Family Handyman

Tricks for getting tight-fitting joints on door and window casings and on base moldings. Miters rarely fit on the first try, and for good reason. Corners are out of square, walls aren’t plumb, and drywall has bumps. The secret to tight-fitting joints is knowing how to adjust the cuts to conform to these wacky conditions.

6 Tips for Perfect Trim on Doors, Windows and Base Moldings

For about 6,000 years, builders have been using ceramic tile outdoors—on buildings, walkways, and even streets. Not only does tile offer a range of colors and designs unmatched by any other material, it’s also amazingly tough. In places like Italy and Mexico, you can find exterior tile in good condition despite centuries of wear and tear.

A Guide to Building a Patio with Ceramic Tile

Learning how to paint a front door can dramatically improve your home's curb appeal with minimal effort and cost. Your home deserves a facelift! Discover how to paint a front door without removing it with our simple step-by-step project. /p>. Tools Required. Drop cloths. Old toothbrush. Paint roller. Paint tray.

How To Paint a Front Door Without Removing It

Can you avoid tearing off your old asphalt shingle roof by putting a steel roof over it? Maybe. Most codes now allow no more than two layers of roofing before requiring a complete tear-off. So, if your roof has two layers, it may require a complete tear-off, even though steel is lighter than asphalt. Codes vary, so call your local building department to know how to install metal roofing over shingles properly, code-wise.

Can You Install Metal Roofing Over Shingles?

Prevent accidents and make your home safer by learning about and fixing these code violations. Many are DIY-able. FAMILY HANDYMANBuilding codes go a long way to assuring you live in a safe house. But unless you check, you never actually know whether parts of your home need upgrading to meet the current code. This is especially true when you move into a new home.

5 Common Building Code Violations

Dishwashers are game changers in the kitchen. They speed up cleanup and mostly automate an otherwise time-consuming chore. But they’re also prone to some of the same plumbing issues as your sink and other drains. If your dishwasher’s air gap is spewing water, it’s time for some plumbing repairs.

What To Do When Water Is Coming Out of Your Dishwasher Air Gap

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases. Is it me, or is dropping liquids and foods on a carpet or rug one of the most nerve-wracking experiences? You know you have to act quickly to prevent the stain from setting in, but the panic also causes you to forget where your cleaning supplies are.

Hoover Clean Slate Review: We Tried this Carpet Cleaner Machine and Love it For Pet Messes

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases. The best steam cleaners lift dirt without feeling like you’re lifting a finger. A good steam cleaner can tackle everything from mold-ridden grout to mildewy bathrooms to coffee-stained couches. According to our...

Our Product Testing Team Tried the Wagner Steam Cleaner and Loved It

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases. Pool cleaners can be expensive, and nobody wants to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a product that doesn’t work. That’s why we’ve tested multiple pool vacuums for ourselves, so you can read honest, in-depth reviews from expert product testers before shelling out your hard-earned dollars.

Hayward Pool Cleaner Review: We Tested it for Months, and Here’s How it Went

The Department of Energy estimates that heating water accounts for 18 percent of a typical home’s energy usage, so if you could use the sun’s energy for this task, you could enjoy significant savings on your energy bill. That’s what a solar water heater does, and while it may look like a PV panel from the ground, it’s much easier to build and install.

How Does a DIY Solar Water Heater Work?

Working on your own home is empowering, and it saves you money. Even before I became an electrician, I tackled DIY projects from plumbing to painting to carpentry. Electrical projects require a special level of precaution, though, because just a few milliamps of current can be deadly. You can do this, though. To help, I talked to two experienced electricians to walk through these top 15 electrical mistakes to avoid.

15 Electrical Mistakes Homeowners Make

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases. When Justin Timberlake said, ‘what goes around comes back around,’ he probably wasn’t thinking about trends. But hey, I am. And it’s true what they say: trends always have a funny way of making a resurgence–but usually with a twist. If you grew up in the 90s or early 2000s, it’s likely that your dining room or kitchen featured some shade of red plastered on the walls.

Bring the Drama (and the Heat) with Behr’s 2025 Color of the Year, Rumors

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases. As a freelance writer, there are many times when I’m thirsty or hungry but don’t want to or can’t leave my desk. And since my partner vetoed my proposal to put an office in the kitchen (rude), I had to find another way to keep my favorite sodas and snacks nearby. The solution? The RCA Mini Fridge.

RCA Mini Fridge Review: We Tried It, and Here’s What We Think

I love concrete floors, but they’re not great for every space. A wood floor can be much more appealing, especially in chilly or drab areas. “Beyond the beauty, they also provide an acoustic bounce effect that concrete alone can’t achieve,” says Geoff Walker, superintendent at ASAP Restoration. “The feel of wood floors is also a huge draw since they are pleasing to the touch and not a cold shock the way concrete can be.”

Can You Install a Wood Floor Over Concrete?

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases. My partner and I were going to build a formal workshop this summer. Unfortunately, those plans got put on hold, leaving us in a quandary about where to house tools and materials for a camper restoration project we had coming up.

We Tried the White Duck Canvas Tent, and It’s the Perfect Summer Workshop

If you’re a homeowner who relies on a DeWALT battery-powered walk-behind mower to keep your lawn looking sharp, you’ll want to pay close attention: Stanley Black & Decker has issued a recall for certain DeWALT mowers due to a potential laceration hazard. This recall could impact anyone using these mowers, so knowing if your model is affected and what steps to take next is essential.

46,000 DeWALT Mowers Recalled for Laceration Risk — See If You’re Affected

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases. Adding a gazebo to your backyard creates a shady lounge area, instantly spruces up a deck or patio and boosts your curb appeal. Gazebos come in many sizes and materials and typically cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Knowing which is best for your yard can be difficult with many options and styles from different retailers.

The 6 Best Outdoor Gazebos, Tested by Our Experts

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases. The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors recommends replacing water heaters every 10 years. Granted, yours might be past that age and still running well, but if it’s showing signs of corrosion, leaking or simply not providing you hot water when you need it, it might be time to find a new one.

Best Water Heater Brands, According to Pumbers and HVAC Techs

Conventional heat pumps have been heating and cooling homes for decades. In fact, about one in three homes in the United States already uses one. However, heat pumps are mostly found in southern and southwest states because they don’t work efficiently in subfreezing temperatures. They work great in temperate climates but are notoriously inefficient and expensive to run in cold Northern winters.

Pairing a Heat Pump with Furnace: What to Know About Dual-Fuel Systems

New Prague, MN

Buying a used ATV can save you thousands over the price of a new model. But a low price is a good price only if the entire rig checks out. Here's how to conduct the inspection. We asked our expert, Josh Fischer, owner of Unlimited Motorsports in New Prague, MN,...

9 Tips for Buying a Used ATV

NewsBreak

How To Build a Bar

Upgrade your entertaining game with this step-by-step project on how to build a bar complete with a beautiful live edge top. If you enjoy spending time...

How To Build a Bar

Comments / 0