Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2016 i Family Handyman

TEMPORARY WALLPAPER Creating an accent wall with a stylish wallpaper is a great way to update a room, but it’s amazing how fast “trendy” can become just plain weird. And if you’ve ever had to remove stubbornly stuck wallpaper, you won’t want to repeat the experience. Enter Tempaper, a removable wallpaper that sticks to any smooth, painted or primed surface. When you’re tired of the pattern or you’re trying to sell your house without frightening prospective buyers, simply peel it off. It won’t damage the drywall or leave messy glue behind. It’s also a perfect option for apartment residents who want to decorate without losing their damage deposit. One roll costs $35 to $125. Check out the 90 patterns and watch the installation video at tempaperdesigns.com. Eliminate stinky gasoline smells…

If you’ve ever considered installing surveillance cameras around your house but assumed they would be too expensive or hard to set up, you’ll be happy to learn that’s not the case. In fact, there are lots of inexpensive options. And most—thanks to Wi-Fi technology— are pretty easy to set up, control and monitor from the comfort of your computer, smartphone or tablet. Get the features you want Do an Internet search for “surveillance cameras” and you’ll find a dizzying array of products and options with many different price points. We surveyed the current crop of cameras for you and found that most have a lot of the same features and can be had for only $50 to $200. So before you start shopping, think about the features that would fill…

Do you think premium gas is free of ethanol and the best choice for small engines? Do you ever treat your car to an occasional tank of premium because you think it cleans fuel injectors better and provides more power? If you’ve ever been confused by which gas to use and why, this story is for you. We consulted gasoline expert Fred Walas of Marathon Petroleum Company, the fourth-largest refining company in the United States. He gave us the lowdown on regular vs. premium fuels, and answered all our burning questions about gasoline. MEET THE EXPERT Fred Walas, P.E., is the fuels technology manager for Marathon Petroleum Company. With 34 years in the refinery business, Fred knows exactly how gasoline works in modern engines. In his current job, Fred works…

1 No more splashy paint can lids Ever hammer down a paint can lid only to have paint splatter everywhere? You can prevent that by grabbing a 5-in-1 tool and using the pointy end to punch a few holes through the groove of the can’s rim (be sure to rotate the tool left and right a little to widen the holes). The holes allow excess paint to drain back into the can. The lid will cover the holes and make an airtight seal. If you don’t have a 5-in-1 tool handy, you can punch some holes with a hammer and nail. Larry Gusman 2 PRESERVE A BRUSH WITH A GLOVE I like to wear disposable nitrile gloves when I’m painting. They not only keep my hands clean but also keep…

FROM OUR READERS handyhints@thefamilyhandyman.com GARDEN TOOL HIDEAWAY A mailbox near your garden provides a convenient home for tools. A small mailbox like this one costs about $15 at hardware stores and home centers. King-size models cost about $35. Plug saver I’m always running extension cords from my garage out to my yard. To avoid the hassle of the cord getting unplugged or damaging the plug’s prongs, I tie a loose loop in the cord and hang it on a heavy-duty screw hook installed right next to the outlet. The hook keeps the plug connected in case I pull a little too hard on the cord. Isaac Hanvey Get a $100 gift card for your Handy Hint! See p. 4. An egg-cellent painting tip Whenever I need to paint something small…

A metal brake is the tool for bending custom metal flashing and decorative trim. Every siding contractor and most roofers have one. It seems like an imposing tool to master, but it’s really just a large clamp with a moving hinge. A quality brake costs $1,300 to $2,500, but you can rent one for about $50 a day or $200 a week. We’ll show you how a brake works, explain how to create basic profiles, and demonstrate some helpful tips so you can complete your project safely and without wasting a lot of expensive material. Make a dispenser slot in the coil box When you have a lot of flashing or trim to bend, it’s best to buy your coil stock in 50-ft. x 24-in. rolls. But don’t just pull…

