Q&A / 

Barry Wines, who lives in Sandusky, OH, is trying to help out his son. "My son ran out of the plasterboard joint tape and used a mesh kind that he bought at Lowe's. After putting the joint compound, priming and painting over the mesh tape it has developed cracks.  It has not cracked over the Read More »

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Quick Column Summary: Prep work for pressure washing Chewing gum stain removal Pretreat with oxygen bleach Use pressure washer carefully Jolynn, who lives in paradise - Waianae, Hawaii - wants to clean a commercial building with a pressure washer. Here's what she wants to know: "When pressure washing  a single-story commercial building what should I do Read More »

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Quick Column Summary: Double pane windows with fogging between How to remove and clean it Have new insulated glass installed Video link Martin Gold, who's got a fogged window in Lakeport, NJ, has a great question: "I have a bow window double panes one pane has developed a film in between panes. Is there a Read More »

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Quick Column Summary: How to clean teak Use an oxygen bleach Leslie Ann, who lives in the land of the Buckeyes in Columbus, OH, needs to clean a teak table that's had lots of stuff on it.  She wants the BEST product, but doesn't want to shop online. Hmmmmmmm "What is the best way to Read More »

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Quick Column Summary: Home improvement endorsements Are they credible Did the endorsers test the product Did endorser get paid for this I'm pretty much just like you. I'm not immune from receiving advertisements in the mail. Earlier this week, I received a postcard from GutterBrush that was promoting a 20-percent-off offer. Here it is: On Read More »

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Quick Column Summary: Faux beam coming off ceiling How to push it back in order to secure it Place scrap piece on underside of beam Place temporary 2x4 under it to push it up Stan Pierce, who lives in Palm Coast, FL, emailed me on May 24, 2014, asking: "Tim,  I have a faux wooden Read More »

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Quick Column Summary: How to use wood filler Hard to match the look of wood Filler keeps stain uneven Wood conditioners can help DEAR TIM: I’ve never had great success filling cracks in stained wood surfaces. I’ve tried different wood fillers and the crack looks the same or worse after the repair. When I use Read More »

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Quick Column Summary: Large crack where ceiling meets wall Cracks develop when attic trusses lose moisture and bow Fix with inexpensive L-brackets Caulk to complete DEAR TIM: I think my house might be falling down. In the past few weeks, a large crack has formed where the ceiling meets the walls in my home. We’ve Read More »

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Tim Carter demonstrates in a six-part video series how to rebuild a defective front porch and permanently stop water leaks into the home. This second video shows the hidden problem once the decking has been removed.

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