House & Garden 2024, November

Thick wood furniture is finished with a veneer coating to achieve a beautiful and durable surface. However, if it comes off, the table, desk, buffet, or dressing table looks neglected and ruined. Removing the veneer to bring out the bare wood requires a firm hand and attention, but the result will be a beautiful wooden piece of furniture.

One of the difficulties to face when making corners, for example when building a house, is to set the sides perpendicular to each other. Although a room does not have to be perfectly square, the corners should be as wide as possible to 90 °;

Bathroom sinks can get chipped, scratched, or stained, and you may want to change one to give your bathroom a newer, tidier look. Replacing a sink can be time consuming but it shouldn't be hard to do, and it will definitely make the whole room look more beautiful.

Mounting drywall is considered a job for strong men. However, with some guidance and information, it is possible for anyone to mount drywall; in fact, it's like sticking wallpaper. The biggest problem lies in the size of the plasterboard sheet and in the quantity of pieces.

Holes in the ceiling can be caused by various factors, including leaks, installation of lights or miscellaneous equipment, rearrangement of furniture, or simple accidents. It's hard not to notice when a ceiling has a hole in it. Most holes are small enough to fix with a simple patch.

If you have to do work that involves the use of PVC pipes, you will often need to cut them. A good thing about PVC is that you can cut it easily, using a wide range of tools that make the job relatively simple. You do not need a complex workstation or special equipment for this purpose.

Static electricity on the laundry is a major drawback and is a fairly irritating aspect of this household chore. However, you can prevent it from building up both before and after washing by using sprays or devices and learning how this phenomenon develops.

Saving on electricity has a double purpose: to help stop global warming and avoid wasting money. Walk around the rooms in your home and office and unplug all electronic devices and appliances when you're not using them. Isolating your home and changing your consumer habits are also two actions that will allow you to use electricity more wisely.

The sealant is used to fill expansion joints in areas where movement between materials is possible, such as between tiles, tiles or seams. Unlike grout, silicone sealant is used, which allows expansions and contractions due to heat, cold, humidity, all movements that could occur on a wall behind the tiles, on a floor under the tiles, or in the joints between the tiles and the splash protection panels.

Washing machines and dryers are often installed at home. Often they can be installed by the landlord, regardless of whether they want to be placed in a turret or sideways. Steps Step 1. Push the dryer against the wall where you want to install it Leave 60cm of space between the wall and the dryer so you can have a good look at the vent tube.

Knowing how to braze aluminum can be helpful when you need to complete a series of repairs. It is a quick and inexpensive alternative in case of leaks, cracks or holes in aluminum composite materials, or very often even when air conditioning appliances need to be repaired.

When renovating a bathroom or kitchen, the hardest part can be removing the plaster from the existing tiles. The plaster is composed of water, cement and sand, which hardens over time to form a granite material. It is the strength of this mortar that makes the tile very firm and prevents it from moving.

Laminate flooring is a versatile alternative to other types of flooring, because it can blend in while strengthening the step. But like all flooring, laminate has its quirks when installing. Despite this, the laminate is relatively easy to install without external help, if you have the right tools and a little time on your hands.

Do you need to change a tap? If it leaks, you can only change one gasket. If you want to change the whole piece, however, that's no problem. It's simple, with the right tools. Steps Step 1. Look at the sink Check how many openings there are and how far apart they are.

Waves are a great lining for a garden shed or porch. They are quick and easy to install even on their own. You will only need a few basic tools and materials. Follow these steps. Steps Method 1 of 2: Install the Corrugated Sheets Step 1.

Making your own curtains at home can save you a lot of money and give you exactly what you want for your decor. Depending on your sewing skills, there are different methods of making curtains ranging from very simple to more complex. This article illustrates some of them.

Suppose we have a wall conduit for electrical, audio, telephone or internet cables. Trying to push cables through the conduits is frustrating. The only way to do it is to pull them. But how? Steps Step 1. Unroll a few meters of cord and insert one end of it at the end of the wireway Step 2.

The ceiling cornice (or molding) greatly improves the aesthetic appearance of a room, but installing it is not an easy task. Being able to follow the corners perfectly can be tricky for even the most dedicated interior decorator, so keep reading this article.

Damage to drywall, also called drywall, can be effortlessly repaired or camouflaged if you have the right tools. Steps Method 1 of 5: Repair of a Small or Medium Hole (Less than 10cm): Quick Method Step 1. Buy a ready-made plasterboard dowel at a home improvement store:

The gutters are a fundamental part of the roof and serve to convey rainwater into special drains, so that the humidity does not damage the walls and foundations of the building. In addition, they prevent soil erosion, moisture damage on external walls and water infiltration in the foundations.

