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Prepping for Basement Insulation The most important concern to address before insulating your basement is moisture. To ensure there’s no dampness seeping through the walls, conduct a simple test using plastic sheeting and duct tape. Tape a small piece of plastic sheeting to a bare concrete wall with an impermeable duct tape border and wait 48 hours. After sufficient time has passed, check the interior and exterior of the plastic sheet for condensation — this will determine if water is seeping through....

Resources: Tom used a REVO 12|16 110V lathe, which is manufactured by Laguna Tools. The tools Tom used to actually turn the bowl can be found at any specialty woodworking store. Shopping List: Wood Apron Vest Face shield 100-150-240 grit sandpaper Danish oil Wipe on poly Beeswax coating Tools:

Bob Clagett shared the video how-to of this project to his website after being inspired by river tables and his wife’s love for the ocean. This project takes about a week to complete when you factor in set and dry times, and it took Bob three tries to get it just right. He shares his best tips for the concrete and epoxy processes in his video, and the steps are outlined here....

What Tools Do You Use to Cut Stone? Although Mark prefers to cut using traditional tools, he understands that it takes years of experience to properly cut a stone, not to mention more time. When a stone is cut using a power tool, it creates a manufactured, smooth look. Mark hates that, so he demonstrates how he would use a power tool and what he does after to give some old school character back to the stone....

Creating custom wooden ornaments can be done using an array of wood types. Tom suggests using scrap wood, although you can use better quality wood for fancier ornaments. All of the pieces should be relatively square-shaped. How to Make Wooden Ornaments Using a Lathe Follow these steps to make your own holiday ornaments using scrap wood on a lathe. Resources Tom turned the Christmas ornaments using scrap wood he had from other projects, though he suggests that any pieces of wood that’s square will be easy to turn into an ornament....

Replacing a broken clapboard isn’t that difficult, but as This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows, it’s a delicate process that takes patience and precision. “If you’re not careful, it’s easy to break the surrounding clapboards,” he says, “and then you’ll end up ­installing much more new siding than you intended.” Power tools are out for this job: too much vibration. ­Siding repair is best done with hand tools—with one exception....

Steps for Prepping Your Lawn for Winter Before you start, get a soil test so that you know the type and amount of amendments to add. (Repeat the test in three to five years.) Then read the steps below to learn how to prepare your lawn for winter. Just remember: When aerating, fertilizing, or seeding, always go over the turf twice, with crisscrossing paths. You don’t want stripes in your revitalized lawn....

While termites may be helpful in the forest, where all that munching dispatches dead stumps, when they move from the yard to your house, they can clean you out. And guess what: Insurance doesn’t cover the damage. Here’s how to avoid turning your biggest investment into an insect gut job. Detecting Termites in Your Home They’re sneaky: Termites tiptoe through moist mulch and soil, while winged ones fly during swarming season—which is now....

How to Replace a Tank-Type Water Heater Note: Tank-type water heaters, particularly those of the gas-fired variety, should be replaced by licensed pipefitters, and they should secure permits for the project. Resources Richard installs a hot water heater (tank-type) with the help of a homeowner. Richard suggests replacing the old hot water heater with a new tank instead of opting to install a new combination boiler, as it’s the most cost-effective solution and a really simple replacement....

Luckily, learning how to texture a ceiling isn’t difficult. The following tips will explain how to bring a bit of character to any blank ceiling. This guide will explain two ways to apply a textured look to a ceiling, as well as the materials (hint: joint compound is your friend!) and tools necessary to get the job done. How to Texture a Ceiling While the finished product might make a dramatic difference in the room, texturing a ceiling is easy with the right tools, materials, and techniques....

We’d like to tile over the brick around our fireplace. Can I put cement backerboard on the wall and cover that with tile? —Roger Brumm, Sterling,VA. A: Joe Ferrante replies: Sure you could, but it’s a lot easier to trowel thinset over the brick and then tile right over that. Here’s how to do it: Steps for Tiling Over a Brick Fireplace: Here’s a trick I use when tiling around fireplaces....

Steps: Tools

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See part two of this project. Framing steps: Follow these steps and scroll to the bottom of the page for the full cut list, materials and tools needed to complete this project. Step 1: Layout the Plywood Cuts Using the drawing, mark grid on a sheet of 1/2-inch plywood. Next mark the three circles. To draw a perfect circle, drill two holes spaced 15 inches apart through a scrap board....

Bob: Absolutely. Jenn: So, I thought we could start by just introducing everybody to your channel and telling them a little bit about your site and what they can expect to see there. Bob: You can expect to see all sorts of stuff. Jenn: All sorts? Bob: Yeah. I intentionally make it so you don’t really know what to expect. I do a lot of woodworking and metalworking projects, but then also just like props and whatever is interesting, and it changes all the time....

Precision is what makes miter saws so indispensable. Because the blade is fixed to a sturdy arm on a heavy body, cuts can be fine-tuned to the width of the blade. “You can shave off little bits until you get a perfect fit,” says Tom Silva, This Old House general contractor. That stability, along with built-in blade guards, also makes miter saws safer than other power cutters. There are some things miter saws can’t do....

When you’re looking to buy a new mattress, you want to be sure you’re getting the best deal possible. With Nectar mattresses, you can ensure that you are. Not only are Nectar mattresses super affordable and available in sizes from Twin to Cal King, but the brand frequently runs sales events that discount the prices even more. Before you determine which mattress is right for you, make sure you’re taking into consideration how you prefer to sleep (on your stomach, back, or side, or a mixture); whether or not you share the bed with a partner, pet, or child; if you sleep hot; and what sort of support you find most comfortable....