Home improvement and renovation tips
If you’re finally getting round to that exterior paint job, here are some techniques to make it go a little more smoothly. Summer’s a great time to get that outdoor painting done. Only problem is, the hot summer sun can be hard on fresh paint. So work behind the sun. Start with the north side
Read more in Exteriors
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
Read more in Plumbing
When you’re toenailing a piece, it’s pretty tough to keep it in place as you hammer. Here are some ideas to do it right. If you’re doing a bunch of regularly-spaced items, such as studs nailed in place after the wall is up, simply cut a piece of 2x the length of the gap (14.5″
Read more in ToolsI 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