Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Family Handyman

Whether you’ve been a subscriber for two decades like my dad or you picked up this issue from the newsstand because it caught your eye, I have no doubt you’ll find something useful here. Our team takes great pride in putting together projects, tips and information pieces that not only entertain and inspire but also improve a home. Our projects are a big source of that pride. They’re fun to dream up and build, and they are our way of presenting a mix of basic and advanced skills. I’ve had the pleasure of growing up with this magazine and watching the projects evolve over 20 years. Some of my recent favorites are the Getaway—the not-so-tiny modern cabin (Sept. ‘21), the over-the-top Destination Garage (July/Aug. ‘21), Brad’s Danish Modern Chairs (March…

FLOOR RULER No need to scramble for a ruler every time you need to measure something big. Draw a ruler on your shop floor with a permanent marker. It won’t be accurate enough for precise measurements, but for rough cutting it will save you time and effort. When the markings start to wear off, just redo them. CHRISTINE SMITH SHARE YOUR HANDY HINTS WITH US submissions@familyhandyman.com MORE FOR YOUR MONEY Next time you need to estimate a measurement and don’t have a tape measure with you, use a dollar bill or a credit card. Each bill is slightly over 6 in. long, 3 in. folded in half and 2 in. folded in thirds. And they’re slightly over 2½ in. wide. A credit card is about 3⅜ in. x 2⅛ in.…

If your basement leaks when it rains or is damp and smells musty in the summer, don’t throw in the towel. There are all kinds of ways to dry a wet basement, ranging from simple weekend fixes to more difficult repairs that you may want to hire a contractor to do. In this article, we’ll show you how to diagnose your wet basement problem and give you solutions to try yourself. We won’t go into detail on how to complete some of the more difficult jobs, such as installing an interior drainage system, but we’ll show you how they work and what’s involved in their installation. INSPECT YOUR FOUNDATION AND TAKE NOTES It’s important to do a thorough check of the ground around your foundation. For this you’ll need a…

facebook.com/thefamilyhandyman pinterest.com/family_handyman youtube.com/thefamilyhandyman instagram.com/familyhandyman tiktok.com/@familyhandyman Our streaming channel, At Home with Family Handyman, continues to expand its programming with new original series, including the upcoming premiere of Mr. Build It. Mr. Build It, aka Alex Mazhukhin, has over 700,000 followers on his YouTube channel. He started in the DIY space in 2015 when he and his wife, Irina, an interior designer, bought a house in Boise, Idaho. “The house was a fixer-upper in need of a lot of work, and the budget to do it was nonexistent.” Following other social media accounts for project inspiration, Mazhukhin says he began watching other people and then practicing on his and Irina’s house. In the new series, Mazhukhin says we can expect to see projects such as building a giant open kitchen, replacing…

When you’re choosing basement flooring, style and comfort matter, but your top consideration should be how well it can handle moisture. As a starting point, you need to determine if there are any moisture issues in your basement. Obvious sources would be leaking pipes, water heaters, laundry tubs and floor drains, but there are also less obvious ones, such as moisture coming in through the foundation. If you notice moisture entering through the foundation, you’ll likely need to address the drainage around your home’s exterior. Moisture coming in through the slab is less obvious; you’ll need to run a test. Your flooring installer can do this for you, or you can perform the test on p. 53. If there’s a moisture problem, the concrete must be sealed before you install…

Closed-cell polyurethane spray foam has some outstanding qualities—it has a high R-value, it expands into hard-to-reach areas, and it’s resistant to water, mold and insects. Heck, it can even add structural support. However, it is expensive, so we spoke with a couple of manufacturers and some pro insulators about where and when to use it, when to call in a pro with a truck-mounted unit, and when a DIY kit is the best option. We also assembled some great installation tips to help you spray safely and get the best value for your investment. We used the Froth-Pak Insulation 210 two-component, low-pressure kit. It has an R-value of 6 per inch. SEALANT VS. INSULATION Closed-cell spray foam sealant looks just like foam insulation, but it’s not the same thing. Sealant is…

GOT A DIY QUESTION? Finding the answers is easy at familyhandyman.com. Click on the three bars at the top left of the page and then search your topic to get expert step-by-step help with your projects. GOT A HANDY HINT OR TIP FOR US? To share your idea with us, submit a copy of your original contribution, including photos and/or sketches, by email to: submissions@familyhandyman.com Or mail to: Family Handyman, 1610 N. Second St., Suite 102, Milwaukee, WI 53212 Please include your name, mailing address and email address if you have one, and indicate to which department you are submitting. We reserve the right to publish your submission in any appropriate department, or elsewhere. Contributions will not be acknowledged or returned. RIGHTS By submitting material to us, you grant Home…

THE NEW FANDANGO While I was installing our expensive new ceiling fan, I noticed a red caution tag, but I was eager to proceed, so I figured I’d read it later. I followed the directions and included the extra bracing. When I was done, I proudly called in my wife. As I flipped the switch, the fan immediately unscrewed itself from the threaded support pipe, came whirling down and crashed to the floor. The fan was destroyed, there were ugly scratches in our new hardwood floor and you can guess what my wife had to say! When I got around to reading the red tag, here’s what it said: “After the pipe is screwed in, use the locking screw provided to lock the pipe onto the main support.” STEPHEN FINEGAN…

WHAT IT TAKES TIME 2 days COST $150 per window SKILL LEVEL Beginner TOOLS Table saw, pocket hole jig, drill/driver, miter saw, random orbital sander, drywall saw Want to bring daylight into a finished basement, but don’t want the labor and cost of adding an egress window? If you don’t need an egress window to meet code, here’s a way to gain the light along with the illusion of a beautiful new window. You won’t get an outdoor view, but a basement window rarely gives much of a view anyway. We used thin LED panels with adjustable color temperature, set in easy-to-build window frames. Getting power to the panels takes a little electrical work, but the lights are operated by remote control or a battery-powered switch that fits in a…