March 28, 2008
Let's just pretend for a second that we at TOH have no idea how to use the reciprocating saw in this new 18-volt Ridgid combo kit.
Or the table saw, brad nailer, or tool bag below. We know nothing. We need help.
We need you to say, "Ya know, this tool's great for when you need to..."
We want you to fill in the rest of that sentence. The tips you give us will be considered for our June user-generated issue.
If we're able to use them, you'll finally be telling us a thing or two for a change.
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March 28, 2008
I once lived in a 1950s ranch home that had a metal casement window
over the tub. It was so badly rusted that it was rendered completely
inoperable, welded shut by a thick layer of crusty corrosion. And in
winter, ice would form on the inside of the pane.
So believe me—choosing a window for a bath takes careful consideration.
First, to eliminate public ogling, the glass must be opaque or frosted, not clear.
The tub or shower is often situated against the only exterior wall, where daily soakings and steamy conditions can cause the window to rot or leak, the hardware to rust, and the paint to peel.
A bath window should also be energy-efficient and airtight when shut. No one wants cold breezes blowing in on a chilly morning.
Now, the perfect bath window might not exist, but I just discovered one that comes pretty darn close: Hy-Lite's new American Style Decorative Glass Window.
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March 27, 2008
The wrench you see here comes from the recently-reviewed Stanley 99-piece socket set.
It's actually taken from a group of tools our readers requested for their Father's Day wish list, to be featured in our user-generated June issue.
We'd also like to share some tips from you, the readers, on using the tools we're showing.
So I'm starting with the socket set—any tricks or techniques to share? Has your socket set ever gotten you out of a jam? Think you use yours in a way not many folks know?
Let us know in the comments below. In the next day or two, the HA will be running several of the tools for which we need your advice.
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March 27, 2008
Who doesn't love to stare out at blue skies and spring-time cherry blossoms? How about a perpetual starry night?
Well, now you can do so year round, 24-7. Taking a step forward from prettily framed landscape photos, The Sky Factory has come up with luminous, faux skylights.
Basically, hi-resolution photos are screened onto translucent acrylic or polycarbonate panels and then lit up by 6500K, daylight-balanced fluorescents or LEDs installed into the ceiling.
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March 26, 2008
If the Sistine Chapel were in Jersey, our pal Damon Bopp would be hired to do the ceiling.
He's a decorative painter (if that's your thing) with loads of tips to share with those of us taking on less ambitious work, like painting a room.
3M makes one of his favorite tools, their blue Delicate Surfaces painter's tape.
Compared to regular tape, he says this is "less likely to damage any surface you are masking out (especially on plaster walls with multiple coats of paint), and that it's less likely to tear when removing it."
It's a wonder Michelangelo got by without it.
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March 26, 2008
Don't know if this gal's scoping out her wedding ring or her shingles, but either way, she doesn't like what she sees.
Considering this image came courtesy of the National Roofing Contractors' Association, I'm guessing it's roof-related.
They just released a "spring roof checkup" designed to diagnose problems that could've occurred as your roof weathered the winter.
Here's a (pretty basic) primer to get your shingles in ship shape for summer:
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March 26, 2008
You see the paneling system underneath these three windows? Attractive, right?
But it also looks like it could be a maintenance nightmare if the wrong product was used.
I'd like to replicate this panel system underneath my window by fastening it right to the sheathing. From the research I've done, I can replicate this with either Medium Density Overlay (MDO), MDF's outdoor-safe cousin, or a PVC product like Azek or Fypon.
Seems like MDO is cheaper than PVC, but is harder to find and requires more upkeep.
Anyone have any preference for either?
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March 26, 2008
This coming summer, you'll probably be one of the 80 million homeowners heading out to your yard to tend to a garden.
Perhaps armed with your new cordless trimmer and gardener's pouch, you'll spend some lazy summer hours reigning in Mother Nature with careful cuts and loving weed-pulling.
Then nature will come back to bite you for your well-intentioned meddling. Mosquitoes, ticks, ants—you name it, they'll probably bug you.
Personally, I can't take slathering on smelly and greasy insect repellents, so I'm not regularly in with the 80 million crowd. That might change, however, with Insect Shield's and Slogger's new line of gardening gear, due out in May.
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March 25, 2008
When we ran our chain saw article a while back, we got a lot of calls about safety, injuries, and some post-accident photos from a maxillofacial surgeon that are absolutely unpublishable.
So I thought I'd let Husqvarna explain why their chain saw gloves might save your skin should an accident occur.
Here's what happens when their nylon knit glove has an unexpected encounter with a spinning chain:
"When the saw teeth come in contact with the glove...
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March 25, 2008
During my remodel, the hardest part about making decisions on doors and windows has been just figuring out what my options are.
Thumbing through a well-worn catalog as a harried sales rep rambled through the esoterica of custom vs. semi-custom didn't exactly help me decide how to spend thousands of dollars.
What would help would be a clear, easily navigable website that just shows the available choices—and that's what the just-announced relaunch of Designer Doors' site seems to provide.
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