Cleaning your walls doesn't often make your to-do list. Did you know you should be cleaning your walls regularly? Here's why, and how often.

Benefits To Cleaning Your Walls With a Mop

You don’t need much to effectively clean your walls:

• Microfiber flat mop with telescoping handle;
• Household mop bucket;
• Dishwashing liquid, such as Dawn,
• Neutral-pH floor cleaner like Mr. Clean;
• Microfiber cloth or sponge for spot cleaning.

Have a plumbing job coming up? PEX pipe is well worth considering, and learning how PEX connections work is the first step to plumbing success.

By Tucker Windover Issue 192

Learn how to avoid a door that creaks or springs back from the closed position. Easy adjustments to screws, mortises, and hinges on interior doors contribute to a perfect fit. Read more to learn how to adjust door hinge.

Adjust the gap by bending the hinges
Open the hinge-side gap by spreading the hinges. I’ve seen shims used behind the hinge leaf to adjust the gap, but bending the hinge takes less time. I can widen the gap in small increments. Remember that when the gap is adjusted on one side, it affects the gap on the other side as well. Place the butt end of a nailset between the hinge leaves up against the pin eyelet, or hinge knuckle. When the door is pulled toward the closed position, the nailset spreads the leaves and widens the gap. This technique puts a lot of force on the hinge, so go slowly to avoid damaging the hinge or bending it too far.

This article tells how to build a durable, good-looking fence, from start to finish, as well as how to build a gate that works perfectly.

The key to our no-sag gate is using panel boards that are angled at 45 degrees. Each functions as a brace to keep the panel from sagging over time. The outer frame on each side also overlaps in opposite ways at each corner to make the gate even more solid.

Here’s the secret to hanging gates successfully. With the gates spaced 1/2 in. apart on the ground, screw two 2×4 or 2×6 “holding” boards to the gates, overhanging the ends several inches. Then carry the assembly over to the opening and rest it on blocks at each end.

Since you are in RI I have a few places you should check out and compare prices:

Builders Surplus in warwick - there are a few other locations but I have found this location to have the best variety of doors and windows. They pretty much get the oversupply from Home Depot so they can have some good finds.

Home Outlet - there is a location in both east providence and warwick. Most of their stock is available to browse on the website and you can even see if they are clearancing out anything.

The Restore in Charlestown - if your ok with second hand, you can find some great deals here. They will sometimes post what they have on Facebook or Craigslist, but you're usually better off making the drive.

Remodelers Outlet in Fall River - if you're willing to make the drive, this is a great place for doors. They have tons of stock along with returned/uncollected special orders and if they have nothing in your size they can also customize a door for you. We bought a door from them a couple months ago as we had a weirdly sized closet opening and they happened to have a returned door that nearly fit, just had to cut down the height, and it only cost us around $70 if I remember right; over a $100 less than if we had it special ordered from Lowes or HD.

Looking for an easy DIY project? You won't believe these before-and-after spray paint photos!

I have some easy DIY shop vac hacks to share with you. These simple modifications will save you money on filters, make your shop-vac quieter, and make an inexpensive cart for a dustopper and all your wet dry vac accessories.

I’ll show you a simple filter mod that will save you money and make your filters last much longer. After that I’ll show you how to make a muffler that works way better than a store bought diffuser for less money. Then I’ll show you how to turn your vacuum into a cart with no plans that you can build in an hour for an awesome upgrade.

If you don’t want to spend money or have the room for a full size cyclone to collect all of the dust from woodworking then these tips are for you. You can turn your humble shop vac into an ultra high efficiency cyclonic dust separator.

Pool Filter Socks https://amzn.to/36a2xUb
PVC cutter https://amzn.to/2vMCUX7
Dustopper https://amzn.to/34E4qYF

A drywall expert reveals some of his best tips and tricks so you can handle the job like a pro.

Bend your blade

You don’t want your blade to be perfectly flat. Bend your blade so it has a slight curve, and mark the concave side so you always know which side is which. Josh will use the convex side to feather out the edge of the joint, and the concave side to float over the joint.

Consistency of yogurt

Butt joints made easy

Drywall sheets have depressed edges that account for the thicknesses of tape and mud. When you cut a sheet, you lose that edge. On a piece of pine, Josh cuts a concave shape on one side with the table saw blade set to two degrees. This helps pull the edges of drywall in, forming a valley for tape and mud. This creates seamless joints between studs.

