Your roof is your home’s shield against rain, wind, snow, and sun. Yet, it’s easy to forget its importance until a problem arises. On a stormy night, rain may leak into your interiors. A leaky roof is a significant inconvenience,…
Some finishing liquids such as stains and paints need to be mixed throughly after storage and before use. Mixing by hand can take a long time, but you can do a better job and more quickly with a cordless drill…
Is your house smelling musty now that hot, humid weather has arrived? I often get seasonal questions at this at this time of year from homeowners with basements or slab-on-grade houses. The true solution to this problem is often surprising,…
I regularly get questions from subscribers, and some variation of the one below is fairly common . . . Question: How can I stop polyurethane from beading up on a mahogany table top I’m refinishing? The table came from a…
Late last fall I got an email from a friend, John, looking for advice on building a new set of stairs going down into the basement of the house he’s renovating. John is not a professional builder, and though he’s…
I’ve only felt deeply and undeniably helpless a few times in my life, but these experiences taught me valuable lessons. Perhaps my story here will help you, too. The recognition of our utter helplessness at times can bring some much-needed…
Black iron pipe is a great material for making railings, roll cages, frames and more, the trick is getting the ends to fit well with the sides of neighbouring pipes. Sometimes also called Schedule 40 pipe, and available as galvanized…
In this article you will learn about: You can always tell how self-reliant you are by looking at your tool kit. The further you move towards various capabilities, the better and more varied your collection of tools will become. The…
Everyone knows the telltale signs of a plumbing problem: a dripping faucet, a sluggish drain, or an overflowing toilet. But the scary stuff? Those are the hidden leaks, clogged sewer lines hiding under the ground, or water pressure that’s about…
If you’re like many people, your garage is much more than simply where you keep your car. Garages can be used for all kinds of things, from keeping sports equipment to having a private workshop to creating your own personal…
My wife, Mary, and I have been gardening together on our rural property for 30+ years, and whenever you’re at something for this long, you pick up a few good ideas. Here are three not-too-common gardening tips that work really…
Colour and wood grain. This is what a pickled wood finish delivers. It’s a hot visual item these days and it’s each to create. Pickled wood finishes also look gorgeous. Here’s what they’re all about and how to apply them.