Hot Home & Garden How-Tos

How To: Dress timber for your woodworking project

Dressing Timber. In this episode, we are having a look at dressing timber so that it is flat/straight and square, ready for a project. In this case, we are using some reclaimed Jarrah from an old deck, but the principle is the same if you are preparing timber that is DAR (dressed all round) from a timber yard, or hardware supply shop, or even if you have prepared your own board from raw timber.

How To: Prune blueberry bushes

Blueberries are one of the tastiest berries around, and if you just happen to have a blueberry bush in your backyard, consider yourself lucky. But you can't just let a blueberry bush fend for itself—it's needs help—it needs pruning.

How To: Care for orchids

Orchid care isn't as difficult as you think, and to discover the orchid care secrets, Meghan Carter visited award-winning orchid breeder Dick Wells. There she discovered the best technique for growing orchids.

How To: Select orchids

Selecting orchid plants takes more than just admiring an orchid's flowers, but with the right information it can be quick and easy. To find the expert's secrets on orchid selection, Meghan Carter visited award winning orchidist Dick Wells of Hilltop Orchids and got to the bottom of how to pick out the best orchid flower.

How To: Choose kitchen lighting

Kitchen lighting is vital to having a beautiful and functional kitchen, but even knowing where to start when choosing the type of lights for your kitchen can be confusing. To find kitchen lighting ideas, Meghan Carter visited Kichler Lighting where she discovered the three different types of kitchen lighting you need to make the most of your kitchen.

How To: Use decorative concrete

Host Meghan Carter travels to ACE Concrete in Sun Valley, California to discover the essential decorative concrete information. Whether you're interested in concrete floors, sinks, countertops, mantels or any other type of concrete for your home, Meghan got the essential facts to help you make the right decision when using decorative concrete in your home.

How To: Select the ideal garage doors

Ideal garage doors have four things in common. They're beautiful, durable, easy to maintain and well insulated. To discover how to find your ideal garage door host Meghan Carter visited Clopay to get the insiders tips for selecting the best type of garage door for your home.

How To: Install ceiling tiles

Installing ceiling tiles is a do-it-yourself job, but before you put in ceiling tile yourself you need to know some basics about how ceiling tiles can be used and where they can be put in your home. To get all those answers and more host Meghan Carter visits Armstrong.

How To: Choose door hardware

Door hardware is considered the handshake of the home because it is one of the first things that greet a visitor to your home, and to make sure you get the best type of door hardware for your home Meghan Carter visits Baldwin Hardware to learn about how to pick out the perfect door hardware.

How To: Organize your home

Home organization can be made much easier with the right techniques, and to discover the best home organization techniques, Meghan Carter visited professional organizer and owner of White Space Cynthia Ivie.

How To: Organize your closet yourself

Do it yourself closet organization can be quite a journey, even with the best advice. Meghan Carter discovered first-hand the trials and tribulations of closet organization as she put herself under the scrutiny of professional organizer Cynthia Ivie. But in the end, Meghan not only organized her closet, but found a great excuse to go shopping.

How To: Organize your office

Office organization is that task we all know we need to do but always put off. Well, you'll be buying office organization supplies once you see what Meghan Carter discovered during her interview with the organization experts at White Space, a Chicago-area organization firm. Your desk will never be the same.

How To: Hang pictures properly

Hanging pictures on your walls adds style and elegance to your rooms. Meghan Carter shows you the right way to hang pictures so you don't damage your pictures or your walls. With her simple tips, you'll be hanging pictures in no time, and you'll avoid common mistakes that can not only look bad, but also damage your home and pictures.

How To: Glaze kitchen cabinets

Glazing kitchen cabinets is an easy way to give your kitchen cabinets an antique look. Meghan Carter demonstrates how to glaze kitchen cabinets, so you can enjoy the rustic feel of glazed kitchen cabinets in your home. With her instructions, you'll have no trouble producing professional results when glazing kitchen cabinets.

How To: Sponge paint

Sponge painting is an easy faux finish that produces stunning results. Meghan Carter demonstrates sponge painting techniques and shares sponge painting tips to help you achieve professional results in your home.

How To: Apply caulk

Caulk can make a good paint job look great if applied correctly. Meghan Carter demonstrates how to caulk to achieve seamless results. With her tips you'll eliminate gaps and cracks when you use caulk around your home.

How To: Spackle a wall

Spackle is an important step in repairing walls for painting. Meghan Carter demonstrates how to spackle a wall to achieve professional results. If you follow her tips, you'll get flawless finishes when you spackle without the hassle of sanding.

How To: Color wash

A color wash painted wall looks stunning when done correctly. Meghan Carter demonstrates color washing techniques that can help you create beatiful, subtle walls in your home. With her tips you'll produced perfect color washed and glazed walls.

How To: Paint ceramic tile

Painting ceramic tile is an easy and inexpensive way to cover up ugly tile. Meghan Carter walks you through the steps for painting ceramic tile. Her tips will make painting ceramic tile a painless process, and ensure that you get professional results.