We've touched on the dangers of lead paint and now House in Progress has started their own lead paint stripping process after highlighting the history of lead paint use in this country and makes a distinction between lead paint that is intact (safe) as opposed to paint chips and dust (unsafe). Any home built before 1978 may wish to have the paint on their walls tested for lead before performing any remodeling projects. Apartment Therapy offers some tips for finding low and zero VOC paints.
If you aren't satisfied with your formica countertops you can give them a fresh look. With a little effort and creativity, who knew granite could be this easy and while you're at it, upgrade your fixtures.
Formica Countertop Repair [Bob Vila]
Toolmonger turned us onto a great blog entry from the Wall Street Journal asking the question, "Are Dads Less Handy Around the House?"
I'm not a Dad and even if I were I'm certainly not as handy around the house as my Pop is. I was raised by a very handy Dad who had a tool shed to be proud of. His specialty is in electrical work and he enjoyed the puzzle of determining what's "hot" as much as the challenge of installing the light fixture or appliance. My Dad set the bar high which motivates me to keep on learning.
One of the most common household problems is the leaking faucet. Fortunately it also happens to be one of the easiest to diagnose and repair and there are a ton of resources online that can help. Here are our favorites.
Video
Expert Village
VideoJug
Instructions
Hammerzone
DoItYourself.com
On The House with the Carey Bros.
Ace Hardware
The Natural Handyman
Associated Content
Lawn burn is characterized by unsightly brown patches of grass and is typically caused by dog urine and over-fertilization.
Once your lawn is "burned" you'll have to replace the grass but there are measures you can take to prevent this from happening again. You may have to confine your dogs urination space and the easiest way to do this is to build a proper outdoor dog run. You should also take care in fertilizing your lawn and immediately cleanup any spilled fertilizer.
July 27, 2007 | Comments ()
