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
Power tools are a wonderful invention, but there’s something to be said for old fashion hand tools. The hand miter saw is one such tool that is still widely admired by woodworking enthusiasts. The saw is suspended on rollers in a metal guide with a miter box to create accurate cross and miter cuts. Master Carpenter, Norm Abram, described in the Q and A section of the “This Old House” magazine what is needed to cut crown molding by hand.
The handyman who posed the question wanted to know how to cut a joint using a hand miter saw and a slotted miter box. Norm Abram recommended using a metal miter box frame because wood and plastic miter boxes wear out easily. Additionally, a poor quality miter box may limit the cuts that can be made to 45 and 90 degrees- not much versatility. To re-cap: the hand miter saw is a trustworthy woodworking tool, but make sure you have the right miter box frame to accompany it, so you can have the fancy crown molding you’ve always wanted.
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!
If you have any kind of prescription medication or otherwise potentially harmful products in your bathroom, it’s a good idea to keep all these products up high and out of the reach of small children. Kids, after all, are curious. And they always seem to have a way of finding the one thing they’re not supposed to have. That’s why “out of sight, out of mind” is a good tactic to take with all your dangerous bathroom products.
All you have to do is invest in some DIY cabinets. Especially if the cabinets aren’t clear, it will reduce the likelihood of anyone getting a hold of something they shouldn’t. Make sure these cabinets are up high enough that young children can’t reach them. These cabinets, of course, won’t be a safeguard against older children, but they can prove a simple and effective deterrent for your youngest.
With the housing market and the economy the way they are, the last thing most people are thinking about is making an investment in their home. While major renovations are probably out of the question, it is still important to maintain your house. This doesn’t require hiring an expensive contractor in most cases, and you can simply perform do it yourself home improvements.
To retain the value of your property, it is important to routinely make improvements and ensure proper upkeep. If you get behind on these, it is easy to let the state of your home deteriorate. A good way to keep up with the work is to make a list of things that need to be done and resolve to mark one thing off the list each weekend.
Installing bamboo is straight forward and easy process for a fantastic home improvement. You can install bamboo floors above or below grade and on top of wood or concrete. If installing on a cement floor, glue down application is your best bet. Work in small sections, connecting the boards as you go. Using certain flooring tools to ensure a tight fit. 
Otherwise, bamboo flooring can be nailed down or you can create a floating floor as strips snap together on top of a layer of foam. A horizontal cut will give you a wider strip versus a narrow vertical cut. A horizontal cut usually shows more bamboo markings. Bamboo is also easy to maintain, but like wood, it can dent or scratch. It stays fresh looking by sweeping with a soft broom and mopping with natural cleaners. Look closely at your products warranty, because most suppliers offer a lifetime structural warranty and a 15-year finished warranty. Buy a scratch repair kit and burn repair kit from the flooring company you used.
There are so many things to plan for when considering a home renovation. Before beginning any home remodeling it’s important to adjust your budget to fit the needed renovations. Here are some important tips to follow while remodeling your home:
1.) Building codes require a certain number of electrical outlets in each room. In many cases, electricians are in a hurry and will place the outlets into the walls in unattractive configurations, or put too many in one room. Because of these oversights homeowners need to keep close supervision on the electrical work being done in their homes.
2.) Be sure that the painters save enough paint in the cans to do touch ups later.
3.) Don’t let plumbers begin work until you have contacted the local utility service to come out and mark the underground utilities. This will prevent your contractor from accidently digging into and damaging the existing services.
4.) “Spend your money where the water is.” In order to increase the resell value of your home, owners should focus remodeling on kitchens and bathrooms. Also keep in mind that a good carpet trimmer and crown moldings can improve the looks and value of your home.
During a diy home improvment project, our challenge was to give enough candle wattage for the stairwell area without seeming as if it was a doctors office. We installed sconce lighting as an ascending viewpoint that when needed could be dimmed down a bit for a ambiance that truly gave a pleasing appearance with 3 sconce lights the high back wall of the staircase.
By using the existing 3 way switch leg and relocating 2 more electrical lighting rough in boxes, and a few drywall patches later, a dimmer switch was placed at the top and bottom of the staircase for a beautiful line of path lighting and after dimming down, it could set the mood in the foyer for those comfortable quite evenings at home with your loved ones.
When our oldest son graduated from high school and moved away to college, my husband and I seized the chance to do some impromptu home improvements. We wanted to split our son’s large bedroom roughly in half, leaving us with an intimate sewing room and an exercise room on the other side of the wall. Everything went smoothly until we were forced to address the doorway.
We realized that neither of us knew how to install door hinges. Luckily, we had purchased some online that were suitable for both right- and left-handed doors. Since the exercise equipment and people moving about in the fitness room would take up more space, we wanted the door to open into the sewing room. With the project fully planned, we went ahead with its execution.
Our original plan was to put our house on the market in September or October of 2008. Unfortunately, that’s precisely when the stock market began to plummet and the housing market virtually imploded. We were left with nothing more than a few crushed dreams and an unwanted house plagued with problems. The electrical wiring was out of whack, the carpets were worn and frayed and the walls were in serious need of some life.
We decided to make lemonade with the lemons life had handed us. In order to increase the property value of the home, we worked practically around the clock on a DIY home renovation. After just a few months’ work, the interior of the house was virtually unrecognizable. We had poured so much time and effort into restoring the glory of the place that we no longer have any desire to move.