Here are five things your homeowners insurance may not cover. Check it out and make sure you know where you're covered, and where you may not be. BobVila.com Replacement Cost vs. Market Value Your house has burned down, but the land is still there. Will your coverage pay for rebuilding? Chris Hackett, a property insurance expert with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, … [Read more...]
10 Great Woodworking Woods
BobVila.com has put together a list of the top 10 woodworking woods, their characteristics and their uses. Ash Characteristics: Gray-brown; straight, pronounced grain; coarse texture; heavy and strong Uses: Bats, hockey sticks, tool handles, furniture, curved boat parts Price: $$ Butternut Characteristics: White to light brown; soft; straight, coarse grain Uses: Carving, cabinets, … [Read more...]
How To Paint: Trim
Recommendations for painting trim vary. Have the walls already been painted? Has the trim already been installed? Your answers to these questions and others may determine the best course of action when learning how to paint your trim. To apply finishes prior to installation, lay down a drop cloth and place the strips across sawhorses. Use a high-density foam roller or brush to apply the finishes. … [Read more...]
How To Paint: Cupboards
Here are six steps on how to paint your cupboards like a pro! Remove Hardware Remove the cabinet doors, drawers, and all cabinet hardware. (Do not kid yourself into believing you can achieve a professional result without doing this.) Apply Quality Primer If your cabinets are stained, apply at least two coats of a quality primer. For me, there’s nothing better than BIN, Zinsser’s shellac-based … [Read more...]
How To Paint: Furniture
You may look around your home and think "Man that could use a little TLC". With these tips, Bob Vila gives you excellent tips when it comes to how to paint your furniture. Regardless of what you choose for a paint makeover—a kitchen cabinet, dresser, or chair—you’ll want to start by wiping it down with lightly soapy water to remove dust and dirt. Once dry, make a fair assessment of the piece. … [Read more...]
How To Paint: A Room
Painting entire rooms may be my least favorite DIY project. It is the easiest way to transform the look of your home but it can be a pain in the neck. Here are some quick tips to help you get the best results. How to Paint Your Room Start Off Right Make it easy on yourself and do it like the pros. Start by emptying the room or at least giving yourself access to all of the walls by grouping and … [Read more...]
How To Paint: A House
It may seem like a huge undertaking, and in a way it is, but doing it yourself can save you a bundle of money. Bob Vila has 8 expert tips on how to paint your house. Nevertheless, the rewards are great. With the price tag at $3,000 to $4,000 for painting a house, your savings could be enough to fund a nice little vacation. How much you’ll pocket will depend on how much equipment you’ll have to … [Read more...]
How To Paint: Curtains
Have you ever noticed how expensive curtains are? Of course you have! Did you know that you can paint on fabric with latex paints? All you have to do is thin them out a little with textile medium and you can add any color or pattern to your fabrics! True story. Bob Vila shows us how to paint our curtains: 1. Wash and hem your curtain panel to fit your window (we used inexpensive Ritva curtains … [Read more...]
How To Paint: A Staircase
We continue on our How To Paint series with instructions on how to paint your stair case. Tools needed: – Paint and primer – Tape measure – Pencil – Lots of painter’s tape – An angle – A DVD movie case. (Why a DVD movie case? Well, I used the movie case, because the width of the spine is about how wide I wanted my outside gray stripe. How convenient!) 1. Prime and Tape. I decided to go with a … [Read more...]
How To Paint: Wood Floors
Mr. Sthole would kill me if I ever suggested this. As a carpenter he doesn't like it when I paint any type of wood. But my husband doesn't live in your house so go for it and make it an extra fun color for me! Bob Vila explains why and how to paint wood floors: The first time I heard about someone painting a wood floor I was skeptical. Would it last? Could you scrub it? And why would you do it … [Read more...]