Home & Garden: Page 38

This is a video tutorial describing how to build an outdoor couch for your porch. First measure out where you want to put your outdoor couch onto your porch. Then start building the first post. You should use concrete block to build this post. Then build out from the post the back wall of the couch with more concrete blocks. Then build the other post. Then stack the second course onto the first course. Then add the third course to the top of the second course. If you want then you can add a...

Mary from VLine industries shows up how to Install a wall safe into a closet wall. For this example, she used a DOJ approved Wall Safe from VLine. The first step to the installation is to find where the studs are in the wall and make sure there is no electrical or plumbing behind the wall. Next, after locating the studs with a stud finder or by knocking on the wall, you measure and mark the space you will need for the wall safe. Use your dry wall knife to cut the space for the wall safe...

Space is tight (not to mention expensive) in Hong Kong. What's the solution? Architect Gary Chang has come up with an ingenious design: a small, 344 sq. ft. "accordion" apartment that can transform into 24 different rooms, simply by employing the use of sliding panels and walls.

In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to remove surrounding "haze" from a tile grout patch. Allow the grout to dry and wipe off the area with a dry piece of cloth. Put on gloves, take a bit of grout haze remover on a piece of rag and wipe the floor around the grout areas. This will take the hazing material off. Take more of the liquid and cover more area. Once the rag is dirty, take a clean rag piece and continue the process until all haze is removed. Leave it on for a few...

How to grow pineapple inside your home

This video shows how to make homemade laundry detergent with three ingredients. There are three ingredients required. The first is soap. The demonstrator recommends natural laundry soap which can be bought at a grocery store. The second ingredient is washing soda. Washing soda is not the same as baking soda, though some people have used baking soda successfully. Washing soda is recommended, however. The last ingredient is Borax, which can be found in most stores. To make the laundry soap mix 1...

In this video Jack in the Net shows how to grow your own pineapple using just the crown. Find a nice firm, strong pineapple with no brown leaves. With a very sharp knife, cut straight through about an inch down from the crown. Then trim the flesh all the way around, leaving only the solid round core in the middle, being careful not to cut into the crown. The roots will grow off of the crown so all the fruit needs to be removed.

In this how to video, you will learn how to use an old tree log as a planter for your plants. To do this, you must have an old tree log. The trick is to create and make the holes bigger in the log. Some of the holes may be too deep, so you must place netting to hold the soil back. The netting will last as long as the log. To make the holes bigger, use a hammer and chisel to shape it. Drilling and burning does not work as well as hammers. Placing the plants in and watering it will cause...

In this video, our author, ofenjen, shows us how to slice and plant a pineapple. First, find a pineapple: please don't get one too green or too yellow as they aren't ripe properly. Twist off the top of the pineapple with your dominant hand.

To start off making your bouquet, you must start by crossing the stems instead of going straight up and down. The crossing action will give you a round bouquet. Choose the size of the bouquet to match the bride and to match the dress. If it's a big dress with lots of action, you don't want to hide it with a big bouquet. Always hold your bouquet down. Use wax string to hold your bouquet together. This won't slip. Tie the not twice to ensure it stays together. Cut the stems off and then proceed...

This video is an explanation of how to fix a leak in a backyard water feature with a pond and waterfall. If the waterfall is losing water and has to be refilled frequently, you can tell there is a leak somewhere. One place where a leak can happen is a place where the liner needs to be propped up with a rock so it won't flatten out and allow water to leak out. Another problem can occur when a rock is arranged so that water splashes over it. That problem can be fixed by rearranging the rocks...

Ultimate Handyman demonstrates how to check a washing machine pump for blockages. First, disconnect the washing machine from the electricity source and remove the pump. The water sucks through the inlet and is pumped out of the outlet. Check to make sure that the pump doesn't have any open circuits by attaching the leads to the multimeter. Remove the screws to look inside the pump. Remove any debris that may be clogging the propellor. Make sure the O-ring around the edge creates the seal and...

In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to divide hosta. Hostas are one of the best plants for your garden. They grow very fast. Hence, you have to divide them to keep them healthy. The best time to do this is either early spring or during fall. Take a flat shovel and dig a hole about 3-5 inches around the base of the plant and then pull it out. You can use a big knife, your hands or even the shovel to divide the bunch of plants. Move the foliage a bit so that you can see the...

In this video, Mark Donovan shows us how to mount a mirror on a door. First, take the mirror and position it the height you want it located. Then, mark the top with a pencil and make sure the mirror lines up with lines on the door and it's in the center. Now, screw in the door attachments in the thickest part of the mirror. Attach the mirror and screw the screws so that the mirror is completely secure. Now, you can hammer in the screws to make sure they are completely attached to the door and...

