Getting the adhesive or even old pressed down underpad off of floors is never easy. Not much of anything dissolves it, although you could try several different solvents.Start with hot water and soap--it just may be water soluble.If there is a clear varnish on the wood under that glue, you can us...
Just a few math answers to common renovation questions.How far should steps go up (rise) and how wide should steps be (run)? The rise should not be less than 4 inches or you will stumble on it, nor more than 9 inches or it becomes a ladder. Then within those limits, the rise times the run should...
Stairs squeak when something is loose and the wood rubs either against another piece of wood or rubs on a nail.You can often feel the movement by putting your finger on the stair joints while someone walks on it. (Be careful not to pinch your finger.)If the movement is where the tread and the ri...
When you screw a handrail to the top of a balustrade you can at times avoid an ugly putty hole covering the screw by driving the screw in from the other side of the vertical post. But when you go into the wall, you may not have a choice.Phil from Ingersoll, Ontario has an interesting suggestion ...
Residential elevators were once only dreamed of for very large houses and very rich people. But the baby boomers are changing that in that many wish to remain in their multi-floor houses long after climbing all those stairs has become quite a pain, if not impossible. Hence the development of a ...
Someone asked me for wheelchair ramp specifications -- so here are the ones from CMHC.Specifications include: a ramp slopes no steeper than 1:12, max length of 9000mm between landings, an upstand curb 75 mm high (to stop from rolling off the side), guard rail mounted at a height of 200mm on each ...
Andy in Oshawa Ontario has a basement stairway that is too steep, it is difficult to walk down this stairway. He says that he can't change the stairway and only wants to cover the treads with something that will give him a bit of a grip.Because of our snow, in most of Canada you can buy rubber s...
Planning and laying out the cut markings for stair stringers is pretty complex until you have done it a couple of times. This job absolutely requires the use of a carpenter's square.If you are replacing existing stringers, you can cheat by simply using the old rotten one as a template for the...
Fred from Keswick had built a large deck with a fanned out stairway and was wondering where was the best place to install a hand rail.This TV show was recorded in the early days of the internet and it was rather novel to hold a NetMeeting with Fred on live TV so that we could both draw on the ...
Dave Ashberry of King Packaged Materials joins Jon in running down the various methods and products used making surface repairs to concrete.Cracked corners or edges on concrete steps are a major hazard and should be fixed. Top & Bond is one of the basic surface patching materials availab...
