Stripping furniture or woodwork can be like a treasure hunt, revealing a beautiful wood surface beneath old paint and varnish. An old finish can be removed mechanically using a sander, but you run the risk of sanding off fine detail and contours in the woodwork. Chemical stripping enables you to soften the finish and then remove it with a scraper. Chemical stripper will remove most painted, shellacked or varnished finishes. For complete, step-by-step instructions for this DIY project, watch t...
The key to a great looking door casing, and a great looking door, is perfectly mitered corners. If you have just installed a new door that needs a casing around it or you have decided to replace the casing around an existing door, you can achieve professional results quite easily. This tutorial will help you get there by sharing a little secret - completely assemble your casing before you install it. You can also use this technique on window casings. For complete, step-by-step instructions fo...
Installing a deadbolt is a relatively quick and simple do-it-yourself project. You can make your home much safer – and less attractive to thieves --- with a little effort and a few simple tools.
Ceramic tile floors offer a very attractive and durable alternative to other floor finishes. They come in many different sizes and colors to match the décor of any room and they can provide years of maintenance-free use. Additionally, ceramic tiles are fairly easy to install. Ceramic tiles have one major prerequisite – you must have a smooth and rigid sub-floor to support the installation. Ceramic tiles are not flexible in the least, so they can crack if installed over a rough surface or thin...
Installing a chair rail will create a dramatic addition to any room. A chair rail is basically a piece of molding that runs along the middle of your room's perimeter. Not only does a chair rail protect your walls from furniture, but it can be a creative addition to your interior design, as well.
Taping drywall is almost an art form. It takes practice and a lot of patience. A good taper can hide any mistakes that were made in hanging the drywall. To finish drywall, you must tack into place corner bead to all corners. Then, apply joint compound to all seams, nail and screw holes and corners. When joint compound dries – it shrinks. Therefore, 3 coats of compound will be needed with sanding in between coats. For complete, step-by-step instructions for this DIY project, watch this friendl...
Applying topcoat is the final step in successfully refinishing your furniture piece. Water-Based Polyurethane Topcoats are strong, durable and are favored because they dry crystal clear, allowing the beauty of the wood grain to show.
Vinyl wall base molding is an easy-to-install substitute for wood baseboard molding. In areas that you have installed a vinyl or carpeted floor, vinyl wall base molding is a very decorative and functional option for surrounding the room perimeter. You have several color choices that can provide a nice accent to the colors and design of the entire room. Because it is pliable and resilient, it is easy to install and resistant to scuffs and scrapes that can occur over time. Ideal applications ar...
While concrete driveways look nice when they are new, over time the concrete can chip, crack and crumble. Cracks and potholes form due to the freezing and thawing of water that has seeped under the driveway through smaller cracks, weed or grass growth in small cracks, and general wear and tear. Regular maintenance will prevent the need to replace the existing driveway. This is usually easy to do and requires up to a half day to complete depending on the condition and size of your repairs. For...
Don't play dead and don't splash. Strike back. Hit its eyes and gills. This is National Geographic's excellent tutorial on how to survive a shark attack! It's excellent! Fight off a shark attack.
Anna the Red, the internet's resident Queen of Bento, has created an elaborate Halloween Bento Box based on video game Costume Quest: "an adorable role-playing adventure game created by Double Fine. It takes place on Halloween night, kids in costume trick-or-treating and fighting monsters to save a kidnapped sibling while collecting costumes."
Hosting your friends or traveling family members for an overnight stay may as straightforward as providing a bed or a spare couch for them to sleep on. But to be a truly hospitable host, prepare and plan ahead with the tips below to make your guests feel extra-comfortable in your living space.
The Interactive Lab Primer (ILP) has been developed as part of the Royal Society of Chemistry Teacher Fellowship Scheme, one of the themes of the Chemistry for Our Future program, and initiative which aims to secure a strong and sustainable future for the chemical sciences in higher education. The aim of the ILP is to address the diverse range of experience and skills students bring with them to a university by offering a resource to support their transition from school to the university chem...
Watch this "Grease On Your Hands" video tutorial from the Washington Post to see how to check car fluids properly.
Sometimes it comes time to tear down the old and build up the new -- especially in kitchens! People seem to be especially enamored of redoing kitchens to follow design trends, family resizing, or simple updating to keep the house current, livable, and sellable. One way to achieve a different look in the kitchen is by changing the countertop.
Beauty and brains in one package! A ceiling fan offers many functional benefits while adding a certain decorative touch to a room. In the summer it can help cool a room (or even a porch) by helping to circulate air and by creating a slight breeze. In the winter it can be used at low speed to circulate warmer air that has risen to ceiling level. From the viewpoint of décor, ceiling fans come in many styles and colors and can even include a light kit to offer the added feature of overhead light...
A GFCI outlet (which stands for ground fault circuit interrupter) is a receptacle with its own built-in circuit breaker. It is intended to protect you from electric shock and your wiring and breaker panel from being “shorted out”.
Versatility and convenience - two of the greatest watchwords for a comfortable home. Fortunately, installing a 3-say switch can add versatility and convenience to your home's lighting system.
Drywall is a great way to easily cover the studs, electrical, and piping that hide inside your ceiling. You can even use drywall to replace cracked plastered ceilings without the technical expertise needed to smoothly cover a ceiling with plaster.
Range hoods are a necessity in any kitchen. A properly installed range hood will vent hot air and cooking odors outside as well as help keep kitchen surfaces free of grease. The trickiest part of installing a range hood is determining how to run the ventilation ducts. Depending on the location of your range, you will need to decide if it is easier to vent through an outside wall versus up through the roof. Use this tutorial if you determine that venting through the roof is the best route.
