Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
12
votes
5 answers

Can paint/hardware stores match stain like they do paint?

I know you can take a color sample to a paint store (or some hardware stores) and get them to match it and mix you up a custom batch. Is a similar service provided anywhere for stain? The color charts from the stain manufacturers sometimes help,…
JohnFx
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Why is there 4 inches of metal at on each side of this column?

I have a column in my kitchen. As far as I can tell this is a decorative column, and doesn't contain anything structural -- I live in a high rise, it really cannot contain anything structural. Yet, according to my fancy stud detector, it has metal…
Sargun Dhillon
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5 answers

How do I drill a hole in a shelf without going all the way through?

I need to drill a hole in a shelf that's half an inch deep but I don't want to drill a hole through the shelf. What's the best way of doing that? I have a drill and i was thinking of showing just a half an inch of the drip bit. This way, I can force…
burnt1ce
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5 answers

Why do my new dimmable CFL bulbs hum?

I just spent $100 upgrading our dining room lighting from regular incandescent bulbs with a dimmer switch to a CFL friendly dimmer switch with specifically marked dimming capable CFL bulbs. At full power, they work fine. 5 x 60W equivalent bulbs…
The Evil Greebo
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5 answers

How to fix cracks in lath and plaster?

I have an old house with lath and plaster walls. When I moved in a year ago I fixed dozens of cracks in the plaster with spackling, but many of them have opened back up again. What is the best way to solve this with a more permanent solution?
jdickson
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5 answers

Downsides of Linoleum (in kitchen specifically)

I am thinking of replacing tiled floor in my kitchen with linoleum (in Canada). I see a few benefits to it, 1) easy to wash 2) fallen glassware doesn't always break. However, there seems to be unexplained negative attitude towards linoleums. (At…
pitr
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4 answers

Is it safe to touch the ground contact?

When plugging in a device in the dark, or behind furniture, it's hard to get the contacts aligned. It's tempting to put a finger on the end of a contact, use that finger to find the slot in the recep, and guide the plug in. However, that seems like…
Jay Bazuzi
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8 answers

How can I dog-proof a chain link fence?

I have a dog who has recently discovered that she can squeeze under a portion of the chain-link fence we installed in order to keep her on our property. Is there any effective, but reasonably attractive way I can reinforce the bottom of the fence? …
mootinator
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2 answers

Can disconnected knob-and-tube wiring be left in place?

The house I recently bought (over 100 years old) has had almost all of its wiring replaced with a new elctrical board. However, in two cases the new wiring has been connected to existing knob-and-tube wiring in a junction box, with the ground wire…
Nicholaas de Bruyn
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3 answers

Does a 2100W angle grinder need an earth pin?

I have recently purchased a Makita 2100W angle grinder. It has just the live (L) and neutral (N) connectors unlike the one I previously used, which had a third protected earth (PE) connection. Would it be better if I changed the connections to a 3…
Emmanuel Sillah
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5 answers

Can different gauges of wire be used on the same circuit?

My father-in-law is a builder. He has put in 20 amp and 15 amp breakers, and ran 12-2 as the home runs to the switches and the first plug to make them hot. He then ran 14-2 to feed the rest of the plugs, lights, and ceiling fans. Is it okay that he…
Mikey
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6 answers

Is there really any difference between yellow and white PTFE tape?

Yellow PTFE tape (aka Teflon) is supposed to be used for sealing gas pipe thread, and white PTFE tape, for water. But is there really any difference between them? I had always thought that yellow was specially formulated to resist methane and other…
BillDOe
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5 answers

How can I calculate how large an airconditioner my house needs?

I know there are a lot of possible factors that go into determining the size of the air-conditioning system a house needs. Is there a standard way of calculating what is needed, or do A/C companies each devise their own method? Is there a guide…
retracile
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2 answers

Was it ok to add an outlet on a home run in the attic?

I had the following setup for a room, running on 15A breaker with 12/2 I wanted to add an outlet in the attic above this room so I did this: There was enough slack in the wire, so I added the outlet in a plastic (blue) junction box and outlet…
Matt
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7 answers

How can I sound proof bathroom walls?

I'm trying to figure out the best, least intrusive way of sound proofing the walls of a bathroom. The bathroom shares a wall with my bedroom, and my 3 yea old's bedroom. The main problem is the sound of water running (plus every bump on the counter…
Tim Meers
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