If you do anything at all creative with your hands, you need to understand an idea I call “the challenge of a thousand decisions”. From moment to creative moment we’re all faced with decisions – many of them small – […]
Continue ReadingVIDEO Q&A SESSION: Watch a Replay of the Live Event
This past Monday I broadcast my first live video event. It was a question-and-answer session where I offered solutions to people with practical problems. Some of the question came in by email before the event, and others came in live […]
Continue ReadingHOW TO FIX A STICKY WOODEN DOORS: Tips for Making Them Swing Easy Again
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, explains solutions to a common problem during Canadian summers: wood doors swelling and sticking.
Continue ReadingKILL MOLD STAINS: Oxygen-Based Chemistry Now Easier to Use
Sooner or later every deck, shed, fence and outdoor wood surface gets moldy or weathered in time. Even non-wood surfaces such as composite decks, plastic lumber and vinyl siding start to grow things as the forces of nature have their […]
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Learn More from Bailey Line Road
SUMMERTIME MUSTINESS: Concrete Floors Often the Culprit
Q: What can I do about sky-high summertime humidity in our house? The building is 35 years old and sits entirely on a concrete pad. Humidity is fine in winter, but in the warm months we smell mildew in the […]
Continue ReadingQ&A of the Week: “How Can I Shorten a Door to Allow for New Flooring?”
Q: What’s the best way to shorten two wooden doors as part of a laminate floor job I’m planning? I need advice for marking and cutting the bottom of these doors accurately. A: This job is actually trickier than it […]
Continue ReadingHOW TO FIX YOUR OWN BACKED-UP SEPTIC SYSTEM
UPDATED 12Jul2019: If you rely on a septic system, or if your septic system is currently showing signs of failure, you’ve come to the right place. You don’t necessarily need a whole new system. In fact, you probably don’t. This post […]
Continue ReadingQ&A: How Can I Fix the Cracked Parging on My Foundation Wall?
Q: What’s the best way to fix the cracked parging on my house foundation? I live in a 13-year-old brick bungalow, with about 6 feet of parged concrete block foundation visible above ground. Over the years this parging has become […]
Continue ReadingHOW TO BUY A HOUSE: Four Simple But Important Tech Issues to Look At
What makes a good house to buy? It’s a question that not enough people ask themselves properly, especially as they’re dealing with the fact that buying a house is usually a lot of work. You’ll often have to wade through […]
Continue ReadingVIDEO Q&A: How Do I Insulate a Cathedral Ceiling?
One of my readers, a man named Donald from southern Quebec, emailed me about his plans for solving an ongoing problem with poor cathedral ceiling performance. Cathedral ceilings are often insulated poorly, resulting in energy loss, condensation in winter, and ice […]
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