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 PRO TOOLS + GEAR Be the envy of the job site Time to ditch that beat-up old coffee thermos and ramp it up a bit with the new COFFEEBOXX singlecup brew system. This job-site coffeemaker works with any K-Cup packs. It has a 3-ft. retractable cord and a huge 2.5-liter removable water tank. The drip tray detaches for taller mugs, and there’s a separate hot water line for making tea or instant soup. Above all, the COFFEEBOXX is rugged; it won’t break if you drop it…off a cliff. It could even be used as a step stool in a pinch, unless you weigh more than 1,500 lbs.! And how many coffeemakers are equipped with stainless steel tiedowns? (I bet your thermos doesn’t have tie-downs.) The Oxx COFFEEBOXX is available…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com Interior trim Interior trim can add definition and refinement to a room, and wood remains a good choice for material. To get a pleasing result with wood, you need to carefully select the individual pieces of lumber at the store, paying attention to grain and color. Today, synthetic trims can sometimes be a better option. Here are a few tips to help you no matter which material you choose. COMBINE SMALLER MOLDING TO CREATE LARGE PROFILES You can save yourself money and hassles by buying separate pieces of trim and assembling them yourself rather than buying elaborate premilled moldings. Cutting, coping and fitting wide trim is tricky. If you mess up, you’ll be wasting trim that can cost several dollars per foot. If possible, try to replicate the profile…
handyhints@thefamilyhandyman.com CAULK CLAMP I forgot to take clamps to a recent project and found that my caulk gun made a good substitute. I placed a positioning block on one end to even out the pressure and then squeezed the parts together. Ended up working great! Mark Poindexter Get a $100 gift card for your Handy Hint! See p. 4. Ready-to-go hangers If I hang clothes up immediately from the dryer, they stay fairly wrinkle-free. To keep hangers handy, I installed a towel bar right above the dryer under the cabinets. When the clothes are dry, I just grab a hanger and hang them right away instead of stuffing them into a laundry basket. Bob Johnson CLASSIC HINT Electrical circuit ID Doing electrical work at home got a lot safer when…
Back when I was just starting out in my first apartment, I piled up milk crates to store all my worldly goods. It was a simple idea, and it worked like a charm. Fast-forward many years: Faced with a need to store and display lots more stuff, I made plywood boxes in two sizes and mixed them up, adding doors to some and painting the inside backs of others the same color as my wall. The result was a stunning showcase that’s adaptable to any situation and includes useful storage space. IT’S JUST A BUNCH OF BOXES A complicated puzzle? Nope. This wall unit is just a collection of plywood boxes. Building all those boxes is time-consuming and fussy—but not difficult. If you have the patience to build precise boxes,…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com Despite the obvious drawbacks—it’s messy, sticky and impossible to remove once it cures—there’s nothing better than expanding foam for plugging and sealing cracks, gaps and holes of every size and shape. Which is why it’s the perfect choice for sealing energy-wasting air leaks. But that’s not the only job it’s good for. In this article, we’ll show you the best ways to use foam on your energy-saving projects, tips for getting the most out of a can, and some other ingenious uses for this versatile product. Stop drafts—and mice! Plugging holes on the exterior of your house with foam is a great way to stop air infiltration, but it may not keep out pests. Mice can and will chew right through regular expanding foam, but there are formulas that…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com We’ve been there. You’re driving a screw and it breaks, or you strip the head, or you’re trying to get the dumb thing started and it pops off the driver bit and tumbles to the floor. Ugh! We feel your pain. Driving screws can be a real exercise in frustration, but it needn’t be. Here are 25 tips to help make your next fastening chore a little less screwy. 1 Reach for the stars Phillips-head screws appear to be going the way of the dodo and are quickly being replaced by star-drive screws (aka “Torx”). And it’s a change for the better! The multilobed heads on star-drive screws offer much better gripping power and are less likely to strip out. Expect to spend a few cents more per box,…