Building your own shower tray is an economical alternative to buying a prefabricated ceramic one; the procedure is relatively simple and can be completed within a few days. Steps Step 1. Make sure the floor can withstand the weight of the shower before starting work, as concrete can be very heavy It is worth reinforcing the surface under the shower tray with outdoor plywood panels Step 2.

Awareness about energy saving in the home is becoming more and more important. Indeed, careless use of electricity contributes to global warming and leads to astronomical bills. By choosing your appliances well, taking care of your consumption habits and with a pinch of creativity, you can save money and protect the environment.

Have you ever wondered how much it costs you to keep a light on? Is it really worth switching to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or LEDs? To find out, all you need to know is the wattage of the bulb and the cost of electricity in your home.

Sealant is a watertight insulation used in buildings to protect joints from damage and wear. Although it is usually used to seal the cracks around doors, windows and other fixtures, the sealant is also used on floors to seal the remaining space between the wall and the baseboard.

Here's how to save energy and money on heating and air conditioning by installing window insulation film. Steps Step 1. Find out about window insulation film The window insulation film that this article talks about, and found in most home improvement stores, is a shrink film that is applied to the inside of the window frame to form an air chamber that blocks the windows.

Kitchen islands are a common accessory in modern kitchens. They have many functions, such as creating a much needed workspace in open spaces, to allowing people to sit and eat in the kitchen without getting in the way of the cook. Being often at the center of the kitchen, islands are very important and require careful planning that takes into account their purpose and aesthetics.

Water taps for outdoor use can easily get damaged over time. Fortunately, replacing an outdoor faucet is a simple task to complete. Steps Step 1. Close the main water supply valve of the house Step 2. Spray lubricant where the faucet connects to the pipeline The lubricant will help remove any rust that may have formed around the thread.

When you bought the house, you saw that huge empty basement that was just asking to be transformed into a wonderful room. There are many useful destinations for a basement and a lot of expenses to go through to fix it! Will you renovate the whole space or just a part?

Vinyl floors are a great way to renovate a room without spending too much money. Even beginners can try their hand at this job, so it becomes an opportunity to learn, even if you don't have great DIY skills. If you'd like to learn how to install a vinyl floor, read on.

Wood furniture is attractive and durable, but prone to scratches and dings. Minor scratches can be easily repaired at home without resorting to restoration and refinishing. Period furniture may require a professional for repair; if in doubt, consult an expert before attempting to repair a piece of furniture.

If you have a gas pipe that you don't use and want to seal it with a plug, you can do it using the correct materials; in this way, you avoid any gas leaks that could escape from the pipe. Once sealed, you can rest in the knowledge that your home is now safer.

Installing recessed light points is an excellent opportunity for a quick and economical renovation of the house. Recessed light points can also provide direct light in specific areas of the kitchen, they can make a room brighter, modernize the look of an interior, or draw attention to specific points of the furniture or interior decoration.

Buying a house that needs work can be a good business, but fixing it can take a lot of time and money, and can become a demanding activity. This article explains how to go down this path in a manageable way. Steps Step 1. Understand the extent of the work required before buying Take a good look at the house and view any inspection reports contained in the sales documents.

Concrete surfaces, whether internal or external, don't necessarily have to remain a dull, flat shade of gray. This material can be revived and embellished with a few coats of paint. This is a simple and inexpensive operation that most laymen can complete.

Depending on the position in which the object is stuck in the toilet, you may have to remove the entire toilet from the floor to retrieve it. Steps Method 1 of 2: Step 1. Get a Sewer Snake It's a coiled cable that you can unwind to free clogged drains.

In old houses with an inadequately waterproofed basement, installing a drainage pump is an excellent way to reduce or even eliminate the problems of humidity or stagnation of water. If your problem is having water in the cellar, learn to recognize the causes and evaluate if a pump is the solution for you.

Most household electrical appliances have a label or metal plate that shows the number of watts. This label is usually found on the base or back of the appliance and indicates the maximum power consumption. To estimate the amount of total energy your device uses, you need to convert this into kilowatt hours (kWh).

Weather phenomena can be aggressive on asphalt driveways. Erosion due to wind and rain can cause cracks on the surface, which then turn into large cracks; eventually, holes form that damage the car or cause accidents. The best solution to this problem is prevention by applying a sealant.

Removing wallpaper can be quite a hassle, but you can make the process easier with the right tools and the correct approach. Read the article to get a global view on how to do the job without problems. Steps Method 1 of 5: Preliminary Steps Step 1.

Stucco has been used for centuries in construction. Traditionally, the walls were filled with lime, sand and water, or other mixtures based on salt and limestone. Today, putty is obtained by mixing Portland cement, sand, lime and water. The stucco is applied to ruined walls or ceilings and is applied to the damaged surfaces in a circular, wavy or cross pattern.