Scott from Spring Hill Nursery with Step by Step Gardening teaches you some basics about hydrangea plants. He talks about how to take care of the plants, how to ensure blooming, and some planting considerations. Hydrangea plants need at least five hours a day in order to bloom so they should not be planted in very shady locations. The blooms can be pink, blue, green, or white, depending on the variety and soil conditions. The blooms can be used in bouquets, or dried for use in crafts. The...

If your yard is full of pests in the summertime that you can't get rid of, consider building a bat box. Bats are great animals - they eat any unwanted insects and only come out at night so they don't bother anyone. By building a bat box, you will invite bats into your yard and push the bugs out.Building a home for bats is easy and fun and packs a nice reward. It is similar to building a bird house, but instead of making an entrance hole, you will leave the bottom open. The inside of the wooden...

If that old chair is covered in holes or stains, or boasts a pattern that can best be described as "70s chic" it may be time to update it a bit. In this video learn how to save your favorite comfy chair and recover or reupholster it like a pro. By recovering your furniture yourself you can avoid the cost of buying a new one or paying a professional, with the added bonus of holding on to a long-loved piece of decor.This tutorial will walk you step by step through the process of updating your...

Moss and mildew inside your home are breeding grounds for colds and flu..not too mention that horrible damp smell. If you are having a problem with growth in your house, check out this tutorial. In this clip, Ruth S. Foster and her friend Jim, show you exactly how to clean up and eliminate any of that unwanted buildup. In addition to a lesson on how to clean it, learn how to prevent it from happening again in the future.

Do you have stacks of scratched up DVDs that will no longer play? Have no fear. In this video, learn how to clean and fix a scratched DVD in minutes.

To remove grout from a tile patch area, use a scouring pad on a sponge to gently go ontop of the tiles to remove grout and see where you need to rub harder, but dont rub hard on the actual joint. Don't get your sponge too wet. Once you have everything off the tiles, work on the grout. Make sure you get the grout lines to make them look neat and clean. Make sure the seams are tight and flush, run your sponge over it to clean it up a bit. If you have a missing tile filled with grout, use a wet...

The Wood Whisperer demonstrates how we can install hinges on a cabinet without a tape measure, using relative dimensioning. In this example, we use center lines instead of marking the top and bottom of each piece that needs to line up. Using shims at the bottom and top of the door, we center the door on the cabinet to the desired spot. At this point, it's as simple as marking the center lines where you want your hinges to go on both the door and the cabinet frame. Now we can simply attach...

This video is a demonstration of how to make environmentally-friendly homemade laundry detergent. This recipe uses soap flakes, soda crystals, and borax substitute. You may also add oxy-action bleach if you like. Put half the back of soda crystals (500g) into a container, or more if you have hard water. Add a 500g pack of borax substitute and 2 tablespoons of soap flakes. If you like, add 2 tablespoons of oxygen bleach. Put the lid on the container and shake it up. This laundry detergent...

Trick Life demonstrates how to make a lamp out of a USB cable. To make the lamp, cut the end off the USB cable, strip the wire and separate the black wire from the red wire. Attach the wire to a box using a soldering iron. Attach a six volt bulb to the wires. Insert the apparatus through the hole of a used CD or an old DVD. Insert the rest of the wire through a cylinder. Hide the wiring in the cup and glue the cup cylinder to another CD or DVD. Make a shade out of paper and attach it to the...

In this video, we learn how to make homemade laundry soap! To do this you will need: one bar of ivory or handmade lye soap, borax and washing soda. First, grate your bar of soap and place into a large plastic container. Next, add 1/2 cup of Borax to your shredded soap followed by 1/2 cup of washing soda. Now you will need to mix this thoroughly, making sure everything is well combined. Now put this into a container with a lid on it and store for future use. You will use one tablespoon per load...

Want to install a suspended ceiling yourself (perhaps enlisting the help of a construction-savvy buddy)? If you have the time and necessary tools (and provided your existing ceiling is structurally sound), the process is quite simple. This free DIY guide will walk you through the process from start to finish. Build your own suspended ceiling with this how-to.

Want to lay a hardwood floor yourself? It's easy. Provided, that is, you have all of the following materials: wood panels (preferably with built-in foam underlay), plastic sheeting, duct tape, tapping blocks, a hammer, a crowbar, a straight edge, a miter square, a pencil, string line, some spacers, and a saw. For complete instructions on putting it all together and installing your own custom wooden floor using panels, watch this free DIY guide.

