Home Improvement Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
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votes
4 answers

How to choose a weekend warrior's finishing nail gun?

BACKGROUND I am not planning to use it with any regularity, just when maintenance projects come up. 15 residences are maintained: ranging from 20-50 years in age. My next project will involve nailing in shoe molding. Current context includes an…
gatorback
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My apartment door unlocked by itself. Can anyone offer an explanation please?

My apartment door unlocked itself.....a wood kind of one with a round door handle that key goes into. I shook it when I was leaving to make sure it was locked then I came home to find it unlocked....twice. Does anyone please have an explanation for…
Kate
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5 answers

How do I release a bit from a jammed keyless drill chuck?

I have a Bosch PSB 650 RE hammer drill, with a keyless chuck: The chuck mechanism involves a button on top which, when pressed, allows the chuck to be tightened or released, rather than just rotating with the bit. The other day I did some drilling…
einpoklum
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6 answers

Confused about Ethernet wiring in new home

I’m moving into a new house that looks to have Ethernet wired through it though it looks like it was being used for telephone? I’m wondering if it will be usable for Internet and if so what changes I need to make/what exactly I need to do. Also is…
Mark
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Is it dangerous to run electrical cords through heating vents?

I'm living in an old apartment, and my roommate has fed electrical cords through a heating vent from the living room into the bathroom, up to a power bar on the side of the sink. I see this as a double hazard and illegal. The heating vent exits from…
Felicia
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3 answers

How do I connect a 4 prong cord on my GE dryer which is currently connected with a 3 prong cord?

On my GE dryer, a 3 prong cord is hooked up as shown on the picture. I want to replace it with a 4 prong cord I got with the standard green/red/black/white terminals. I am a bit unsure of what goes where and why the ground is connected to…
Christian
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5 answers

Do studs in wooden buildings eventually get replaced as they lose their structural capacity?

I'm living in a 30 years old building made of wood - an ordinary apartment complex in Seattle. As I was drilling a hole into a stud, a thought occurred to me - over the years, these studs have probably seen hundreds if not thousands of things…
JonathanReez
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Hole in granite countertop for kitchen faucet slightly small

The hole for a faucet in my granite countertop is 1 1/4 inch. This limits my selection for faucets. I'm wondering if I can make the hole bigger without spending an arm and a leg. I have lots of woodworking tools, and I could make a template with a…
Marty Fried
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7 answers

Can I use the CAT3 cable in my home for internet?

I have FiOS internet (200 Mbps up/down service), via an Ethernet cable entering my house from one of their ONT boxes outside. I would love to have it available at each of the wall plates in my house. When the Verizon tech did the install, he looked…
Mr. W.
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3 answers

Any problem to build a house that covers a same-sized hole in the ground?

I have recently bought a piece of land to build a country cottage and perhaps eventually move there permanently. The terrain is sloped with only a few flat spots. The former owners dug a large rectangular hole in one of these flat spots, with about…
heltonbiker
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2 answers

What is this stake in my yard and can I remove it?

My child has been swinging in our front yard (NC, US) and worn away the grass, revealing this metallic stake (* See photo, note the acorn top for scale*): I gently tried to pull it up, but it is lodged in pretty well, and I don't want to damage city…
neuronet
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3 answers

How can I patch this ceiling hole my new light fixture does not fully cover?

I recently had a new ceiling light fitted which replaced a standard plastic ceiling rose. The new fitting is quite slim and the old fitting was hiding a larger than expected cutout in the plasterboard. What would be the best way to fill in these…
FlyingBattery
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16
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7 answers

How to reduce drywall hole size

I want to run network cable into a bedroom and was going to use one of those Low Voltage Wall plate and cat 5E wall plate over it. While trying to install low voltage wall plate, instead of tracing inner sides I traced outer sides and cut a wider…
Siva
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Why tape black garbage bags to outside windows, not between inside windows and blinds?

I went store to buy double layer of heavy duty black garbage bags to black out a bright bedroom at night, and spoke with salesperson and his supervisor. They both recommended go outside to balcony and tape these bags on outside window. Don't stay…
user54670
16
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5 answers

My house was hit by lightning. What should I do?

A huge thunderstorm passed by the other night and lightning hit the condo building I live in. The fire department came out and inspected the attic, and removed the antenna that was hit. Inside the condo unit, some of the outlets no longer seem to…
The Other Steven
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