baseball.” I’d like the next one to be encased in brick. How are brick
Q: While visiting a restaurant I noticed the walls had a faux finish with vertical straitions like wood grain or the texture of certain plant
Q: Why do building codes vary from location to location? A: In general, building codes are developed by industry associations to provide minimum safety standards
Q: How should I paint interior brick? A: First step is to scrub the surface clean using a firm synthetic-bristle brush and a TSP (trisodium
Q: When installing insulation, on which side of the wall should a vapor barrier be applied, the inside or outside? A: Most insulation requires a
Q: How should I transition new wallpaper around an arched doorway? A: Since the wallpaper won’t fold neatly around a curve, and it can be
Q: How are clinch nails used? A: Clinch nails are made of soft metal or are cut so the pointed end may be bent over
Q: I’ve seen composite decking for sell as solid boards as well as boards with arched voids on the underside. Is there an advantage to
Q: What’s the best way to deodorize a refrigerator? A: Placing an open box of baking soda in the fridge is an old standby method
Q: How Do I Replace a Circuit Breaker? A: If you’ve already tripped the circuit breaker and the circuit did not reactivate, then you likely
Q: I need to replace a dimmer switch. Are the switches universal? A: Dimmer switches are rated to handle a specific maximum wattage. For example,
Q: Is there a right and wrong way to use wood shims? A: The best method for using wood shims is to insert them in
Q: When replacing a door and transom, do the replacements come as a single unit or separate pieces? A: You should consult with your door
Q: I have new stained wood kitchen cabinets. What’s the best way to care for them? A: Wood cabinets and furniture of all types require
Q: Should I use sanded or unsanded grout for bathroom tile? A: The sand in sanded grout makes it stronger than the unsanded variety so
Q: Why are nails designated in “penny” sizes? A: “Penny” sizes originally referred to the price for a hundred nails in England in the 15th
Q: My son broke a wooden spindle on the stair’s handrail. Since the spindle is trapped in the holes at the top and bottom, how
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