What We Did

Small Closet Redo :: Coming out of the Closet on the Coat Closet

Remodeling

There were a lot of small fixes needed for the coat closet next to our kitchen, including framing, insulation, electrical and the floor. In the process I installed cedar v-groove paneling. Read...

by jb bartkowiak

Testing Hardwood Floor Finishes in an Old House (Part 2)

Products

The second floor at least has some wax on it, but applied only over a more original finish. I know this because in multiple locations when water is dripped upon it -...

by jb bartkowiak

Testing Floor Finishes :: Common Household Solvents

Testing Hardwood Floor Finishes in an Old House (Part 1)

Remodeling

A few days later, Jeff hit me back; he had gathered some info from a couple places on the internet. He said, Well, I tried the water test like you suggested, and...

by jb bartkowiak

Installing Window and Door Cap Flashing :: Sealing Out Water on Wood Siding

Remodeling

One of the biggest challenges with saving the original siding on an 1889 farmhouse (well, other than dealing with 13 decades of paint) is ensuring against water entry at the windows and...

by jb bartkowiak

Removing Paint from Copper Counter Flashing

Paint Removal from Copper and Other Uses for Aluminum Foil :: Copper the Near Perfect Building Product

Make-Maintain-Fix

An ode to the near perfect building material, Copper. Plus, incorporating a common household product into a home improvement task. Yes, the Reynold's Wrap I had grabbed slyly from the kitchen counter...

by jb bartkowiak

Removing Rust from Hardware that Cannot Be Removed :: Options

Make-Maintain-Fix

I have worked rusty hinges with either steel wool and/or sandpaper. In extreme cases, I have even loaded up my detail sander and went at it that way. There are a few...

by jb bartkowiak

Paint Removal :: Using a Professional ReFinisher

with pros

So you might have read my rant on hastily painted hardware. We removed the shutters from the building before painting its body. Twenty-four windows on the house proper makes for 48 individual...

by jb bartkowiak

Restoring Hardware :: Common Reasons Hardware is Painted

Make-Maintain-Fix

If you have lived in or worked on an old house, you probably know exactly what I mean. There is almost nothing that is more frustrating than having to work the paint...

by jb bartkowiak

Exterior Restoration and Preservation :: Siding, Paint and Windows

Remodeling

We decided almost immediately that we were not going to remove or cover the near original german clapboard siding. (Did replacing it cross our minds? At that time, honestly, no.) We had...

by jb bartkowiak

Yellow shipping bolts on Frigidaire Affinity

Front Load Washer Vibration :: One Way to Fix the Walk and Dance

Make-Maintain-Fix

My wife ran another load. This time, the machine, at approximately 20 minutes in, shook and shaked and vibrated the floor making its way back toward the wall and then out again....

by jb bartkowiak

Our DIY Laundry Room, Powder Room & Office Remodel :: Before & After

Remodeling

I'll admit -- I still have a little punch out on the electric, some touch up painting, and I do intend to add shelving above the "picture rail" in the powder room....

by jb bartkowiak

Side Venting a Gas Dryer :: Installing a Close Connect Fitting

Remodeling

Any time I make a major purchase, I try to get my hands on the installation instructions long before the fixture goes in. But still I was surprised and taken aback to...

by jb bartkowiak