Home improvement and renovation tips
Is that beautiful wood siding or deck looking a little tired and blah? It doesn’t have to. Let’s look at what causes discolored wood, and give you some ideas on what you can do. First guess? Yep, dirt. Try scrubbing with a stiff brush and a detergent solution. If it comes off, that’s all you
Read more in Exteriors
It may seem the easiest water supply connections are plastic and pressure fitted. However, soldering can be just as easy. You’ll need a propane torch, which consists of a cannister and a valve attachment which screws into the top. You’ll also need a roll of lead-free solder, solder flux, an inexpensive pipe cutter and steel
Read more in Plumbing
If you like the idea of a tile floor, nothing beats the real thing for warmth, beauty and texture. But here’s a low-budget alternative which gives the impression of a tile floor in a lot less time. If your basement concrete floor is sound, reasonably smooth and warm, you can simply paint on the tiles.
Read more in Painting/DecoratingI don’t know why they’re here. It’s summer and it’s warm and there are lots of goodies outside. But I guess that’s why they call them house mice. The water under the sink appeared between one onslaught of guests and another dinner gathering that night. So I took my usual decisive approach to a problem such as this. I ignored it. Something must have spilled. It was a momentary leak
Eric 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