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  • 10 Easy Holiday Storage Tips

    by
    posted on Fri, Dec 28 2012
    • 1
    With New Year's Eve just around the corner, you'll soon be thinking about cleaning up after the holidays and getting organized for 2013. Here are 10 of my favorite storage tips to make putting...

  • Splice Wires Easily with this Connector

    by
    posted on Thu, Dec 30 2010
    • 20
    It drives me crazy when I go to replace an outlet or switch and the wires are too short. I've run into wires so short I could barely pull the outlet far enough from the box to loosen the terminal screws...

  • Sneak Peek: Ingenious Garage Storage Ideas

    by
    posted on Mon, Nov 22 2010
    • 4
    OK, raise your hand if you "store" things on your garage floor or on shelves that are already too full of other stuff. Let's all put our hands down now. I stood in my garage the other day...

  • Instant Kitchen Storage: Two 10-Minute Projects

    by
    posted on Mon, Nov 26 2012
    • 2
    Here are two simple projects to organize items in your kitchen. The best part is that each project takes 10 minutes or less to do. Project #1: Super-simple spice storage This storage project will actually...

  • Garage Security: A Burglarproof Door

    by
    posted on Wed, Jan 23 2013
    • 1
    To get real-world garage-security advice, I've spoken with cops, insurance adjusters, even burglars. But one of my most interesting security talks was with a firefighter who routinely busts through...

  • “Must Have” Portable Table Saw

    by
    posted on Thu, Apr 22 2010
    • 5
    Having a fancy cabinet saw is great, but what do you do when you need to go on location? Well, for me the answer is the Ryobi BTS21—a 10-in. table saw with a portable stand. I shopped around, looked...

  • How I Saved Money: I Made an Old Door Energy Efficient

    by
    posted on Tue, Jul 3 2012
    • 0
    Save money by sealing your exterior door with aluminum and vinyl weatherstripping. Cut the strips to length with a hacksaw. Then press the vinyl bulb against the door while you drive in the screws. A lot...

  • Prevent peeling paint with water repellent preservative

    by
    posted on Tue, Aug 9 2011
    • 3
    How do you prevent peeling paint? Water repellent preservative is the best-kept secret in the world of painting. Decades of university and government studies have shown that WRP adds years to the life...

  • 7 Ways to Make Your Home More Functional in the New Year

    by
    posted on Wed, Jan 9 2013
    • 2
    A brand new year means it's time to reorganize and reprioritize the spaces around your house. The good news is, there are simple ways to gain more storage in the most important rooms in your house...

  • Rain barrel diverters protect your foundation from overflows

    by
    posted on Tue, Aug 2 2011
    • 2
    About three years ago, I built myself a rain barrel from a 55-gallon plastic pickle container. I set it up on concrete blocks about 2 ft. off the ground and placed it directly underneath a sawed-off downspout...

  • Kitchen Ideas: Faux granite countertops that are surprisingly easy and inexpensive

    by
    posted on Mon, Jul 25 2011
    • 0
    For the June '11 issue of The Family Handyman magazine, we transformed a blah, boring kitchen into something really special with four simple and inexpensive projects. One of these projects was to cover...

  • 5 Favorite Easy DIY Projects

    by
    posted on Wed, Oct 31 2012
    • 3
    Many DIY projects are not ones you would choose. Your house chooses them for you: the clogged toilet, the broken dryer, the lawn that needs to be rescued, etc. But there are also the projects you do because...

  • Simple Workbench in a Day

    by
    posted on Thu, Jan 20 2011
    • 0
    Looking for a cheap and easy workbench plan? You can find a lot of plans online, but most are for serious woodworkers who don't mind spending hundreds of dollars and several days building a workbench...

  • Repair a portable gas heater with a new thermocouple

    by
    posted on Fri, Nov 18 2011
    • 0
    Portable gas heaters have something in common with gas water heaters. They both depend on a thermocouple. When the thermocouple reaches a certain temperature, it signals the valve to open and let the gas...

