Truss uplift causes cracks between the wall and the ceiling that open and close every year and you cannot plaster or caulk them shut. For details on the cause and solutions to this problem follow this link.
If you cannot do the major work required to prevent this crack from opening, or you j...
It is frustrating when walkway or driveway paving stones heave with frost, or drop with erosion. If properly built, this doesn't happen. Actually what I have written here about paving stones applies to asphalt driveways as well.
A GOOD COMPACT SUBSTRATE IS ESSENTIAL IN A COLD CLIMATE
You nee...
Here are a few tips when it comes to re-wiring an old lamp.
Use the existing wire to pull the new wire through. You need to join them in a way that does not create a lump in the wire.
Avoiding a lump
On the old pair of wires, cut one wire shorter than the other and s...
BAMBOO FLOORING -- LOOSING FAVOUR
Bamboo flooring is beautiful and reasonably durable -- but it is falling out of favour.
Ecologically bamboo is a sustainable resource as it is a very fast growing grass, so bamboo production on a piece of land is far more profitable than growing trees on th...
When it comes to loosening rusted bolts, some ways are more ecologically friendly than others.
Heat
Simply heating the nut will sometimes expand it before the bolt heats up, breaking the rust lock and allowing it to come off.
Chemicals
Lubricants and ordinary oils will not break the bonds of ...
If you have a wobbly toilet because there is something uneven on the floor the ideal solution is to find a way to level the floor. If it is wood, you could shave it down to flat. If the problem is tiles, you could remove the tiles under the toilet. But often in real life, we don't want to do eith...
When we are working with wood studs we generally build the wall on the floor and then lean it up to the wall. But in the basement we have all kinds of overhead obstructions, so if you just tip it up, you will probably find yourself blocked by pipes or ducts.
The secret is like in the photo, to b...
Cutting crown moldings can be simple and it can be difficult.
First you want to check if the corner you are putting the molding into is in fact 90 degrees. If you don't check that you can get real frustrated with your mitre saw. 88 or 92 degree walls require different mitre cuts.
Over the years...
Ultra Soft -- the Montreal store that still solves LAPTOP problems
I keep finding myself going back to the first laptop store in Montreal, now a tiny basement workshop at 16 Westminster Ave in Montreal West called UltraSoft. After all the big stores and websites have stolen away the market f...
The shape of the tip of the bristles is critical for a good job.
Cheap brushes are cut off square as in the second photo, which makes them easier to manufacturer.
But they don't do nearly as good a job of carrying paint or laying it down as a brush with a tapered end and spl...
