House Renovation Tips

Use a chisel to split the defective shingle, then pull out the sections. Slide a flat bar up and flatten the nails with a few hammer blows.
Trim a replacement shingle to fit by allowing a 1/4-inch space on each side. Tap it into place with a hammer. Stop when the butt is about 1/4 inch [...]

Here’s a trick to help you install screening flat and taut. Begin with a piece of screen that is a few inches longer than the frame. Staple it at one end. Take care to keep the weave even with the frame. Then staple the screen at the long end to a scrap of wood held [...]

There are several possible reasons why a door might bind. The screws may no longer hold the hinges securely, one or both hinges may be set in a mortise that’s too deep or too shallow, the door itself may have warped, or the jambs may go out of square as the house settles. The problem [...]

Wood shrinks, joints open and fasteners loosen. What to do? An adjustable turnbuckle brace, available in rod or cable form, will square up the gate and permit future adjustments. Kits that include all necessary hardware and instructions are widely available but you can also make your own setup from standard hardware. Use steel cable for [...]

You can set fence posts directly in the ground or in a concrete collar for added strength. Either way, you should use rot-resistant wood and set the post on a bed of gravel, to aid drainage and to keep the end grain from soaking up excess moisture.
Posts for gates, fence corners or decks, and posts [...]

Replacing a rotted fence post is complicated because the rails attached to it can be difficult to remove and re-attach. Here’s a quick but sturdy fix that supports a rotting post without disturbing it: Drive a 3- to 4-foot pipe into the ground adjacent to the post, leaving about a foot above grade. Attach the [...]

Big or small stove?
Are you trying to choose between one large wood stove and two smaller ones? Usually one large one works better. It takes larger chunks of wood, can burn longer fires and cuts maintenance and cleaning time in half. In some cases, though, such as in a ranch-style house, two stoves are necessary [...]

Get rid of the smells and odors in the fridge
Refrigerator or freezer smells can be eliminated by wiping the entire interior of the appliance with pure vanilla extract on a cloth, rubbing it on hard. Wipe again with a clean cloth.
To kill the awful smell in a refrigerator that was left closed when the power [...]

The Perfect Fit
The first step in installing prefinished paneling is to place a piece against the wall and make sure it’s plumb (absolutely straight up and down). If it isn’t, you must scribe it to fit. To do that, hold the paneling with one side as close as possible to the corner of the wall [...]

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 [...]