My wife found a wonderful project that she wanted to complete on her own.  The only help that she needed (wanted) from me was the purchase of a few packs of shims.

I purchased 2 different types of shims and it turned out that the grain pattern between the 2 was wildly different.  This allowed for some nice contrast in the mirror.

• Shim 1:
  http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202533319/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
• Shim 2:
  http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100082960/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Shim Mirror - A mirror made from shims

Anyone who has turned a screwdriver has probably experienced a stripped wood screw.  There isn’t much to it.  In fact, if you are hanging a door, you will marvel at how easy it is to strip the hole.  Fiixing that hole is not as difficult as you might think.  I have a few quick solutions for you to try.

The most common case of the stripped wood screw comes in the form of door hinges.  A door is heavy, is often abused, and the factory screw might only be 5/8″ – 3/4″ long.  There isn’t much for the screw to bite into, and in many cases it will be a material such as MDF.  It essentially turns to dust once crushed.  If you remove the screw and send it back in on a different thread line, you will destroy what little holding power was left.

Fix a stripped wood screw

Here are the three methods that I use.  The method that I use can depend on the material and supplies that I have present.  It can also depend on how much time between returning the screw to the stripped hole.

1. Toothpicks and glue.
   This is a method that my father showed me some 30 years ago.  Don’t over-think this one.  Slip a toothpick or two into the hole and snap them off where they exit the hole.  If the hole is all the way through the material, you may want to wedge a couple in there.  Adding some wood glue to the hole isn’t necessary, but I know that if I need to pull the screw from that hold in the future, it will hold my repair in place.  (Again, don’t over-think it, it could be Elmer’s white glue, construction adhesive, etc).  If you don’t have any toothpicks on the job site (who does) simply shave some material from a shim, or any other wood that you have nearby.  If you are a golfer, and the hole is large enough, grab a golf tee.  It might just be the perfect size to fill. If you do use a tee, you might want to drill a pilot hole so you don’t crack your material.
2. Sawdust and glue.
   This method is more for filling a hold that you wont be using any more. Mix up some glue and sawdust (more saw dust than glue) and pack it in the hole. If you have the same saw dust as the material, you will end up with a close color match.  Once packed, dust the surface with a bit more of the sawdust to get the color a bit closer.
3. Sandpaper.
   This is a method that I realized was very effective.  During the finishing stages of a recent project I had 3 stripped screws on a door hinge.  I didn’t have any wood handy and happened to have a bit of sandpaper.  I simply tore the sandpaper and rolled it up so that I could slip it into the hold. It worked perfectly.  The grit on the paper was facing out and did a terrific job in biting the wood.  The paper on the back worked great to allow the screw to turn in and seat.

I have heard this question many times.  How do I cut crown molding?

Quick note for everyone. Buy more crown molding than you think you will need.  The extra 10′ of molding will be a lot less money than the time and money you will spend on gas.

I still remember the time I asked a worker to put crown molding up in a room only to come back 2 hours later with 1 single piece of molding up in the room.  I asked what was taking so long.  He told me it took him over an hour to adjust the 2 angles on the saw.  Unfortunately, I assumed he know the “simple crown molding trick“.  Crown molding can be incredibly tricky unless you know the trick.

The simple trick to cut crown molding:

1. Angle your mitre saw at 45 degrees
2. Place your crown molding on the saw upside down at the angle that it would be placed against the wall/ceiling
3. Make your cut
4. Place and adjust

How to cut crown molding

This short guide will give you a method to build a simple chair rail that is inexpensive and easy to build. The end result provides a much more finished look that your typical off the shelf molding can. With the cost of molding today, the price per square foot should be about half (50%, 1/2) of what you would spend for molding and will look like a custom job. Hey, it is a custom job.

