Hot Home & Garden How-Tos
How To: Build an Outdoor Brick Fireplace
This is a how-to video on how to build an outdoor brick fireplace. It has 5 parts and is a total of about 45 minutes long. It covers laying brick, acid washing, installing firebrick, installing flue tubes, and installing a stainless steel grill. It also covers brick string guides and cutting bricks.
How To: Grow Cold, Hardy Running Bamboo
Bamboo is easy to grow, but there are a few things you should know before starting. There are hundreds of species of bamboo and they can be roughly divided into either running or clumping bamboos. Almost all cold hardy bamboos are runners and almost all tropical bamboos are clumpers. Running bamboos send out root like rhizomes underground and can spread many feet each year. Clumping bamboos slowly expand and stay in a tight clump with canes close together. We grow dozens of cold hardy bamboo ...
How To: Remove Super Glue
If you've ever gotten super glue stuck to your fingers, you know what a pain it can be to get it off again! Don't worry - there's a simple household item you probably already stock that can take care of your super glue super mess!
How To: Bend Plywood Strips with Glue and Clamps for a Curved Look
You may know how to cut and sand plywood, but bending it is a totally different skill set you need to master, but this woodworking how-to will show you the right moves in seven easy steps. In the video, a bend is being applied to plywood for a curved chair leg, but this method could be used for any kind of plywood bends.
How To: Take Perfect Pictures of Your Handmade Projects
In order to take the perfect picture of your handmade wooden project, it's helpful to have a lightbox that's similar to what professionals use but definitely cheaper to make yourself.
How To: Hang Dry Herbs
Harvest your herbs Harvest your herbs before they flower (unless you are harvesting chamomile or any other herb flower)
How To: Start a Briggs and Stratton Power Generator After 3 Years
My Briggs and Stratton power generator wasn't used for 3 years. Trying to start it again, lead to some problems. The video will show you the true story and the solution. The first problem was, that it lost some fuel - the fuel pipe was broken. In good hope I tried again to start it, but it stopped within seconds. A check of the spark plug to find a very dirty one. After cleaning the spark plug, the engine ran, but only for a few seconds. It lost a lot of fuel and stopped again. The fuel was c...
How To: Replace a Door Knob with a Handle Set
Need to replace your old door knob? Follow Milan Rosan as he takes you through a step-by-step, do-it-yourself approach to installing your own handle set in your home. Remove old door knob.
How To: Magnetize a Screwdriver
Oftentimes, when using a screwdriver it can be hard to keep the screw connected to the screwdriver. In this article, we show a trick on how you can magnetize your screwdriver so the screw will hold onto your screwdriver. Get a heavy duty magnet.
How To: Balance and Repair a Ceiling Fan
A wobbly ceiling fan can be annoying and even potentially dangerous. Follow Brent Holland as he shows you the step-by-step process to repairing and balancing your ceiling fan.
How To: Unlock A Privacy Door Handle
When owning a home one type of lever set you may have in your home is a privacy lever. In a privacy lever set, the main feature is that the door can only be locked from the inside. Sometimes a kid might get locked in or someone may accidentally lock the door behind them. It's really easy to unlock it in an emergency.
How To: Replace & Hang a Chandelier
Installing a chandelier can bring a whole new style to your home’s design. Even though it might seem like a job only a professional can do, it really is quite simple. This DIY video illustrates just how easy it can be to install the chandelier yourself.
How To: Start and operate a portable electric generator
There are several safety precautions and steps that you must take before you attempt to start or use a portable generator. Take a look at this guide to learn how to check the oil levels, connect the battery to the generator, and start the generator.
How To: Construct a solar panel from solar cells in a series
If you want to save money on your electric bill, try building some of these solar panels using solar cells wired in a series. You can save money by using extra glass you or a friend may already own if it isn't being used. Soon you can harness the power of the sun by creating your own solar electricity.
How To: Cut through hard to reach PVC pipe with a simple nylon string
Have a PVC pipe that's in an awkward position and you're having a hard time reaching it to cut it? This video demonstrates that cutting a PVC pipe is as simple as wrapping a nylon string around it. Now you can cut through a PVC pipe without a saw or knife.
How To: Grow dry beans in your home garden using soup beans
Did you know that you can grow beans in your garden just by buying ordinary packs of soup beans at your local grocery? Once you start growing beans, you can keep growing them for a lifetime--just keep the seeds around. Soon beans will be sprouting in your garden every year!
How To: Inject Your Drill Press Table Crank with Steroids
First, I would like to explain that among my family members, I am considered somewhat of an oddball. Mostly because of some of the mods that I have performed on a few of my woodworking tools. After I show you what I did to my drill press, you may be inclined to agree. When I first hatch an idea in my little pea brain, the first thing I take into consideration is whether or not this mod is irreversible and will destroy my tool. In the case of my drill press, I determined that it was safe to pr...
How To: Create a New Lawn From Turf or Seed
Preparation When creating a new lawn it is essential that the soil is prepared properly to ensure a satisfactory outcome when laying turf or sowing lawn seed. Whether you decide to lay turf or seed, the preparation is the same.
How To: Make the Best Kitchen Multi-purpose Cleaner
Think you have a stain on your stove or countertop that just won't come off? Think again! This simple trick will have your kitchen surfaces gleaming in no time!
How To: Make Safe Homemade Glass Cleaner
Supplies 2 parts water
How To: Grow Plants With Compact Fluorescent Lights
I like to grow vegetables all year round, and I couldn't afford the big gas bulbs, or the power to run them. The big gas bulbs:
How To: Lay Masonry Blocks and Bricks
Build a concrete "footer".
