‘Rocking’ the house
Gypsum wallboard, often called by the US Gypsum trade name Sheetrock, has covered walls since the postwar housing boom began in the mid 1940s. It's one of the main reasons...
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Fun ways to teach kids DIY skills
The first thing I built was a large pine storage box for my outdoor gear — baseball bats, skates, BB gun, the works. My dad did a lot of the...
Fun ways to teach kids DIY skills
The first thing I built was a large pine storage box for my outdoor gear — baseball bats, skates, BB gun, the works. My dad did a lot of the...
Reinforced glass can hold off burglars, flying debris
Special-purpose glass provides extra resistance to storm damage, a stray baseball, a forced entry, and also reduces injuries from razor-sharp edges of standard glass when it breaks into shards. During...
Reaching out (and up) to cut dead branches
When dead branches are out of reach, there are only two ways to cut them. You could climb a ladder propped against the trunk and use ground-level tools like a...
Custom porch lattice a fitting finish
Why would you build your own lattice when lumberyards and home centers have assembled sheets ready to go? Maybe you don't want pressure-treated material or vinyl under a redwood porch...
Right-sizing your tool
If you don't use one every day, a contractor-size power saw can feel bulky and hard to control. But you don't have to use the monster models that contractors use....
Breaking out the big sander
Most portable sanders are light-duty tools built for final smoothing with fine-grit paper. But to deal with burns and scrapes or to erase decades of wear and tear, it takes...
Take your path a step up
To guarantee no shifting, cracking or sinking, you could set walkway stones in mortar on a reinforced concrete slab. But that catapults the project into contractor territory with forms, gravel,...
Home safes to help keep your valuables secure
Most home break-ins last no more than eight minutes. That's time enough to kick in a door or break a window, and scoop up anything of obvious value. It can...