Do It Yourself (DIY) - August 2007

I just purchased an old converted corner grocery store in New Orleans Garden District. It has no heating system. I will be forced to use window units without heaters until i can get central air and heat installed which unfortunately will not be this year.

what is a safe way to heat my home?

2007-08-07 19:37:32 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous

I need to repaint my living room, after a nasty incident with a god-awful colour. We have a base, and on top of that a light coloured satin painting, its latex. I want to paint the wall a dark colours... what kind of paint should I use?

2007-08-07 18:57:38 · 6 answers · asked by astrogirl_scorpio29 1

Just an estimation would be fine

2007-08-07 18:32:42 · 2 answers · asked by Rachmanioff 1

i found a bed bug infestation in my mattress a couple hours ago. i've been spraying cans and cans of raid and black flag and other bug killers that specialize in ants, roaches, silverfish, etc. will this kill some of them? will these bug poisons have effects on the nest? i know i've drowned a majority of the critters in it. i've used like 5 cans of spray up so far.
tomorrow i plan on goin out and buying a spray especially for this problem, such as d 20 or whatever its called.
anyone have any other solutions for this though? or tips? any help?
and no, i do not wanna hire proffessional help from this, i read online you can buy stuff that's 10 times more effective.

2007-08-07 18:05:31 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous

I want the table to fold down from the wall though and when it is folded up and put away it will have a mirror on the bottom with a curtain frame making it appear to be a "window/mirror" of some sort, but I don't know what hinges would fold UP and would support wieght of food I've seen snack bars and other mouted table, but they fold down against the wall. HOW do I do this?

2007-08-07 17:38:36 · 3 answers · asked by Tiff 1

Almost everyone who's handy has those one or two tools that do the job of five others or just the one job but five times better than the standard one. (You know, the one you like to show off, or the one people always want to take a look at anyway.) For example, mine are a handle that acctpts screwdriver bits but also takes sawzall blades, eliminating the need to keep a hacksaw, combination saw,or punch saw (I just keep a few of each type of blade and thats all I need). Its made by "General" and can usually be found in Home Depot. My other is a ratcheting screwdriver that flips back and forth from straight to T for ease turning/carrying. Its made by a company called sabertooth and I got it off their website (www.sabertoothtools.com). Now, please, tell me some of yours, how they work, what they do, and where you got them so I can find one too if I like the idea. Thanks all.

2007-08-07 15:46:03 · 7 answers · asked by phantom910 1

i have a porch thats has 6x6 post, there a little woobly at the tops so i want to cut a 2x4 to make a y type look from out side of porch, i want the right angles to make the bottom of the y to match together/ if you know what i men , please help

2007-08-07 15:35:57 · 6 answers · asked by Kristen T 1

how to you check the moisture content in wood.

ive chopped some branches off a tree and want to make stuff out of the wood. I konw if you start too soon it will warp like crazy so how do you know when its ready?

2007-08-07 15:30:52 · 4 answers · asked by That Guy 4

I made about 20 8x4 sheets of plywood out of a block of oak (1/13 scale)

and a bunch of 2x4s (1/20 scale) out of, well an old 2x4

if i were to build a little house, how would i hold the 2x4s together without fabricating tiny 1/20 scale nails....

2007-08-07 15:28:23 · 3 answers · asked by That Guy 4

I'm thinking about building a small bar for my living room just for when friends come over. Are there manuals for that sort of thing? Can you suggest any sites?

2007-08-07 14:32:40 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous

I have three different kinds of ceramic tile. I am on a budget so I plan on using the tile that I was given for free. I believe I can design a nice looking bathroom so I am looking for information on random tile work. Or is this possible. A friend of mine tiled his kitchen floor with random pieces of tile. I need any information on how this can possibly be achieved.

2007-08-07 14:21:45 · 3 answers · asked by N W 1

Sometimes I thought is there anything else I can do to make me more comfortable when taking a bath every time? One of my ideas is to install a waterproofing LCD in the bathroom so that I can watch some TV program or DVD movies.

If you have more fantastic ideas, go to our forum http://www.eiuoo.com/forum/forum_index.aspx

2007-08-07 14:17:18 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous

This may seem like a dumb question, but here goes anyway. When glueing something, how do you clamp it when the two pieces of wood are at right angles to each other, like an "L" shape or a "T" shape?

2007-08-07 14:09:56 · 8 answers · asked by Mister Sarcastic 4

WANTING TO GO FROM: “PACK RAT” TO “LESS IS MORE”
What is easier, faster, more practical, smarter and why?

I want to make sure my move is as smooth as a babies butt. To help me in moving, packing, organizing, storage, clutter, etc., I am looking for:

Suggestions
Ideas
Tips (packing, moving, cardboard vs. plastic)
Recommendations
Advice
Insight
Hindsight
Set up (utilities, unpacking, packing)
Organizing (papers in binders vs. file cabinets, color coding boxes vs. labeling boxes)
Lists

SOME CONCERNS I HAVE ARE:

How do I pack big bulky items (lamps, plants, etc.)?
What do I use to cover or keep items clean and dust free while moving and while in storage?
Filing important papers (binders vs. file cabinet, file by year, topic, etc.).
What papers should I keep forever?
What should I throw away? After how long? How long should I hold onto it?
Moving different rooms, items, etc.
How do I know when it’s time to let go?
What should I get rid of?
What should

2007-08-07 13:30:30 · 9 answers · asked by MONA 2

2007-08-07 13:25:35 · 2 answers · asked by googlebugg 4

we wanna play a joke on my one friend and i was just wondering if anyone had any ideas on something that looks like blood that we could smear and stuff but wouldn't mess up a car. Any ideas?