Tools needed:
Router
Router Bit (chamfer bit, cove bit, or any other profile you would like to see)
Table Saw (optional. Purchase your lumber in the exact width -1″x2″ nominal- if you don’t have one)
Hammer
150 grit Sand Paper

Material Needed:
Pine board: For each 8′ of wall length, you will need 1 8′ 1″x4″ pine board. As knot free as possible without spending too much.
2″ finish nails
Paint (trim color of your choice)
Caulk (I prefer White Alex Plus Acrylic Latex Caulk Plus Silicone)

When you begin, you should already have your wall surface material in place. In this case, you can see that we used a Ply-bead material.  Once that is secured to your wall, you will add your face material.  This must be nice and level as it supports that cap and provides you with the nice visual level line.  Your cap piece will be secured to this.  If you desire a profile on this piece, do so before securing.  In our case, we routed a 45 degree chamfer on the lower edge.  When you ease the edge of a trim piece, it gives a much nicer (and more professional) visual.

You should either have a level line, or level as you go.  The length of your run will probably determine which way you go. If you are doing a 20′ long room, snap a level chalk line, or use a laser level to create a line to follow.  Secure your 1″x2″ to the wall using your finish nails.  The 2″ face should be against the wall and your profile (chamfer or other) should face down.

Once secured, you are ready for your cap.  The cap pictured is simply a 1″x2″ piece of poplar.  You can use any type of lumber, but I prefer poplar due to the lack of knots and ability to hold paint very well.  Set your piece down upon the face molding that you just secured and press so that it is flush with your wall.   Just about any wall will have some waves or imperfections.  You can take much of that out by pressing your lumber cap in toward the wall.  If you are using a white paint (like me) you will be able to cover anything that exists with a nice smooth bead of caulk.

Once your cap is in place, simply secure with finish nails by nailing into the face piece below (the 1″x2″ piece).  You should angle back to avoid exiting out the face.

There you have it.  A simple chair rail detail that is inexpensive, professional, and custom looking.  Good luck with your own chair rail. Get creative and consider incorporating moldings into your face piece. The room that the 1×2 cap piece provides will allow you ample depth to experiment.

Update 8/15/2011: The bunk beds are in.  I am really surprised at how much space a bunk bend affords you.  This was a rather tight room (we were calling it the “no-room-room”), but as you can see the bunk beds fit nicely and provide a nice amount of space for a dresser/desk.  The ceiling fan will be moving.

Bunk Beds with lights

Bunk Beds

As we mentioned earlier, our next project is a Lake Erie Cottage.  We should be closing before the end of the month (July 2011) and have already been hard at work with some project planning for when we arrive.

Project 1: Bunk Beds
My son and any of his visiting friends will need a place to sleep.  The air mattress will get pretty old after the 2nd night.  I decided to build a simple set of bunk beds.  What kid wouldn’t want a set of bunk beds?  My goal was to find a set of plans online that were for a simple bed that feels right in the space.  I didn’t want anything that was too fussy (Bunk Bed Plans) or too large.  Price was a consideration as well.  A minimal amount of hardware such as rail brackets or ladder hangers would be a great way to save money on the project. If the ladder and rails are integrated into the design, there wouldn’t be a need for $50 in extra hardware.

Bunk Bed Project

I ended up selecting a plan from ana-white.com.  The plan is simple and has an integrated ladder.  This is built with common lumber and comes in at about $80-$100 in material (not including mattresses).  If you are going to build your own set from the Ana White plan, be sure to read the comments. The material list is not accurate.

This project is an easy one to build since it is essentially 4 wide ladders that are then bolted together. If you choose to take them down, simply remove the bolts and hide them away.

Update 8/01/2011: The bunk bed project is moving along. The structure has been built and painting is taking place. As you can see, the garage is a bit of a mess.

Bunk bed painting

Father’s Day is upon us.  Last year, my son (via my wife), purchased the book “Handy Dad” by Todd Davis.  This book is absolutely terrific.  There are 25 projects for all skill levels.  Some of the projects can be completed in a very short period of time while others (such as the skateboard ramp) will take a weekend or two.

If you are looking for projects to build with you kids, this book is a terrific buy.  Dad’s, let your wife know.  Mom’s go ahead and purchase this book for your kids to give to Dad.  They will both love it.  There might be some reckless projects in the book (go cart) but that is part of the fun.