  • Garage Storage: How Much Weight Can Trusses Take?

    by
    posted on Thu, Nov 11 2010
    • 2
    This is the time of year when I bring outdoor stuff indoors and garage storage space gets scarce. My favorite storage solution is to shove more and more stuff "up in the rafters." And that got...

  • Slanted Bookshelves

    by
    posted on Mon, Jul 23 2012
    • 3
    My wife and I enjoy reading, and we seem to acquire a lot of books. A couple of years ago, we ran out of bookshelf space, and since then, piles of books started forming around the house. Before someone...

  • Pergolas: How to Build a Pergola

    by
    posted on Tue, Jul 12 2011
    • 0
    There must be just a little bit of Italian romantic in most of us—even me, a no-nonsense German! What else could explain our love for pergolas? OK, some people call them arbors or gazebos, and the...

  • Favorite Electrical Tool

    by
    posted on Tue, Oct 2 2012
    • 2
    Every time I install new electrical cable, I wind up using three tools. First I use a utility knife to slice down the center of the cable jacket and remove the excess jacket. I figure I'm doing well...

  • Dumpster Smarts: Getting Rid of Demolition Trash

    by
    posted on Thu, Nov 18 2010
    • 4
    I'm in the middle of completely gutting and rehabbing a house. So far, the debris has required two 20-yard trash containers to the tune of $800. When you're talking about trash containers, space...

  • Woodworking Tip: Clamp Without Clamps

    by
    posted on Wed, Mar 30 2011
    • 3
    Years ago, I was helping a grouchy old cabinetmaker build some small wooden boxes. “These mitered corners are gonna be a nightmare to clamp up,” I said. “No problem,” he muttered...

  • Sharpen a chain saw blade in two minutes with the Oregon PowerSharp

    by
    posted on Wed, Aug 31 2011
    • 1
    I hate sharpening chain saws. It takes forever and interrupts your woodcutting, and I’m never quite happy with the results. There are all kinds of gimmicks you can buy to make the job easier, but...

  • My Workshop Space Saver

    by
    posted on Fri, Nov 9 2012
    • 7
    For years I used a store-bought miter saw stand in my workshop. It was light and easy to fold up—great for hauling around in the back of my pickup truck. These days, though, my saw doesn't leave...

  • Backyard Structures: Three Projects to Inspire You

    by
    posted on Thu, Mar 14 2013
    • 0
    Well, it's almost spring again and time to start planning for that backyard structure you've been thinking about. At our house, we've been contemplating a gazebo over the patio and are just...

  • How to get rid of mice

    by
    posted on Tue, Sep 27 2011
    • 4
    We never have mice in our house in the summer. Apparently the detached garage and stone patio wall are good enough for them during warm weather. But once the temperature dips into the low 60s at night...

  • Low-Maintenance Landscaping Ideas

    by
    posted on Wed, Mar 27 2013
    • 0
    I'm a yard and garden nut, and there's nothing I love more than digging in the dirt. But I'm also very busy, so I need my yard and garden to thrive without a lot of watering, weeding and fertilizing...

  • Time to Deal with Crabgrass!

    by
    posted on Wed, Mar 20 2013
    • 1
    If you had crabgrass last year, you have thousands of seeds in your lawn just waiting to sprout. And once that happens, you'll likely be looking at crabgrass again all summer. All it takes is one itty...

  • Don't Burn Down Your House: Preventing Clothes Dryer Fires

    by
    posted on Wed, Apr 10 2013
    • 0
    Lint buildup in a dryer and its vent cuts the dryer's efficiency. Clothes take longer to dry, while your energy bills go up. But the biggest reason to clean out lint is that lint buildup can lead to...

  • “Green” your lawn with drought-tolerant turf

    by
    posted on Tue, Jul 19 2011
    • 1
    Here are a couple of eye-opening factoids: — U.S. homeowners spend more to maintain their lawns than the average farmer spends on each acre of crops. — For the average home, 50 to 70 percent...

