Quick Column Summary: How to clean teak table Pressure washers can cause damage Use an oxygen bleach Seal with synthetic resin DEAR TIM: I purchased a used teak outdoor table from the online classified ad website Craigslist. It was a great deal, but it needs some tender loving care. How do I clean it? Should […]
Last week I was having a rare phone conversation with my editor at the syndicate that distributes my Ask the Builder column. Dave's a great editor and a DIY enthusiast. Somehow the conversation drifted to how he looks for help online to do projects and to help guide him when he decides he needs to […]
Quick Column Summary: New building upgrades Credit for standard cabinets or flooring Original pricing for cabinets / floors plus price of upgrade Larry Niccum, who now lives in Ogden, UT but is moving west to Mesquite, NV, had a stumper question to a sales rep at a Del Webb community. Here's what Larry sent me: […]
Quick Column Summary: No one buys paint online Color needs to be seen in person Order from home I don't have a record of when the meeting happened, but my guess is it was 2004. I was in the offices of Miller Brothers Paint in Norwood, Ohio meeting with the owner of the company and […]
Last week I did something new. It's good to do new things. I taught myself how to tie a bow tie. It's really pretty simple. Here's a photo of one I tied last Friday just before I started to board passengers onto the scenic train I work on here in New Hampshire. I watched a […]
Quick Column Summary: Flooded, drywall damaged How high up do you replace Make it easy on the drywall finisher Add extra electrical outlets now Ms. Lisa Reynolds, who works for the Federal Department of the Interior in Colorado, had her offices flood with water. Heck, I'll let her tell you the rest: "Our office suffered […]
Quick Column Summary: Want to hang porch swing without thru bolts What size eyelet lag bolt Not safe to use single eyelet bolts Hang from a created, steel bar Sean Kelliher, who lives in Readington, NJ, reached out with a compliment and a question. "I'm an avid reader of all your tips and you've been […]
Quick Concrete Overlay Summary: Stamped concrete overlay on the patio Big differences in two estimates Both overlays will work if done correctly Bruce Laybourne, who probably eats lots of Skyline Chili and Aglamesis Mocha Chip ice cream because he lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, is scratching his head over two bids for putting a stamped concrete […]
Quick Column Summary: Reclaimed cedar siding Can you use it for flooring Cedar is too soft for floors Try oak or maple Teresa, from Dove Creek, CO, asked a pithy question about recycling cedar siding. "Does reclaimed cedar siding make a good floor?" Here's my answer: Teresa, cedar is a very soft wood. I'd never […]
Quick Column Summary: Install a blacktop driveway over gravel Is additional gravel needed You need the right gravel, installed in layers Dawn Coleman, from Munford, TN, is about to install a new blacktop asphalt hot top driveway. But she doesn't feel good about the estimate she received. Let her tell the story. "I currently have […]
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