I was amazed how easy it is to paint in "faux grain" using this funny little rubber tool.You just apply the wood stain and then drag the tool along, rocking forward and backward to open and close grain lines. It is amazingly realistic and surprisingly easy.It is called a "ZAR Graining Tool".The ...
Trying to get a square cut on the top of a fence post or deck post can be a difficult job. Rick sent us in his jig that does the job nicely. He nails two pieces of plywood together at 90 degrees and then puts small guide rails on the sides. He then takes his circular saw and cuts the jig off, ...
You have to make one important decision before you start buying tools for a woodworking shop: are you going to work with rough lumber and dress it down yourself, or are you going to work with renovation centre dressed lumber. Dressed means that it is already planned smooth on all four sides. D...
Although I have learned a great deal about paint and painting over the years, it is not my best subject, especially when formulations and even the tools are constantly changing. So I had my good friend and host of HGTV's One House Two Looks, Jane Lockhart, come on the show to answer some of our ...
OK, you have finished painting. Do you throw the brushes and rollers away? Or do you clean them.Of course if you bought really cheap ones, you could just thrown them away. However, not only are you being rather wasteful from an ecological point of view, you probably had a real hard time painti...
Many people don't realize it but you can bring old files back to life just by cleaning the junk that has accumulated in the grooves. This is done with a special wire brush, called a "File Card". You can get them at any hardware store, next to the files.
The most common shower curtains sold are made of vinyl with very inadequate reinforcing around the hole used to hook it to the curtain rod. The result is that rather quickly the vinyl stretches and breaks through. Now this process accelerates when you have a wife like mine who scrubs the curtai...
Most of our ordinary fiberglass insulation is a skin and breathing irritant. That is why we wear gloves, long sleeves, a cotton mask and glasses. For a bit more money you can now buy itchless rock wool (Roxal) and even itchless fiberglass. If you are all itchy, pour milk over the affected area...
When a lath-and-plaster wall has loose plaster, you shouldn't just put more plaster over it, because the base is no longer solid it will quickly crack again. Either remove the loose plaster, or secure it down.One way is with special "plaster washers". These are light curved washers made out of ...
In this TV show I showed off two great electrical detective devices.The first is called an Inductive Voltage Detector and can be found at automobile supply stores. The one I showed had the trade name Circuit Alert and was made by GB Instruments. Somehow it knows if a wire is connected to the ho...