  • Frugal Living: Make Your Vacuum Last

    by
    posted on Wed, Mar 6 2013
    • 3
    A vacuum repairman once told me that he was going to name his new boat "The Bagless" in honor of the vacuums that paid for it. Bagless models don't end up in his shop because they're...

  • Wood repair: What's so great about epoxy?

    by
    posted on Wed, Feb 9 2011
    • 2
    A few of us were talking about wood repair the other day, and I commented on how great two-part epoxy fillers are. I’ve used the Wood Restoration Kit from Abatron brand, but others are available...

  • 10 Tips for Using a Generator

    by
    posted on Thu, Nov 29 2012
    • 1
    Generators can be a real lifesaver. But used improperly, they can be a killer, too. Carbon monoxide and electrocution hazards are real dangers if you don't know what you're doing. Here are a few...

  • Top iPhone/iPad Home Improvement Apps for DIYers

    by
    posted on Thu, Nov 10 2011
    • 3
    I'm one of those guys looking for any excuse to buy the latest tools and gadgets to make my workshop complete. Thanks to the computing power of smartphones and tablets, I always carry along a bunch...

  • Garage flooring: Resurfacing and repair tips

    by
    posted on Thu, May 19 2011
    • 4
    Yes, that really is my garage floor pictured to the right. It’s a detached garage—one of those that looks like a little cottage in the back of a small city lot. At one time it was a poured...

  • Laundry room plumbing: A recessed PVC floor drain

    by
    posted on Tue, Nov 1 2011
    • 3
    The building code in my area calls for a floor drain in the laundry room. But the laundry room in my house is on a standard wooden floor above the crawl space, not on concrete. So here's the problem...

  • Kitchen ideas: A better sink drain

    by
    posted on Tue, Jul 5 2011
    • 2
    Ninety-nine percent of drain lines under sinks are bound to leak sooner or later. That’s because the parts are made from thin plastic and joined with “slip” joints that slip together...

  • Customize your Flat Screen TV Mount

    by
    posted on Thu, Dec 16 2010
    • 1
    One of the first things you see when you come in the front door at our house is the side of the flat screen TV. We wanted to hide the wires and mounting hardware so that the TV would be less conspicuous...

  • Easy Repairs With Epoxy

    by
    posted on Wed, Sep 5 2012
    • 0
    Most of the houses on my block are more than 100 years old, so as you can imagine, they need a lot of maintenance and repair. I was walking the dog the other day and ran into one of my neighbors who owns...

  • Sheds: Easy Sliding Doors

    by
    posted on Wed, Mar 7 2012
    • 1
    For several years now, I've been in charge of designing and building our annual shed. The photo here gives you a sneak preview of the shed that will appear in our July/Aug. '12 issue. One of the...

  • 10 Tips for Dealing With Water Damage, Mold and Mildew

    by
    posted on Wed, Dec 5 2012
    • 2
    A flooded basement, moldy drywall and mildewed grout are no fun to deal with. Here are tips to help you prevent water damage and mold growth from happening in the first place, and tips for handling these...

  • Add a whole-house surge protector

    by
    posted on Tue, Aug 23 2011
    • 1
    A couple of weeks ago, we had a thunderstorm at our house with lots of lightning. The next morning, our two-year old washing machine went on the fritz. The repairman told us both circuit boards were fried...

  • 3 Plumbing Repairs Anyone Can Do

    by
    posted on Tue, Sep 11 2012
    • 2
    According to a study I've been conducting for the past 20 years, almost every home in North America needs at least one of these plumbing repairs. And that's a shame, because each of these plumbing...

  • PVC pipe vs. ABS pipe: How do you choose?

    by
    posted on Tue, Mar 8 2011
    • 4
    Ask a bunch of plumbers which is better and you probably won’t get an answer, just an argument. Some say PVC is best for long-term, leak-free drain lines because it’s stronger. Others say ABS...

  • Cool New Lawn Mowers

    by
    posted on Tue, Apr 27 2010
    • 5
    I’ve been lucky enough to test-drive some new lawn mowers this year, and I like what I’ve found—high-tech features, easy operation and nice, even cuts. Whether you’re on a tight...

