Check Local Availability
check your local store, for in store pickup
check your local store, for in store pickup
check your local store, for in store pickup
DIY your way to a New Years start. All those home improvement projects
that you wish to accomplish are within arms reach. The Bosch chipping hammer is paramount in helping get rid of the old and begin to realize your dreams. This little workhorse has saved us tons of time and sweat by doing the jackhammers job tenfold!
The Bosch 10 Amp Spline Rotary Hammer features a spline/round hex bit system that provides tool-free bit changes and automatic bit locking. A combination dual mode selector offers 2 modes of operation, rotary hammer and hammer-only. The Vario-Lock positioning system rotates and locks the hammer chisel in 12 different positions to optimize the working angle.
Many features that the Bosch 11247 excels in :
Small enough to throw behind your truck seat but big enough to remove patio slabs in a cinch! When push comes to shove the Bosch Jack Hammer is worth its weight in gold to my team. Light and powerful for all the small to medium sized jackhammering demolish work we have encountered. DIY your way thru 2012 for all the home improvement desires you have on that list. Tools make any
JOB easier or harder, make the choice that can improve your projects! Have a great 2012 everyone!!
Drywall repairs can be done easy with the right drywall tools. Adding a simple DIY Drywall patch to a radius staircase, was the call! After a quick inspection, this Drywalling project will require some 5/8″ sheetrock , a handful of 1 1/4″ drywall screws, a small roll of drywall mesh tape and a bag of 5 minute dry powder quick setting patching compound.
The wall surface is rounded or a large radius, so before the demolition of the existing 5/8″ sheetrock … back to the next nearest framing members [studs / header etc. ] with a sharp utility knife. First mark these framing members beforehand, so you can see where it is that you will apply the new screws or fasteners. Now the size of the new 5/8″ drywall can be defined, cut and hung. 
Any DIY’er can perform this type of drywall repair with the correct info and a dust mask!
After the first coat of drywall mud has been applied and locked down the drywall tape in which has been fully covered, you can do a bit of clean-up and prepare for the finish coat. More often than not you can use a 6″ drywall knife to mix and apply the rough coat, but a larger knife to smooth out and float the final coat of drywall compound with a 12″ putty knife. Rather than mudding up and down though, because of the radius, the taping compound must be slathered on in a left and right motion as to follow the curve of the radius wall!
This approach to creating counter space is growing daily and will give identical appearance as some of the other more expensive counter top options. Using concrete on top of cabinetry or even a pass through shelve, can certainly change the look in any room or office. Outside of the concrete color or veining techniques, the mixing and pouring is essentially identical.
Here in this concrete counter form image with reinforced steel or rebar, 
we have used 4″ lag screws to anchor the #3 rebar, staggered every 24″O.C. The counter or shelve here is formed to 2″ in depth and 12″ wide with the length being 10′ long between the two end points of the adjacent walls. Because it sits atop a 2×4 framed wall, it will cantilever 2″ to the kitchen area and roughly 6″ pass the other side of the same wall into the living room.
The image to the right here shows the importance of protecting the wood framing beneath with flashing paper to act as a moisture barrier and future dry-rotting adherent. The small spacers under our #3 rebar allows the new aggregate pour to completely surround the reinforcement steel for optimum strength.
- plywood or melamine, plus screws to build the mold
- bagged counter-top mix (or “scratch” mix below)
- dyes or pigment if you’re coloring your counter-top
- grinder / polisher with water feed (can be rented)
- diamond polishing discs of various grit
- concrete mixer- concrete vibrating tool (can be rented)- dusts masks
…… Now DIY your own Concrete Counter-Top over almost any applicable surface!
This approach to creating counter space is growing daily and will give identical appearance as some of the other more expensive counter top options. Using concrete on top of cabinetry or even a pass through shelve, can certainly change the look in any room or office. Outside of the concrete color or veining techniques, the mixing and pouring is essentially identical.
