Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2020 i Family Handyman

In my late 20s, I had a ramshackle house and an income just slightly above the poverty line. DIY was my only option. Luckily, I had some basic skills and a burning desire to know more. So I spent evenings and weekends turning that dump into a home, tackling bigger and bigger projects, learning as I went. Repairing and improving that house myself—instead of hiring or moving—helped to fatten my wallet over the decades. Today, I could do what most homeowners do: pay pros for repairs and improvements. But I don’t. Here are 10 reasons why I still prefer to DIY.…

Slow Feeder for Puppies My puppy was eating his food so fast that he vomited it back up. Instead of buying a slow-feed bowl, I drilled holes into a 12-in. length of 2-in. PVC pipe and capped the ends. I fill the tube with puppy food, and he has to roll it around to get the food to fall out of the holes. My puppy gets all the food he needs, and I don’t have to clean up the mess that comes from eating too fast. Be sure the holes are large enough for the food to come out! CHARLIE MAY UNDER-SINK CLUTTER CONTROL The space under a kitchen sink is often a black hole where cleaning supplies go to be forgotten. You want to keep this stuff close at…

The terms “mineral spirits” and “paint thinner” are often used interchangeably. But the products aren’t the same. Both are petroleum distillates and work well for cleaning oil-based paint from brushes and tools, but that’s where the similarities end. Compared with paint thinner, mineral spirits and especially “odorless” mineral spirits are refined to a much higher grade. That’s why you pay nearly twice as much for mineral spirits as for paint thinner. What this means for you is reduced toxic fumes. Paint thinner, not being as refined, typically contains 5 percent VOCs such as benzene or toluene, which accounts for the strong odor. It also evaporates faster, and depending on your application, that can be important. If you’re cleaning, faster evaporation is fine. If you’re thinning a finish for spraying, however,…

Shower door treatment If you’re diligent about cleaning your glass shower door, you probably don’t have problems with soap scum, mildew or mineral stains from hard water. But if you’d like to skip all that cleaning, apply Aquapel Glass Treatment on your door so it can shed the water completely and prevent the buildup. One treatment lasts for months, meaning no more grime for the same amount of time. A package of three treatments costs $15 online. Easy aerator cleaning Using a sink aerator is a really great way to reduce the amount of water going straight down the drain, but aerators can get clogged and disrupt the flow from a faucet. To clear the clog easily, try tossing the aerator into a small jar filled with vinegar. Let it…

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 tfhmag.com/signup 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 facebook.com/thefamilyhandyman pinterest.com/family_handyman youtube.com/thefamilyhandyman instagram.com/familyhandyman…

The basic answer is, pretty much everywhere. In fact, it’s easier to list the places where AFCIs (arc-fault circuit interrupters) aren’t required by the National Electrical Code: bathrooms, garages, unfinished basements and outdoors. Also, existing wiring doesn’t require upgrading to AFCI protection unless you make changes to the branch circuit wiring. AFCIs help prevent electrical fires caused by damaged or deteriorated wiring. The best method is to install an AFCI circuit breaker. If your breaker box doesn’t accept new AFCI breakers, install a feed-through outlet branch circuit (OBC) receptacle next to the breaker box to protect the entire branch circuit. OBC receptacles are also used for AFCI protection where branch circuits are modified, replaced or extended. Locate the OBC AFCI receptacle at the first receptacle outlet of the existing branch…

Whole-house music streaming Sonos is a system of sound bars, speakers and amps that you can use individually or in combination, adding components as needed and pairing them with one another. The Sonos system lets you stream music from your phone or laptop wirelessly throughout every room in your house. It’s controlled by an app on your phone. For our system, we started with the Sonos Amp ($600). It’s not necessary to run a Sonos system, but we wanted it to act as a receiver, allowing us to add other, non-Sonos speakers and components. The amp connects to the TV via an HDMI cable, offering video streaming capability. It’ll run two pairs of wired speakers and up to 32 Sonos wireless components. You can even plug your turntable into the…

Who wouldn’t want to step onto a toasty warm kitchen floor when they fetch their morning coffee? I recently found out how easy in-floor heat can be. With a filmtype heating system, you don’t have to deal with thin-set or glue. You basically just unroll the mats, run the wiring and install your floor. I was able to install it under my floating floor in a weekend. Here’s what you need to know. MEET THE EXPERT Jay Cork has been a carpenter, cabinetmaker and craftsman for more than 20 years. Floor heat simplified To install a film-type system, you first lay down foam underlayment, securing it with duct tape. Then you tape down the plastic film, which contains the electric heating elements. The power supply to the film is controlled…

OSCILLATING TOOLS TO THE RESCUE New blades and clever jigs make oscillating tools indispensable Not all that long ago, oscillating tools were rare and blades cost a fortune. Now you can find a variety of oscillating tools at any hardware store. The blades are still expensive ($10 or more), but the selection has grown significantly and includes some excellent innovations. Here are a few of my favorites. A BETTER GROUT BLADE This new blade makes grout removal an easier job. A few manufacturers offer diamond blades, but most grout blades are carbide. DeWalt offers this curved carbide blade ($16)with a wavy edge “set” that cuts faster and won’t clog as quickly. PERFECT PLUNGE CUTS This is an awesome DIY jig anyone can make! It’s just an adhesive-backed magnetic strip stuck…