  • Pergola: Add a Fabric Cover for Extra Protection

    by
    posted on Mon, Mar 12 2012
    • 0
    A pergola is a great way to add a little shade and a sense of privacy to your patio. But the open latticework doesn't provide complete shade or any protection from rain. If you're planning to build...

  • Drip Irrigation for Vegetables

    by
    posted on Tue, Jun 5 2012
    • 3
    The setup is easy to install and costs less than $50. This raised-bed vegetable garden is watered automatically every three days by a drip watering system. Emitters installed every 12 in. or so provide...

  • Using MDF as cheap finished flooring

    by
    posted on Mon, Nov 14 2011
    • 0
    Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) has a ton of useful applications, but as a finished flooring material? About five years ago, we needed a cheap "temporary" finished flooring solution in our upstairs...

  • Bathroom ideas: The power of the shower

    by
    posted on Tue, Oct 25 2011
    • 4
    I've done a lot of remodeling, and I'm pretty sure I'm about to share the absolute fastest and easiest home improvement project I've ever completed. The difference is amazing. On a recent...

  • My favorite straightedge

    by
    posted on Wed, Apr 27 2011
    • 2
    As a remodeling contractor, I was always interested in the specialty tools that other contractors used. On one job site, I was watching my tile contractor screed a mud bed for floor tile. He was using...

  • How to drywall: A finishing shortcut

    by
    posted on Tue, Aug 30 2011
    • 3
    Most home improvement shortcuts lead to trouble. But here’s one that makes drywall finishing faster without regrets later: In closets and other low-priority areas, don’t tape and mud inside...

  • Big Ball Level

    by
    posted on Thu, Apr 22 2010
    • 1
    Looking for a level that’s super easy to read? Check out The 24-in. level uses what’s called an “aviation style ball” instead of the traditional vials for readings. Basically, that’s...

  • Avoid Frozen Sump Pump Pipes

    by
    posted on Tue, Apr 16 2013
    • 2
    Last fall I tackled a little project that could have caused me big problems. The previous spring, I had a drain tile system installed in my basement. The system discharges outside, and I quickly tired...

  • Kitchen ideas: Quick & simple knife block

    by
    posted on Tue, Aug 16 2011
    • 1
    Looking for kitchen ideas ? Here’s the world’s fastest, easiest, cheapest knife rack. If you have a table saw and some wood scraps, you can build one of these knife racks in less than an hour...

  • Winter Driving: Tips to Stay Out of the Ditch

    by
    posted on Tue, Dec 18 2012
    • 1
    Here in Minnesota, we had our first taste of winter driving a few weeks ago when a surprise dusting of snow fell on warm asphalt and froze, turning the roads into a virtual skating rink. Traffic was snarled...

  • Laundry room storage ideas: A home for hangers

    by
    posted on Tue, Aug 23 2011
    • 2
    When I remodeled my laundry room, my motto was “a home for everything.” I installed cabinets and shelves and drawers and pegboard… But the nicest little storage feature is this towel...

  • How to install doors faster

    by
    posted on Thu, Sep 22 2011
    • 1
    I’ve been a contractor for 10 years and have installed lots of doors the traditional way. But I recently discovered this little gem: The Quick Door Hanger is a simple bracket that you screw to the...

  • Bookcases: Pro Shortcut for DIY Furniture Makers

    by
    posted on Tue, Feb 21 2012
    • 3
    The ideal bookcase has open shelves for items you want to put on display, and enclosed storage space for stuff you don't. But the trouble with enclosed spaces is that they require doors—and making...

  • Bagster Smarts

    by
    posted on Thu, Jun 21 2012
    • 2
    You buy the Bagster bag, which costs about $30, and Waste Management will pick it up for a collection fee. The fee varies—in our area, it's $70. To find the service and price it, go to thebagster...

  • Protect your deck from joist rot

    by
    posted on Wed, Feb 23 2011
    • 1
    Last summer, I helped a carpenter buddy tear out a rotten deck. The joists were pressure-treated lumber, so I was surprised at how badly decayed they were. But my friend wasn’t. He sees it all the...

