I often get asked, "Hey Tim, what's the best small router?" Well, there are several! My one universal axiom I've said for years and years is: "Let price be your barometer. More expensive products / tools often contain better parts, better engineering and they simply do a better job over time." This is true with […]
Shower Noise Stephanie has a banging noise in her shower in Stockton, CA. Allow her to give you a full report: "When I turn on the hot water valve in my shower it makes a banging noise until I increase the water flow. If the flow of the hot water decreases, it will start the banging […]
Craig Tiritilli is wondering if his hanging walnut shelves, and this things on them are going to bow the studs in his Dallas, TX home. Here's his situation: "I have 4 pieces of solid walnut board. Each is 40" x 10" x 3". I want to attach all four of them to a wall as shelves […]
Judy Lazo has basement walls that are flaking away in Haddon Township, NJ. She can tell the story better than me; "I own a home that my ex and I bought in 1997. There was never a problem with water in the basement and still isn't. There is a french drain and sump pump. Around 1999, […]
Brenda Steele is getting ready to move into a new house in Bentonville, AR. But before the closing, there was a water leak in the kitchen. Here's her story: "We are under contract to buy a new home and are waiting for loan approval. We received a call saying someone left the kitchen sink on and […]
Ken Williams has a very slippery shower floor in his Mooresville, NC home. Let him describe it: "The water in my house is very soft and so it is very slippery and the soap never seems to be rinsed off and as a result the shower floor which is 6X6 tiles is dangerously slippery. The […]
Sharon's bathroom floor tile grout is cracking in her Anchorage, AK home. You're not going to believe the photos. Here's her story: "My master bath floor has cracked and chipping grout in more than 50 percent of the tiled area. Some tiles sound hollow underneath. The sub-flooring is 3/4 in OSB with 3/8 inch interior plywood […]
Door Knob Air Leak - Look Above At Giant Gaps! Eric Shimomura lives in Clayton, DE and has a door knob air leak on an exterior door. Here's his question: "How do I prevent air leaks through the door knob? It's not the door itself, just the door knob and dead bolt assemblies." Here's my […]
DEAR TIM: Our house has an usual chimney made with irregular stones. The existing cap is in poor shape and I'm worried about damage. Each contractor I talk with has a different solution and none of them are even similar. What's the best way to install a cap on a masonry chimney, no matter if […]
There seems to be some confusion about the new water heater rules. It pertains to both electric and gas heaters. It depends on the size of the heater. After April 16, 2015, manufacturers can no longer make the old style heaters. They can sell all the OLDER technology ones until they run out. The new […]
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