Home improvement and renovation tips
Here’s the last in our instalments of mistakes to avoid when painting the outside of your house. For a job that lasts, don’t try this at home. Waiting too long between the primer coat and the finish coat After applying an oil-based primer, you should apply your next coat within two weeks. Otherwise, a layer
Read more in Exteriors
I 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
Read more in Kitchens
A perfect cut is both true and clean. Here’s how you can achieve it with a plain-old circular saw. Don’t rely on your eye for anything longer than six inches. To keep a short cut straight, position yourself so you can see the blade cutting along the line. For longer cuts, use a cutting guide.
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