Noise Reduction For Your House

April 13th, 2009

Maybe it’s the whine of power tools in your shop, the hum of the Cuisinart in your kitchen, or the ululations of MTV in your kid’s room. Whatever the case, everyone in the family would probably be a lot happier if those sounds were confined to the rooms where they originate.

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Refinishing Furniture For That English Country Look

April 13th, 2009

Years ago, dark, heavily stained finishes on furniture were popular. Since that time, the natural aging process has served to make those old finishes turn even darker. Some now look nearly black. But fashion changed, and here we stand today, surrounded by all this old, dark woodwork, furniture and paneling, wishing for something lighter in color and more natural. Nearly everyone wants the faded ”driftwoody” English country look.

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Use Cement Bags To Make Concrete Wall

April 13th, 2009

Poking through the racks of free pamphlets in the lumber yard the other day, I came across a really simple idea for building a concrete retaining wall. It’s not the most beautiful wall in the world, but it’s functional, sturdy and takes no skill at all to build. The basic idea? Take bags of ready-mixed concrete, stack them up to form a wall, sprinkle on some water, and that’s it. In time, the concrete in the bags will set up, the paper sacks will eventually erode away, and you’ll have the easiest concrete wall you ever built.

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Preventing And Fixing Nail Pops

April 12th, 2009

You will see it on walls and you’ll see it on ceilings. It starts out as a slight bulge. As time passes, it gets larger and larger. And then one day, when nobody is looking, the bulge turns into a perfect little disk that literally pops out at you. I’m talking about a problem called ”nail pop” and it’s one of the most common drywall defects in the home.

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Loose Tenon Joinery

April 12th, 2009

The Mortise and tenon is one of the strongest ways to join two pieces of wood at right angles. Trouble is, despite its apparent simplicity, it’s actually a difficult joint to make.

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