  • Kitchen ideas: How to clean a stinky garbage disposer

    by
    posted on Sat, Sep 24 2011
    • 0
    I walked into the kitchen yesterday and a really bad smell was lurking over near the sink. That ever happen to you? One day everything’s fine and then suddenly…it’s truly not. The source...

  • Can’t glue wet wood

    by
    posted on Tue, Apr 26 2011
    • 4
    I wanted to build some curved, laminated treated posts for my arbor. So I went to the lumberyard to buy 1x6s for the project. The only ones they had were still pretty wet from the treatment process, but...

  • Two Great Ridgid Compact Tools

    by
    posted on Thu, Jul 15 2010
    • 1
    12-volt lithium-ion drill The older model of this drill is one of my favorites: powerful, small enough to fit in a tool belt, and with the advantages of lithium-ion technology. (I especially love the way...

  • High-Tech Work Gloves

    by
    posted on Thu, Sep 2 2010
    • 4
    I love my high-tech work gloves and here's why. They're tough like leather gloves and fit tight like surgeons' gloves. That means your fingers stay nimble enough to handle nails and screws...

  • Upgrade your wiper blades

    by
    posted on Mon, Mar 28 2011
    • 4
    Most car owners think wiper blades last several years. They don’t. In fact, in a rainy or snowy climate, they barely last a full year before they start to streak. And once they streak, they’re...

  • Impact Drivers Make Great Drills

    by
    posted on Wed, Oct 27 2010
    • 3
    Along with a crew of tool testers, I'm working on an article about cordless impact drivers. Before the hands-on testing, most of us figured that impact drivers were great for driving screws, but second...

  • Beat the Heat and Cut Cooling Costs

    by
    posted on Tue, Jul 17 2012
    • 2
    Ten years ago, I installed central air conditioning in my old house, but the south bedrooms were still too steamy. I thought about reworking the duct system to pump in more cold air, but tried something...

  • Four Tips to Prepare for the Next Ice Storm

    by
    posted on Wed, Jan 30 2013
    • 2
    Salt your walks and driveway ahead of time Pick up a bag or container of ice melt or deicing salt at a home center or hardware store and sprinkle it on your sidewalks, steps and driveway. If you have a...

  • Miter saw table from recycled bifold doors

    by
    posted on Mon, Mar 14 2011
    • 0
    Here's how to make a quick miter saw stand using old hollow-core bifold doors. You can usually find old bifold doors free from someone you know who’s remodeling or along the street if you have...

  • How to Plan for Kitchen Cabinets

    by
    posted on Wed, Oct 17 2012
    • 3
    Last year, my son and I bought a 25-year-old, rundown foreclosed house, really cheap. Part of the remodel (a.k.a., a complete rebuild) was of course replacing the kitchen. There really wasn't much...

  • Makita’s mini circular saw

    by
    posted on Tue, Mar 1 2011
    • 0
    As my age rises, so does my affection for smaller, lighter tools. And here’s my latest love: Makita’s 5005BA 5-1/2-in. circular saw. Weighing in at 7 lbs., it’s a few pounds lighter than...

  • Garage Organization: Finding Space on High

    by
    posted on Wed, May 16 2012
    • 0
    I have enough camping gear in my garage to start my own REI store. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for ways to improve my garage organization and storage. One of the most successful was...

  • Choosing the Right Paint Sheen

    by
    posted on Wed, Oct 10 2012
    • 0
    I went to the paint store the other day to pick up paint for the bathroom, and the salesperson asked what sheen I wanted. I'm painting woodwork and the walls. Even though I thought I knew the answer...

  • Monitor Your Energy Consumption

    by
    posted on Wed, Aug 22 2012
    • 1
    My wife and I were recently going over our monthly bills trying to figure out how we could save a little money. When our electricity bill came to the chopping block, the chest freezer in our garage became...