AUTO 100 1. You could save 15% or more. Get a FREE rate quote today. 1-800-947-AUTO Geico.com 2. Buy everything from one lug nut to a new fender at reliably low prices. Get your auto parts at RockAuto.com BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION 101 3. Waterproofing masonry made easy. See how easy it is to protect basement walls and other masonry surfaces from the damaging effects of water penetration with Fast Plug and DRYLOK Etch. United Gilsonite Laboratories. 1.800.272.3235 ugl.com 4. Low-maintenance PVC decking with a lifetime warranty. Contact us at 888-309-1808 or visit us at GenovationsDeck.com 5. ProWood® professional grade treated lumber offers a wide selection including colorinfused ProWood Dura Color®. ProWoodLumber.com HEATING & COOLING 103 6. Around the home, peace-of-mind is an invaluable commmodity. So Rheem® created Gladiator™ Electric Water…

Simple, affordable, stunning wall panels These 3D wall panels by Inhabit turn a bland wall into a dazzling accent wall. They go right over your existing drywall and attach with wallpaper adhesive. You can make the wall tiles seamless by applying joint compound between the tiles, and you can paint them any color with latex paint. The tiles are molded from a byproduct of sugarcane processing, so you can have a stunning wall and feel good about being so green. The panels cost about $3 per square foot. Check out all the styles at inhabitliving.com. MORE OPTIONS FOR IKEA CABINETS If you want the simplicity of IKEA cabinets but a style IKEA doesn’t offer, check out Semihandmade, a company that makes doors and drawer faces to fit IKEA cabinets and…

One of the best ways to insulate is to use spray foam insulation. But spray foams are not all the same, and before you hire an insulation contractor, it’s important to know how they differ. Open-cell spray foam is soft and flexible. It’s called open-cell because air can freely travel from one cell to another. Open-cell foam isn’t as dense as closed-cell foam, but it expands more, making it a good choice for hard-to-reach areas. On the other hand, closedcell foam has a greater density and R-value because air can’t travel from one cell to another. As a result, it’s more rigid and won’t expand as much as open-cell. In general, closed-cell foam is used to insulate entire buildings and walls, and it’s roughly twice as expensive as open-cell foam.…

PROS ■ Less start/stop stress on the fan.■ Consistently cleaner air because of constant filtration.■ Keeps the ambient air at a more even temperature. CONS ■ Higher cost. With a 500-watt motor, this can be significant!■ Shorter furnace filter life.■ In summer, the continuous running may mean circulation of air that is warmer than the ambient air, causing the A/C to kick on more often.■ In winter, the air being circulated may feel colder when the furnace isn’t running. Some newer thermostats have a “circulate” function, which runs the blower at a slower speed, reducing wear and tear and limiting the cost of running the fan full-tilt 24/7. CORRECTION In our article on adding garage outlets (Best Pro Tips, Sept. ’19, p. 68), we got the baseplates mixed up:…

Ever wonder why home centers often have two stacks of 2x4s with a price difference of about 30 cents per board? Here’s the deal. When lumber is harvested and sent to the mill, it still contains all the water it had when it was living. Dimensional stability—and price—depends on whether it gets kiln dried and to what degree. For your extra 30 cents, you’ll get a 2x4 that was kiln dried before final milling. Kiln-dried lumber doesn’t reabsorb moisture as readily as non-kiln-dried lumber, so if the lumber is straight when you buy it, it will likely stay that way. That said, if you want to save that 30 cents, sort through the cheaper pile and pick the lightest weight (driest), straightest boards you can find.…

We step into our bathrooms every morning to get ready for the day. We pull out hair dryers, curling irons and trimmers, untangle their cords and fumble around for the outlet to plug them in. Then we unplug them and stuff them in a drawer, just to untangle them all again the next morning. What a waste of time! But this cabinet rollout has built-in outlets to eliminate those hassles and get you on your way. 1 START WITH TWO RIP CUTS Set the table saw fence to 19 in. to cut the width of the drawer front and back pieces. Then make another rip at 14 in. for the drawer sides and shelf parts. This approach keeps similar parts the exact same length and helps keep the drawer square…

Your plumbing system is mostly made up of pipes that carry water or waste. That’s easy to understand. But what about those “vent” pipes that just carry air? To understand them, let’s return to the early days of indoor plumbing… The answer begins with sewer gas, the smelly, unhealthy mix of vapors inside the sewer lines. If not blocked, sewer gas will waft up through drains and stink up the whole house. Plumbing pioneers discovered this problem early on—and struggled to find a good solution.…

the best ADJUSTABLE TRAILER HITCH Pulling a trailer that isn’t level is unsafe, and that’s why I recently upgraded to a Rhino Hitch. This hitch lets you match the height of the ball to the trailer you’re pulling. I like that you can hook up to the trailer first, and then fine-tune the height of the hitch using the tongue jack on the trailer. The solid aluminum hitch won’t rust, and it just looks cool. The model shown has a 7-in. drop and can handle a 12,000-lb. load. It’s available for $400, including a 2-in. and a 2-5/16-in. ball, at rhinohitch.com. EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR POWER WINDOW MOTORS Spray some silicone on a rag and wipe down the inside of the vertical window channels. The silicone will reduce friction…