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Preparing a deck to accept new stain isn’t difficult because the liquid strippers and cleaners do most of the work. However, it’s the one step where some DIYers take shortcuts and that’s a huge mistake. If you fail to strip off all the old water/acrylic base finish, the new finish will fail early. The same applies to taking shortcuts with the cleaning/neutralizing step. Wood cleaner neutralizes the stripper, removes dirt, brightens the wood and opens the wood’s pores so it can more readily absorb the new stain....

With fall well underway, now’s the time to spend a few minutes behind your fertilizer spreader to help your lawn fight back on the harsh realities of winter. What Is Winter Fertilizer? Don’t let the term fool you. Winter fertilizers are applied in the fall in preparation for winter weather. A winter fertilizer, aka fall fertilizer (whatever you want to call it, really), is a great way to feed your lawn one last time before you put it to bed for the year....

Change the oil in your vehicle every 3,000 miles. Generations of drivers took this statement as gospel, and for good reason. Aside from the obvious need to maintain oil at the optimal operating level, what makes frequent oil changes so important? Do today’s vehicles still benefit from that 3,000-mile refresh? What happens when you run old oil in your car? Learn these tips on how to change car oil. What Causes Oil Deterioration At the heart of an internal combustion engine lies a nasty environment....

You’re stuck in traffic on a hot day and the air pouring from the dashboard vents stinks. Not good. Sitting inside a car that smells bad is no better than sitting in a hot, sticky car. Unfortunately, nasty odors from the air conditioner (AC) system are a common problem. Many things can cause air from the vents to have an unpleasant (and unhealthy) odor. Here are the most common causes....

Brought to you by A garage that faces the street (especially a large two- or three-car garage) can take up a lot of visual real estate. If your garage doors are in poor shape, clash with the style of your home or are just uninspired, replacing them can greatly increase your home’s curb appeal. Here are the need-to-know facts about updating your garage doors, covering style, cost and more. Updating your garage doors can enhance your home’s curb appeal, and in the case of attached garages, make your home more secure....

There aren’t many hard and fast rules for which parts of an old house are worth restoring and which are better to replace. Often, it’s more about balancing the house’s character against how much you’re willing to spend to keep that historic flair intact. “You can analyze what is cool about an old home, and usually it comes down to a certain level of craftsmanship you don’t get in today’s homes,” says Neil Stevenson, a Charleston, S....

You love your house. It’s in a great neighborhood with all the features your family needs. Sure, it was built half a century ago, but that’s part of its charm! Still, it would be nicer with a modernized electrical system to better power your appliances and technology. To do that, you’ll need a licensed electrical contractor. We’ll outline what to consider when hiring one so you end up a happy, satisfied homeowner with a properly rewired home....

Our bedrooms are supposed to be our sanctuaries, our respites, the places where we prioritize rest above all else. But they’re also where we read, do crossword puzzles before bed, dress, pack suitcases and perhaps put on a little makeup. All those tasks need different types of lighting to avoid frustration, mistakes or insomnia. Jennifer Johnson, CEO of The Light Center, says studies show we need to pay close attention to our bedroom lighting because it greatly affects our sleep patterns....

Martin Christopher Parker/Shutterstock Almost everyone loves a warm, cozy, crackling fire in the fireplace. While the hearth and mantelpiece are the components we see, the chimney top, which is vital to a successful fire, often goes unnoticed. Although the top of the chimney isn’t often on your mind as you sit in front of a fire, you may have noticed round or octagonal clay “pots” on top of very tall chimneys....

You’ve thought about siding, roofing, landscaping materials and the pros and cons of the various types of driveways. All are important. But have you made plans to install a silt fence? If not, take a step back and do it now — it’s a must for any new home build. Most jurisdictions require silt fences at all construction sites. Without them, you could find yourself dealing with a clogged-up sewer and a mess of sediment pouring into the street....

Shuichi Segawa/Getty Images Identifying Different Kinds of Maple Trees Did you know that there are more than 125 species of maple trees in the world? Most are native to Asia, with just 13 native to the United States. While they share some common traits, maple trees can vary wildly from one species to the next. They can be identified by the bark, leaves and fruit they produce. Here are the six most common types of maple trees in the U....

Your bathroom has a plumbing problem, and you feel confident enough in your DIY dexterity to confront the issue on your own without a professional plumber. Before you get started, we recommend familiarizing yourself with a few important things — like what not to do. The alternative? Risk making a mistake and wind up paying a plumber to do the repair anyway, which will set you back at least $45 per hour depending on where you live and the experience level of the plumber....

Sponsored by Quikrete As a project designer and builder, I’ve constructed a lot of outdoor benches, tables and patio furniture for clients. That’s why I was excited to give Quikrete’s special Countertop Mix a try. I needed to make an outdoor table that would be reminiscent of stone (without the high cost) and have the durability and strength of concrete. The Countertop Mix was just the answer. My customer was more than satisfied with the results....

Stephane Bidouze/Shutterstock Getting Started: Ultimate Backyard Wildlife Habitat If you love attracting birds, there’s a good chance you’re already planting, growing and gardening with them in mind. But with a little time and effort a backyard habitat can benefit so many other species. So what’s the best way to maximize your backyard space for local wildlife? And how do you get more bang for your buck? We have the answers!...

When you start digging in your garden, you’ll first encounter topsoil — dark and full of organic matter, worms and other organisms. As you go farther down, you might reach a lighter-colored sandy layer called the eluvial or “E” soil horizon. Beneath that, there’s one with a lot of clay and iron called subsoil, or “B” soil horizon. Below that, things are likely to get rocky and hard. You’ve now entered the domain of substratum and bedrock....

As winter creeps closer and closer with its piles of snow and cold temperatures, outdoor gatherings naturally tend to get more and more challenging. For those who are reluctant to fully relocate indoors during the winter months, outdoor patio heaters can offer an intriguing solution to the problem of freezing temps. Unfortunately, many patio heaters are large and bulky, taking up precious floor space that a small patio can’t sacrifice. Wall-mounted heaters, on the other hand, are designed to save space while bringing comforting heat....

Family Handyman Plant-in-a-Pot Landscaping Design Ever wish you could reorganize your garden after seeing how the mature plants look? Here’s a clever way to do it. You’ll need a bunch of landscape pots of the same size, so they’ll nest in each other. Put your plants in doubled landscape pots, and then bury them at ground level. Whenever you want a change, lift out the top pot and put in a different one....

Excessive humidity isn’t just uncomfortable. It can cause serious moisture-related issues in your home, along with aggravating allergy and asthma symptoms. Considering these risks, a dehumidifier is a valuable investment for your home and family. As someone who grew up in the South and used dehumidifiers frequently, I know firsthand how effective they can be. My family found ours to be especially useful in the laundry room. We air-dried a lot of clothing there, and it got extremely humid if we didn’t run the dehumidifier....

virachit/Shutterstock Your resolution for the New Year is to get in shape and to do that, you want to upgrade your home exercise equipment. While some items such as free weights, kettle bells and resistance bands generally have long life spans, what do you do with that ’80s-era exercise bike, the clunky elliptical no one will use or the beyond-repair treadmill? Here are four ways to get rid of your old exercise equipment....

If you’re driving down a street in the typical American neighborhood, chances are most of the garage doors you see will look very much alike. There are not a whole lot of ways for a garage door to stand out. All you can really change is the color of the paint or the kind of material used. One alternative garage door that is steadily growing in popularity is glass. Glass garage doors offer a sleek, sophisticated look that can be a perfect complement to a lot of modern styles of architecture — but they’re not for everybody....