Here in this concrete counter form image with reinforced steel or rebar, we have used 4″ lag screws to anchor the #3 rebar, staggered every 24″O.C. The counter or shelve here is formed to 2″ in depth and 12″ wide with the length being 10′ long between the two end points of the adjacent walls. Because it sits atop a 2×4 framed wall, it will cantilever 2″ to the kitchen area and roughly 6″ pass the other side of the same wall into the living room. 
The image to the left here shows the importance of protecting the wood framing beneath with flashing paper to act as a moisture barrier and future dry-rotting adherent. The small spacers under our #3 rebar allows the new aggregate pour to completely surround the reinforcement steel for optimum strength.
- plywood or melamine, plus screws to build the mold
- bagged countertop mix (or “scratch” mix below)
- dyes or pigment if you’re coloring your counter-top
- grinder / polisher with water feed (can be rented)
- diamond polishing discs of various grit
- Tupperware or similar sandwich containers to make concrete samples
- concrete mixer- concrete vibrating tool (can be rented)- dusts masks
- eye protection- ear protection
That’s why it’s a good idea to make sample pours first so that you can get an idea what you’re working with and how small variations in the concrete mix can make a difference.
Many people start with a premixed concrete countertop mix. They are specially formulated to be flowable and high strength with plasticizer that makes it flow well even at a low water / cement ratio.
A low water / cement ratio is important for a good result that resists cracking. The Quikrete mix has high enough flow that the need for mechanical vibration is minimized, and it’s made for minimal shrinkage.
Alternately, you could start with regular bagged concrete mix that is rated for a hardness of 5,000 psi or greater, available @ Home Depot or most of your home improvement centers.
Here is a counter top mix you can make “from scratch” that’s enough to make a small test block and that can be scaled up by weight.
You can use a kitchen or postal scale to weigh out the sample measurements. It is recommended that you use white sand and white cement to maximize your color options:
Product / Weight in Grams
Portland Cement 210g
Sand 625g
Nycon G nylon fiber 1g
Metakaolin 30g
Fritz-Pak FR1 Water Reducer 5g
Water 80-90g
If you’re using Quickrete Countertop Mix or Sackrete 5000, or some other pre-mixed countertop mix, start with about 875 grams of dry mix and about 85 grams of water to make a sample.
Whether you’re using a bag concrete mix or my “scratch” concrete countertop recipe, use the smallest amount of water necessary to craft a mix that you can work with.
Of course, you can only estimate how it’s going to look once it’s cured, but again, you have to start somewhere.
Write down how many grams of colorant you use in every batch so you’ll have a basis for guessing how much more or less you need in subsequent samples and so you’ll also know about how much you’ll need for the final product once you get the color you want.
If you want a darker concrete countertop – all the way to a dark charcoal gray – start with Home Depot’s Quickrete Countertop Mix, which is darker than the scratch recipe above, and add charcoal colorant.
Start with one bottle per bag of concrete countertop mix when mixing the final countertop.
Of course you can still experiment with the colorant in your sample slabs.
After you’ve poured your sample, allowed it to set and removed it, ask yourself what’s right and what’s wrong about it. Color will likely be the thing that determines what you should try next.
In fact, you should keep all of your samples so you can try out your concrete polishing and sealing techniques on them. Once you have your sample smoothed to the finish you want, you can seal it, according to the directions or you can seal it with beeswax (which may not be the best at standing up to what the average kitchen countertop endures) or even pure tung oil (like what is used on wood). It depends on the final look you want.
Just like kitchen knives, hand saw blades require sharpening or they become ineffective. To maintain your blades you will need a few hand saw sharpening tools including a saw file, a saw set, and softwood. Start by positioning the blade between softwood pieces so the teeth are exposed, but not much else of the blade. With a saw file- a triangle shaped object- file the teeth with firm, even strokes. Take your time as this part of the process can be difficult.
Next, you’ll want to take out your other hand saw sharpening tools for setting the teeth. The saw set is a cast iron tools that looks like a set of pliers and is used to set the right kerf width. Squeeze the handles of the saw set together and a pre-set plunger forces the tooth against a wheel-shaped anvil. Do this for all the teeth until the blade looks the way it did when it was brand new. A quality blade, when properly cared for, will last you many years.