How to install wood siding.

Installation of wood siding is foreign to most.  With today’s building materials, traditional wood lap siding has gone by the wayside.   The cost of lumber has skyrocketed in recent years. Because of that, vinyl became an easy alternative.  Who can argue with the low maintenance. of a vinyl siding?

The need for wood siding will come into place if you have a traditional lap siding home and are putting on an addition, adding a window or door, or replacing rotting boards.  The following are a few quick tips when installing your wood lap siding.

Get your caulk out.  Unlike vinyl siding, wood siding will need a bit more attention paid to the weatherproofing.  Wood siding will move a lot depending on the weather.  Anything you can do to keep water away from wood will be well worth the effort.

• Wood siding at a window.  I am going to assume (as many of the DIY shows do) that you have an easy transition here. Let’s look at a traditional window with a trim piece that is 5/4 lumber (true 1″ thickness).  In this case, we are going to simply butt our wood siding up to the window trim.  Be liberal with your caulk.  If this is a patch job and you didn’t have the opportunity to weatherproof the window, be sure to lay a nice bead of caulk down where the window trim meets your sheathing.  Your wood siding can set down into that wet bead of caulk. This will seal up the trim, and the end of your siding piece.  Again, keep water out!  You don’t always need to but the siding right against the window trim. A 1/8″ gap is acceptable as long as that gap is made water tight with caulk.
• Minimize the number of joints in your siding.  A joint is an area where water can/will penetrate.  Spend a couple extra bucks to have 16′ boards delivered rather than tossing 8 footers in your SUV.  The clean, joint free, run is also more pleasing to the eye.  If you do have a joint, be sure to stagger it.  What I mean by that is that you should not have the joint from one row in close proximity to a joint from the row above or below.  You will just give water a place to penetrate with ease.  When you do have joints, I like to seal the end with a product suck as a water repellent, or even a caulk.
• Inside Corners: When doing an inside corner, the method that should be used is to install a corner piece that the siding can butt up against. Don’t attempt to do an inside miter.  It won’t work out. Period.  Use a square piece of 5/4 in your corner and but each run of siding up to that.
• Siding Outside corners (see the picture for details. Click picture for larger view):  We decided to write this article due to the poor job done on an outside corner by someone working for us. Don’t ever just nail up your siding (without a miter or a corner board)!  This looks horrible, is not water tight, will be a home for insects (bees) and will deteriorate quickly.  When doing a corner, you can miter the joint. An outside corner miter needs to be precise and has a specific nailing pattern.  It isn’t my favorite corner joint treatment, but it can provide a pretty amazing look if done very well.  The typical method is to attach corner boards and then create butt joint as was done at window trim, or an inside corner.  Your corner trim boards need to go up prior to your siding.  I have seen some lay down the siding and then cover the corner with a trim board, filling the large gaps with caulk. Not a good method.
  

  Install wood siding outside corner options

• One other thing to keep in mind is the nailing of your siding. When you lap each course, the nail from one row should fall just above the upper piece of the siding below. Take a look at the graphic for more. You should only be nailing through one course of the siding. This will allow for some natural movement rather than binding the siding down which can cause unwanted results such as cracking, binding, loosening of fasteners, etc.
  

  Nailing of lap siding

Hope this helped with your lap siding job.

Wood siding how-to — Part B — Corner Details.

I did a quick renovation of our laundry room last year and have been surprised to find how many people have asked questions about it when it came time to do their own. We live in a neighborhood of new’ish homes where many share a similar layout for the laundry room and pantry. The general layout is a long narrow room.

With the shift toward stackable, front-load, appliances, many find themselves with some added space in the small laundry and are seeking a way to make good use of the room. When I did my laundry room renovation I was looking to maximize storage and include some cabinetry. You can read the earlier post to see more. ‘

The primary purpose of this post is to share my Google Sketchup File for our laundry room layout. You will see that cabinetry is included (Ikea) and the washer and dryer units are from GE.

