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Architecture : Home & Garden
How to Add to a Laminate Countertop
Laminate is a thin, hard sheet of plastic that's used to protect countertops and provide a smooth, waterproof work surface. Adding a layer of laminate to a countertop is something you can do right over any flat, solid surface, including existing laminate, as long as it's free of gloss or grime. The
Carport to Garage Conversion
Carports are great: They keep the weather off your vehicles, they provide shade on a hot day, and they are an attractive place to store outdoor equipment. But garages are even better--you can lock the doors to keep your valuables safe, and the enclosing walls help to hide the clutter from public v
How to Adjust Sticking Screen Doors for Sliders
Most patio slider doors have a screen door panel on the outside. This enables you to open the slider to allow fresh air in and leave bugs out. The screen door should slide as smoothly as the glass slider. Sometimes though, the screen door will stick or jam as you open or close it. This is usually du
How to Install Large Tile Floors
Floor tiles look and feel as solid as rock, but in fact they can easily crack if they're not laid correctly, or if there's any unevenness or movement under them. This is especially true for very large floor tiles, because the wide surface area increases the space over which uneven pressure might be
What Does BTU Stand for in Water Heaters?
The British thermal unit, or BTU, is a unit of energy, one that is used to quantify the heating and cooling power of, water heaters, air conditioners and similar equipment.
How to Repair the LCD Display on an Apple Cinema A1081
Apple Cinema Displays are large, flat-screen LCD monitors commonly used as external monitors for Mac desktop and laptop computers. The A1081 Cinema Display was first released in June 2004, and was discontinued by late 2009. The monitor featured a 20-inch LCD screen with a maximum 1680-by-1050 pixel
How to Design a Rustic Kitchen
A rustic kitchen can add regional American flair to your room, or it can use the Old World as its muse. Regardless of whether your choice is Adirondack, Southwest, mountain, lodge or Tuscan, there are definite design elements that are universal. If you have an open kitchen arrangement, you need to k
DIY Plans for a Hope Chest With a Cushion
A hope chest makes an excellent addition to your home furnishings. It's elegant, while adding storage space. When you make one with a seat cushion on top, it becomes a functional piece of furniture, adding extra seating to the room you place it in. A hope chest also makes a wonderful gift, especiall
How to Remove Old Tile Glue
Removing tiles can be a long hard messy experience. Most of the time it requires you to manually rip the tiles away from the subsurface, avoiding doing damage to the subsurface in the process. Once the tiles are gone, there's still a good bit of work to be done in removing the old tile glue that rem
Home DIY Solar Panel System
Whether you would like to be energy independent and totally free of the electric company or just want to reduce your monthly power bill, solar panels are a great way to utilize the energy of the sun. So why doesn't everyone have them? One word: money. Solar panels are cheaper than they used to be, b
DIY In-Wall Bookshelf
Rather than purchasing an expensive bookshelf from a furniture retailer, consider building your own in-wall bookshelf for a fraction of the cost. Not only are built-in bookshelves typically less expensive than retail furniture, but they can also take up less space. Customize your in-wall bookshelf t
4x4 Ceramic Tile Colors
Square 4x4-inch ceramic tiles are durable and come in a variety of styles.ceramic tile image by Karin Lau from Fotolia.comCeramic tile is a versatile choice when it comes to redecorating walls, floors and back splashes. Four-by-four-inch tile is one of the most commonly used of all...
Does Oil Paint and Oil Stain Protect Your Wood Floors?
Oil-based paints and stains both protect wood floors from damage. The oil in each finishing product defends against moisture, but oil paints are more effective against all types of weather. In addition, foot traffic will eventually smudge oil-based stains, whereas dried paint has a sturdier appearan
How to Build a Wooden Bed Platform
A wooden platform forms the basis for any do-it-yourself bed frame project. From this start, you can add legs, headboard, footboard, shelves, drawers and other gadgets to make it the exact right bed for your needs. If you have the lumber and tools on hand, you can put your platform together in less
How to Use Fix-All to Level Flooring
Fix-It-All, also commonly referred to as Fix-All or Fixall, is a popular patching compound that you can use to level subfloors. As a leveler, the substance fills valleys or low areas of the subfloor, and creates a hard surface that is equal in height to other areas of the subfloor. The substance can
How Do I Remove Dry Grout from Tile?
Grout made from Portland cement takes several weeks to cure completely. If grout has been left on top of the tiles and has dried to either a haze or a gritty surface, it may be removed within a few weeks. The method that you will need to remove the dried grout will depend on how much grout there is,
How to Repair Granite Countertop Seams
Granite slab countertops are frequently not long enough or large enough to cover an entire counter on their own. You may have to line up several pieces of stone together with an epoxy resin color-matched to the counter to fill the seams between them. After time, this epoxy can dry out, chip away and
Quartz Countertop Tips
Quartz countertops require little care or maintenance and are food safe since the countertop's surface is nonporous and so will not allow the growth of bacteria in the counter. Quartz is heat, impact and scratch resistant, but the material is not indestructible and does require some care to keep it
How to Remodel a Kitchen Ceiling
It's time to spice up the boring, white kitchen ceiling. Many homeowners' forget to remodel their ceilings when redoing their kitchens. White ceilings do not have any character or design. Instead of having a white ceiling in your kitchen, remodeling the ceiling will help to emphasize the beauty of