TOOL HINTS
1.Asphalt Driveway Repairs
If repairs in the surface of an asphalt driveway or a new driveway all together are needed around your home, specific rental items are necessary to use. The following information will insure that your driveway is completed the right way for long-lasting ...
2.Build a Fireplace Mantel
A fireplace is usually just a black hole in the wall until it is framed by decorative elements called a surround and mantel. The mantel makes the fireplace a focal point and sets the style for a room. If you have recently installed a zero-clearance fireplace ...
3.Choose the Right Sump Pump
The main purpose of a sump pump is to get rid of excess ground water that accumulates around a basement that is below the water line. The basement should have a drain tile around it to collect ground water and bring it to the sump in the basement. You ...
4.Compost with Wood Chips
If you're wondering what to do with all of the wood chips left from using the wood chipper (shown) to cut down your tree, build a compost pile in your backyard. It's great for adding to your garden to help transplants along and to keep soil healthy. ...
5.Create a Stone Walkway
Transform an ordinary walkway or patch of lawn into a unique stone walkway that will be the envy of your neighbors. This project should take you just a day or a weekend to complete. Make sure to stop by your local rental store for a few special tools ...
6.Digging with a Ditch Witch?
Digging a trench for sprinkler systems, water pipes, electrical lines, etc. can be a tedious and back-breaking job. Yet, there is hope to make this job easier right inside your rental store with a Ditch Witch trencher! And it won?t damage your turf like ...
7.Floor Sanding Tips
Refinishing hardwood floors in the home is a big job to handle. If you're going to tackle it yourself make sure you have the assistance of a floor sander you can rent from your local rental store. Proper planning before you begin is just as important, ...
8.How to Hang Wallpaper
Hanging wallpaper can give any room a new look or a completely different style. But hanging it properly is the key to success. The array of different paper patterns, colors and textures can drastically change a room from old and outdated to modern and ...
9.How to Install Carpeting
Installing your own carpet isn't the impossible task you might imagine. It does involve specialized tools (that you can rent) and using some muscles you probably didn't know you had. But the hardest part may be selecting the type of carpet that ...
10.How to Remove Wallpaper
If you are redecorating a room that is covered in wallpaper, it is usually necessary to remove the old wallpaper. Whether painting or wallpapering, a clean surface free of old paper and adhesive is necessary. As in most cases, the prepping stage is the ...
11.Install a Basement Exhaust Fan
Keeping the basement fresh and odor-free can be a challenge. A typical basement has just a few small awning or hopper-style windows that only open about half way. Replacing one of those windows with an exhaust fan will provide positive air circulation ...
12.Install a Kitchen Countertop
Nothing spruces up a kitchen better, faster, and easier that a new post-formed countertop. This type of top has an easy-to-clean rounded front edge and integrated backsplash. Your home center sells straight sections in various lengths and can have its ...
13.Install Ceramic Wall Tile
Ceramic tiling looks great behind stoves, framing sinks, surrounding bathtubs and lining shower walls. It's a great decorative accent that is also durable, easy to clean and very practical for surfaces the are exposed to water. There is an array ...
14.Installing a Wood Fence
Fences keep what you want in the yard and unwanted guests out. They also add interest to your backyard or garden. A fence may seem like a labor intensive and artistically challenged project, but it doesn't have to be. You can buy premade fences, ...
15.Installing Drywall
Artwork hangs from them. Painted ones enhance the decor. They even help insulate a room. Obviously, walls are a key element of a home. So now that you are ready to complete the addition to your home, or you've finally decided to finish the basement, ...
16.Ladder Safety
Oftentimes you have to use a ladder to work on the outside of your house. But first...a few ladder safety tips: The ladder's base should rest at a distance one-quarter its vertical height from the wall. (Huh? Forget the math: A 16-ft ladder ...
17.Landscape Like a Pro
A
sod cutter (shown) is a great landscaping tool that can easily turn a homeowner into a landscape designer. Sod cutters can be used for a variety of landscaping applications including sidewalks, stepping stones, flower beds and ponds. You?ll ...
18.Lawn Care: Lawn Aeration
Lawns often suffer from both compacted soil and thatch build-up. Compaction can be particularly serious in the top two inches of the soil layer. It reduces water and fertilizer uptake by the grass roots, thereby decreasing a lawn's tolerance to heat ...
19.Lawn Care: Overseeding
Lawns suffering from thin, bare patches or those without any grass at all require aggressive renovation techniques. The lawn may be revived by overseeding with a Lawn Seeder. The hopper drops a measured amount of seed and the Lawn Seeder plants the ...
20.Lawn Care: Thatch Removal
Thatch consists of a dense mat of roots, stems and grass clipping, which accumulate between the soil and growing turf layers. Excessive thatch creates a barrier, preventing the absorption of water and nutrients, as well as limiting air flow to the root ...
21.Lawn Renovation
Think about renovating your lawn if it's looking dead or overrun with weeds and there's no hope in sight. Lawn renovation can be done in a day with hard work and a few rental tools. This time make sure that you take care of your lawn carefully ...
22.Packing Checklist
When it comes time to move to a new home packing can be one of the hardest things to do. Not only is it overwhelming but you never know where to start. But with proper organization and a plan to keep you on track it will go smoothly.
23.Prep and Paint Wood Siding
A good exterior paint job will protect your house from the elements, saving you the higher cost of extensive repairs. This project will help you with previously painted wood siding, but many of the procedures and advice hold true for other types of siding ...
24.Proper Use of a Power Auger
Sometimes, after years of buildup of hair, garbage and other gunk that goes down your drains, all the pipes in the house become backed up. The culprit is most likely your main drain going out of the house, or the drain between the house and the sewer ...
25.Repair a Wood-Shingled Roof
A pitched roof must be capped along the ridge (peak) where two roof planes intersect. If you have a roof leak at or along a roof peak, you'll need to replace the cap. With wood shingles this is done with shingles or 1x6 cedar boards. With shakes ...
26.Restore Wood Flooring
Wood flooring can be a great asset to your home. It is very neutral in color and style, which makes it easy to decorate around, and it always compliments the current decorating trends. ...
27.Starting a New Lawn
Sometimes, through acts of nature or maybe too much fertilizing, it's necessary to start a totally new lawn or to completely rebuild large areas of an existing lawn. In these cases here's what you'll need to do...
28.Stucco Concrete Block
Constructing foundations and walls with concrete block is an easier and usually less expensive alternative than poured concrete or stone construction, but the result is not very attractive. Stucco, a custom-mixed or factory-prepared cement plaster, provides ...
29.Use Pneumatic Nailers Safely
If you are an experienced user or just learning how to use a pneumatic nailer, it's best to know the safety issues that surround using this powerful tool. The safety rules are easy to follow and most importantly include wearing eye protection to ...
30.Uses for a Concrete Mixer
If you have to tackle a job like patching a sidewalk or building a slab of foundation for your backyard shed, save yourself the money of having concrete delivered to your home and instead rent an electric mixer. However, if you need enough concrete for ...