DEAR TIM: I've got numerous cracked ceramic floor tiles and my wife wants them replaced. I'm very lucky in that the builder and previous owner left extra tile for just this reason I suppose. I've never done this before and feel like a lost ball in the high weeds. Can you guide me through the Read More »
Tom Grote, who lives in Ivoryton, CT, has an unpleasant experience when he starts a fire in his fireplace. It's not a smoking issue, it's a sewer smell. Read what he sent me: "I live in a two-story colonial with a bathroom and fireplace on the first floor. Every time I have a fire in the Read More »
Heidi Halvorson had a sewage backup in her Rushford, MN home. Guess what happened to her flooring? "What kind of flooring do you suggest for a basement? We put a laminate board type thing down (suggested by Menards) but had a sewer backup and the flooring is curling around the edges. We need to replace, but Read More »
Thanksgiving and Christmas are bearing down on you. When I still was building and remodeling six days a week, I clearly remember how customers wanted me gone and out of their homes during this festive season. The stress level that accompanies turkeys, family, gift giving and parties is already high enough so the dust, plastic Read More »
Tim Carter, demonstrates the Scotsman SCN60 residential ice machine and goes over key installation tips. Scotsman ice machines make the chewable nugget ice you often see at restaurants.
Quick Column Summary: Intake vent for makeup air What height from the ground Be aware of blockages Randy King, who's in need of makeup air in Madison, WI, wrote: "I saw your video on make-up air. I'm installing Skuttle's Model 216-6 (6") damper control and exterior intake vent. The intake vent needs to exit through Read More »
Quick Column Summary: How to paint over stain Painting Kitchen Cabinets ebook Video link Olivia Stewart wants to paint her stained-wood cabinets. She lives in Oakland, CA. "What kind of paint do you use to paint over stained cabinets? I do not want to use a stain paint. My cabinets are wood and over 30 Read More »
Quick Column Summary: Parquet flooring on tile delaminating Organic mastic can't form bond Adhesive chain Joe McGarvey lives in a house in Glenview, IL where the oak parquet flooring is unruly. "My 30-yr, oak parquet floor, adhesively bonded to porcelain tile, has begun to delaminate. What is the best way to stop this delamination?" Joe, Read More »
Quick Column Summary: Screwing cabinets to concrete wall Attach wood 2x4s to concrete Attach cabinets to 2x4s Video link James Toth, who has his hammer out in Bridgeport, CT, is itching to install wood cabinets on a poured concrete wall. Here's what he wrote after watching the video below. Be sure to read MY REPLY Read More »
Quick Column Summary: New building upgrades Credit for standard cabinets or flooring Original pricing for cabinets / floors plus price of upgrade Larry Niccum, who now lives in Ogden, UT but is moving west to Mesquite, NV, had a stumper question to a sales rep at a Del Webb community. Here's what Larry sent me: Read More »