The instructor shows us how to clean a microwave using green products in this video. First, take a microwave safe dish and pour some white vinegar into it. You will want to cover about 1 inch of the dish. Once in the microwave, turn on for around 2 minutes and remove the dish. Now, you take a wet wash clothe and rub ivory soap all over it. You can now clean the inside of your dirty microwave with the soapy clothe. Make sure once you're done scrubbing, you take a clean wash clothe and wipe all...

True's Owner Maintenance Video Series shows us how to set the defrost time clock on a True freezer, and also how to cut the shipping band on the compressors of all larger freezers. The time clock is behind the grill at the base of the unit, behind a gray box. There are instructions in the inside of the lid for setting the time clock and for setting the defrost settings, and the video goes through the entire process, as well. Next, the man shows how to remove the shipping band protecting the...

Scott from Spring Hill Nursery with Step by Step Gardening talks about planting fall bulbs. Planting bulbs is very easy. You just need a shovel, good soil, and lots of water. The bulbs he plants are tulips bulbs, lily bulbs, glad corms, and iris rhizomes. All of these must be planted in the fall to bloom in the spring. It's easiest to dig one big hole - about 6-8" deep - and plant all of your bulbs at once. A random pattern yields a natural look. Once you've placed your bulbs, put about...

In this video, Ruth Greenhouse teaches us how to process native plants for eating. The Mesquite desert plant is a great fuel as well as good for beans in the summer months. One way to use the beans is to pick the dry beans when they are ripe (they will be tan) and you can grind the pod into a fine powder, which will make a flour that is healthy. You can mix this flour with water and it can be a healthy beverage. It can also be added to cookies and breads to make them sweeter. Another plant is...

Perpetualplum demonstrates how to make a repurposed lamp out of old materials. First, you will need a candlestick and light fixture parts like sockets, extender rods, washers and cords. You can also find materials around your house to use as the lamp base like coasters, ashtrays or tiles. Stack the repurposed pieces together until you find a shape that is pleasing. Beads also can add decorative accents to the lamp. Be sure to align the socket with the socket cover. Twist the leads together...

This video demonstrates how to fold a newspaper seedling container using a simple origami method. This is a free idea that incorporates recycling. Not only do these paper containers stand up well to moisture, they also will break down in the soil if you place it directly into your garden. Begin by using one half sheet of black and white newspaper. Lay it out length wise and fold it in half from top to bottom. Then fold it left to right. Next turn the paper so it is horizontal with the...

David Epstein provides tips and shows garlic lovers how to plant garlic in their very own garden. It is best to grow garlic in the fall season from the months of September to November when the temperatures are cooler. Some people grow garlic in the spring, but it’s been found that growing garlic in the fall time will give a better crop. To begin, gather some plantable garlic bulbs making sure that you find ones that are either organic or from a seed catalog. At all cost, avoid conventional...

This video tutorial outlines a number of quick and easy tips for installing a porcelain tile backsplash in your home kitchen, from checking the substrate (that is, the surface to be tiled) to the application of the tile itself. For a complete, step-by-step overview of the DIY process, watch this free video guide.

Has your broken garbage disposal got you down in the dumps? Be your own repair man with this free handyman's guide, which will help you troubleshoot and repair a broken garbage disposal. For more information, and to get started diagnosing and fixing your own broken disposal, watch this handy how-to.

Southwest Yard and Garden shows viewers how to prepare the soil in order to plant Irises. You can see if your oil needs to be prepared because it would look like it need nutrients. Irises deplete the oil they are in so you need to restore their nutrients to the soil. First, you should get your soil tested to see what nutrient should be added to the soil. First loosen the soil. Next, add in the nutrients. Start with alfalfa pellets to add Nitrogen. Add a little bit of sand to loosen soil - don't...

Want to remove dried wax from a carpet? You'll need four items: a white towel, a regular electric iron, a carpet cleaning solution and a hot-water extraction machine. For a complete, step-by-step demonstration of how to remove pesky paraffin wax stains from your own carpet, watch this free housekeeping video tutorial.

In order to make Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent, you will need the following materials: A dutch oven or a large pot, a grater, a spoon, ¬O cup of Borax, ¬O cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, a bowl, a measuring cup, 3-5 gallon cleaning bucket, empty plastic detergent bottles, and Fels-Naptha soap or Ivory bar soap (grated).

So you'd like to know how to install a door with sidelights, would you? Well, you're in luck. This handy handyman's guide will show you precisely what you'll need to know to get the job done (and well at that). For more information, including a step-by-step breakdown of the project, watch this free video home DIY tutorial.

Let's face facts: Upholstering a cushion can be difficult. However, it can also be easy. So easy, in fact, that this video guide can present a complete and thorough overview of the entire process in just over a minute and half of time. Watch to learn a simple upholstery method that will insure your cushion turns out perfect every time!