Hot Home & Garden How-Tos
How To: Move A Safe
Moving a 2000 pound safe isn't easy... I was working as manager for a construction company that was performing an up fit on a century old building in downtown Concord, N.C. The owners wanted us to move a two thousand pound (that's a ton!) safe up to the second story so that it could be displayed in their new office. The safe was located between the first and second floors in a small office that was used for accounting purposes in the old days when said building had been a hardware store.
How To: Grow upside-down tomatoes in a hanging flower basket
Every home gardener has tackled tomatoes, but what about upside-down tomatoes? What?!? That's right, you can actually grow tomatoes upside down, suspended in the air. It keeps the plant off the ground and you don't have to worry about staking it.
How To: Install a copper snow apron on the eaves of your house
Fend off the worst that Snowpocalypse has to deal! Prevent leakage caused by ice and snow by installing a snow apron on the eaves of your house. This is an easy thing to do, and a must for any homeowner in a snowy area.
How To: Plan bathroom renovations on a budget
Times are tight, but no one deserves to stare at an old, fugly bathroom day after day. If you simply can't stand the hot pink paint the previous owners left on the walls anymore or your linoleum floor is falling apart, check out this video to learn how to plan bathroom renovations wisely and on a budget.
How To: Make a rustic box out of a log of applewood
If you're lucky enough to have a large backyard, or perhaps even a plot of land, then you probably have several trees on hand. If for whatever reason one or two of these trees needs to be cut down, don't just dispose of the wood!
How To: Change the blade on a bandsaw
If you love working with wood, fixing things, and making things, then most likely by now the blade on your bandsaw is tired and dull. Make sure that your woodworking projects are crisp and easy to cut by replacing the dull blade with a new one.
How To: Remove extra sticky labels easily using Label Remover
We understand why companies affix sticky labels to their products. We just don't understand why they manufacture these labels with unyielding, Godzilla strength glue. Who wants to open up a new microwave only to end up with partially peeled labels and glue stains?
How To: Replace an electrical socket step by step
Electrical sockets are often taken for granted. It's not until one of them breaks or stops working and our laptops won't turn on that we truly have a crisis (mostly over lost internet time).
How To: Fit a sleeved letter plate onto a letter box hole that's too big
While most of us have mailboxes from which we receive our deliveries, some of us still have small slits in our front doors known as letter box holes. This allows for the mailman to deliver mail straight into our homes, which is convenient for all intensive purposes.
How To: Install a door viewer for home safety
Just because a person is cordial enough to knock at your door doesn't mean that he isn't a conman or burglar out to knock you out and steal all your belongings. So you can probably understand the usefulness of a spy hole, or a door viewer.
How To: Install a drip irrigation system using your existing traditional sprinklers
Get rid of your water-wasting sprinkler system— but not entirely! Keep your landscape and garden maintained by converting those sprinklers into eco- and pocket-friendly drip irrigation. In this how-to video, Paula Mohadjer from the Cascade Water Alliance explains how you can easily convert your sprinklers into a drip irrigation system.
How To: Properly install a dog door for your canine with tips from Lowe's
Your precious dog can't be a dog without its freedom, and the number one way to make a dog feel its freedom is by giving it unrestricted access to your landscape, meaning— a doggy door. Granted, your pet can't go roaming all across the county, but a dog door is a surefire way to make your canine feel at home.
How To: Fold an eco-friendly shopping bag into a tiny pouch
Shopping bags are an ecological nightmare, so many modern shoppers use eco-friendly reusable shopping bags. If you have a stash of eco-friendly bags and want to store them more easily, watch this video to learn a novel way to fold these bags that turns them into a tiny pouch, which you could even still use to hold things if you wanted.
How To: Fold a plastic shopping bag in on itself for easy storage
Many Americans save all of the plastic bags that they take home from stores. They get used sometimes, but mostly they just accumulate in some corner of the kitchen until there are so many that you are FORCED to throw some away. If you have this problem, watch this video to learn how to fold plastic shopping bags in on themselves into a tiny package that takes up less room and is easier to grab than a balled-up bag.
How To: Make a DIY trash can out of newspapers
Recycling things isn't nearly as efficient a means of conserving resources as reusing your waste material in it's current form. Enter this video. It will teach you how to make an awesome little trash can / waste paper basket out of perhaps the most appropriate material of all: old newspapers!
How To: Dry herbs by placing them in the oven
Using fresh herbs is always the best call for any recipe, but if you're an herb gardener with load after neverending load of herbs that you can't find a use for right now, drying these herbs may be your best option.
How To: Install a band saw tire step by step
If you work with wood on a regular basis then your band saw probably gets a lot of play time. The more you use your band saw, however, the faster your band saw tire will wear out.
How To: Craft a decorative white wood swing flower pot holder
Your flower pots will look simply prosh when you tuck them inside this beautiful decorative white wood swing flower pot holder. Resembling a real life garden swing, this flower pot holder actually does swing, in case you're wondering.
How To: Make napkin rings, place cards and customized candles for Thanksgiving
With a few hosting tips, you will perfect your Thanksgiving season! This craft shows you how to make some elegant place cards, some easy and beautiful napkin rings, and custom-made deocrative candles. Be the perfect host or hostess this Thanksgiving season!
