Carpentry

Over time, even the best built cupboard and cabinet doors can begin to sag and bind a little. Just think about the number of times a kitchen cupboard door is opened in just one year--and then...

Whether you need extra space for seasonal clothing, sports gear or toys, to centralize cleaning supplies or camping gear, one of the simplest means of household organizing is to utilize an unused...

While a building with concrete walls is sturdy, it can often make a room feel desolate if left bare. You may wish to make the room feel more inviting by adding photos to the walls. However,...

Installing trim on interior windows can add style and dimension to any room. When considering such a project, first determine the styling; the desired style will determine the type of molding you...

Cabinetry in your laundry room is a must. You need a place to keep your detergents, cleaning supplies, and anything else which you keep hidden away in your laundry room. Without cabinetry, a...

If you need to hide screws in a piece of furniture that you plan to paint, you can use dowel rods or purchase ready-made plugs at your home improvement store. Paint will usually hide the...

A variety of construction and carpentry jobs require you to tear down a wood structure. In the process, you will need to remove nails. You could do it with a hammer, but a better option is to use...

A wooden work desk makes a great place for getting homework or leftover work done in your home or shop. Most wooden desks do not come with predrilled holes for a cord or any other item you want to...

Office chairs come conveniently in a small, flat box, and you can assemble one in less then 20 minutes. You will probably use your chair for quite some time before you must move it or take it...

Making repairs to the wood fixtures in your home requires a delicate hand and a skillful eye in pinpointing and dealing with problems. Wood can be very difficult to work with and when damaged is...

Metal cabinets work well for files and tools and are a requirement for flammable items such as paints and solvents. They hold up well in high-abuse areas such as the garage or basement due to...

For safety reasons, most stairways are equipped with handrails: a grip that users can rely on to stop falls, or to aid in balance while traveling up or down stairs. Handrails are made with a...

Keeping your deck in good repair is essential. When a deck is damaged or in poor repair, it suggests that the entire home is not being maintained. Deck railings are particularly important, since...

The jamb surrounds the door and holds the door in place, hence the necessity for it to be level, so that the door opens and closes freely. You should make sure that a jamb's physical integrity is...

My father was very handy at fixing things around the house and often used this simple method to tighten a wood screw. One great advantage is that it uses commonly available household supplies. ...

There's nothing quite like having the right tool for the job. If you are like most DIYers, having that tool is only half the challenge, finding it is the rest. With a well-outfitted tool bench,...

Placing a cat door in an existing door isn't a viable option for many people, including renters or homeowners who don't want to cut into a centuries-old kitchen door. You can easily place a cat...

Gel stains are a relatively new alternative to the stains that have traditionally been used to color and protect wood surfaces. They have the benefit of having a much thicker consistency, so they...

Handheld belt sanders can be used on a wide variety of projects, from building furniture and cabinets to sanding a floor. These sanders use a continuous belt that runs around a drum and follower...

Nothing is more frustrating than having the right tool for the job and being unable to find it. Drawers and tool chests make great storage, but conceal their contents and require searching. A...

A great innovation in woodworking products is the paintable and stainable wood filler. The wood filler is made with different wood species so that it will stain to shades similar to those of the...

Remove and reuse existing interior wood trim for a number of reasons. Reusing the wood trim, instead of buying it new, shaves a lot of money off the budget for the entire project. Retaining the...

Nothing puts a kink in a project like a broken screw. In some cases, the piece being worked on is expendable and can be easily replaced with a new piece; however, this is not always the case....

Kitchen drawers are not very complicated structures. They are aggravating, however, when they don't work correctly. This happens for a number of reasons. The metal ledge on which a drawer is often...

A personal workshop provides an area for you to fix and build anything you think you can. A crucial tool in a workshop is a vise. A mounted bench vise will help you clamp items in position so you...

