Category: DIY

The Pros and Cons of Bold Colors

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of attending numerous editors’ conferences over the years sponsored by different manufacturers. I’ve toured plants that heat-treat hand tools and factories that make everything from saw blades to small engines, to name a few. Each experience is like Christmas morning to me because I got to see new tools and…


Install Pegboard Molding

The simple design of classic, shaker-style wooden pegboard molding makes it an ideal addition to a mudroom, bathroom, closet or anywhere you hang things. It might be at the back door for a dog’s leash or a front entry for a hat; it’s a solution as well as an enhancement to a room. You can…


Love Your Level: The Secret to Perfect Alignment

Levels are one of the most important instruments used in the construction industry; carpenters, masons, bricklayers, metalworkers, and handymen couldn’t do their job without one. Some photographers swear by them, too (the best tripods include a bubble level). There are many to choose from, and you may need to add more than one to your…


Install a Floating Floor

The planks of a floating floor don’t need glue or adhesive like a traditional flooring material because they lock together creating a tight bond between the tongue and edge of the planks. They are laminate planks installed over a dense resilient foam that makes it soft underfoot and prevents the planks from flexing when rolled…


Troubleshooting a Masonry Fireplace

Every winter, I get quite a few emails from readers who suffer from smoky fireplaces. Just a month ago, one of my amateur radio friends reached out to me with the same problem. After asking him some questions and looking at photos he provided, I was able to solve his primary problems. I saw reasons…


Quiet Your Plumbing System

Dear James: The water pipes are loud in our house, especially at night; they make a knocking sound when we shut off a faucet. What causes this loud noise and how can we stop it? — Deborah G. Dear Deborah: The loud noise you are describing is called “water hammer” because of the knocking sound….


Renew a Staircase

The constant traffic up and down wooden stairs in a busy household makes for heavy wear and tear on them which can translate to different forms of abuse like a worn or dull finish, loose spindles or a wobbly baluster. The longer you ignore the warning signs the worse the damage can become so find…


Replace a Kitchen Sink

A stainless steel sink is timeless in the ever changing latest design trends in kitchen decor. Replacing an old, worn sink with chips and scratches with a new lightweight stainless steel sink makes it easy to handle and install. Sinks are designed as an undermount unit that attaches underneath the countertop or as a top…


LED Light Strip

You have a lot of options when it comes to strip lighting, also called tape lights and ribbon lights. You’ll find choices in the color of lights, how to control them by a light switch or remote, and how to use them. LED light strips are ideal for accent lighting under a cabinet shelf, inside…


A Bathroom Vanity Primer

Two months ago I made a trip to Cincinnati to attend a retirement party for one of my geology professors. It’s my hometown, and when I go back I spend at least a week there visiting friends. One of them, Tom, a grade school friend, invited me to a gathering about 60 miles east of…