Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2019 i Family Handyman

“Eyes are the window to the soul.” That saying has prevailed for centuries. But we all know the real window to your soul is your garage. A glimpse into your garage reveals a lot about you—obvious things like whether you like to ski or weld or go fly fishing. But also deeper things: Are you neat or disorganized? Practical or playful? A big spender or a penny pincher? You’ll find clues to all this and more. Much more than a place to park, the garage may be the most versatile part of your home: a storage center, a workshop, a hobby space, a room for your toys. Increasingly, it’s also a place for people to hang out, socialize and watch sports and movies. And that’s the focus of our September issue:…

Finishing Stands When you’re finishing table legs or other furniture parts, cut square 1/4-in. plywood “stands” and screw them onto each end. The table legs stay put as you apply your finish, making the job much easier than it would be if the parts were hung on a hook. And you can stand them vertically to dry. DOUG MacQUEEN CARDBOARD DROP CLOTH Most of our cardboard boxes end up in our recycling bin, but I always make sure to save a couple of the larger ones. They’re perfect for keeping my clothes clean when I crawl under the car. Stored flat, they don’t take up much room. MIKE McNAMARA Fix for Paint Spills on Carpet I used to think dropping a loaded paintbrush on the carpet meant replacing the carpet…until…

Don’t buy anything else With the variety of smoke detectors available, it’s easy to feel the urge to pull your hair out when you’re standing in front of shelves of them at your local home center. Thankfully, you can keep your hair and sanity intact. You only need a smoke/CO detector with a photoelectric sensor, preferably hardwired. Don’t buy ionization or dual sensors. Ionization sensors are prone to false alarms, so you’re tempted to disable them. That puts you and your family in greater danger. Photoelectric sensors, on the other hand, detect smoldering fires faster and are less likely to have nuisance alarms. If you’re into tech, you can install a smart photoelectric CO detector, but any photoelectric smoke detector will do the job. For more information, go to familyhandyman.com…

1. Most power tools do damage OSHA requires hearing protection for extended exposure to noise at 85 decibels or above, and most power tools, lawn mowers and chain saws are louder than that. Vickie Tuten, a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and an audiologist with the U.S. Army, offers a rule of thumb—if someone walked up to you and started talking while you were working, would you have to turn the tool off to hear them? If so, there’s a good chance it’s hazardous and you should be wearing hearing protection. 2. Plugs and muffs don’t work as labeled How much hearing protection you need depends on two factors—how loud your equipment is and how long you’re exposed to the noise. Tuten says both earmuffs and earplugs work as…

FAMILY HANDYMAN has been improving garages for decades. This year, we found a family overdue for a garage makeover. Their simple desire to clean up the garage led to a unique conversion that extended their living space while still leaving space for cars. It was a big transformation, but the projects were easy: TO CUT CLUTTER, we installed an electric attic lift. That made moving out-of-season gear into the attic safe and effortless—and opened up lots of floor space. Aside from careful positioning and adjustments, the installation was quick and simple. FOR YEAR-ROUND COMFORT, we added ductless mini-split heating/cooling. If you’re intimidated by this HVAC project, don’t be. Supplying the power took creative planning, but the rest was amazingly easy. TURNING A GARAGE INTO A HOME THEATER could be as…

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LEARN MORE. BUILD MORE. Calling DIYers who want to tackle it all! Get unlimited access to Family Handyman’s complete library of quick DIY University online classes. This includes two exciting new projects per month—things you’ve been dreaming about, and projects that may not have occurred to you. Get ready to build a wall-mounted bike rack or your own workshop, add elegant kitchen storage and a tile backsplash, install a sleek USB charging station, and much more! Start your 14-day FREE Trial at DIYUniversity.com SEE MORE STUFF WE LOVE Have you signed up for the new Stuff We Love newsletter yet? Check out more of our favorite tools and gear every week! Go to thfmag.com/signup facebook.com/thefamilyhandyman pinterest.com/family_handyman youtube.com/thefamilyhandyman instagram.com/familyhandyman…

No one needs to be convinced of the convenience of a garage refrigerator. Whether you have one already or are thinking about getting one, here’s how to help it perform its best. Understand the basics In a non-climate-controlled garage, refrigerators struggle. Excessive heat forces them to work extra hard, resulting in high electric bills and early failure. Freezing temperatures make your refrigerator think it doesn’t need to work, letting frozen things thaw and refrigerated items freeze. Humidity is also an issue, as it can cause rust on the coils. The ideal way to keep your garage refrigerator running at peak performance is to condition the garage air. However, this gets expensive and involves insulating the garage. You could frame up, insulate and condition a small space within the garage, but…

