To maximize the storage space in your kitchen pantry, attach a clear plastic shoe rack to the inside of the pantry door for storing cleaning supplies and other items. Hold the rack in place at the bottom with push pins to secure it when the door is opened.

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• Overhead Storage Rack
• Kitchen Cabinet Door Rack

Inexpensive towel racks mounted on the inside of cabinet doors is a great way to store cookie sheets and cutting boards for easy access. Simply cut the racks to length, attach them to the door, and mount a plywood shelf near the bottom to hold the items in place.

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• Kitchen Pantry Door Storage Rack
• (698) 10 Step Kitchen: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
• Overhead Storage Rack

Cloth nail aprons are great for DIY projects around the home, but with only two pockets, they usually can’t hold everything you need. By cutting the top off plastic quart oil containers, you can make interchangeable liners for the pockets of the apron to hold different size nails and screws.

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• (696) Better Homes & Gardens Home Improvement Challenge 2009

Bedroom before makeover

This small bedroom received a big makeover to take advantage of every inch of the limited space. The newly renovated child’s room features a fold-down Murphy bed, built-in cabinets, a window seat complete with drawers, new closet shelving, a wall mounted TV, and an eye-catching paint job.

Bedroom after remodeling

The first step was to clear everything out the room so remodeling could begin. Next, the walls and trim were prepped for painting. Any nail holes were filled with spackling and allowed to dry before painting began.

      Installing crown molding

The electric blue and green walls—coupled with new crown molding and white trim—make a bold fashion statement. Two of the opposing walls were painted blue with green accents, while the remaining two walls reversed the color scheme with green walls.

Shelving for the closet was made from 3/4” thick x 16” wide stock and supported by 1”x 2” cleats attached to the studs in the walls. A vertical piece in the center provided support and divided the closet in two, with one side for hanging clothes and the other for storage.

            Closet shelving

The hardware and frame for the folding bed was ordered from Murphy Wall-Beds Hardware, Inc. and came with complete instructions on how to construct the cabinet and install the bed. You can also watch step-by-step installation videos online at their website to give you an idea of the process involved.

While we constructed the cabinet from 3/4” medium density fiberboard (MDF), following the cutting list and instructions that came with the hardware, ready to assemble Murphy bed cabinets are available online as well.

        Installing bed cabinet

Since Murphy bed hardware requires a precise fit, it’s important to make the cabinet to the exact dimensions given in the instructions. The cabinet was assembled with screws before being set in place.

It’s also important to attach the bed cabinet securely to the wall studs with steel angle brackets to prevent it from turning over when the bed is lowered. Make sure the cabinet is square and level before attaching it to the wall.

    Spring loaded bed hinges

Once the cabinet was ready, the heavy duty spring hardware that raises and lowers the bed was mounted on each side. The steel bed frame was assembled with a sheet of MDF on the bottom.

After the bed frame had been attached to the hinges, it was raised and lowered to make sure everything worked properly. A handle was mounted on the outside of the bed to allow for easy opening and closing.

When the bed was complete, matching bookcase cabinets were installed on either end of the wall to provide additional storage space. A window seat with two drawers finished out the wall. Colorful green curtains, a throw rug, and decorative accents tie the room together.

Finished bedroom

Other Tips from This Episode

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• Space-Saving Bookcase
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This convenient shoe caddy is made from recycled 5-gallon buckets and scrap lumber. It’s great for keeping track of shoes in your garage, mud room, or closet. To make it, all you need is some 5-gallon buckets, scrap lumber, and leftover paint.

Shoe Caddy Materials List

• 6 – 5-gallon recycled buckets
• 1 – 1” x 8” x 12’ scrap lumber
• 1 – 30” x 40” scrap plywood
• 1 – Quart leftover paint

Making a Recycled Shoe Caddy:

• Use a sabre saw to cut the lip off the buckets with the rim of the bucket acting as a guide.
• Sand the cut edges on the bucket smooth.
• Arrange the buckets in a triangular shape (other shapes can be used as well), using spring clamps to hold them in place.
• Cut the plywood to size in a triangular shape so that it doesn’t protrude past the buckets.
• Screw the bottom of the buckets to the plywood.
• Cut the 1” x 8” to size at an angle so it forms a tight fitting frame around the buckets.
• Nail the four pieces of frame together.
• Sand and paint the frame.
• Slide the frame over the buckets, and screw the sides of the buckets to it.

      Cut rim off buckets.             Assemble frame.           Attach buckets to frame.

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• How to Make a Punching Bag from Recycled Materials
• (690) Trash to Treasure: Reuse Projects for Your Home

Danny demonstrates a simple method of determining how far to pull your car into the garage so the door will close by suspending a plastic golf ball from the ceiling with a string.

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• How to Protect a Garage Door from Storm Damage
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To keep the items you have stored in the trunk of your car from sliding around, attach self-adhesive strips of hook-and-loop fastener (hook side) to the bottom of a storage conntainer, then press the container to the carpet in the truck.

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Here are six do-it-yourself projects that can solve some common home improvement problems around your home. When using or installing any tool or product, remember to follow the manufacturers’ directions and observe all safety precautions.

How to Finish a Garage Floor

Finishing your garage floor with an epoxy coating, such as Epoxy Shield from Rust-Oleum can make your garage look better than new. Each kit contains everything you need to coat a one-car garage including cleaner, epoxy coating, decorative paint chips, and even an instructional DVD.

