Incredibly, the near permanence of concrete’s simple, 3-ingredient make-up is a challenge if you’re tasked with breaking it up and removing it. To break and remove concrete, you’ll need a healthy appetite for hard work and a few key tools to get you through. We’ll walk you through the uses of the right tools for the right circumstances. Before digging, call 811 or your “Dig Safe” authority. And wear protective gear when using digging equipment....
Steps for Installing a Metal Railing Locate a local welding company to make the railings for the steps. This process usually takes up to three weeks. Measure roughly 4” from the wall and 4” from the edge of the steps to place the railing. Use a marker to trace around the edges of the railing. Use the coring drill to drill out holes for the railing. A scrap piece of stone can be used to guide the drill....
Plan how many you’ll need by pacing your yard, so the stones will more or less match your stride. To settle them into the soil, use a sharp blade to cut around each one, and excavate about 3 inches. To stabilize the roughly 2-inch-thick stones, backfill with a layer of pea gravel, then of sand. Though you can paint the stones, coating the porous concrete with a clear masonry sealer lets each leaf’s veining be the star....
Have you ever ended up applying too many coats of paints to wood, only to have stains bleed through and ruin your finish? Read Jenn Largesse’s recommended steps for painting bare wood. Steps for Painting Bare Wood Step 1: Sand the Surface It may seem unnecessary to sand bare wood before painting, but stock lumber is often coated in a glaze to help protect it. Removing that coating will help the paint adhere....
In this video, Ask This Old House landscape contractor Jenn Nawada works with a homeowner who lives on a corner lot to create an attractive, durable landscape that can withstand heavy pedestrian traffic. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Tips for designing a high-traffic landscape: Mark out the location of the new garden bed area with some spray paint. Strip out the existing grass using a sod cutter. Rake out the soil underneath with a metal rake to ensure a smooth, tilled surface....
This post was previously sponsored by Indow. Saving History Preserving the architectural integrity of the old houses we remodel, while modernizing them for energy efficiency and the lifestyles of today’s families, is at the heart of what we do at This Old House. That goal can be particularly challenging when working with historic homes. Two recent projects—this year’s 1840’s Single House in Charleston and the 120-year-old Belmont Queen Anne we renovated in season 37—were no exception....
Lake House Legacy They say history repeats itself. So maybe it’s no surprise that it took a series of remodels for Emily and Michael Knotts to turn their ranch house on North Carolina’s Lake Wylie into their ideal family home. After all, its original owners—Michael’s great-aunt and her husband—had themselves nurtured the little house along through the end of the 20th century, one remodel at a time. Shown: When it became clear the existing house would have to be rebuilt, the homeowners seized the chance to create their dream home, complete with storybook rooflines....
Compare the Best Air Hockey Tables Best For Tabletops: Sport Squad Tabletop Air Hockey Table Most Versatile: Best Choice Products 4-in-1 Multi Game Table Best Entry-Level: Triumph Sports Fire ‘n Ice Air Hockey Table Best Features: Triumph Sports Lumen-X Air Hockey Table Best Full-Size: ESPN Sports Air Hockey Game Table Best For Tabletops: Sport Squad Tabletop Air Hockey Table Pros and Cons ✔ Has puck returns on both sides✔ Comes with two pucks✔ Uses rubber foot pads to protect your table...
Once you’ve brewed your morning cup of coffee, perk up around-the-house tasks with this surprisingly versatile leftover. While some use coffee grounds for recipes, here’s how to use coffee grounds around the home: 10 Uses for Used Coffee Grounds 1. Repel Insects in Your Garden Coffee grounds make for a great repellant in the garden. Mound grounds into a ring to create a protective border around plants that will ward off ants and slugs....
Steps for Building a Raised Garden Bed: Attach the support brackets to the center of the cedar boards using the drill driver and screws. There should be two boards of the same length stacked one on top of the other to reach the 15” height. Insert the sides into the corner brackets. Secure them with the drill driver. Insert the plastic cover into all four corners. Prep the location in the yard for the garden bed....