Many people find woodworking projects to be relaxing and rewarding. From building doll houses and toy animals to wood boxes, all woodworking projects have one thing in common---wood glue. Also...

Screws can often be tricky to use. In many materials, a screw seems strong enough to hold, but the bond weakens in time, creating damage to the object and making it useless. Drywall is one of the...

When termites swarm, it means they are leaving a nearby infestation to branch out and start another colony. One of the most disturbing things about swarmer termites is how overwhelming a swarm...

Nothing is worse than a stripped screw or hole. Furniture and anything else breaks down much more quickly with loose screws. Not only does a loose screw provide a weaker piece of furniture, it...

Replacing cabinet hardware is one of the quickest and most cost effective ways to give old cabinets new life. A burst of color or a change in attitude is just around the corner with the plethora...

Door molding provides a decorative frame to a door and conceals the join between the door and the wall, according to "Collins Complete DIY Manual" (Reference 1). Moldings have no load bearing...

Oak trim is an excellent way to update a home. It is reasonably inexpensive. Oak is a hardwood that will last a long time and can be stained or painted in numerous colors. Painting oak kind of...

Many times the budget for a home remodeling project just does not allow for purchasing all brand new items. When working with doors, you may decide that the hardware needs to be salvaged and...

Storing band saw blades can be awkward due to their shape and size. Rolling or coiling the blade makes it compact--much easier to put away in storage. With practice, rolling the blade takes only a...

Installing a new laminate counter top can change the look of your kitchen. Most of the job is straightforward and easy to do. However, when you are faced with the task of cutting a large hole in...

Nail holes is mouldings around doors and windows can prove unsightly. Repair them quickly and easily using a few supplies readily available at most home improvement stores. The repair itself...

A DeWalt nail gun is a great way to save time on home improvement projects, but only if it is working. Learning how to troubleshoot your DeWalt nail gun can save you the time and effort of...

I remember the first time my father let me open his huge toolbox in the basement. He lifted the top tray out and I was amazed by the array of hammers he had hidden in there. There were small...

Changing the laminate on your kitchen or bathroom countertops can go a long way toward updating and improving the appearance of these rooms. Laminates come in a wide variety of colors, textures,...

Moldings serve multiple purposes. To the average home owner they appear to be decorative elements. Ask any carpenter, and he will tell you their primary function is to cover ugly gaps and hold...

A sticky door, or one that rubs against its frame, is one of those jobs on most "to do lists" that never seem to get done. Part of the reason is because the door will often stick less when the...

When a door lock won’t catch or a deadbolt gets hung up on its strike plate, rather than trying to adjust and move the catch or plate itself, you can quickly fix the problem by doing a bit of...

Fire bricks are lightweight, clay bricks that are known for their heat-resistant properties. Fire bricks are most commonly used to line and insulate kilns, furnaces and fireplace interiors. Fire...

Oak is a wood that naturally contains a large amount of tannic acid. What this means to the owner of oak furniture or cabinets is that black stains, known as water stains, are created when any...

Drill bits come in various sizes, from 1/16 inch or smaller, all the way up to 1 inch. When manufactured, the bits are gauged by measuring the outside edges, also known as the outside diameter....

A board foot is a unit used for measuring the volume of lumber. A single board foot is equal to the volume of a piece of wood that measures one foot long, one foot wide, and one inch thick. This...

Smoke is serious business. Whether cigarette smoke, cooking smoke or smoke from a house fire, it leaves a thick residue that easily stains wood and other household items. If you have smoke-stained...

A hand plane is indispensable when doing fine woodworking. A finely tuned plane will give a board a straight, flat edge. Unfortunately, if you take a brand-new plane out of the box, you probably...

Many of the different types of air compressors used for industrial or residential purposes can support a variable rate of compressed air released from the compressor. The ability to adjust the...

There are several methods to make the unattractive edges of plywood look smooth and finished. This method uses veneer and laminate strips. Here’s how to hide plywood edges.