The Money Pit
Home Improvement Tips, Ideas & Podcasts
We have a 1970’s Ranch style home and are planning to add laminate flooring throughout the home and trying to decide which underlayment would be best. We know we will need a moisture barrier, but there are so many different types, and as many opinions on which is best (felt, foam, cork?). Ideally we would …
Would you recommend the product DRYLOK to stop water leaking through cinder block basement walls in heavy rain storms
After painting I have two partially used cans of latex paint. I know that in storage it will be evaporation of water, benzene, toluene, and formaldehyde which results in paint hardening in 3-5 years. Can the shelf life be improved if all the air in the cans to be stored were replaced with water to …
When planning to start on an old house what would be the first thing to do? The roof and gutters or the inside? I would like to start with the roof and eliminate some water intrusion. My wife and I cannot agree. The house is about 110 years old and does need a lot of …
We have well water which left our bathroom tile covered with rust stains. We did a deep cleaning of the floors and walls using Muriatic acid and are now looking for a sealer to prevent further rust buildup but need to find one that does not make the tiles slippery. Heard you mention a sealer …
What is the name of the product that you recommended for a stripped screw head? It is liquid and only a drop will solve the …
I recently purchased a home where part of the roof is not sloped enough for shingles. My home inspector said that portion was …
I live in Nebraska with extreme heat in the summer and cold in the winter. I have a cement patio that I would like to repaint I …
I’d like to remove the plastic window pane dividers from a steel door. They seem to be factory installed because nothing …
My house was built in 1962. Everything was fine until about 3 years ago. I discovered mold in my basement family room. I hired a …
We purchased a house about 10 years ago and since have found several significant problems. It was inspected as part of the …
My wood siding was damaged the last time it was power washed, so I am hesitant to do this again. It will probably need some …
My house is in Evansville Indiana and was built in 1908. I want to paint our brick fireplace white. I know painting means it …
I painted my daughter’s playground about 2 years ago. The wood part was raw painted red and the plastic was originally …
A GFCI outlet quit working. I replaced it but got wiring wrong. This killed the outlet and the GFCI outlet in a 2nd bathroom, …
In the back corner of our yard we have a lot of standing water. I would like to drain that so the kids can utilize this …
I’m looking into putting central air and heat into my home and I was hoping to get your opinion on mini-split ductless …
I recently completed a huge renovation of my kitchen and living room space which included removing a wall, re-arranging the …
It’s time to redo the tub/shower after 34 years. We built this 3 bedroom Cape as a young family. The children are grown …
We have hardwood floors that began scratching from the first moment the dogs and children began walking on them! They are now …
I recently insulated my garage, and was looking to heat it for two reasons. One to do a few projects and second to heat the …
I have had two (2) copper water piping leaks in my basement that are very expensive to repair with a plumbing company. On one …
I’ve just moved into a new apartment, in a building that’s around a hundred years old. I’ll be asking a lot of …
What is the best way to go about smoothing a painted popcorn ceiling? Scraping it is much too hard, so I guess a skim coat is …
I was excited about trying the vinegar and pennies and followed the directions from your article, but nothing happened. The …
What is the rule of thumb for painting over water stains? I have a two-story house, and my second-floor shower stall developed a …
I’m going to refinish my hardwood floors; what grid sandpaper should I use and what type of coating should I put …
What rating should indoor air filters have? Many intake filters don’t list the MERV rating.
We have probably a 1920’s house, and as you can imagine, the concrete floor has cracks (floor is tiled with old linoleum …