Good luck with your own laundry room renovation:

Well, our Trafficmaster Allure floor installation is complete.  If you aren’t familiar with this plank vinyl flooring product you can find it at Home Depot.  The product is a fantastic alternative to a peel and stick vinyl tile.  At the end of the installation, the product acts as a sheet vinyl would rather than free floating pieces that will gap and slide over time. Any movement should be covered by your final molding piece.

We wrote our initial review of the product here: http://www.wnyhandyman.com/trafficmaster-allure-plank-vinyl-floor-review/

There are a number of videos regarding the installation of the TrafficMaster Allure product. Here are a couple that we found useful prior to installation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILuez7u7Mvw (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khXeJ0E8-Do (part 2)

Installation of Allure Trafficmaster Plank Vinyl from HomeDepot.com (PDF file)
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/72/72845250-3948-4c77-824f-50f17da70f63.pdf

Summary of Allure Trafficmaster Plank Vinyl review:

Pros:

1. Price
   At less than $2 per square foot, this is a good value for the money.  In fact, you can run over to Ebay and pick up a Home Depot or Lowe’s coupon to save an extra 10%!
2. Ease of install
   No special tools are needed. Similar install to a peel and stick tile without the slippage and separation. Cuts with a razor knife and detailed cuts can be made with shears. Since this is a floating installation, you don’t adhere to the sub floor making it a much cleaner DIY floor.
3. Durability
   The product has a thickness to it that won’t allow it to show many imperfections through.  With many vinyl flooring products every crack and void in your subfloor will show through. The vinyl planks are about 2x the thickness of an inexpensive sheet vinyl product. This will help with durability and smoothness of surface

Cons:

1. Errors aren’t simple to correct
   If you make a mistake when applying this product, you are not going to be able to pull a single piece out with ease. The adhesion achieved when placing the pieces is nearly impossible to undue. If you make a mistake, you might have to backtrack quite a bit.
2. Instructions don’t fully cover the detailed steps
   As with other laminate installations undercuts should be made at door jambs and molding should cover your outer gap for the best result.  This isn’t covered in the basic instructions that come with the product.  To achieve a professional looking result, this should be done.  If you don’t have one, consider a Factory-Reconditioned Dremel Multi-Max.

I would absolutely use this product again or recommend it to any DIY’er.  Easy and a solid looking end result.

If you have done drywall work you probably understand how difficult certain areas are to reach.  Without a drywall lift (Red Line Professional 11-Foot Drywall Lift Panel Hoist Jack) the job can be difficult and dangerous.

I had a ceiling job to do so that we can move forward with other projects in this room and we didn’t want to wait on the pros to do this section. I decided to fashion a lift to make the job safe and easy.  The lift that I built was pretty straightforward and turned out to do a little more than I expected.  At first this was going to be a 2 person job. When my co-worker didn’t arrive, I decided to give the 14′ ceiling a go on my own.  Just prior to doing so, I taped my phone to a nearby ladder and turned the video on. I figured that this was going to go well, or terribly bad.  Either way, I wanted to be sure that I captured it.

I modeled the lift using Google Sketchup. Sketchup is a terrific (and free) 3d design program. It is remarkably easy to use if you have any CAD experience.  Here is a link to my Sketchup file.
DIY Drywall Lift

The material used was nothing more than 7 2×4′s and 3 hinges. I screwed the 2x’s together with 3″ drywall screws and fastened the hinges to a cleat that I then screwed to the wall (the cleat is the 7th 2×4 if you were wondering). By screwing the hinges to the cleat while on the ground it allowed me to position the entire lift at the correct height. I was then able to screw the cleat off at a few points without having to hold the whole rig up.

DIY Drywall Lift Plans

Once the piece closest to the wall was fastened to the ceiling (lift up to the 2×4 @ 48″ and swing up), I was then able to place the next piece a cleat at the base of the lift and lift/fasten. I was nervous about doing this solo since I hadn’t tested the strength of my setup. The sheets of drywall were 95 pounds each so a crash wouldn’t be without some damage below (me).

Video to follow.