Range hoods are a necessity in any kitchen. A properly installed range hood will vent hot air and cooking odors outside as well as help keep kitchen surfaces free of grease. The trickiest part of installing a range hood is determining how to run the ventilation ducts. Depending on the location of your range, you will need to decide if it is easier to vent through an outside wall versus up through the roof. Use this tutorial if you determine that venting through an outside wall is the best route.
Distorted and curled up shingles are often a sign of insufficient or complete lack of attic ventilation. Attic ventilation is crucial in keeping your home’s roof sound and your interior comfortable. Installing soffit vents will increase the airflow under your roof. This will extend the life of your roof and help alleviate ice dams and attic condensation in the winter. In addition, this will reduce your heat build-up in the summer and thus save you money on your air-conditioning bill.
There are fewer things finer in a home than a hardwood flooring. For the do-it-yourselfer, however, it can be a fun, yet daunting task. Installing a hardwood floor can best be described as a combination of rough and fine carpentry. Pounding the nails home and bending warped flooring to fit is certainly rough work. However, it is detailed as well, because even small mistakes will show.
No matter how hot it gets in your home this summer, you can bet that it’s even hotter in your attic. All that heat in your attic gets transferred to the ceiling below, which will in turn heat the interior of your house.
Have you ever felt cold in your older home, even with the heat cranked? Ever feel drafts that seem to come from nowhere? And conversely, in the summer, is your home an oven? Many older houses are improperly insulated, if there is any insulation at all. This can have a large impact on your heating and cooling bills. Loose-fill insulation can be blown into your walls and attic to help increase the efficiency of your house, significantly decreasing your heating and cooling expenses.
Who needs more storage space? We all do! You may have an untapped gold mine of storage space just over your head, but it is probably too impractical to access. Of course we are referring to your attic, which unfortunately has only a small access door through one of your closets. Every time you need to get into your attic you have to clear out the clothes in the closet and find a stepladder. Maybe it is time to consider a disappearing stairway and put the attic space to good use. (If your atti...
Installing recessed lighting into your kitchen or living room creates an immediate update to the look of your home! Recessed lighting is very low-key, makes a subtle statement, and yet is elegantly modern. If you are looking for an update to your home's lighting, think "recessed."
If you have hardwood floors in your house, take a look at your baseboards. Right in front of the baseboards there is usually a smaller, curved molding about ¾” tall. How does this short molding look? Is it painted over, chipped and/or just beat up in general? If so, you can easily replace this molding and make a huge difference in the overall appearance of your room. And, it is fairly easy to do.
Your attic is the most critical area of your house to be adequately insulated in order to keep you toasty warm in winter and cool as a cucumber in the summer. Since heat rises, a poorly insulated attic allows valuable heat from the living space of your house to escape during the winter. During the summer, heat trapped in your attic can reduce your ability to keep your house cool. In colder, Northern climates, an R-value of 49 is recommended for adequate attic insulation. In warmer climates, a...
There are many different types of countertops, but of all those available, post-form countertops are probably the quickest and easiest to install. Post-form countertops consist of a laminate surface that is glued to a particleboard base. Typically, the base is shaped so that there is a curved front edge and an integrated backsplash with either squared off or 45-degree angle ends available.
Your home’s roof is the first line of defense in keeping the elements out. A common problem among both new and old roofs alike is damaged shingles. Wind, falling tree limbs, or just normal wear and tear can damage shingles. It is critical to replace damaged shingles to prevent more expensive damage from occurring.
There's nothing more annoying than that "squeak-squeak" sound when you walk across your floor! It's enough to put a damper on your day! Have you ever avoided "that' stair because of its incessant screeching? Then this tutorial is for you.
Staining wood is an exciting and fun step in your refinishing process. Staining brings out and enhances the patterns in the wood grain and it unifies an overall color. At this stage your project piece begins to look more finished. Allow enough time to complete this task from start to finish to ensure continuity of color. You have the choice of using either water or oil-based stain, and each offers advantages and disadvantages.
Valances add a great touch to windows that you do not want to cover completely, but that you also do not want to leave bare. Bare windows can seem cold and uninviting, and adding window dressing such as a window valance will make your room much more homey and warm. There are several styles of valances from which to choose. This valance is a single rod valance requiring a 2 1//2” flat curtain rod. Although this valance is intended to be poufed, it can be left as a flat valance for a more tradi...
After you've completely emptied out your coffee can of its coffee beans, put your caffeinated high to good use by getting crafty and productive with the empty vessel that now lies before you.
Igloos and snow caves are two common types of snow shelters that provide an excellent blockade from harsh elements but are typically cramped. A digloo is the combination of the two that creates a large, comfortable refuge. Find out how to build one. Build an igloo by digging out snow shelters.
Learning to paint watercolor clouds and skies effectively is the key to getting off to a good start with most watercolor landscapes.
Fix your iPod and replace the hard drive with this excellent tutorial step by step. In this Video Tutorial we show you how to replace the Hard Drive (30GB / 60GB / 80GB) on your iPod Video. Again you need patience, steady hands, a flat head screwdriver, pry tool and lack of Apple warranty. Replace iPod video 5th generation hard drive.
Learn how to encorporate the barking Hi-Hat effect in your drumming. Drummer Darren Matthes gives an excellent breakdown for when to hit the cymbal, when to close it, and how to add this sound into a variety of beats. Play barking Hi-Hats.
Expert mixologists Soulshakers show you how to make a Homemade Pimms cocktail at home. This drink has cucumber and mint, to make it an excellent and refreshing summer drink. I think it's a better use of mint than a Mojito. You need ginger beer, lime soda and vodka. Mix a Homemade Pimms cocktail.
