House Renovation Tips

Neatness counts
To keep a linoleum or vinyl floor clean, vacuum or dust mop it often. That way you’ll pick up loose dirt before it scratches the surface.
Don’t use a rubber, or foam, backed mat or rug on a linoleum or vinyl floor. Rubber and foam can cause discoloration.
Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a pail [...]

The sequence of stair assembly is this:
- First, put up the stringers.
- Second, nail on the risers.
- Third, put on the skirt boards - the baseboards, cut to fit the stair steps-tight against the risers.
- Finally, put on the treads, starting at the bottom so you can reach behind the risers and nail them to [...]

Before sweeping a large concrete floor or patio, sprinkle slightly damp coffee grounds on the surface. They will keep the dust down and pick up the dirt.
To get dried raw egg off a concrete floor, scrub the egg with a scrub brush while pouring on boiling water. Wear heavy rubber gloves for this process and [...]

Holes and cracks in concrete only get worse if left alone, especially in colder climates with freeze/thaw cycles.
As long as you’re patching a hole, it’s a good idea to clean and seal the concrete too. Clean one section at a time, do your repairs, then apply a water seal. Since concrete’s worst enemy is water, [...]

To replace a cracked tile, start by using a masonry or carbide-tip bit to drill a hole (any size) in the center of the damaged tile. With a glass cutter, score the tile diagonally from each corner to the center hole. Then, using a hammer and a cold chisel, chip away pieces of the tile, [...]

Quick Fixes
If a knot comes loose from the flooring you’ve laid, just glue it back in place with carpenter’s glue.
If you lose a knot that’s come loose, fill the hole with wood putty and stain the area to look like a knot.
If your wide floorboards shrink in width, here’s a way to fill the cracks [...]

Why Wood Decays
The fungi that destroy wood have simple needs: Air, water, moderate temperatures, and not too much sunlight, thank you. Whenever the moisture content of the wood in your home is greater than 19 percent (it feels damp to the touch), ever-present fungal spores begin to grow. As the wood dries out, the fungi [...]

Wooden structures not built with insect-resistant wood can become fodder for termites. To prevent an infestation, try to avoid contact between earth and wood (termites must draw water from the soil every day). Concrete footings make it difficult for termites to reach the structure. Still, termites may attempt to bridge the gap by building brown [...]

Climate control that runs hot and cold
Like ceiling heating, with no moving parts to wear out, floor heating is virtually maintenance free. There are three types of this totally unobtrusive form of heating:
In-slab heating
For one room or the whole house, this type of heating has to be installed when in the process of building or [...]

These three steps will help you reduce the condensation in your home.
1. Produce less moisture.
Some ordinary daily activities produce a lot of moisture very quickly.
Cover pans and do not leave kettles boiling.
Avoid using paraffin and portable flueless bottled gas heaters as these heaters put a lot of moisture into the air.
Dry washing outdoors on a [...]