2007-08-07 12:01:17 · 6 answers · asked by dunkn_donut 1

My kitchen countertop has been painted over, and wall papered, by the privious tentnts. And know i want to know how we can make it nice without replacing the whole thing, I tried painting it again, but when it gets wet the paint comes off, and the wallpaper does the same thing. So if you have any sugesttions please let me know.

2007-08-07 11:55:05 · 10 answers · asked by Diva Dana 1

which is better for attaching a 1/2" furring strip on wood stud? nailing it or screwing? thanks!

2007-08-07 11:09:25 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous

This mobile home is in very good condition and i will be moving it to a 1 acre track that I own. I would like some advice about setup and whether or not it would be a good idea to make a few changes to the interior.
I'm going to put the home on concrete runners and from what i understand the home will be approximately 18 to 24 inches off the ground after it is put into place. My question is why does it need to be so high off the ground? I would like it to look as much like a site built home as possible(just my preference). Can i set the home lower than 18 inches? I own the home outright. If I do set it up lower than the usual 18 inches will that prevent me from selling later? Comments please.
Another thing is it doesn't have tape and texture on the inside. I am thinking about adding drywalls to the living room and master bedroom. Is this a good idea? Would i need to take the paneling off or just put it over it? How costly would this be if i did it myself? Together its about 370 sqft.

2007-08-07 09:44:16 · 6 answers · asked by lkevin_conroel 1

2007-08-07 09:31:55 · 4 answers · asked by eric z 2

The internet is sending me in circles, so I thought someone here could give me the right answer. I have drywall in my garage that I need to finish taping, I think I use primer first, then paint. But what kind? Regular interior paint and primer or what? Thanks all!

2007-08-07 09:31:36 · 9 answers · asked by ~Kim~ 6

2007-08-07 09:11:47 · 4 answers · asked by Giggly Giraffe 7

This is the most horrible job ever. Surely anyone who ever had to pull this junk up, would never, ever put it in a house again! Anyway, my question is...After you grt it up, the floor is torn to shreds from the parquet sticking to the plywood and taking layers of it up with it. What is the next step? Do you just lay the tile board right on top of this bumpy plywood, or do you need to pour leveler over the entire floor? Anyone that's ever been here done that, please help!

2007-08-07 08:43:48 · 4 answers · asked by BERT 6

i have excavated for my foundations to build my two storey extension. it has now filled with water and at some points it is 100mm deep. how far do you think I will have to dig down for solid earth, 6 to 12" possibl?

2007-08-07 08:28:33 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous

Our house is only 1 year old so the toilets are basically new. 2 of the 4 run but not on every flush. The tank is overfilling so the water goes down the overflow tube. When I pull up on the float the toilet shuts off like it's suppose to. The toilets are Kohler and the float is on a post. Is there a way to adjust this type of float?

2007-08-07 08:06:59 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous

I am replacing the sealant around the base of the shower tray. In the past after a short while it always splits...what am I doing wrong?? Any suggestions for a successful outcome please!

2007-08-07 08:00:59 · 2 answers · asked by Floll 1

My husband decided to clean the drain in the garage with CLR. He spilled some on the cement floor and after cleaning it up noticed how dirty the rest of the cement was. So he had me do his project and clean the entire 2 car garage cement floor with CLR. I tried mixing a solution like the directions said and it didn't make a difference. Then I tried full strength and the CLR didn't spread well. Then I tried moving it all over with a squeegie and that didn't matter either. Now my garage looks like I spilled milk all over it. Very blotchy. Any ideas on what I can use to clean the cement and get a good even clean look?
Should I put any kind of sealer on it since I stripped it with CLR? I'm just told to do these kind of jobs on my day off and I don't know what to do next.

2007-08-07 07:58:45 · 3 answers · asked by Catherine M 2

I heard about it on tv show. On she show they put dried apricot in the heating vent. Do people really do this? If so, is it safe, how do you do it and what other fruit do people use?

2007-08-07 06:52:22 · 2 answers · asked by Bronze Girl 3

I'm thinking of making some wind turbines, or just the plans, for sale, , with a quiet design like the ones in these websites:
http://www.pdx.edu/media/s/u/sus_wind_turbine_thmb.jpg
http://www.windside.com/consumers.html

Also, would this be for a home, cottage, or other building? What voltage output would you prefer?

Please specify your city and country, thanks.

FYI, my first turbine will be to charge an electric car, like the one in this video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEq-GbVcFTA

2007-08-07 05:16:52 · 4 answers · asked by Info_Newbie_Seeker_Dummy 1

I have these wooden chairs. I don't want to paint them with a brush because the wood looks dry and I'll need primer I suppose. It is just two little chairs. Will spray paint work?

2007-08-07 05:14:48 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous