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Christmas is just around the corner, and for many households that means decking out your home (inside and out) with your favorite holiday decor. There are countless ways to show your holiday cheer, from massive yard inflatables to modest ornaments. One debate that seems to pop up this time of year, every year, is this: When is it too early to put up Christmas decorations? Some families break out the decorations right after Thanksgiving....

Natalia Shvedova/Shutterstock Wood floors can be beautiful and warm underfoot, and they are relatively easy to care for. However, if you or someone else has accidentally gotten paint on your wood floors, your next DIY project is removing that paint. Learn how to get paint off wood floors by following these trusted tips. What Would Brad Do? We wondered, what does an experienced DIYer do when faced with paint on a hardwood floor....

simpson33/Getty Images Over the last fifteen years or so, broadband internet has become a home utility nearly on the same level as water or electricity. According to Pew Research, around 25 percent of adults in the United States had broadband internet service in their home in 2004. By 2019, that number had skyrocketed all the way up to 73 percent. Today, most broadband internet is marketed as “high speed,” but there’s very little consistency as to what that really means....

In our busy, crazy world, the idea of living off the grid in a cabin might be captivating. There is a certain charm in the notion of disconnecting from the outside world. The trouble is, off-grid life would be isolating without some sort of internet connection. The ability to contact people online better prepares you for emergencies and makes it a whole lot easier to keep in touch with family and friends....

ToeyFatboy/Shutterstock Although technology has brought homeowners huge advantages in improving their homes (like these 50 Top Home Tech Products), I think there’s a lot of untapped wisdom in some of the old home features that have been phased out over time. Some of these inventions brought great use and quite a bit of charm to a home—such as dumbwaiters, picture hanging molds, and these other old home features. But there’s one feature in particular that I wouldn’t mind returning to homes, because it would save many people trips up-and-down the staircase: Laundry chutes!...

Historia/Shutterstock The kitchen is the heart of the home. For cooking and entertaining, it’s a space where magic happens and memories are made. If you live in an old house, you may wonder why your kitchen (arguably the most important room in the house) is so tiny while the pantry is so large you could turn it into a guest room! Long ago, this peculiar design did actually make sense....

There’s no way around it: Wallpaper removal is messy, tedious work. So if you want to change the look of a wallpapered wall, it’s tempting to skip the wallpaper removal and go straight to paint. But is that a good idea? Can You Paint Over Wallpaper? Yes, of course you can. People have been painting over wallpaper for hundreds of years. People will argue that it’s not a good idea, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it....

Ever wish you had an outdoor Christmas tree on your property? I do, and it’s a joy. I had a Norway spruce I used to regularly decorate for Christmas. Eventually, though, the tree outgrew my ladder. Fortunately, I have a much smaller Alberta spruce that should never get too big for me to decorate it. That was the first lesson I learned about growing an outdoor Christmas tree — make sure it’s a species that doesn’t grow too tall....

Ron and Patty Thomas/Getty Images It’s the season of abundance, and while Thanksgiving dinner tends to be the centerpiece to the holiday, there’s also a fun opportunity to reflect gratitude and abundance in your home décor. The fireplace mantel is an especially great place to make a show, owing to its small footprint that nonetheless creates a big impression. Plus, it doesn’t have to break the bank to really shift the look of your room....

Among garden plants, rosemary is an all-around powerhouse. Packed with antioxidants, it’s an essential herb for flavoring meats, vegetables, bread and even cocktails. It’s perennial, hearty and drought-resistant. Its flowers attract bees and hummingbirds, and its pleasant aroma repels mosquitoes. What’s not to love about this pretty, aromatic herbal plant? If you keep rosemary in your garden or as a potted plant on the patio, it may grow so well that you occasionally need to prune it....

Family Handyman Ready to show your home a little love in 2022? We’ll show you how to declutter your home in just five days. Join Family Handyman’s pro-led 5-Day Declutter Challenge starting January 31. Tackle small but persistent trouble spots throughout your home, Monday through Friday, 30 minutes each day. If you’re anything like us, “new year, same old clutter,” may well be your mantra. And you’re craving a reset....

While mold can grow almost anywhere, the basement is one of the most common places homeowners find it. The number one reason mold grows there? Its high potential to accumulate excess moisture. You need to nip that in the bud to prevent mold from growing. According to Andrew James, a mold remediation specialist from IndianapolisRestorationPros, outside moisture that seeps through the foundation and moisture originating from the inside contribute to high levels of humidity in the basement....

You might think you’re stuck with the walls in your home as-is, but there’s a trendy DIY solution that can make an otherwise plain space look expensive. If you’ve ever thought about upgrading your wall with wood trim but felt overwhelmed by the costs of hiring a contractor to give your room a refresh, you’ll want to stop what you’re doing and check out peel-and-stick trim. There’s a lot to know when it comes to traditional interior trim and molding, but this DIY hack requires little knowledge—and little money—to change your wall design....

Many people are looking to get fit from home these days. But fewer people want to buy expensive workout gear and exercise equipment. The good news is there’s no need to buy a single thing when you can transform common household items into workout gear. Here’s how to easily make your own at-home exercise equipment. Transform Any Ball Into Workout Gear Medicine balls (also known as slam balls) are weighted balls that add resistance to crunches, lunges, squats and many other exercises....

Flystock/Shutterstock Left alone, grass has no problem providing its own seed and replenishing itself. A manicured lawn often can’t because repeated mowing chops off most, if not all, of the seeds before they mature. That’s why reseeding your lawn from time to time is important, especially if it gets a lot of wear and tear. Planting fall grass seed is one trick. When You Should Reseed Your Lawn Geography determines the best time to reseed your lawn....

Family Handyman Approved: DeWalt Titanium Pilot Point Drill Bit Set DeWalt brings a lot of value to the table with their new DW1361 drill bit set. I knew these drill bits would do fine in wood, but I really wanted to see how well the larger diameter bits performed in something more difficult — acrylic, aluminum or brass. On This Page The guide point should eliminate the need to drill pilot holes for large diameter bits, which saves a lot of time....

With winter coming, many folks are thinking about energy costs. Most residential heating fuels are more expensive than ever before, and that’s one reason it makes sense to lower your monthly heating bill as much as reasonably possible. There are lots of ideas floating around on how to do this, and one of the most popular is closing heating vents in unused rooms. The idea is that fewer open vents mean less heat demanded from your forced air furnace or heat pump—and a correspondingly lower bill....

Some people look forward to lawn mowing as an opportunity to get exercise and spend time in nature. Other people dread it, and for them, no mow grass sounds like a dream come true. Unfortunately, there’s no type of grass that never needs mowing (except artificial turf), but no mow grass comes close. It thrives with one — maybe two — mowings a year. As you struggle to start your stubborn lawnmower, you may ask yourself, what was that no mow grass I read about?...

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently released its monthly Housing Affordability Index (HAI) report, showing a dramatic decrease in the typical American family’s ability to purchase a new home. The HAI dropped to 102.5, almost 50 points lower than 2021 and the lowest it’s been since 2006, when it bottomed out at 100.5. Here’s a summary of the report. But what do these numbers mean, and how do they affect the average homeowner or buyer?...

Lena_Zajchikova/Getty Images Putting up a fence or wanting to cut down a tree, but don’t know where your rights end and your neighbor’s begins? You need to know where your property line is. Here’s how to find out. The Best Way to Find Your Property Line Whenever you have a dispute or need to know your property line, you should always request a plot plan from city hall. The plot plan is the information on record and will likely be the document realtors and lawyers use when they are called upon....