Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
20
votes
8 answers

I've released a lot of lead-paint dust in our house. What to do?

We hired some contractors to help us re-paint our 1.5-year old kid's room. They started this morning by scraping several parts from the walls. A few minutes after they started, I thought I should test it, so I ran to the store, bought a test-kit…
M -
  • 496
  • 2
  • 5
  • 16
20
votes
1 answer

What type of tool has rings of teeth that spin freely on a shaft?

All "gears" spin independently of each other. Stumped my pops, hasn't happened in my lifetime. Thanks!
Pete
  • 201
  • 1
  • 3
20
votes
9 answers

I live in an older home without ground wiring. Is it safe to install 3-prong GFCI with only a hot and neutral?

I live in an older home that doesn't have any ground wiring. Is it safe to just install 3-prong GFCI outlets and use devices and appliances that expect a ground wire connection when I just have the GFCI outlet and no actual connection to…
Dan
  • 319
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
20
votes
4 answers

Make a built-in desk level with uneven floor, or true level

I'm making a 13 ft-long (4 m) built-in desk along one wall of a room. Adopting the engineer's creed that anything worth thinking is worth over-thinking, I used my neighbor's tripod-mounted optical level to make level marks on the wall. It turns…
RustyShackleford
  • 2,481
  • 4
  • 31
  • 54
20
votes
7 answers

What are some cost-effective tips for reducing external sound from entering a room?

I have a small office room that shares a wall with our living room. When we have guests over, their voices travel fairly well; they sound somewhat muffled but are still audible. As I work from home occasionally, I'd like to reduce any/all noise as…
Mike B
  • 8,083
  • 54
  • 112
  • 149
20
votes
11 answers

How to remove very stuck stripped screws?

These things are caught in hard wood. I made the dumb mistake of not drilling pilot holes. Rubber band trick failed Screw drill and removal bit failed JB welding a bolt worked for 2/5. Trying again, failed for the remaining three a third…
SwimBikeRun
  • 371
  • 1
  • 2
  • 7
20
votes
2 answers

What type of tool or bit is a metal shaft with splines?

I inherited a load of tools from my father. Among them was this bit. I have never seen one like it, and don't know its purpose. It has six straight splines set at an angle to the long axis of the bit and sharpened to act as cutters. The diameter at…
John Seater
  • 201
  • 1
  • 3
20
votes
5 answers

How to keep screws in a hollow door

I have a hollow core interior door. The screws for the handle keep pulling out. To fix this I've used the biggest screws that will fit. I've tried a couple of different types of glue, and I've tried hollow door plugs. All of these solutions last a…
GdD
  • 5,229
  • 3
  • 19
  • 26
20
votes
2 answers

Can my municipal water line siphon from my house water lines?

Our local water tower is empty during this winter storm. I heard my water heater "running" even though there were no faucets on in the house - I immediately thought I had a burst pipe. After finding no leaks, I turned on a faucet, and there was…
Aww_Geez
  • 669
  • 4
  • 14
20
votes
9 answers

What basic safety equipment should everyone have?

When doing DIY what safety kit should everyone have (and use)?
Walker
  • 6,219
  • 21
  • 64
  • 86
20
votes
4 answers

What should I do with a powered switch that seemingly does nothing?

In my house, I fortunately have a well-labeled circuit breaker. There are a few rooms that could be better named, but it's fine. As such, it's very easy to identify almost every switch and what it does and what breaker switch it's attached…
Merlin -they-them-
  • 485
  • 3
  • 7
  • 15
20
votes
4 answers

How can I get a wire that is outside a wall to be inside a wall

I recently removed an abominable drop ceiling from my dining room and found this close to the ceiling on the one side of the room. There is definitely a stud between these two holes. On the other side of the wall, there is another wall…
Scribblemacher
  • 673
  • 2
  • 6
  • 14
20
votes
3 answers

Should I make my two steps have the same rise or keep one closer to a typical height?

I have a 10-1/2" rise outside from my concrete patio to my deck. Should I put in one step at the halfway point or a shorter step with a 3" rise with the 2nd step being 7-1/2"?
R. Flower
  • 201
  • 2
  • 3
20
votes
6 answers

Hang indoor swing chair BETWEEN two ceiling joists

I purchased one of those indoor hanging swing chairs for kids, specifically this one, which is meant to be mounted in the ceiling with a single eye bolt. I want to hang this in a 38" space, between wall and bookshelf. This is pretty tight, so I…
Aaron Beall
  • 303
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
20
votes
5 answers

What are these orange outlets directly attached to my breaker box?

I haven't noticed these over the years I've owned my home. Only recently I happened to look down and think "huh, that's odd, why are those outlets colored bright orange." I have, over the years, realized that color around electrical components…
William
  • 559
  • 2
  • 5
  • 15
1 2 3
…
99 100