Home Repair & Maintenance

Replacing a Moen single-handle faucet can be accomplished in 1-2 hours, depending on your experience with plumbing fixtures. Be sure to have the right tools on hand, and follow instructions...

Wooden countertops add warmth and beauty to your home. There are two types of finishes for wood countertops. Waxes and oils are food safe but offer limited moisture resistance. Polyurethanes and...

Many disasters can strike a home, and water damage is one of the worst. Regular inspections of your water pipes can prevent serious problems. Pipe problems caught early are much easier to repair...

The trickiest part of most drywall repairs (and the part that amateurs often overlook) is not the patching or hole-filling, it's making the smooth repair area blend in with the surrounding...

A maple floor can give a room a natural, rustic, and warm look. But even small scratches can ruin its appearance. Unless the scratches are extremely deep and the damage is extensive, you should be...

People often back feed a double-pole (sometimes referred to as "2P") circuit breaker (referred to as "CB") when connecting a portable, stand-by generator to a service panel during a power outage....

Households across the U.S. contain thousands of germs and harmful bacteria. Bacteria can grow and divide at an exponential rate, usually every 20 minutes. Just one bacteria cell with favorable...

Swapping out an old light fixture with a new unit is one of the easiest and most satisfying DIY projects around the home. New light fixtures are always a worthwhile upgrade whether you're making...

You can fix a table lamp with a worn out socket, and avoid the expense of having to replace the whole lamp. Despite the many styles of table lamps, many use one of several basic lamp sockets. ...

It is always nice to stay warm at home during winter while watching TV but it's sometimes it too hot that it burns on your pocket. There are several ways to save money on heating bills during the...

If you think you are handy and are a do it your selfer then this is the article you need to read to learn how to do the work yourself. This article will tell you how to purchase your drywall, and...

We always hear about changing to energy efficient light bulbs and appliances, but what about maintaining energy efficient plumbing. Properly maintaining your current plumbing can save money and...

Hanging and mounting items on a wall in your home is as easy as pounding a nail into the wall and hanging the item. Hanging and mounting items on a metal wall in your metal building or shop may...

When we notice stains around a pipe, dripping water from a pipe, or you notice that suddenly your water bill has gotten higher these are obvious indications of a leaky pipe. It seems as if a leaky...

Painted wood trim adds the finishing touch to a home's walls, both inside and outside. Regular maintenance will keep it looking good and extend the life of the trim, saving you money in the long...

Because exterior door trim is exposed to the weather, it will eventually rot or warp. In order to avoid further damage to the siding or the possibility of getting moisture in between the walls of...

Glazing or inserting the glass into a wood sash window is simple if you have the right supplies and follow a few simple safety rules. The techniques are not hard, but they require a little...

The term "three-piece-shower" unit is a bit of a misnomer. There are actually four pieces to the basic shower unit. A base unit or drain pan, and three walls. The fourth side of the shower is left...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency assigns flood zone designations to different areas around the United States. Insurers, mortgage lenders, homeowners and others refer to these flood zone...

Wood stoves are an economical way to supplement the heat in your home. However, installation of a wood-burning stove in a mobile home poses some unique challenges. While none of these challenges...

A replacement door that will be installed in an existing jamb often arrives without the mortise for the hinges. It is preferable to mortise the hinges on site to ensure that they are correctly...

Electrical circuits often contain a power source, a switch and a light. The power source may be the circuit breaker panel in your house or another powered device such as a power outlet.

Your driveway is one of the first things people notice about your home. It provides a stable location for you to park your vehicles. You should repair cracks or other damage as soon as possible to...

A large number of homeowners have water problems in their basements, either as a result of seepage, leaking or condensation. All of these can lead to structural damage and can promote the growth...

A bandsaw is an almost indispensable piece of equipment for any woodworking shop. It can make curved cuts that would be impossible with a table saw. It can also cut material that would be too...

Over time, kitchen sinks become chipped, cracked and stained. Replacing a sink is expensive and frustrating if the sink measurements are not typical. Hiring a company to re-glaze the sink can also...

Wood floors add beauty or rustic feel to a home or office. However, many people have with wood floors is maintaining them. Wood can be scratched by moving furniture, and some of the biggest...

Window sills are easy to overlook in regular household cleaning. Dust--and even mold--can build up over time, leaving grime that looks daunting to get rid of. Window sills are simple to clean...

A wood floor is a beautiful amenity in the home. There are two mainstream ways of maintaining a wood floor, the first being the use of a neutral-pH cleaner, specifically for wood floors, plus...

When a hardwood floor has water stand on it for a long period of time, it will develop a milky cloudy film on the surface. This film is ugly and unattractive on a beautiful wooden floor. There are...

According to academic sources, like the extension service staff at Oregon State University and math experts at Drexel University, there are a number of ways to measure water flow through a pipe,...

Slate is a natural stone, quarried in many countries including the United States and Canada. Slate flooring--whether used indoors for kitchens or outdoors on porches and patios--is stain resistant...

A lot of electrical jobs around the house can be great do-it-yourself projects if you're armed with the right tools and proper instruction. Converting a standard light fixture to a plug-in fixture...

A shutoff valve is put in place to simplify the ability to turn the water supply on and off during repair and maintenance activities. Toilets have only one shutoff valve and it is generally...

Many owners of homes with cedar siding complain that, though beautiful, the siding attracts neighborhood woodpeckers. The holes left behind detract from a house's value and visual appeal, often...

If you have turned your basement into a living area, play room, workshop, spare bedroom or home theater, a bathroom can be a very convenient addition. While installing a bathroom below ground...

Downspouts drain water from a gutter to a surface below. Although aluminum downspouts are designed to last for an extended period of time, they do tend to flake and occasionally need to be...

Glass bathroom sinks are the ultimate in class and sophistication for any bathroom. Glass sinks are durable and virtually unbreakable because of the tempered glass used in the sink. Tempered glass...

Floods are the most common and widespread of natural disasters in the United States, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Floods caused more than $2 billion in damages in...

Pedestal sinks are a common type of bathroom sink. These types of sinks generally differ from kitchen or utility sinks in that they have overflow mechanisms and the drain stoppers are usually...

A porch tin roof is normally best suited to rustic cabins or weekend cottages. The traditional appearance of this type of roof is increasingly less common, but if you are striving for a true...

White mold is one of several varieties of mold that is known to grow in homes across the world. Mold, a decomposition material found in nature that breaks down dead or dying vegetation, can become...

Hot water heaters store hot water for use rather than heat the water heater at the point of use. Although most hot water heaters come with insulation, adding insulation by installing a hot water...

Many of your common in-home electrical repairs such as changing light switches, receptacles and light fixtures can be done yourself with the right tools and proper instruction. Converting a light...

Baseboard heater thermostats control the baseboard heater by turning it on and off. They turn the heater on when the temperature falls below a certain level in the room, and then turn the heater...

Line voltage electric thermostats are used for heating applications that usually use electricity as the energy source for the heat. Electric baseboard or wall-mounted electric heaters are two...

Laminate wood floors are plastic or plastic-coated wood veneer glued over a particle board base. This makes for a durable, water-resistant surface---but it also means that laminate surface can...

Home foundations that settle and crack present many problems. There's the real possibility of further settlement and continued damage to walls, floors and plumbing, but cracked foundation walls...

Tire dry rot occurs for a variety of reasons such as exposure to certain chemicals or solvents, harsh temperatures or improper storage methods. The tiny sidewall cracks that often appear on the...

The finish you see on most hardwood floors consists of two elements: wood stain, which soaks into the wood and darkens and highlights the grain without obscuring it; and gloss (usually...