Put on your thinking cap and take this month’s quiz to see just how smart you are when it comes to DIY. Here’s how it works: • There are easy, intermediate and really tough questions all mixed together. • Theremay be more than one correct answer! • Get the answers and your DIY rating on p. 82. Good luck! 1. True or False? If a bifold closet door is hanging crooked, you can fix it by adjusting the pivots at the bottom and the top. 2. A benchtop thickness planer has the ability to: A. Flatten a cupped board. B. Make a long, bowed piece of wood perfectly flat. C. Plane both sides of a piece of wood simultaneously. D. Plane off as much as an inch of stock at…

FEEL COOLER IN HIGHER TEMPERATURES Ceiling fans save money on air conditioning costs by keeping you comfortable at higher thermostat settings. Each degree higher than 78 degrees will save you 5 to 10 percent. The moving air from a ceiling fan increases evaporation from your skin and helps cool you off. Tweak your oven temp If the temperature in your oven seems off, or if your new oven just doesn’t cook like your old one, you can recalibrate the temperature setting. Use the instructions in your manual or go online and search for a downloadable version using your oven’s model number. Place a good-quality oven thermometer on the center rack and wait for the oven to maintain a constant temperature. Then follow the procedure outlined in your manual to match…

A quiet driver I was ecstatic when impact drivers first came out (I get that way about tools). Stripped-out screw heads practically became a thing of the past. But there was a tradeoff— the noise. The thunderous clanking produced by the drivers made hearing protection a necessity. But I’m ecstatic once again with my new Ridgid Stealth Force Pulse Driver. The hydraulic oil pulse mechanism provides more power than my last driver, but more important, it’s quiet. It’s half as loud as my old one. The driver, two batteries and a charger cost $199. I got mine at The Home Depot. Josh Risberg, TFH Lead Carpenter Demo chisel One of my favorite demo tools is a common wood chisel. I keep one in my pouch at all times. I use…

All of the advice for a long-lasting paint job on woodwork also applies to windows, but windows present a few unique challenges. There’s the glass to avoid slopping on, as well as all sorts of hardware and weather stripping. Window paint is subjected to large temperature fluctuations and moisture from condensation. And, windows have to move freely when you’re all done. In this article, we’ll show you tips on how to get the best paint job on windows with the least amount of time and effort. 1 Clean and scrape before you paint It seems counterintuitive to clean the windows first. But it’s a good idea for two reasons. First, your paint job will last longer if the intersection of the glass and wood sash is sealed with paint. You…

WHAT IT TAKES Time: One or two weekends Cost: About $10 per window or door Skills: Intermediate. Requires familiarity with a table saw and router. Tools: Table saw, miter saw, router, router bits, basic carpentry tools. A trim nail gun and compressor aren’t required but simplify the project. You’ll find a classic trim style that looks similar to this in many century-old houses. But that’s where the similarity ends. Old-school carpenters carefully cut and fit mitered returns at the ends of the window aprons and crown moldings to create the classic profiles. You could reproduce this look with wood moldings and a good bit of patience. But if you’re going to paint, why not follow our lead and make your own moldings from medium-density fiberboard? MDF is easy to cut…

The claims made by furnace filter manufacturers are true: A high-efficiency filter can provide some relief from allergies. By trapping smaller airborne particles, these filters make the air in your home cleaner and less irritating to allergy sufferers. But before you install a high-efficiency filter, there are a few things worth knowing: • High-efficiency means higher cost. If you’re currently spending $20 per year on cheapie filters, prepare for sticker shock. You can easily spend $100 per year on highefficiency filters. • What the numbers mean. Furnace filters are labeled with a numerical efficiency rating. A higher number indicates higher “efficiency.” That simply means the filter traps smaller particles. When it comes to furnace filters, “efficiency” does not mean energy savings. • The numbers are tricky. MERV is the most…

1. True. Both the top and the bottom pivot brackets, which are on the jamb side, can be adjusted, and you can also raise or lower the door by adjusting the bottom pivot. 2. (A) To flatten a cupped board, first send it through the planer with the convex side up until that side is flat. Then flip it over and plane down the concave side. A long, bowed or twisted board will hold its shape no matter how many times you plane it. 3. (C) It doesn’t matter which wire goes on which screw, because all the doorbell button does when you push it is allow the power to flow from the transformer to the bell. There’s no neutral wire involved. If you discover you have a bigger problem,…