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When considering tile vs. laminate, the cost, installation, maintenance and repair are all factors to compare. Both types are durable floor options, but certain applications are better suited for one over the other.
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The procedure for replacing an electric baseboard heater is a little like that for changing a light fixture. Be sure the power to the heater is off first.
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Installing laminate flooring in unsquare rooms is an easier task than first laying out the laminate floor layout pattern. Use a chalk snapline for this project.
Read MoreWhen your storm door won't close all the way, you can often make some simple adjustments to correct the situation. Sometimes it's an issue with the closing mechanism. Other times the hinges or latch on the storm door aren't screwed in tightly. Correcting the issue improves your door's operation.
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A poor floor tile grout job can ruin the look and integrity of porcelain tiles. Grout that is set in too deep doesn't protect porcelain floor tiles, while grout that oozes out of the likes will chip and break. Using the right amount and the right consistency of grout ensures a long-lasting tile job.
Read MorePorcelain tile, like ceramic tile, is colored in the manufacturing process, and can be changed to a different color with the proper preparation and materials. The challenge is getting the paint to stick, as porcelain tiles are usually glazed, and paint does not stick to that glaze.
Read MoreCaulk is a pliable material that goes on in a paste form, then dries to a hard rubber to seal out moisture and air. It's useful in many places but is particularly effective in bathrooms and kitchens.
Read MoreIf you have an old slate floor, and you don't like the look of it anymore, but you don't want the work and expense of ripping it out, one easy solution is to lay a floating floor over it. Floating floors are not attached to the subfloor in any way, but merely sit on top of it.
Read MoreQuarter-round molding is trim that’s literally a quarter of a circle as you look at it from the end, with two flat adjacent sides forming a corner and a curved third side (like a slice of pie).
Read MoreIf you’ve got a laminate floor and surrounding baseboard, and there’s a small gap where the trim meets the floor, it means either the floor wasn’t even and straight, or the trim contracted after it was installed. Either way, it’s an easy fix.
Read MoreIf you’ve got an old light fixture in an area where you don’t need a light, and you don’t want anything there, you’ll have to cap off the circuit. This means sealing off the wiring in the electrical box to which the fixture was attached so the wires are still live but aren’t powering anything, and aren’t a danger.
Read MoreWhen you’re tiling two adjacent walls, an issue you’ll need to deal with is what to do at the corners, where the walls meet.
Read MoreGreenboard is the generic name given to a form of drywall that’s manufactured to be moisture-resistant. Although it does stand up to moisture in the air better than regular drywall does, it’s not totally waterproof and shouldn’t be used in shower stalls.
Read MoreMajor wall damage on a plaster and lath wall, of the kind of damage that goes all the way through both the plaster and lath, usually requires that sections of the wall be removed and replaced. However, it’s often just the plaster that’s damaged, with the lath still in place.
Read MoreFor purposes of trim molding installation, an "outside corner'' doesn't mean a corner that's outdoors. It means a corner that juts out into a room, as on the edge of a chimney or cabinet.
Read MoreLaminate flooring today is usually sold as glueless, "floating'' floor systems, which means the boards snap together like puzzle pieces and sit unattached to the house. The floor trim around the edges holds it all down.
Read MoreEpoxy paint is often used to seal both concrete and wood floors. If you want to tile over concrete or wood, and there's a thick coat of epoxy on the surface already, you can tile right over it, but prepare first. Epoxy is hard, which is good for laying tile, but it's also slick and glossy, which isn't.
Read MoreGlazed ceramic tile has a glassy coating baked onto it, providing moisture protection to walls and floors where it's applied. If you're thinking about a project that involves removing that glaze, the first thing you should do is think twice.
Read MorePorcelain is basically clay dust that's been pressed into forms. When you consider that fact, it's easy to see how porcelain can absorb water and stains. If you're buying highly glazed, shiny porcelain tiles, then you know they've been sealed, but a flat matte style may or may not have been.
Read MoreIt's a universal aggravation for homeowners with aluminum storm windows: You take out the windows to clean them, then you find you can't figure out how to get them back in.
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Wood finish is the classic look for banisters, but there are plenty of reasons why you might want to paint one instead. Sometimes it's already painted, and stripping it will be too much work. Sometimes it's made of an inferior wood that doesn't look good bare.
Read MoreBrick or stone patios look great, but getting them level is a real trick. Unlike concrete with poured patios, the bricks don't find their own level, so you can end up with a wavy, tilting surface that doesn't accommodate lawn chairs very well.
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