The Saltillo tile used in our house is absolutely appropriate for the Southwest but its wide grout lines proved impossible to clean. I tried painting the grout and the results were well worth the time. It’s easy to do and almost fool-proof. The end result looks like freshly installed grout.
Read more
I got a bit of criticism on my last post/video where I extended an electrical outlet. The three main criticisms were that the conduit wasn’t supported; that I cut my wires too short in the new junction box; and that I created a serious hazard by not using a GFCI outlet. I address all three in this post.
Read more
I had an exterior outlet that was too small; in overall bad shape; and not very accessible. In this post, I describe how I extended the old single gang outlet a couple of feet with liquid-tight conduit to be more accessible while also upgrading it to double gang outlets.
Read more
If you’ve ever painted on textured walls, you know how hard it is to create a crisp straight edge. Products like “Frog Tape” are supposed to help, but they don’t. Paint is very good at sneaking underneath your tape, resulting in a jagged line when the tape is removed. This quick tip shows a very easy way to create a guaranteed straight line!
Read more
I was inspired to try woodworking by watching The New Yankee Workshop with the incomparable Norm Abram. I scrounged together a used Craftsman “contractor style” table saw and a router; commandeered one stall of our garage; and dove right in. My first project (back in 2006) was a doll bed fit for an American Girl doll. Yeah, I made a lot of mistakes, but you have to start somewhere!
Read more