How To: Make a quick DIY Thanksgiving centerpiece out of flowers and vegetables
Forgot to prepare a centerpiece for your table? This tutorial shows you a great DIY Thanksgiving centerpiece that you can make out of some flower bunches, vegetables and bamboo food skewers. Easy, and perfect for last minute Thanksgiving decoration and craft ideas!
How To: Make a green, recycled centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table
Want to have a green Thanksgiving this year? You can make a classy, lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece with your children out of recycled materials! This project uses empty glass soda bottles, a few paints, flowers and some old jewelry or colored beads.
How To: Grow lavender provence in a container
We know that spring seems ions away, but if you're a gardener then it's time to begin thinking about what flowers you'll be planting to bloom during the spring. If you don't have much garden space but would love a very fragrant bloom, check out this video to learn how to grow lavendr provence in a container.
How To: Construct a streamlined table saw sled
Why do you need a table saw sled? A table saw sled allows you to have significantly more control over your cutting projects than you would just with your hands, and allows for special cutting angles. A table saw sled also holds your work in place.
How To: Recharge an expansion vessel in a combination boiler
The expansion vessel, or expansion tank, is the small tank used in closed hot water heating systems that helps to absorb water pressure. Sometimes, though, your expansion vessel will stop working and will need to be either recharged or replaced.
How To: Assemble a festive red and green holiday centerpiece
Live evergreen and flower arrangements are so beautiful for the holidays. But they can also be extremely costly, especially if you're getting boquets or arrangements in bunches so you have several for each table and countertop.
How To: Make a holiday wreath with pinecones and ribbon
Nice, professional holiday wreaths can cost upwards of $80 if you get them at stores or specially made. And with all the money you'll be spending over the holidays on presents and food, who needs to go bankrupt over a wreath?
How To: Replace the carbon brushes inside a KitchenAid stand mixer at home
Has your KitchenAid stand mixer completely given out and won't even turn anymore? We know this can be extremely frustrating, especially when you're in the middle of mixing a pie filling, but don't just give up and get a new one.
How To: Replace a KitchenAid blender coupling
Now that the holiday season is right at our doorstep, you'll probably be doing a lot of blending, cutting, brining, and baking over the next two months. Which means it's more important than ever that all your kitchen utensils are in tip top shape.
How To: Save money on detail sanders by using abrasive paper rolls
Detail sanders are one of the finest tools for polishing wood surfaces to a perfectly smooth finish. But it often costs a lot to replace detail sander sheets. Luckily, there's a way to save some moolah on your sanding sheet needs.
How To: Go green in your vegetable garden with biodegradable pots and other tips
Are you an avid gardener who tends to your plans on a daily basis? Then before you step foot outside the door today, check out this video to learn a plethora of tips for going green with your gardening.
How To: Replace the time clock on a Ferroli Falcon combination boiler
Timing your cooking is everything. And if you happen to be a mom who works full time and then flies back home to prepare dinner for your family, then making sure you hard boil your eggs for five minutes while you bake your pie for half an hour can easily turn into a burnt mess if you're not careful.
How To: Wash your windows quickly with white vinegar and dishwashing liquid
Don't let your window pane become a window pain in the ass to look at. Windows should give us clear views of the beautiful world outside, but without regular maintence they can become splotchy and muddled. Check out this video for a quick way to clearn your windows.
How To: Search for oil on your land using geologist skills
Finding oil on your land is no easy task. Usually experts do this sort of thing, but why shell out money when you can do it yourself? We'll be the first to tell you that finding oil in your yard is not easy, though.
How To: Choose and install the best landscape lighting for both day and night
Outdoor lighting is an important part of your landscape. It's serves multiple purposes, but wouldn't you want to make sure you're getting the right lights, for both daytime and nighttime use? Lowe's has the answers to help you plan and install outdoor lighting in your yard.
How To: Find a place to plant and grow an Autumn Blaze maple tree
The Autumn Blaze maple tree is one of the iconic American trees, turning much of the eastern and central United States into an orange explosion during the fall. If you want to add some of that beauty and tradition to your yard, watch this video to learn how to find the right place to plant one, taking into account the relevant soil, shade, and space concerns.
How To: Grow pears and make bartlett pear preserves
Want to have the freedom to nom on a piece of fruit straight from the tree without having to worry about cancer-causing pesticides and other antibacterial agents going into your belly? Then growing your own fruit may just be the answer.
How To: Change a broken lightbulb using a water bottle
Removing lightbulbs that have gone out is easy enough: Unscrew the broken lightbulb and then pop in a new one. But what if your lightbulb happens to be broken with sharp edges?
How To: Remove stickers from any surface using olive oil or peanut butter
We all know how it goes: We purchase a bundle of new binders for our classes, get entranced by some cute kawaii stickers, and plaster these little babies all over our binders. And then, approximately two months later, we question why we ever did such a thing and want them off.
How To: Hammer a nail safely and hold your nail in place with cardboard
Hammering nails seems like such a common skill. Yet we all must admit that when it comes to those first few strikes of the hammer, it's hard to hold the nail perfectly perpendicular to the slab of wood. This means we often hit our own nail or knock the nail we're hammering off course.
How To: Paint perfect edges using painter's tape
Most home interior painters, professional and ameteur alike, rely on painter's tape to get around edges without splattering paint everywhere. But painter's tape allows for little air bubbles to form, meaning paint can easily seep below and ruin your work.