DIY Product Pick: Fasade & Aspect Backsplash P...

Filed under: Kitchen & Bath , Small Projects , Products & Materials Fasade backsplash panels in Muted Gold. Photo: ACP Bceause of budget and time constraints, I didn’t have a backsplash installed during my 2005 kitchen renovation. Of course, backsplashes are recommended to protect the wall from water damage. So I got creative with an IKEA noticeboard – a stopgap solution that’s worked well...

The Daily Fix: Quiet a Squeaky Cabinet...

Filed under: Kitchen & Bath , Small Projects , Products & Materials , Essential Skills , Know-How Photo: danielle_blue, Flickr I find few household imperfections more annoying than a squeaky cabinet. And somehow, the universe finds this hilarious, as my pantry door squeaks pretty much every time I open it. I’ve tried lubricants, hinge-replacements and everything else in the world (including...

The Daily Fix: Sharpen Dull Knives (Scissors and C...

Photo: don.reid, Flickr One day I came home from the grocery store so excited to dig into all of the juicy tropical fruit I’d scored. The deep reds, bright oranges, sunny yellows, and rich greens were just gorgeous. I was going to make a delicious fruit salad. Then I tried cutting into the fruit, and my knife just sort of smooshed it all. Ugh! I don’t know about you, but I don’t happen to own a...

The Daily Fix: Replace a Broken Tile...

Photo: Gonçalo Lopes, Flickr Ceramic tile is one of the most durable flooring materials there is. With proper maintenance, it should last decades. No wonder it’s so widely used in the home! But every once in a while, you drop a heavy pot, your child thrashes around in the tub, or the subfloor shifts ever so slightly. Then you find it: a cracked or chipped tile staring up at you. Regardless of whether...

DIY Warrior: Patch Up Cracked Stucco...

Filed under: Exteriors & Facades , Outdoors Photo: Getty Images Our very first house was a 1920 bungalow. Okay, so it was small inside, but oh-so-charming! The stucco really amped up its desirability factor, adding a beautifully rustic finish to our little home’s exterior. Stucco — also known as Portland cement plaster — has been around for centuries, and with good reason: it’s durable and...

The Daily Fix: How to Unstick a Window...

Filed under: Know-How Credit: Flickr, Photos8.com On the verge of a hernia trying to open that window that’s stuck shut? Stop — there’s an easier way! If you live in an older home, chances are your window frames have begun to warp as a result of changes in moisture and pressure over time. The result: windows that jam when you try to open them. Another potential cause? Perhaps your paint job last summer...

Home Ec: Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Laundry Deterg...

Filed under: Essential Skills , Know-How Who knew grated soap and boiling water can create a detergent? Credit: Flickr, Morydd When’s the last time you took a good look at the ingredients on your laundry detergent bottle? Not only is the list incredibly exhaustive, but I’m guessing you can’t pronounce a few of the key ingredients, either. Full of alkyl phenoxy polyethoxy ethanols , diethanolamines and...

Homemade: Scrabble Key Holder...

All Photos: Karla Swoveland You know the saying “A place for everything and everything in its place”? When it came to our keys, that rule didn’t always apply. The problem? The keys simply had no place. Between a husband who made losing his keys a weekly occurrence, and a 3-year-old who could suddenly reach everything, I had to come up with a crafty solution for keeping our keys in one central spot —...

DIY Expert Barbara K: 5 DIY Skills Every Woman Sho...

Save cash — unclog your own toilet! Above, Barbara K uses a disposable plunger to do the dirty work. Photo: Barbara K Got a clogged toilet? A few rooms that need painting? Why pay a plumber $150 an hour for a simple fix, or a professional painter upwards of $1,000 for a job you could complete yourself in a weekend? Super DIY expert Barbara K wants to show us ladies how we can save money and at the same time feel...

DIY Diary: Lessons in Demolition...

Credit: Erin Loechner I’m currently in the throes of a passionate love affair with my new fixer-upper in the Midwest. Although my husband and I have been hard at work planning, designing and contracting the home (we purchased the 3200 square foot ranch in November), we’ve just officially arrived into demolition territory this week. Now, I’ve worked on a house or two in my day and I know that, under normal...