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Sponsored by Vinyl Siding Institute I worked in the siding business for more than 15 years. I once installed siding on 90 houses in one year, with only a three-man crew! Granted, that was when I had a whole lot more drive and a whole lot less around the midsection. During my last few years in the business, my great state of Minnesota had a low-interest-loan program for energy-saving home improvement projects and we installed a ton of insulated siding....

More than one million breaker boxes have been recalled in the U.S. and Canada because of a fire hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced June 16. Schneider Electric recalled the Square D QO Plug-on-Neutral Load Centers due to the load center overheating, posing the threat of “thermal burn and fire hazards,” according to the company’s press release. One “incident of a loose wire” has been reported with no injuries, the CPSC release said....

At the turn of the 20th century, plaster was the most popular interior wall covering in North America, and it remained so for the next several decades. But things have changed since then. Drywall, first introduced in 1916 by United States Gypsum (USG), has largely replaced plaster. Most of the dwindling number of homes with plaster walls were built before 1940. The benefits of drywall, including its lower cost, ease of installation and resilience, were finally recognized by the home trades during the war years and the post-war home boom....

Family Handyman I was tired of trying to figure out which toolbox drawer had the tool I was looking for, so I decided to make some toolbox labels. I bought magnetic business cards at an office supply store. They around $25 for a pack of 250. I peeled the film off the front, stuck a piece of card stock on top of it (old business cards work great) and labeled each drawer....

via Keter A quality outdoor storage box is ideal for quickly and efficiently storing patio, garden, grill and other outdoor items to which you want easy access. The Keter Westwood Outdoor Storage Deck Box is the prime choice for a variety of reasons. Short of space on your deck? Check out these fabulous space-saving patio storage solutions. Assemble this easy-to-build storage locker for your outdoor equipment. Check out these tips for tidy outdoor storage....

Check (and change) your coolant Driving on worn-out coolant is a bad idea all year-round, but it’s especially bad in winter. Worn coolant can freeze and destroy your engine. You can test its freeze protection level with an inexpensive gauge (less than $10) from any auto parts store. But there’s more to coolant than just freeze protection. Fresh coolant prevents corrosion damage to your heater core, radiator and water pump....

Water-Based vs. Oil-Based Polyurethane Water-based and oil-based polyurethane each offer good protection; the biggest difference is in appearance. Polyurethane is actually the most durable hardwood floor finish. On This Page There’s debate over which finish is harder, but some experts maintain that hardness isn’t necessarily a good attribute of a floor finish. You want a finish that will flex along with the floor. And a super-hard finish shows scratches more readily....

Cooking on a discada — a.k.a. disco, BBQ disk, cowboy wok, plow disk cooker or disc grill, depending on where you encounter it — is a growing trend spreading from the southwest and Mexico throughout North America. “The mystique is that you are cooking on a farming implement. These are disc blades used to turn the soil,” says Chuck Peyton, founder of Blue Moon Disk Co. “You’re cooking on raw steel, and not fancy cast iron or Teflon or specialty coated cookware....

Who doesn’t love garlic? The humble root vegetable packs a major punch of flavor, spice, and depth to just about any savory dish. So, it’s no wonder home cooks and gardeners are also showing interest in its supersized cousin, elephant garlic. Here’s everything you need to know about this zippy vegetable, including how to grow it yourself. What Is Elephant Garlic? Think of elephant garlic as a cross between regular garlic and a leek....

Indoor mold growth is never a good thing, but some molds are more dangerous than others. Learning to identify common household molds and the health problems they cause can help shed light on symptoms you or a loved one may experience. One group of molds that definitely shouldn’t be ignored is Alternaria. Learn about this group of molds, the problems they cause and how to eliminate them. What Is Alternaria Mold?...

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that comes from fireplaces, furnaces and portable generators, as well as other devices that involve combustion. This gas is deadly and impossible for humans to detect without help. More than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning each year, according to the CDC. Consequently, having a carbon monoxide detector in your home is of utmost importance. Here’s the best place to install a carbon monoxide detector in your home....

On crisp, winter mornings, it can be difficult to sleep in at my house with all the noise from the birds around my feeders. From the tweets and twitters of timid chickadees to the rambunctious yaks of Stellar’s jays, there’s never a dull bird-watching moment. If you’re having trouble waking up in the morning, getting a bird feeder is a great remedy. Here’s how to choose a good one. What Is a Sunflower Seed Feeder?...

Virtually all spiders produce some level of venom. However, of the roughly 45,000 named species of arachnids in the world, only a handful bite. And of those that do, fewer inject a concentrated poison strong enough to be life-threatening. For the majority of household and garden-variety spiders, nips are unusual, often occurring in self-defense. They typically cause only mild reactions such as: Itching or rash; Pain radiating from site of bite; Reddish to purplish color or blister....

Since the onset of the global pandemic, many people have seen a rise in their utility bills. According to one recent report, 39 percent of people worldwide say their utility bills are up since COVID-19 quarantining began. It would be tempting to pin any increases you’ve seen directly on COVID-19. But in truth, there are likely other factors at play. Read on for a clearer picture of the increases you may be experiencing, and learn some tips to counteract them....

The Family Handyman expert, Wade Sides, shows you how to cut custom ceiling tiles and shadow lines along the wall. Steps for Cutting Ceiling Tiles Measure each tile to cut one at a time. To correctly size tiles against a wall, measure from the wall to the edge of the cross T. On This Page Score the width of the tile with the end of a tape measure. Do this by putting the measurement you want to cut along one side of the tile....

Mole critics satisfy an insatiable appetite for tender grass roots and shoots by tunneling under turf, wreaking havoc on lawns across the southeastern U.S. each year. “Small tunnels appearing near the surface of your soil or a spongy feel to your lawn may be symptoms of mole crickets,” says Drew Wagner, chief technical officer for Sod Solutions. “Grass will eventually turn brown and die in these areas.” Although you may begin to notice signs of mole cricket infestation in early spring, these pesky critters are most active — and destructive — in late August to October....

In late 2019, a hacker gained access to a family’s Ring smart camera and used it to encourage an eight-year-old girl to get into trouble. The FBI has also warned that hackers can do a “virtual drive-by” of your digital life by accessing unsecured smart devices. It’s clear homeowners need to be diligent when it comes to protecting their smart home from attack. To better understand how hackers gain access to our smart devices, we asked Alan Grau, vice president of Internet of Things (IoT) for Sectigo, a provider of web security and automated public key infrastructure (PKI) management solutions, to share how devices can be compromised....

Walking into a dark or unfamiliar room can be disorienting. Our hands instinctively go to the nearest wall, searching for a light switch. We snap it on, and instantly the room feels familiar again. Light provides safety and comfort while saving us from banging into coffee tables. If you flip a switch and nothing happens, don’t panic. Here are a few things you can try before calling in an electrician....

Old siding isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can give a home character, especially if it’s vintage material like natural cedar. There comes a point, however, when you cross the line between “worn” and “worn-out,” and the siding becomes an aesthetic liability. In those circumstances, it probably isn’t performing well against the elements, either. Worn-out siding might have gaps and cracks, creating drafts and allowing pests and water into the framing....

Thin vs. Thick Vinyl Flooring Vinyl plank flooring costs anywhere from $1.69 to $3.19 per square foot. More expensive flooring is usually thicker and sometimes more attractive, but we wondered if it’s more durable. To find out, we bought the most expensive option and the cheapest at a local home center, then did some tests. Family Handyman If your vinyl flooring needs some help, you can fix small tears, burns and gouges in a vinyl floor in less than 30 minutes....