Every paint is formulated to maximize some special characteristic, and that often means sacrificing other desirable characteristics in that particular paint. No one paint can be everything to everybody.One of the most common trade-offs in making paint is "ease of application" vs. "durability".Pl...
Before looking at resurfacing laminate furniture, I gave a small suggestion that a face lifting could be as simple as changing the door and drawer handles. If you haven't visited that isle at the renovation centre lately, you should stop by for a look-see.You can paint the plastic surface. Firs...
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...
Carpet or tile adhesive can seem almost impossible to remove from a concrete or wooden floor, especially when it has been there for a long time. If you try sanding, it will heat up and clog up the sandpaper. If you wire brush it with a wire wheel on your drill, again if you let it heat up, it w...
When working with plastic laminate, like Arborite and Formica, the material is rather thick, so trimming off the excess requires the use of power tools.Whether using a small specialized laminate trimming tool or an ordinary router, the key is in the bits. The edge trim should be completed first, ...
Scissors have the flat side where they two blades rub, then a cutting bevel followed by a relief bevel. So how do you sharpen them? Get the flat side flatStart by using a stone to remove any nicks that stick past the flat side. Just put the stone on the flat and grind until the entire side is ...
-- Oil base, resin base and polyvinyl acetate caulking do not hold up. There are far too many better caulkings available to waste time and money with these old formulations.-- Latex based caulking is inexpensive, can be painted and has medium durability. It is acceptable for baseboards and caul...
We all know copper piping, both rigid and flexible. We have talked in this database about the very reliable quality PEX (Cross Linked Polyethylene) piping that is now being used for both hot and cold water installations, as well as for in-floor radiant heating. So what is Pex-Al-Pex piping?This...
Woody from Kingsville, Ontario has a great tip for giving your Plexiglas project a smooth flowing rounded edge.First sand out any saw cuts or other imperfections, but rather than trying to sand over the sharp edge, hold a propane torch about 4 inches from the edge and slightly melt the plastic. ...
Last year we had a viewer who had a burn hole in a counter top from a hot pot. We showed how you can use the router to cut out the burn and create a recessed hole for a tile or a cutting board. See "The Plunging Router meets the counter top burn" .This year we got the same question again but th...