When it comes to home improvement, you need information you can trust. Inside each issue of The Family Handyman, you’ll find see-and-solve expert repair techniques, a variety of projects for every room and step-by-step, do-it-yourself photos.
There’s painting. And then there’s, well … painting. You know what I mean. The half-hour spent doing a fresh coat over a little piece of furniture. Versus the multiday (or yearslong!) project of doing the entire exterior of your home. We’re here for it all. And you can be too. In this issue, my first as the new deputy editor at Family Handyman, we cover some very important basics, weaving in tips that only the pros know. Think: how to paint uncommon surfaces like rusty metal, tiles and glass. If you’re a seasoned painter, you’ll also walk away feeling inspired for your next project. Thanks to our article on polyurethane finishes, you’ll never have to scratch your head in the paint aisle again. As always, this issue includes personal stories…
STREAM IT NOW: AT HOME WITH FAMILY HANDYMAN Two new series on the At Home with Family Handyman channel will help keep you inspired this winter. Settle in and stream Workshop It, hosted by maker Brad Allred of Project Build Stuff, and Income Property with Scott McGillivray, which is coming soon. On Workshop It, Brad Allred takes complex projects and breaks them down into manageable steps anyone can do in their own home. Growing up, Brad was a self-professed “master tinkerer,” always tearing apart and rebuilding anything he could get his hands on. Then, when he started teaching high school engineering in 2018, he needed an outlet. So he started Project Build Stuff, his popular Instagram and YouTube channel focused on showing new DIYers how to tackle projects step by…
HEAVY-DUTY DESIGN TO MAKE WORK FEEL LIGHT The Gorilla brand is well known for innovative ladders, so when the wood handles rotted off my old wheelbarrow last year, I picked up the new Gorilla 6 cu. ft. PRO Steel Wheelbarrow. The first thing I noticed is that it has a very wide stance, giving excellent loading stability. The tub is steel, and it’s well braced for heavy loads. Long steel handles with easy grips provide good leverage for lifting and keep you from bumping into the tub while you’re maneuvering a heavy load. The 16-in. pneumatic wheel is perfect for rough terrain, and Gorilla makes a no-flat tire for swapping out if needed. One of my favorite features is the built in handles on the legs. Once you’ve lifted the…
COAT YOUR SNOW SHOVEL WITH CAR WAX Make shoveling snow easier by first coating your metal shovel with car wax. Follow the application instructions on the car wax package. Then the snow and ice will slide right off the shovel after each scoop. ALLAN BARNETT USE STAIR GAUGES AS A CROSSCUT GUIDE Stair gauges are usually used to lay out stair jacks. You can clamp them to a carpenter’s square to match the rise and run of a stair jack and then mark the notches. But if you put them both on the same tongue of a carpenter’s square, the combination makes a great crosscut guide for circular saws. SUZANNE TOUHEY PUT RAIN-X IN SNOWTHROWER CHUTE Keep your snowthrower at peak performance by spraying Rain-X inside the chute as part…
Painting a whole house is a huge task, but the work isn’t hard. Anyone can paint! That’s why I don’t hire the job out. Instead, I tackle it by doing one wall over the course of two days every summer. That’s right—depending on the size of the wall, you can paint it in two to three days. As long as you’re not changing colors, this is a great option. If you are changing colors, you’d have to be OK with your house being different colors until all the walls are done, four years later. My wall took a little extra time because of my cedar shakes. To make the job easier, I invested in an airless paint gun. Here’s how I go about things. 1 SCRAPE LOOSE PAINT After pressure-washing…
Painting is one of those projects you can tackle yourself to avoid spending the money on a professional, which can be very pricey. Companies such as Purdy have been creating tools and materials to make it easier and more efficient for homeowners to do their own painting. I spoke with Jennifer Kitchen, a senior project manager with Purdy who has over 14 years of experience. Kitchen’s tips will make any paint job run smoothly and leave you with a pro-like finish. CHOOSING PAINT CHOOSING YOUR BRUSH Material, shape, size, ergonomics and price—there are a lot of things to consider when choosing the best paintbrushes for your project. Kitchen says that paying the extra money for a good paintbrush is worth it: “We come across pro painters who have had brushes…
