The wood glue and construction adhesive Tom used to secure the boards to the plywood is manufactured by Gorilla Glue. The finish Kevin used for the top piece of the headboard is called Weathered Wood Accelerator, which is manufactured by Varathane and available at most home centers. All the other materials Tom and Kevin used for this project, including the plywood, brad nailer, paint, and paintbrushes, can all be found at home centers....

Common Roof Problems Signs you have a roof leak Learn the Basics of Roof Systems A leak in your roof doesn’t have to present itself as a torrent or even a steady drip, drip, drip. If you suddenly find a wet spot on your ceiling or a stain on it that keeps growing, you may have a small leak. If you have access to your attic, look inside at the area above the leak....

Luditek Lighted Fall Garland This versatile piece of home decor fits nicely around furniture, on tabletops, railings, doorways, porches, or anywhere else around the home. The 20 bright LED lights spread throughout the 8.2-foot garland strand add a cozy touch to any indoor living area. The lighted garland is also flexible and easy to bend and shape to wrap around furniture, banisters, and more. 4TH Emotion Pillow Covers These 18x18-inch pillow covers instantly transform your throw pillows into a functional fall decoration....

How to Maintain Your Fireplace How you maintain your fireplace will largely depend on the type you have: wood-burning or gas. It takes more effort to maintain a wood-burning fireplace. Still, homeowners will put up with the extra work for an authentic fireplace experience—nothing beats seeing a pile of logs catch on fire, listening to the sound of crackling wood, and smelling the smoky scent of a real fire! After that real fire dies down....

“At least twice a year you need to pull the grill apart to get inside and take a closer look at it,” says Derrick Riches, barbecue and grilling guide for About.com. A thorough cleaning ensures that the burners fire properly, heat distributes evenly, and the grill is safe. Regular maintenance also allows you to catch problems like rust early on. Here is a This Old House primer on keeping your grill in shape....

Characterized, in part, by how wide-ranging they are, groundcovers can be evergreen or deciduous, low- or tall-growing, clump-forming, trailing, or weeping. But they also share common traits. All groundcovers spread, colonizing areas often relegated to mulch or where turfgrass fears to take hold. And when chosen wisely to match a specific site, almost all of them reduce the need for water, fertilizer, and other routine maintenance. Best of all, they help prevent weeds by shading the soil and growing so densely that unwanted seeds can’t find their footing....

Paint: Jamaican Dream; OlympicArt: “Koi Zen I” by Amanti Art; Hayneedle.comRug: Prism hand-knotted jute rug; Dash & AlbertWindow treatment: Roman shade in Mod Oval/Biscay and window seat cushion in Mirage/Aqua with Sour Apple trim; Smith & NobleFurniture: Chloe club chair by Safavieh and Hayden garden stool; Hayneedle.com Bright Cubbies as Mudroom Storage Reminders The mudroom’s citrusy-green built-in cubbies and cushioned bench say “Stop and stow your stuff!” to anyone coming or going....

What is Thermostat/Temperature Setback? Temperature setback is the act of adjusting the thermostat while you’re asleep or away from the house. Lowering the thermostat in winter keeps the house colder, but the furnace doesn’t kick on as often, so you use—and pay for—less energy. In summer, raising the thermostat makes the house warmer but prevents the air-conditioning system from running all day, which lowers your electrical bill. Recommended Thermostat Settings for Every Appliance in Your Home How Do Thermostat Setbacks Help You Save Money?...

For the cut list, tools, and materials needed for this project, scroll down to the bottom of this page. Steps for Adding a Clamp Rack to a Workbench Step 1: Create a layout that works for your tools To get started, I laid out all of my medium and small clamps to determine a layout. I created a 6-inch inset on one end of my workbench, so the clamps could hang in place without me bumping into them....

You can stash this outside the entryway as the perfect spot to clean your hardworking boots. It’s designed with a boot jack to help you remove the shoes, and there’s built-in storage where you can let them dry until the next wear. Because it is made from basic weather-resistant, pressure-treated pine, you can leave it outside as is without worry, or feel free to dress it up with an exterior stain....

Download the cut list to build a cabinet from a bookshelf and shutters. Overview for Making a Cabinet from a Bookshelf and Shutters The shutters are mounted to the face of the bookcase. Choose a pair that’s the same height as the bookcase, or add a header board to make up for the difference. The top and base are cut to the width of the bookcase, and extend past the front to cover the edges of the shutter doors and leave a reveal....

Watch how I turned this small space into a functional and modern home gym. For a list of tools and materials for this project, scroll down to the bottom of the page. Building a Home Gym in a Storage Room: Step-by-Step 1. Enclose a Storage Space with Closet Doors I knew I wanted to conceal the storage with closet doors. Still, I was worried about making the room feel smaller, so I opted to use a large mirror sliding bypass closet doors with no center divider to see the shelves easily....

This is not merely unsightly: Oft-handled cabinet hardware can harbor germs, and food crumbs hiding in back corners can invite bugs and vermin. Plus, most kitchen cabinets are made of wood, a porous material that can become stubbornly sticky yet calls for a gentler approach than you might use on metal or laminate. How to Clean Marble Steps for Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets To get those crucial cupboards into pristine condition, follow this step-by-step guide—and make cleaning kitchen cabinets an open and shut case!...

More of the airborne pollutants that once might have found their way outside—household chemicals, smoke, pet dander, and cooking gases, to name a few—are building up inside. Our well-intentioned efforts to restrict the flow of air in and out of our houses have led to indoor air-pollution levels that can be two to five times higher than those outside, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Indoor Air Quality That doesn’t mean we should give up on making our houses tighter, of course....

How to Declutter Your House by Zone Ready to declutter the house zone by zone? Read on! Attack the Kitchen Clutter can seriously impede efficiency in the cook space, so start there. Tackle countertops first: Junk mail, book bags, electronics, and everything else not food-related—gone! Store small appliances that aren’t used daily. With open surfaces clear, go through one cabinet/drawer at a time. Bye-bye, broken, rusted, or otherwise inadequate space-wasting pots and pans!...

Steps for Installing a Solar-Powered Water Fountain Tools

Certain homes like capes and those with gambrel roofs can make installing crown molding very difficult. They often have angled walls (known as cheek walls) formed by roof rafters, and many homeowners don’t know how to install crown molding around these walls. Sometimes, folks simply end the molding before the edge of the cheek wall and install returns, but they’re often eye-catching and ugly. Others may overrun the cheek wall, leaving a large gap underneath the molding....