Staple and Tape your corner bead

Tearaway bead for exposed edges

Whenever drywall meets another surface like stone, brick or paneling, you need a way to neatly finish the edge. Tearaway bead gets you pro results with minimal effort. It attaches just like corner bead, but the compound is applied just up to the back edge. Once it dries, the tearaway strip easily pulls off, leaving a nice, finished edge.

Popular Mechanics ~ 1954

How does one patch plywoods?

Henrys feather finish. It comes as a powder, you mix it with water until its the consistency of....i dunno... Mayonnaise? Lol best i can come up with... I'll usually just mix it right on the floor, with 2 putty knives. Then you spread it on all the seams with a putty knife.

Your not trying to lay it on thick, just spread it thick on first pass, then pull it all flat with 2nd and 3rd passes. Think joint compound.

Let it dry. Scrape if needed. Multiple coats if needed (if it's jyst factory edge seams, you most likely won't need multiple coats) and your ready to go.

Also, just to be clear.. You want a plywood with a finished top layer. Nicce and smooth. You don't want to use some rough cut builder grade plywood. 1/4 is plenty, because it's not for structural reasons.

Regularly flushing out your hot water heater is an important task. Getting rid of gunk and mineral deposits that accumulate will help it run more efficiently and prolong its life

Add rollouts to your kitchen drawer cabinet to maximize storage space, provide easier access, streamline your cooking, save your back.

This video is a tutorial about how to make stair nosing from hardwood flooring boards. Previous MrYoucandoityourself DIY video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcoMP22YMJg
THINGS I MENTION IN THIS VID for making stair nose:

• Dewalt Table Saw - http://amzn.to/2h3aOgy
• Milescraft FeatherBoard - http://amzn.to/2kjsvIC
• Pin Nailer 23-Gauge - http://amzn.to/2ibSUds
• Compressor - http://amzn.to/2ihgl0X
• Compressor hose - http://amzn.to/2kOlyyl
• Ridgid Vacuum - http://amzn.to/2i7HWRZ
  • Cyclone Separator - http://amzn.to/2hC76Lt
• Wood Glue - http://amzn.to/2i3vqH4

Ah, butcher block. There are so many good things to say about the beautiful, warm texture that wood...

Oscillating multitools have gone from being relatively unknown specialty tools to being must-haves for remodelers. These tools can do a lot more than most users realize, and there are little-known techniques that can boost the their efficiency and productivity.

• Don't have to put blade straight on!
• Keep RPMs high and remove sawdust manually
• Use guide blocks for precision cuts
• Kerf cut with semicircular blade, then switch to cheaper straight blades to finish
• Biscuit joiner and guide block for flooring
• Dull blades can still cut drywall

Save hundreds by making your own DIY trim. Here's how to do it.

Here at the Getaway, we kept it simple and made all our trim 1/2-in. thick. With some basic DIY skills, you can make your own trim for your 10-ft. x 14-ft. room for $28 from just one 4×8 sheet of 1/2-in. MDF.

Are your gutters not doing the job they should be? Are they constantly leaking? Do you just not like how gutters look? Michael Maines, a designer at Fine Lines Construction in Freeport, Maine, discusses ground-gutter systems -- an alternative to roof gutters.

Let plastic paver patio base panels take the place of the gravel base to eliminate tons of labor.

Paver patio base panels are made from lightweight high-density polypropylene. The panels typically have tongue-and-groove or shiplap edges to keep the panel edges flush with one another. You may wonder how a thin plastic mat can effectively replace a 6-in.-deep layer of compacted gravel. The answer is that the panels spread out the load, so the weight of a person walking on the patio is distributed more widely. Distributing the load puts less pressure on the soil and prevents the paver bricks from becoming uneven.

Here's a collection of 20 astounding hacks that'll help make your marking more accurate and your days more productive.

• Tack Trim in Place While Marking
• Don’t Trust Factory Edges
• Use a compass for scribing
• Circles (with a speed square and nail)
• Flashlight as plumb bob!
• Isometric graph paper

This collection of articles and videos will help you find the materials and construction details you need for a leak-free installation of doors, windows, siding, and more.