Expert Advice on Home Improvement

Puresque Carpeting is an environmentally friendly product that absorbs and decomposes common odors in your home including cooking, smoke, and pets while resisting mold and mildew. It comes in a range of colors and textures and is available at The Home Depot. Watch this video to find out more. Watch this video.

You know, normally I try to view life’s little mishaps as opportunities to laugh, but with my house on the market, I feel like a walking disaster! The other night, I took apart my paper shredder and laid the oily parts (carefully, I thought!) on a plastic bag on the floor. Boy, did I ever mess up! The bag was flimsy, and before I knew what was happening, a big oil stain had soaked its way into my hardwood floors. Read in full.

A manual tile cutter is great for cutting porcelain or ceramic tile, but it can be hard to break a small strip off evenly. Joe has a simple solution to solve this problem. It involves constructing a jig composed of two 1×4s separated by a strip of wood or plywood the thickness of the tile. Watch this video to find out more. Watch this video.

Danny has remodeled a lot of bathroom over the years, but this job is personal, since it’s in his own home. What started as a simple upgrade, expanded into a complete bathroom renovation that included replacing the tub surround and tile floor, upgrading the plumbing and faucets, and installing a new vanity and accessories. Read in full.

Amy asks, “When remodeling a kitchen, should you install the cabinets or finished flooring first?”

I prefer to put the finished flooring down before installing the cabinets, though it can be done either way. While it uses more flooring material, the installation requires less cutting and fitting. Read on to find out more. Read in full.

Most cracks in slabs are small expansion cracks that should not pose a problem. If the crack will show, it can be filled with a concrete repair caulk. If the crack is 1/4” wide or wider, and one side is a different height than the other, you may have a settling problem that should be examined by a structural engineer. Watch this video.

Jennifer asks, “How do I go about repairing a scratch in my hardwood floor?”

Touch up kits are available for repairing minor damage to wood floors. If the scratch is deep and runs across the grain, you probably won’t be able to make it disappear completely, but you should be able to fix it so it’s hard to notice. Read on to find out more. Read in full.

Here’s an easy way to mark border tile around the edge of the room for cutting without using a tape measure. Place the tile to be cut directly on top of the last full tile then put another full tile on top of the one to but cut, and push it up against the wall. Using the edge of the top tile as a guide, draw a line on the bottom tile and cut the bottom tile to the line for a perfect fit. Watch this video.

Though it involves additional labor, installing tile diagonally can make for a more interesting pattern. To create even more visual appeal, inset small accent pieces where the tiles meet or add a contrasting border around the outer edge. Watch this video to find out more. Watch this video.

There are many options when choosing a kitchen floor and the type you choose will depend on your style and budget. Common options for kitchen floors include tile, stone, and hardwood. Watch this video to find out more about each style of floor. Watch this video.