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Found 209 results for the keyword(s) ‘repair plaster shower ceiling ’

  • Article

    How do you cover up an old chandelier electrical box?

    One viewer wanted to get rid of her centre room chandelier in favour of floor standing lamps. So just how do you cover that hole in the ceiling? First remove all the electrical connections and cap off each wire with a cap or wire connector. If two or three wires are already tied together, keep ...
  • Article

    Techniques for hiding furniture and hardwood floor scratches.

    Scratches on furniture can often be camouflaged by any of a number of simple techniques, especially if the scratch follows somewhat the grain of the wood.   WIPE-ON POLY When there is no stain on the wood, so the finish is actually the natural colour of the wood, simply putting a bit more fini...
  • Article

    Hollow Bulkheads over bathtubs.

    Rodney from Hamilton Ontario asks "why is there a bulkhead over most bathtubs? Every home I remodel seems to have the ceiling above the tub furred down about one foot." First of all Rodney, bulkheads are not a requirement of any kind and as far as I know, never were. In fact, they are a very reg...
  • Article

    Working with Contact Cement

    Contact cement is a uniquely useful adhesive. It will adhere to most all surfaces and hence is often the in-between for sticking two different materials together. It comes in two basic varieties, solvent based and water based, the later often being called "green" or "solvent free". Although thes...
  • Article

    Repairing Marble surfaces

      Cleaning stone People often create hazed patches on polished marble surfaces simply by using the wrong cleaner. Anything like vinegar or most glass cleaners will actually etch the surface of marble, requiring re-grinding of the surface. This is not just some substance sitting on the marble th...
  • Article

    Pot lights: fire hazards and ice dams

    John in Kleinburg, Ontario asked if he should remove insulation from around his pot lights. Actually it is necessary to take the question much further.   HEAT FROM TRADITIONAL POT LIGHTS Pot lights, or recessed lighting fixtures as they are properly called, do create a lot of heat and it is tr...
  • Article

    Mending China

    Most of our common adhesives will not work well to put pottery or china together. We need something that will stick to a very porous surface, so none of the "Wonder Glues" will work. Also we do not want a noticeable line, so any coloured adhesives are out. Contact cement would work, but be very d...
  • Article

    Peeling paint on a foundation wall.

    Michele in Hamilton, Ontario needs to repaint her cinder block walls on the outside of the basement. But a close look at a photo that she sent us showed a lot of deep holes or pock marks in the blocks. Not only the paint was peeling off, but the block itself was breaking off.  This is a sign o...
  • Article

    How to move heat from a stove to other rooms.

    Jon in Winchester, Ontario has a free standing natural gas stove and wants to get that heat distributed to the rest of the house.  First, what not to do Do not try to put a grill in a return air duct of a forced air heating system over the stove as you see in the photo, especially forbidden fo...
  • Article

    How do you put a new drywall ceiling over an old ceiling?

    Mike has an attic full of loose-fill insulation and needs to renew his ceiling. But he doesn't dare take the old drywall down because of all that insulation. So how do you put new drywall over the old? First locate the ceiling joists by the nailing pattern, and mark the ends of the joists on the...