• Start by testing to see if the floor has already been sealed by pouring a few drops of water on it in several spots. If the water beads up, the coating may not adhere properly.
• Test to see if the floor has a moisture problem by taping a two-foot square piece of plastic to the floor for 24 hours. If the area under the plastic is damp, the coating may not adhere properly.
• If your floor passes these tests, clean it using the supplied packet of cleaner and a long-handled scrub brush. Rinse the cleaner off with a hose, and allow the floor to dry. Remove any oil or grease stains with mineral spirits.
• Fill any cracks or holes with concrete repair caulk and allow to set.
• Mix the two-part epoxy coating and apply with a roller within the time specified.
• Allow the floor to cure thoroughly before parking on it.

How to Replace an Outdoor Security Light

Replace your existing yard light with one that has a motion sensor.

• Turn off the power to the light.
• Remove the old fixture.
• Attach a center bracket to the box to accommodate the new fixture.
• Attach the wires to the new fixture with wire nuts. Make sure the fixture is grounded as well.
• Mount the fixture using the rubber gasket for a waterproof seal.
• Set the sensitivity and light duration of the motion sensor.
• Turn the power back on and test light.

How to Install Bifold Closet Doors

Replace hard to use sliding closet doors with bifold doors.

• Remove the old sliding doors, and cut a board to cover the recessed track.
• Find a set of bifold door that fit the opening.
• Attach the track to the top door jamb.
• Mark the location of the floor brackets using a plumb bob.
• Align and screw the floor brackets to the door frame.
• Insert the bottom door pins in the floor brackets and top pins in the track.
• Adjust the fit of the door.
• If desired, attach the aligning brackets to the inside of the doors.
• Paint or stain the doors and attach the knobs.

How to Refinish an Entry Door

Give your front door a facelift by refinishing it and replacing the hardware.

• Remove the hinge pins, and take the door down.
• Place it on padded sawhorses, and remove the old hardware.
• Strip and sand down the door, starting with coarse followed by finer grits of sandpaper.
• Stain the door and apply several coats of exterior polyurethane, or prime and paint it.
• Rehang the door.
• Install new hardware, keying the lock to other doors in the house.

How to Replace a Showerhead

New low-flow showerheads use less than half the water of old models.

• Remove the old showerhead by turning it counter clockwise.
• Wrap Teflon tape around the pipe in a clockwise direction.
• Thread the new showerhead on in a clockwise direction.
• Tighten up the showerhead using a strap wrench to keep from marring the chrome.
• Turn on the showerhead and check for leaks.

How to Tile a Floor

Tiling a floor is a bit more ambitious DIY project.

• Start by leveling the subfloor if needed.
• Tile can be laid directly on concrete, but wood or plywood floors should be covered with cement backer board first.
• Mark the midpoints of each wall, then pop a chalk line on the floor in both directions to locate the center of the room.
• Mix up thin-set adhesive and apply to the center section of the floor with a notched trowel.
• Set and level the tiles in the adhesive, using plastic spacers between them.
• Cut border tile to size with a scoring cutter or wet saw.
• After the adhesive has set, apply grout to the cracks with a rubber float.
• Use a sponge and water to remove any excess grout.
• When the grout has cured, apply a sealer to keep it from staining.

For more information, check out our article on How to Lay a Tile Floor.

Other Tips from This Episode

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Garage doors can be easily damaged by high winds during a hurricane or severe storm. Metal reinforcement kits are available that attach to the concrete slab and framing above the door to provide two additional points of support, or you can make your own garage door reinforcement from 2×4s.

Start by attaching a 2×4 to the concrete floor inside the door using lead shields or concrete screws.

Next, make two sturdy braces from 2×4s by attaching them together into a “T” shape.

Make two support brackets from 2×4s and attach them to the framing above the door.

Secure the braces to the 2×4 on the floor and the brackets above the door using bolts or screws.

Unplug the garage door operator to prevent the door from accidentally opening while the braces are in place.

Further Information

• Boarding Up: Hurricane Storm Panels for Your Home
• Fabric Storm Panels: Hurricane Protection for Your Home
• Plastic Storm Panels for Your Home

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• Plastic Storm Panels for Your Home
• How to Protect Windows from Wind Damage
• How to Make a Desk from an Old Door

I’m always looking around the house for extra storage space. From the basement to the attic, I’ve scoured every square inch searching for spaces that I could convert to storage. However, I learned that sometimes the answer is right in front of you.

A few years ago, my son Chris had run out of shelves for his growing book collection. But his 10’x 12’ room already housed a bunk bed, computer desk, stereo cabinet, two large windows and a closet, so there wasn’t any room for a freestanding bookcase or wall-mounted shelving. Then I stumbled upon a novel idea:

I cut a hole through the end wall of his closet and installed a built-in bookcase. The bookcase is only about 9” deep x 18” wide x 40” high, but its four shelves hold an impressive number of books. And best of all, it doesn’t take up a single square inch of floor space.

I built the bookcase from 1”x 10” pine and used 1/4” plywood for the back. The shelves are set into dadoes routed into the sides. After screwing the bookcase into the hole in the closet wall, I trimmed around it with Colonial casing to give the project a clean, built-in look.

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