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.
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com Add a USB charger in a snap In this electronic age of ours, there seems to be at least one device being charged on every single counter and end table in the house. It’s getting difficult to find an unoccupied outlet for our antiquated blenders and desk lamps. Here’s a cool gadget that can help. It’s an outlet cover plate with a built-in USB charger, and it’s as easy to install as a regular cover plate. You just shut down the power, unscrew the old plate and screw on the new one. No receptacle replacement required! The USB port gets its power from two prongs that contact the screws on the sides of the receptacle. The cover plates come in white, light almond and ivory. One SnapPower USB Charger…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com Things go wrong with plumbing systems. It just happens. And it doesn’t matter where you live or how old your house is. A pipe can freeze and burst. A toilet can overflow. You might unknowingly puncture a pipe with a nail during a remodeling project. Or your water heater could let go and send a raging river flowing right through your home’s living space. Scared yet? Sooner or later, you’re going to have a plumbing failure—maybe big, maybe small—but the key is to catch it before it causes catastrophic damage to your home. Think we’re being alarmist? Damage caused by plumbing failures costs homeowners and insurance companies billions of dollars every year. Here are some hightech solutions that will alert you when a leak is just getting started so…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com Every year people die because their smoke detectors didn’t go off during a fire. That’s usually because the batteries were dead (or had been removed to stop false alarms) or the detector was past its useful life or was located where occupants couldn’t hear the alarm. This article will tell you how to check your detectors and replace them if necessary. We’ll also help you understand the latest technology—which has improved dramatically in recent years—so you can choose detectors that best protect your home and family. Do your present detectors work? It’s really simple to test your smoke detectors to make sure they’re working. Just press the test button and the alarm should sound. If it’s a battery-powered alarm and doesn’t sound off, change the battery and retest it.…
handyhints@thefamilyhandyman.com Reuse drywall cutouts Whenever I need to make an electrical repair inside a finished wall, I cut an opening with my hole saw and save the round plug. Later, when I’m ready to patch the hole, I glue a piece of rolledup cardboard to the back of the plug using construction adhesive. Then I glue the other end of the tube to the drywall on the other side of the wall. I cut the cardboard tube slightly shorter than the depth of the wall studs so that the plug sits just below the surface of the drywall. I then finish off the patch with some joint compound. James B. Stefan NO-SCRATCH TOOLBOX I cut and glued a piece of carpet to the bottom of my toolbox to protect surfaces…
Nightstands are just not big enough for everything: lamp, alarm clock, phone, photos of your kids ... so books, magazines, your tablet or your cup of tea ends up on the floor. This shelf unit gives you about 10 times more space for decorative and essential stuff. And its dazzling design will transform your room. Best of all, it’s easy to build with basic tools. 2 CUT THE STRIPS TO LENGTH A crosscut guide allows you to make perfectly square cuts exactly where you want them. Mark the cut location and line up the guide. Clamp the guide and make the cut. Make sure to keep the saw bed tight to the guide fence as you make the cut. Getting started The first step is to round up the tools…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com YOUR CLOSET CAN LOOK LIKE THIS! From anarchy to order in a weekend! (melamine panels make it easy) Walk through the closet aisle at any home center and you’ll see lots of closet organizers—everything from wire shelving systems to ones that look like real wood cabinetry with all kinds of fancy accessories. And while these systems are designed to work in just about any type of closet, you can get a fully custom closet organizer—and possibly even save a few bucks—by building one yourself. Here’s how we built ours using melamine panels, plus some tips on building your own. What is melamine? While real wood is strong and beautiful, building a closet organizer with it is expensive and timeconsuming. Melamine products are an attractive and inexpensive alternative to wood…