  • Rose Gardens: My Radical Response to Japanese Beetles

    by
    posted on Wed, Jun 27 2012
    • 1
    My Japanese beetle-bedraggled roses are in the very back row behind the peony (in 2011). Japanese beetles chow down on roses! My North Star cherry was lovely in bloom (before those beetles chomped on it...

  • 10 Tips for Using a Chain Saw

    by
    posted on Tue, Dec 4 2012
    • 0
    A chain saw is one of the most dangerous tools a do-it-yourselfer will ever handle. One mistake and you can wind up with serious injuries. Here are 10 common sense tips to protect you and your property...

  • Suspended ceiling panels: Cheap, easy and elegant

    by
    posted on Tue, May 3 2011
    • 1
    Let’s say you have an ugly ceiling or you’ve had some roof leaks (that you’ve fixed, right?) but you’ve got some stains left behind. Or maybe, you just want to soften a room that...

  • Upgrade your Bathroom Fan: Stop Mold, Wood Rot and More

    by
    posted on Thu, Nov 4 2010
    • 0
    Now's the time to think about upgrading to a quiet bathroom fan. A bathroom fan is your first line of defense against excess winter humidity, which causes a range of problems, from condensation on...

  • Lower Your Utility Bills: Better Bath Fan Controls

    by
    posted on Tue, Apr 2 2013
    • 0
    A bath fan can save energy or waste it, depending on how long you let it run after a steamy shower. If you don't let it run long enough, a lot of humidity is left in the air, and that forces your air...

  • Bobcat 3400 4x4 utility vehicle is 1,400 lbs. of fun

    by
    posted on Tue, Oct 11 2011
    • 0
    Know what a utility vehicle is? Well, it's like a mini 4x4 pickup truck that can go just about anywhere. Bobcat loaned me one of its 3400 series for a couple of weeks, and man, I got so hooked I didn’t...

  • Concrete sealer: Protect your driveway

    by
    posted on Thu, Jul 14 2011
    • 2
    The cause of "spalling" or "scaling" concrete is simple. Concrete is porous and soaks up a lot of water. When that water freezes, it expands and breaks up the concrete surface. Prevention...

  • Benefits of Synthetic Oil

    by
    posted on Thu, Feb 14 2013
    • 0
    Almost all new engines are designed to run on synthetic oil. To find out if your vehicle actually requires it, just check your owner's manual. If the manufacturer specifies a synthetic blend for your...

  • Ryobi paintbrush cleaner

    by
    posted on Thu, Jul 8 2010
    • 1
    We receive tons of painting gadgets here at The Family Handyman . Some are dumb, but not this one. If you do lots of painting, or even if you just hate cleaning brushes, this $30 paintbrush cleaner is...

  • Quick Way to Stir Paint

    by
    posted on Thu, Apr 22 2010
    • 0
    If you’ve ever tried stirring paint or stain that’s been sitting in your garage for several months, you know what a time consuming pain in the butt it is. The Squirrel Mixer from Homax makes...

  • Drywall Texture Spray Gun: Perfect for Drywall Repair

    by
    posted on Thu, Sep 30 2010
    • 0
    In a recent article on knockdown ceiling texture , I mentioned my favorite little splatter gun, the Wagner Power Tex . It's small, light, easy to use and easy to clean--almost as convenient as aerosol...

  • Bullet-proof exterior house paint

    by
    posted on Thu, Jun 30 2011
    • 0
    If you live in extreme weather conditions (and more of us seem to every day), you need a bullet-proof exterior house paint that can stand up to Mother Nature’s fury. I’m talking about paint...

  • How to Choose a Pond Pump

    by
    posted on Tue, May 29 2012
    • 2
    To help you size a pond pump, measure how high the water needs to be lifted. If you're pumping water to reach the top of a fountain, the start of a little river or a waterfall, you have to know how...

  • Copper spark plugs: debunking the myth

    by
    posted on Tue, Mar 8 2011
    • 0
    I read a lot of online auto blogs and continually see folklore “wisdom” that copper spark plugs are a better choice than either platinum or iridium. Rubbish! The myth is based on the fact that...

