Just DIY It

Floor squeaks happen, and when they do, most of us just tolerate them as a part of the “charm” of living in an older house! But as annoying as squeaking floors can be, they have a rather simple cause and solution – and squeaks rarely indicate a structural problem forming under foot.No matter what kind of finish flooring you may have — carpet, vinyl, tile, or hardwood — unless your home is built on a concrete slab, underneath it’s wood.

Audio Transcript To remove ordinary wallpaper, you need to gather a few simple items. A pre-tape drop cloth A bucket of water A paint roller and pan A perforator A scraper (which looks a lot like a putty knife but has a slot for replaceable blades) Wallpaper removing solvent And a bucket full of patients The first step is to protect the floor and molding from water damage.

Painting the corners and edges on a wall is the meticulous part; once you've done that, you're ready to paint the main part of the wall. Be sure you have the right tools — having the right roller for the surface of your walls is critical.

You don't want to run out of paint midway through painting a room. Use simple math the determine how much paint you need, and you're good to start painting.

It's a good idea to be prepared for things going wrong in your home, whether it's something relatively simple that you can fix yourself, or a more complex problem requiring a qualified professional.Following is advice for both situations. First, we list some non-tool items you'll want to have around for DIY home repair.

Chalk paint can be used to paint almost anything — walls, kitchen cabinets, metal, wood, and even fabric — but the most common use is to give new life to old furniture or to make newer pieces look old. The great thing about chalk paint is that there isn't a huge learning curve or a lot of prep work. You can just dive right in.

The trickiest part of replacing broken glass panes in wood-frame windows is getting replacement glass that’s sized exactly right. To replace a broken glass pane in a wood window, you need to measure the precise length and width of the grooves in which the pane will fit.Have the new glass cut so it measures 1/8 inch shorter than the exact groove dimensions in both the length and width.

Buying ceramic tile for floors requires measuring and math. Estimate how many ceramic tiles to buy by calculating the total floor area you plan to cover and dividing that number by the size of one tile. Ceramic floor tiles typically come in 4-, 6-, 9-, 12-, and 18-inch squares. First, determine the square footage of the room (don’t forget the closets!

A food disposer takes the place of a sink basket and drain piece on one of the kitchen sink bowls. To install this appliance, consult the installation instructions that come with the unit, because the steps vary among brands. Here are the basic steps for installing any food disposer: Remove the sink basket (if one was installed).