Trex Nightmare: Having had over $3,500.00 worth of Trex Decking installed. The material bought in Feb. 2005, for my front deck, is deteriorating. Not mold or mildew but flaking off of surface. This deck has had only rain water. Trex sent two people to evaluate my problem and their report to Trex resulted in them offering me $380.84 for replacing 220 lin ft. of decking.???
The story continues:
My quote for this replacement material amounted to $647.44. It will cost me another $400.00 in labor to dismantle and reinstall.—My back deck , installed late in 2005, has so far, shown problems on only 2 boards, 20 ft. long.—The problem starts with bubbling and then completely deteriorates by flaking off of surface material.–This was obviously a bad run of material, as several other decks of same time period have had exactly the same problem.Trex manufactures claim “to make it right” said they have been good about replacing the material but in my case they do not want to replace this much material. I have heard nothing from them since refusing their offer. Their warranty on their product is 25 yrs.–They want me to accept half price of material, do all the labor myself and sign a full and final release for all of my Trex decking. I bought 1540 lin. ft @Approx. $2.20 per ft. when doing my decks. The same material is now $2.60 per lin.ft.–
That story tells the truth about composite decking material, although it can be worked (drilled-notched-sawed) much like lumber, it is man made and this particular batch end up imploding itself. Internal mold issues caused premature delamination and forced a class action suite against TREX. I believe in lumber, built right the first time and looks and feels natural a redwood deck is the way to go.
If you plan on DIY decking in your future, weigh the difference and consider your geographical location. East coast vs. West coast IE., but either way it turns out, you will have improved to curb appeal of your home and will most likely recoup any out of pocket expense (ROI) from that home improvement. Here @ MY-DIY ……….Done Right the first Time!
Request come in all kinds. “Remove my ice maker and build some cabinet storage or drawer storage”, and make it look as if you were never even here!
The removed ice machine had a huge cavity to restructure, for the set of drawers to work here I had to down size the area inside this cabinet. With an existing face frame, the drawers need a set of runners framed in place to carry the drawer slides, or furring down the size of the existing void.
The existing opening has to be consistent through to the back, so all pieces can be pre-cut and assembled prior to installation. Once layout had been carefully measured, and the drawer boxes were fabricated in the shop, the drawer runners and back boards are installed. And the drawer slides are now ready for leveling and placement.
With a Kreg Jig, the face frame dividers are pre-drilled and installed next. Leaving clearance for the drawer boxes to slide freely and smooth. To align the drawer faces, they can be pin nailed in the proper location first. 
We can now pre-drill the front of the drawer boxes so they can be screwed to the back of the drawer faces.
The painter gets the call to come and spray finish our clients new diy drawer storage cabinet. If all has been executed precisely, no one will ever know the new drawers have been retro-fitted into an old cabinet!
Cleaning a hand saw isn’t very difficult, although it is messy. Being prepared with the proper equipment and selecting a place with good ventilation will help make the job easier.
All and any of your power tools need care as well, let’s get started on hand saws for now.
Next, for cleaning your hand saw, gather the following materials:
o A thin-bladed screwdriver (only needed if you are removing the handle)
o Mineral spirits
o A razor blade with a safe razor blade holder
o Silicon carbide sandpaper
o Boiled linseed oil
o Steel wool
o Paper towels
o Rags
o Paste wax
o Protective gloves
CAUTION: This is a very important safety issue. Mineral spirits, boiled linseed oil, paper towels and rags make a dangerous combination that can spontaneously combust if left unattended in a pile. Proper precautions should be taken to dispose of these items after use. Rags soaked in linseed oil should be laid out flat outdoors away from any structures to dry. When completely dry, they may be put in the trash. Store rags soaked in mineral spirits in a plastic bag away from all structures until dry before disposing of them. Do not use mineral spirits near an open flame, as the vapor can catch fire. Even the pilot light on your furnace or hot water heater may be enough to ignite the vapors. Mineral spirits can also cause nerve damage if used for a prolonged period or in a confined space. Make sure you have good ventilation and that you are not using the mineral spirits for long periods of time. If you don’t feel comfortable working with these hazardous materials, you may want to hire this job out. Safety first!
