Home improvement and renovation tips
Last time, we looked at materials and helped you decide how to tackle your concrete repair. Let’s get down to patching that damaged area. Remove any loose or crumbling sections of concrete, and brush the area firmly with a steel brush. If the surrounding area appears loose, tap it lightly with a mini-sledge to test
Read more in Exteriors
Putting in kitchen cabinets would be really easy… if houses were perfectly square and level. Of course, they’re not, and you need to allow for this when you’re installing cabinets. You can’t just plop them on the floor, or you’ll get water running along the counter. So you have to level the top at a
Read more in Kitchens
Maintaining your house is important, not to mention our whole reason for being as do-it-yourselfers. But it’s also important to maintain the tools you use to maintain your house. Here are some easy ways to care for a few of your prized possessions. To keep your tape measure retracting smoothly and quickly, avoid getting it
Read more in ToolsEric Z, a long-time reader, experienced renovator/builder, and former owner of a large building supply store in Toronto, had some smart suggestions after reading our reno-demo checklist. “I lost an entire renovation,” he writes. “$40,000 in damage – due to a shut-off valve failing in the night the day before the new sink was to be installed.” As you can see from this photo, during the entirety of our long
A recent kitchen renovation reminded me, in some cases a little too late, about some key areas to cover up during a demolition or drywall mudding/sanding. Here you go. Mask doorways into other areas of the house Well, duh. Okay, I did remember this one. For a major old-house plaster demo or drywall sanding, 6 mil plastic and painter’s tape do the trick to seal the openings well. We stapled
Now that we’ve installed a toilet, we’ll review a few tips to help you do the job with finesse. 1. It’s a good idea to pick up an extra valve just in case your soldering attempt isn’t up to snuff… particularly with a ball valve. Or do the job while the store’s open. 2. Use a MAPP gas torch when soldering such a valve. 3. When tightening the supply hose