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When his wife asked for a shoe rack to put by the entry, TOH general contractor Tom Silva didn’t really like the flimsy construction of the ones he saw for sale. So he went to his drawing board and designed this Craftsman-inspired, solid-wood version sturdy enough to also serve as a bench. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time The material Tom chose for this project—clear, vertical-grain Douglas fir boards—is lightweight and easily worked but also quite strong....

Steps for Restaining a Deck: Clean all debris off the deck with a leaf blower. Start by sanding the edges of the deck with 40-grit sandpaper. Switch to the floor sander to sand the rest of the deck, again using the 40-grit sandpaper. Repeat this process with the 60- and 80-grit sandpaper. Pour the penetrating oil into a bucket. Apply the oil around the edges of the deck using a paintbrush....

When it comes to durability, brick homes and buildings are some of the longest-lasting structures around. In fact, the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town, South Africa and Bromley Hall in London, England are both brick structures that are over 500 years old. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend centuries looking at the same old color in your home. If you learn how to stain brick, you’ll be able to change its look over the course of a weekend....

Tool chests, similar to tool bags or toolboxes, allow you to store all of your tools in one place. They often look like a cabinet with drawers and have wheels so that you can easily push them around. The biggest advantage of choosing a tool chest over other storage options is that you get more storage space, making it ideal for homeowners with a large collection of tools. Top 5 Tool Chests Best Worktop: Seville Classics 6-Drawer Rolling Cabinet Most Storage Space: Husky Extra Deep 46-Inch 9-Drawer Mobile Workbench Best Value: Keter Rolling Tool Chest Best for Immobilizing Tools: Craftsman CMST82765BK Tool Chest With Drawer Liner Roll Most Versatile: Goplus 6-Drawer Rolling Tool Chest Key Features 28 inches long x 18 inches deep x 34....

“When you’re designing this small, you’re taking into account every little thing, from the width of the casing to the thickness of the floor,” architect Don Powers says. Down in the basement, a bonus room can be used as anything from an office to a teen hangout. The garage was turned into a maker’s workshop. Upstairs, a loft provides an elevated hangout space. All were drawn down to the inch....

Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada and mason Mark McCullough team up to install a water feature for a bubbly new project. By tapping into Mark’s secret stash of hand-selected boulders and Jenn’s knowledge of landscaping features, the two put together a stone water fountain made from basic materials that homeowners can find at most hardware supply stores. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Building a Stone Water Fountain Choose a boulder or rock for the main feature....

In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook helps a homeowner maintain an overgrown perennial garden. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Maintaining an Overgrown Garden Spread a plastic tarp on the ground in front of the garden bed. Dig up the perennials with a transplanting shovel, then set the plants on the tarp. Fold the tarp over the plants. Use a reciprocating saw to trim the lower ends of fence pickets, removing any rotted wood....

At first glance, making a round tufted ottoman can seem like a complicated project, but with a simple frame and a staple gun, this elegant piece of furniture comes together easier than you might think. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time See part two of this project. Framing steps: Follow these steps and scroll to the bottom of the page for the full cut list, materials and tools needed to complete this project....

If you’re happy with the current layout of your bathroom and all it needs for a refresh is a coat of paint, new plumbing, light fixtures, and modern hardware, you can expect to pay under $5,000. At the other extreme, a major down-to-the-studs renovation might run you $30,000 to $40,000. Whether you’re planning a modest bathroom makeover or a major gut and remodel, our expert tips, beginning with the simplest fixes and leading up to a complete overhaul, will help you get it done right....

We don’t often think about walls except as a place to hang pictures, or maybe as something that prevents the downstairs of your house from having an open floor plan with long interior views. Without walls though, your house won’t stand up. Obviously, outside walls keep out the weather and support the roof and floors. But interior walls serve many purposes as well, including supporting floor and ceiling loads, providing chases for running pipes, wires, and ducts, as well as making baths and bedrooms private places....

If you live in the North, Midwest, or at a high elevation, you can safely bet on snow and ice at some point in the year. And yes, it’s pretty for a while and makes snowball throwers and skiers happy, but it also can be a pain when you repeatedly must clear your driveway throughout the winter—even if you pay someone else to plow it or remove it with a snowblower....

Paint expert Mauro Henrique shows Kevin O’Connor how to remove wallpaper easily. After going over a few different types of wallpaper, Mauro shows Kevin the removal methods and tools to use. Some types of wallpaper come off easier than others, but Mauro’s expertise makes short work of them all. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time How to Remove Different Types of Wallpaper The term “wallpaper” includes many, many types of wall finishings....

Reading may seem outmoded as a way to while away an afternoon, but there just might be more interest than ever in carving out a reading nook at home. Nestled into an alcove or tucked alongside a window, a snug spot in which to retreat with the latest page-turner—or just unplug for a while—has an irresistible pull, often evoking times (and homes) gone by. “These kinds of built-ins trigger so many memories and emotions,” says New York–based architect Gil Schafer, author most recently of A Place to Call Home....

Laminate flooring has come a long way since its introduction to US markets in the 1980s. An engineered product, it’s designed to work with specific underlayment and trim components. Sold in planks that are typically about 3 feet long, 5 to 7 inches or wider, and 7 to 12mm thick, laminate flooring’s dimensions are usually given in a mix of imperial and metric numbers that hark back to its European origins....

Freestanding Tension-mount models offer locking doors, so that it’s easy for humans to pass through but canines are contained. Or try a set of folding panels, like the one above—dare we call it fetching? Have a wide passageway that won’t hold a tension-mount gate? This 36"-high fold-up barrier with stabilizing feet offers flexible (but not child-safe) coverage. Plus, it opens to almost 7 feet wide. Primetime Petz Palm Springs Designer Gate, $150; Wayfair...

This article appeared in the Fall 2021 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. Shown: Activity on the second floor—snacking, studying, watching TV—centers around a sectional sofa that unfolds to a queen-size bed for overnight guests. A horizontal steel railing at the top of the stairs opens up the space and establishes its modern vibe. Teenagers want to be with their friends, and parents want to keep them close­—while giving them some independence, too....

Steps for Building a MDF Storage Bench Start by cutting the MDF sheet into a workable size with a track saw. Before cutting the sheet in half for the top and bottom pieces of the bench, determine where the slots for the cubbies are going to go and mark them with a pencil and a straight edge. Use the baskets to help determine the size of the cubbies. Use a router to make a dado cut along the marked lines....

Nothing heats your home like a wood-burning stove. But if you have one, or a fireplace or outdoor fire pit, you need to keep firewood on hand. The challenge is protecting your woodpile from rain and snow. By building a handy wood shed from pallets, though, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 6! Steps for Building a Pallet Wood Shed The standard size of a pallet is 48 by 40 inches....

Are you planning to winterize your roof? Of all the home improvements you make annually, this is one that probably doesn’t come to mind. After all, the roof is out of your sight most of the time, so it’s all too easy to forget about it. But this is one of the most important parts of your home, and if properly maintained, it provides an enormous amount of energy efficiency, helping you save on heating and cooling bills....

The good news is that if the affected area is no larger than ten square feet and you aren’t dealing with toxic black mold, you can eliminate the mold yourself using everyday household cleaners. But don’t delay—holding off on this project will give the mold colony a chance to expand, and prolonged exposure can be bad for your health. What if you’re dealing with black mold? It can be difficult to distinguish toxic black mold (Stachybotrys chartarum) from other species that are black in color, so it’s best to call in a professional in this situation....