Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i Family Handyman

When we remodeled our kitchen, we put new door fronts on all the cabinets. To make sure I installed each new cabinet door handle in the right spot, I made a jig from a 4 x 7-in. plywood scrap. I nailed a piece of 1x2 over two edges of the plywood. Then I marked and drilled the screw locations on the jig. This works great for both two-hole and one-hole handles. Because the jig’s lip overhangs both faces, it works for right- or left-hinged doors. DUANE DREIKOSEN HIDE CONCRETE REPAIRS The easiest way to fix a crack in concrete is to caulk it, but these repairs stand out like a neon light even with special concrete repair caulk. However, if you sprinkle ordinary play sand on the wet caulk, the…

MEET THE BUILDER In 30 years of building, Bill Bergmann’s favorite projects have always involved outdoor living. There’s nothing better than sharing good food with friends and family, and cooking it outdoors always adds to the enjoyment. This grilling center, made with easy-to-assemble cedar panels, is the perfect addition to your outdoor living space. You’ll have plenty of counter surface for food prep, and you can customize the rolling cabinets to house any outdoor cooking appliance. These cabinets are home to a griddle and an air fryer. Paired with my grill, they set me up for new culinary adventures—outside! Materials List Cutting List You have many options for outdoor countertops. We had stainless steel tops fabricated for ours. 1 MILL THE FRAME PARTS Cut all the frame rails and stiles…

We have a pair of toddlers who splash up a storm in the tub, and I’m the lucky guy who gets to monitor the mayhem from this bench. The comfy cushion is welcome after a long day, and the compartments keep all the important toys and towels right at hand. I built the bench in just one day with basic tools, and I’m sure we’ll use it daily for years to come. Figure A Bathroom Bench OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 15-1/2" x 36" x 12-3/4" Cutting List Materials List MEET THE EXPERT Mike Berner was a school teacher until his summer job building homes turned into a year-round career. Now he’s an editor at Family Handyman. 1 MAKE WIDE PANELS Cut all the individual boards ½ in. longer than their final length. Then…

You can buy a decent paint roller for a couple bucks, but it’s smarter to spend about $6 or $7 and choose one that says “woven” on the label. Here’s why: 1. Cheap, non-woven rollers shed tiny fibers and leave ugly lint on the painted surface. A high-quality woven roller will shed few, if any, fibers and will leave the smoothest finish. TIP Regardless of the roller, play it safe: Before using it, apply tape to the cover and quickly remove it to pull up any loose fabric fibers. 2. Woven rollers hold and release paint evenly. That means you’ll spend less time dipping in the paint tray. A thicker nap also holds more paint, but that’s a trade-off; a thicker nap also means more stipple/texture. BEST ALL-AROUND A woven 3/8-in.…

THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER I was remodeling my daughter’s second-floor bedroom and had finished all the demo work. I was ready to start the next phase when I saw daylight coming up through a hole in the floorboard. But that didn’t make any sense. How could there be light between the ceiling downstairs and the floor upstairs? So I got down on my hands and knees and peered through the little hole—only to see an eyeball looking right back at me! I almost had a heart attack. When I gained enough courage to take a second look, I realized that a piece of broken mirror had lodged itself in a knothole. I’d nearly frightened myself to death by staring at my own eyeball! ROBERT ARNOLD RUNAWAY MOWER My old…

Using my miter saw, tape measure and pencil, I’ve cut miles of wood for flooring, trim and more. Yes, I can measure accurately—if I do it twice—but I don’t like sharpening the pencil, resetting the tape’s hook on a board, and aligning the saw blade with a feeble pencil mark. With the M1 Caliber, I can measure precisely in less time and without stretching a tape across several feet of material. Made by Reekon Tools, the M1 Caliber enables quick and accurate measurements when you’re working with a miter saw. Using its own clamp, the tool connects securely and easily to your saw’s fence. When you slide the material into cutting position, the M1’s small wheel rotates and the tool instantly converts that rotation to linear distance. The tool’s easy-to-read…

Don’t let nightfall drive you indoors. Instead, create an inviting outdoor space with lights. Most outdoor lighting is low voltage, so it’s safe and easy enough for any DIYer to install. I talked with Scott Pesta from Kichler Lighting to get his advice on creating a beautifully lit yard. MEET THE EXPERT Scott Pesta has been a landscape lighting technician with Kichler Lighting for 13 years. Stick with a simple design The first phase of any lighting project for the deck or yard is design. Scott says most DIYers start with too many lights. A simple installation of just a few lights makes a huge impact, he says. Start small and add more as needed. EXPERIMENT WITH CLAMP-ON LIGHTS Once you have a design in mind, use clamp-on lights to…

The rookie carpenter on a job site always gets the task of installing joist hangers. It’s tedious job, and any newbie will definitely be better at swinging a hammer after a day of manual hanger installation. Paslode’s F150S Positive Placement Nailer makes quick work of joist hangers and other mechanical connections required with framing. You position the guide tip into the nailing hole of a connector and squeeze the trigger to place the nail. It shoots Smooth Brite and mechanically galvanized 1-1/2-in. nails. At 11-3/4 in. tall and 6.5 lbs., it’s easy to get in between joists and in other tight spaces. It’s available for about $400 from tool retailers. JOSH RISBERG, LEAD CARPENTER A SCREWDRIVER THAT SAVES YOUR WRIST When I don’t need the power and bulk of my…

Whether you’re building a new deck or replacing old, worn deck boards, you’ll find an overwhelming number of decking options. The two main categories, wood and composites, include dozens of choices. I’ll walk you through them to help you choose the right material for your deck. HOVER YOUR CAMERA HERE See a video of all your decking options, plus great features to look for! Wood Wood decking is beautiful and typically much more economical than composite. However, it loses its warm tone and turns a dull gray after a few years if it’s not meticulously maintained. That increases its lifetime cost. PRESSURE-TREATED ■ The boards are soaked with chemicals and put under pressure so the treatment permeates the entire board. That makes them resistant to rot and insects.■ Copper, a…

A deck that’s not maintained can become unsafe and unsightly. If this sounds like your deck and you want to upgrade to a maintenance-free outdoor living space, consider a “re-deck.” The job of ripping up and replacing deck boards might seem straightforward, but you could run into problems. With these tips, you’ll avoid major pitfalls and give your deck a whole new life. Demo the decking Pulling up deck boards is a chore. If your wooden decking was nailed on; demo will be a bit easier. If it was screwed on, don’t expect to back out the screws one by one. Instead, pry up the boards, then break off any screws left in the joists by hitting them at the base with a hammer. A purpose-built pry bar like this…

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