Cutting batts of fiberglass insulation takes forever because the batts are so thick and fuzzy. What Can I Use to Cut Fiberglass Insulation? You can use a sharp utility knife to cut fiberglass batt insulation. You’ll also want to have a scrap piece of plywood handy to help speed up the process and produce a clean, neat cut every time. How to Cut Fiberglass Batt Insulation Lay the insulation on top of a scrap piece of plywood with its foil or kraft-paper vapor barrier facing up....
Wood walls have a long history. In early colonial times, boards and shingles that skinned over a house’s skeleton often formed the interior surfaces as well. Planks made up the partition walls. Later, vertical boards were nailed to studs, often with a decorative bead or chamfered V along their edges. Walls that were not plastered were often paneled. While the wealthy had fancy woodwork, most homes featured flat-backed claddings similar to those used on the exterior—usually boards with interlocking “lapped” or tongue-and-groove joints to keep out water and cold winds....
The perfect gift for Dad this Father’s Day may be the gift of a DIY organization. If nothing in our curated gift guide will pique his interest, try running this project by him and, if he’s game, he’ll reap the benefits of organized tools the next time he has a task to tackle. Steps for Labeling a Toolbox Remove all the tools from the toolbox, and store them in a safe place away from your painting project area....
Previous episode: S17 E26 | Next episode: S18 E2 In this episode: Nathan travels to Birmingham, Alabama to install a sliding barn door in an open-concept loft apartment; Tom compares the qualities of different types of roofing materials; Ross explains the culprit behind damaged solar panels and how to prevent future damage; Mark installs a dry well for a homeowner with drainage issues in his backyard. How to Hang a Sliding Barn Door Nathan travels to Birmingham, Alabama to install a sliding barn door in an open-concept loft apartment....
Spread across the bottom of a standard 3-foot-wide entry door, a 1⁄4 inch space can let in as much air as a 3.4-inch hole in the wall. Keep cold out and precious heated air in by closing the gap with a door sweep. Common Types of Door Sweeps A) Least visible Not crazy about seeing a sweep? This hidden device’s metal housing fits into a groove routed into a wood door’s bottom edge; the sweep automatically raises and lowers....
Eco-Friendly Furniture New direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture company Yardbird was born out of a desire to create affordable and durable designs without losing out on style—in the process, co-founder Jay Dillon also found a way to manufacture the furniture with recycled materials. Shown: Yardbird’s Luna Sofa Set in charcoal, $1,480 (includes a sofa, coffee table, and pair of fixed chairs) Sourcing Materials Before launching Yardbird with his father, Bob Dillon, Jay traveled to Hong Kong to learn more about factories and suppliers....
A house with good bones has pleasing lines on the outside, but that artful composition has to be echoed on the inside, too. And nothing’s better for giving rooms a handsome, well-built look than wainscoting on the walls. What is the purpose of wainscoting? A combination of decorative boards or panels and moldings that extend partway up a wall’s face, wainscoting is a centuries-old marriage of form and style. Dating to the 1300s, the Dutch used it to shield the bottom half of plaster walls from such hazards as jostled chairs, spurs on riding boots, perhaps even carelessly swung scabbards....
Watch as the crew of Ask This Old House celebbrates the 20 anniversary of everyone’s favorite segment: What Is It? After taking a look at some of our favorite stumpers from over the years, landscaping contractor Jenn Nawada proposes a test of her own. And the guys all think they have the answer to “What Is It?” Host Kevin O’Connor thinks it’s a “smooth” way to get restricted pocket items past airport security....
How to Quiet a Noisy Baseboard Heater Remove the baseboard covers to see how the piping is run. Copper pipe will expand when heated, so look for places where the pipe is too close to walls or corners to allow for proper expansion. Before modifying any piping, close the valves for the zone that needs repair. Drain down enough water to ensure the work area will be dry. Clean the pipe before cutting it using a plumber’s sandpaper....
In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey installs a natural gas line for a barbecue grill. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Installing a Gas Grill Check to confirm that the home’s natural gas system has enough capacity to support a barbecue grill. Use a pipe wrench to turn off the gas at the gas meter. Tap into the existing gas line and run a new line out to the gas grill location....
