How Do I …

Lighting Tips for Photographing your DIY Projects

In my previous article a little while back – 5 Reasons to Photograph Your DIY Projects – I suggested several good reasons why you should take progress photos at various stages of your home reno or woodworking projects. Now I’ll share a few simple photography lighting tips that will help you end up with better [...]

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How to Pre-Paint Balusters (& hang them up to dry)

When I built the railings for our veranda project, I pre-painted all the components before assembly. Pre-painting allows you prime the end cuts to prevent moisture wicking, you don’t have to kneel or squat for hours on end, and you can do a better overall paint job. I had about 80 balusters that needed one [...]

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How to Make Stopped Flutes on a Router Table

Stopped flutes are one of my favourite woodworking details. They add an air of sophistication that can turn a nice design into an eye-catching heirloom. You commonly find stopped flutes on columns and newel posts, as well as on fireplace and cabinet pilasters. If the work piece is less than 42" long, you can make [...]

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3 Door & Window Jamb Extensions

A couple a weeks ago I wrote about the basics of how to make window jamb extensions. Today, in part 2, I’m going to illustrate 3 three different real life door and window "jambs" that I had to deal with when I trimmed out a mudroom addition a few years ago. I’ve included a section [...]

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How to Make Window Jamb Extensions

Details on jamb extensions for windows and doors seems to be one of those areas that gets glossed over in the DIY how-to arena. There’s lots of information online about how to install windows and doors, much of it showing a pre-hung door or window with a jamb that is just the right depth to [...]

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How to Clean Rusty Metal Parts

If you’re one of those hardy types that enjoys scrounging through piles of rusty metal, looking for useful pieces to recycle, then you’re gonna love this. John Todd likes to make things out of old rusty machine parts – you know, the industrial stuff that’s built to last. Years of experience He’s learned a lot [...]

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Kitchen Faucet Installation is Easy

The kitchen faucet’s been leaking for so long, it’s embarrassing to admit exactly how long. I bought a new Moen faucet months ago, but I’ve been dreading the idea of trying to work in a cramped space with "not quite" the right wrench for the job. A few days ago I dusted off my resolve [...]

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Do I Need “Ditra” Under Floor Tiles?

I just read a discussion thread on the Canadian Woodworking forum where the question asked was: "Ditra for kitchen flooring – Is it worth it?” I discovered this product last year while researching methods for laying a ceramic tile floor for an upstairs bathroom renovation in our old farmhouse. What the heck is Ditra? [...]

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Tiling a sloped shower wall

Last year we boldly took the plunge into a long overdue bathroom renovation. This included moving the tub 6" away from the sloped wall, and replacing the 60′s era tileboard shower surround with 6"x 6”ceramic tiles, edged with 2" bullnose border tiles. While tiling a shower was uncharted airspace for me, I had full confidence [...]

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Crowdsource your DIY Dilemma

In this day and age, do-it-yourselfers have more information and ideas, literally at their fingertips, than ever before. Many DIY situations you’ll come up against are somewhat unique and the answer may still be outside your experience. That’s where crowdsourcing comes in. For example, I ran across a discussion the other day on DIY Chatroom [...]