How To: Improve the Soil to Grow Healthy Plants
Every experienced gardener knows that the secret to better blooms, brilliant greens, and tastier fruits and vegetables is a healthy soil. Improving the soil before you plant is the best head start to growing healthy, hardy growth in your garden.
How To: Make Your Own Whitefly Sticky Trap
This is a cheap and easy way to make a sticky fly trap that can catch tons of whiteflies. Get a can of Tanglefoot’s Tangle-Trap Sticky Coating. I stored this in the greenhouse which may not have been a great idea, as you can see by the amount of rust there is on the can.
How To: Speed Up the Composting Process
Composting is said to be every gardener’s gold, but making compost and getting it ready could take up to a year. Professional growers have discovered that compost activators can help speed up composting quickly…sometimes to as little as 30 days!
How To: Make your own aquatic tabletop biosphere in a mason jar
Feeling inspired by the incredible Biosphere 2 project? Make your own aquatic biosphere and witness the incredible phenomenon of a self-contained marine ecosystem right on your desk. This is a simple project that won't take more than an afternoon to put together, but could last for years.
How To: Adjust the float cup/ball height in your toilet tank to save water
Trim down your water bill and do the planet a favor by adjusting the water height in your toilet tank. The Fluidmaster's float cup on the fill valve can easily be adjusted to set water height in the cistern, just by fine-tuning the water level adjustment clip. This process is very similar for regular fill valves, too, with float balls instead of float cups. All you need to do is hit the sweet spot—the lowest water height needed to properly flush the toilet.
How To: Install a new over-the-range Panasonic NN-SD277WR microwave oven
If you are looking to replace your old microwave with a new one, or making your first foray into the world of microwave cookery, this video can be your guide to installing you microwave in the wall. The Panasonic NN-SD277WR is used as an example.
How To: Solder copper pipe for use in plumbing
Take on the challenge of home plumbing repair- how else are you going to get an excuse to use a blowtorch? Watch this video to learn how to solder, or "sweat", copper pipe. Make simple plumbing repairs a breeze by learning the basics.
How To: Replace or install a vanity light in your bathroom
You're so vain, you probably think this how-to video is about you! You can update the look of your bathroom by simply replacing the vanity light above your sink in the bathroom. This video shows the simple step-by-step process required to replace or install a bathroom vanity light.
How To: Replace or install a hand shower in your bathroom
Bring the luxury of a hand held shower head into your home. Follow the step-by-step instructions in this video to learn how to install a hand help shower head unit in your bathroom. It doesn't take many tools or much time!
How To: Install recessed lighting in your home
If your home needs a makeover, why not take things into your hands instead of waiting around for some reality TV pretty boy? This video shows you how to install recessed lighting, a sleek look for any room in the house.
How To: Install a new programmable thermostat
If you are concerned about your electric bill, you might want to take control by installing a programmable thermostat. This will allow you to manage the temperature- and amount of electricity being used- in your home. The installation is simple and requires almost no tools.
How To: Replace and install a pendant lighting fixture
Bring a touch of elegance into your home with a gorgeous pendant lighting fixture. Lighting is one of the easiest ways to dramatically transform the atmosphere in your living space. Whether its an apartment of a house, pendant lighting fixtures make for a stylish home.
How To: Use the Atmos meter bypass tool to hook up a methane tank for gas supply
If you are interested in hooking up and using a bypass tool to incorporate a methane tank in your supply gas system, watch this video and follow the instructions. This video demonstrates how you can use the Atmos meter bypass tool.
How To: Keep socks paired and never lose a sock ever again
It happens to the best of us—missing socks. No matter how hard you try, no matter how careful you are when doing laundry, you always end up with that one sock who's lost its soulmate. And what do you usually do with that buddy-less sock? Throw it away? DON'T! This video will gives you some tips on how to keep your socks from disappearing, like A). don't throw away your sock because you might find its missing mate later, and B). roll your socks to keep you from losing one when not in the laund...
How To: Make an All-Natural Insect Repellent with Cacao Leaves
Science investigatory projects suck, or at least seem to at first. But you shouldn't let school drag you down. Instead, use your homework assignment as an opportunity to solve a problem you've always been interested in. And it doesn't hurt if the end result is eco-friendly, either.
How To: Combine Two NYC Penthouses into One
Here's a rich man's problem for you: two NYC East Village penthouse condos and the need for one combined living space. What do you do? Simply add a helical slide! When the homeowners came up with this fun idea for combining their two condos, they contracted architecture firm TCA to design and construct two separate options to descend and ascend between the two living spaces— an Italian-made "Rintal" stair (an open spiral staircase), or the much speedier and much livelier option: a stainless s...
How To: Graft a bunch of cherry trees
Want some cherries? Better have some cherry trees. OH! Who cut down the cherry trees!? Guess it's time to get grafting and grow some new trees. This informative video shows how to graft cherry tree stalks onto existing cherry tree trunks. It looks primitive, but this is what you need to do to get some new trees growing! Cut and stick, cut and stick. Water, wait and grow!Watch this video and think of Anton Chekov when you do!
How To: Make a spark and fire with a 9 volt battery and steel wool
If you're out in the wilderness at night and it's starting to get chilly, you sure as hell better know how to make yourself a campfire. But let's just say you forgot your matches and don't feel like rubbing two sticks of wood together hoping to create a spark.