  • Cover cracks with wall liner

    by
    posted on Tue, May 24 2011
    • 1
    Home improvement shortcuts usually lead to trouble. But not always. Fifteen years ago, I tore out most of my crumbling plaster walls and replaced them with drywall. By the time I got to the dining room...

  • How to Plant Grass to Fix a Bare Spot

    by
    posted on Thu, Mar 15 2012
    • 0
    If you have bare patches in your lawn, it's a simple project to reseed them. It just takes some simple prep work and two to three weeks of everyday dedication. That's the daily watering part. And...

  • Planing rough-sawn lumber with a jointer and planer

    by
    posted on Tue, Apr 12 2011
    • 0
    If you want to move on to the big leagues of woodworking, you absolutely have to learn how to flatten rough-sawn wood. That’s because the shrink-wrapped 3/4-in.-thick wood you buy at the home center...

  • DIY solar power projects

    by
    posted on Tue, Sep 6 2011
    • 1
    In researching my article about solar power for the October issue of the magazine, I’ve been running into some really interesting websites chock-full of everything you could possibly want to know...

  • How to remove rust from a table saw

    by
    posted on Tue, Sep 27 2011
    • 1
    It’s guaranteed. One of my pals comes over to my shop and I offer him a brew. I turn my back and before I know it, there’s an ice-cold beer sitting on my cast iron table saw, sweating condensation...

  • Light, Powerful Belt Sander

    by
    posted on Thu, Aug 5 2010
    • 0
    I took the new Porter Cable 2-1/2-in. x 14-in. Compact Belt Sander 371K out for a test drive last weekend. I used it to smooth some 1x4 rough-sawn cedar for some Adirondack chairs and a table. Plus, I...

  • Ingenious tool storage tip: Rotary bit organizer

    by
    posted on Thu, Apr 21 2011
    • 3
    I’m not implying that everyone’s shop is a mess. I’m just saying that everyone can appreciate a creative tip for storing their tools. Check out this one: Rotary bit organizer If you have...

  • Getting the kinks out: Finding a garden hose that actually works

    by
    posted on Thu, Jul 7 2011
    • 7
    I'm on a quest for the perfect garden hose. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be perfect, just durable, reasonably priced and not weigh a ton. For years, I used a hose that I inherited from my...

  • Top 5 Tips to Get Your Car Ready for Winter Driving

    by
    posted on Fri, Dec 7 2012
    • 1
    1. Check (and change) your coolant Driving on worn-out coolant is a bad idea all year-round, but it's especially bad in winter. Worn coolant can freeze and destroy your engine. You can test its freeze...

  • Painting techniques: Safer paint removers

    by
    posted on Thu, Jun 16 2011
    • 3
    Stripping paint The worst job I’ve ever had was stripping all the woodwork in an old mansion. Rotten work, but it made me a connoisseur of paint removers. I tried every product I could find and found...

  • Free paint primer

    by
    posted on Wed, May 25 2011
    • 0
    My buddy Gary is a professional painter, and he graciously volunteered to paint the inside of my newly drywalled house. He had 20 gallons of leftover paint from many different houses he’d painted...

  • Drywall finishing with setting-type joint compound

    by
    posted on Tue, Sep 6 2011
    • 2
    When finishing drywall, most DIYers stick with the ready-to-use stuff sold in buckets and shy away from the powdered stuff sold in bags. That’s often a smart choice. “Setting” compound...

  • My Best Backyard Idea Ever: Eliminate Grass Trimming

    by
    posted on Tue, Apr 3 2012
    • 2
    Well, I can't really call it my idea. But it is the best little project I've ever done in my backyard because it saves me hours of grass trimming every summer. Here's the idea. Set a row of...

  • Kitchen Ideas: The proper care and feeding of your garbage disposer

    by
    posted on Fri, Dec 2 2011
    • 3
    I came home from work the other day, and there was a plumber's truck out in front of my neighbor's house. Turns out her garbage disposer had once again been the victim of poor decision-making....
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