Now we’re ready to begin.
If you need to remove the handle, use a proper-fitting screwdriver. Be sure to place the screws somewhere secure where they won’t get misplaced. If the saw is very rusty, it may take a bit of effort to pull off the handle.
Once you’ve removed the handle, place the saw blade on a board or other flat surface. Use the razor blade to scrape off rust, dirt, wax or other crud that has built up on the surface. Work from the handle end towards the tip of the saw. Repeat the process on the other side.
Now that any loose debris has been removed apply a small amount of mineral spirits to the saw blade. Take a small square of the silicon carbide sandpaper and apply it to the blade using the mineral spirits as a lubricant. Move the sandpaper along the length of the blade, not back and forth from the teeth to the back. When you’re done, wipe off any excess spirits with paper towels. Repeat on the other side then set the blade aside to dry.
Use the razor to scrape any build-up off of the handle. Finish with steel wool. If the handle looks dry, use a rag to apply a small amount of boiled linseed oil. Make sure all surfaces are well-coated. Remove any excess oil with a clean rag. The handle should be completely dry in a couple of days.
Wipe down the dry hand saw blade with a rag to remove any residue, and apply some paste wax with a clean rag to protect the blade from future rust. Let the wax dry for ten minutes, then buff off any excess. Reassemble the handle when it has fully dried.
A hand saw is one of the more basic tools, so you may not have given much thought to the proper way to use one. However, like other hand and power tools, using proper form and technique with a hand saw is important for your safety as well as achieving your desired result.
First and foremost, reading the documentation packaged with the saw is advised. All hand saws are not the same, so following the recommendations from the manufacturer will help you both use the saw properly and protect yourself. Hand saws come in different types that are designed for various purposes, so be sure you are using the right kind of saw for the task at hand. For instance, some saws are designed to cut with the grain, while others are designed for cutting against the grain.
Ensure your saw blade is sharp and clean before you begin. The first step to using a hand saw – determining exactly where the cut will be made – begins before you pick up the saw. Create a line to guide your cut, double checking that your measurements and angles are correct. Also ensure that the surface to be cut is stable.
Start sawing slightly to the outside of the line to account for the width of the blade. Hold the saw such that your wrist, shoulder and the handle of the saw are lined up, and you are not sawing at an angle that feels unnatural. Professionals generally advise holding a hand saw with all of the fingers except the pointer, which should be straight and pointed in the direction of the cut. But, be sure to check the documentation to ensure that you are holding the saw according to recommendations. Remember that cutting should be done on the down stroke. Apply pressure to the saw as you push downward on the cut, but release pressure as you pull the saw back toward yourself. Getting into a steady rhythm as you saw will help you achieve the cleanest cut.
If you are inexperienced with hand saws, you may want to practice cutting on a scrap piece of wood before you move on to the real cut. It bears repeating that all saws are not the same, so be sure to read the documentation outlining the proper use of your fine hand saw.
In a crafts room we wanted to install electrical power to an area that was going to be used as a printing station and required a 15 amp 110v plug for this usage. The best and closest area to leg power from was above the ceiling in the attic storage. With an existing single gang box there we ran some 14/2 romex down the wall and into a cabinet side. This needed only 2 holes drilled and the side of the melamine cabinet wall cut for a low profile single gang retro plastic cut-in box.
Once the wall of the 3/4″ melamine was marked then the Fein Multi Masterassisted in the finish plunge cut, the romex pulled through the box and the electrical outlet box was mounted on the wall, 2 men 2 hours of labor and approx. $35.00 us in materials. Important to note here will be to consult your local building codes for do’s and don’ts.