Having attic space above your garage just about doubles your storage options. But carrying stuff up the ladder is a hassle and can be dangerous. An attic lift makes the chore safe and effortless. You can even store things like a lawn mower or snow blower that you wouldn’t think of hauling up a ladder. A lift is easy to install if your garage has the right bones, and it uses power you likely already have. We’ll tell you what you need to know before you buy and walk you through the installation. BEFORE YOU BUY ASSESS THE CEILING STRUCTURE: Standard trusses or framing may not handle the weight of a loaded lift or all the items you want to store. Attic or storage trusses, on the other hand, are…

I built a folding workbench for American Woodworker magazine about 20 years ago—I think it was one of the first ever built. It has served as a lumber cart, finishing stand, cutting station, job-site workbench and as an assembly table. Because it’s been so useful, I designed a deluxe anniversary model with extra features. If you want to build the original, simpler version instead, search for “folding workbench” at familyhandyman.com. 5 Fresh Features: 1 A TOUGH WORK SURFACE For a durable, smooth work surface, I glued a layer of tempered hardboard over plywood. 2 TWO TOPS The large top allows ample room for work and tools. When the bench is folded up, the small top is just right for a benchtop tool like a drill press or miter saw. 3…

INSTALLING SURFACE-MOUNTED RACEWAY is the slickest way to add lighting or outlets in a finished garage—even if you’re already a master at running conduit or fishing wire. Like conduit, it eliminates the need to tear into walls or ceilings. Unlike conduit, it doesn’t require special tools or materials. And raceway looks neater. A raceway system typically begins at an existing outlet. From there, it can run anywhere: up, down, around corners or in multiple directions at once. The raceway system shown cost about $60. Raceway itself (sold in 5- and 10-ft. lengths) costs about $1 per foot. The surface-mounted junction boxes cost $5 to $10; the elbows and tees about $5 each. You’ll also need mounting clips and other accessories. Home centers carry a variety of parts, and you’ll find…

When my garbage disposal went on the fritz, I purchased and installed a new disposal that same day. I turned on the disposal and everything worked perfectly. Feeling proud of myself for conquering a problem without hiring a pro, I did a little victory dance in front of the sink. That night, my dishwasher quit mid-wash and wouldn’t drain. Since this problem was out of my comfort zone, I called for help. When the service technician showed up and looked under the sink, he asked who had installed the disposal. I hung my head and mumbled an expletive, then explained that I’d followed the easy installation directions. “Yeah, but the directions don’t mention that you’re supposed to remove the factory plug from the drain line that runs to the dishwasher,”…

Deck fastening made easy The Camo Drive deck fastening system features a drive attachment you can use with a drill you already own, while standing. The drill attachment uses collated strip screws that automatically advance so the next screw is ready for you right away. The tool comes with three fastening guides to fasten deck boards in three different ways: For solid wood decking, the edge guide lets you hide fasteners on the edge of the board, while the face guide allows you to drive fasteners through the board’s face. The clip guide is used with EdgeClip fasteners to lay grooved composite decking. You can find the Camo Drive tool online for about $175. Fast roller cleaner There are several products for cleaning roller sleeves on the market, but the…

Live in It Before You Remodel Don’t try to make your home perfect right away. Live in it and let ideas come and go. You will eventually find the right one, and you won’t waste money on something that isn't necessary. LINDA LANDSVERK Keep Track of Improvements Immediately start a home improvement file. Take photos of all projects that are done to improve your home and keep the receipts with those photos. If possible, go paperless in case of a major disaster. CAROLYN AND PAUL BROSSOIT Pad Your Budget Most renovations will run over budget and cost more than you think. The final project costs presented on renovation TV shows just aren’t reality. CHRIS JANOSA Unpack Your Tools Set up your workbench and tool areas first. They’ll come in handy…

No Contract No Monthly Fee Do you get discouraged when you hear your telephone ring? Do you avoid using your phone because hearing difficulties make it hard to understand the person on the other end of the line? For many Americans the telephone conversation – once an important part of everyday life – has become a thing of the past. Because they can’t understand what is said to them on the phone, they’re often cut off from friends, family, doctors and caregivers. Now, thanks to innovative technology there is finally a better way. A simple idea… made possible with sophisticated technology. If you have trouble understanding a call, captioned telephone can change your life. During a phone call the words spoken to you appear on the phone’s screen – similar…