David L. Farquhar, computer security professional, train hobbyist, and landlord
Peel and stick tiles certainly offer attractive pricing. But you may be wondering, does peel and stick tile last? That’s a wise question to ask, because a floor that costs 38 cents per square foot isn’t much of a bargain if you have to replace it a lot.
I’m a landlord, so I use a lot of peel and stick tile. You might be glad to know that I see a lot of old peel and stick tile too.
Cutting vinyl tile to fit around obstacles can be tricky. It’s easy to end up with an unsightly gap. Here’s how to cut vinyl tile around door jambs and how to cut vinyl tile to fit around a toilet, around a corner, or other obstacles.
With a couple of tricks and a fair bit of patience, you can get nice results.
Sometimes you need to disable a light switch, such as when a light switch turns an outlet on or off and you want to plug something other than a lamp into that outlet. Here’s how to disable a light switch.
The good news is you can do this in such a way that it is completely reversible. If you want to replace the light switch at any point in the future, you will be able to.
Insinkerator is a venerable and popular brand of garbage disposal you can find at at almost any hardware or home improvement store. You can find one at almost any price point you want, whether you want to spend tens of dollars or hundreds. But who makes Insinkerator garbage disposals?
If you don’t do electrical work very often, it can be confusing and can lead to questions. Is the black wire hot? Which wire is hot, black or white?
The first rule is there are no rules. So if you see lots of different colors in an electrical box, you probably need to call an electrician. But if you see three or four colors, you can probably figure it out.
I recently put some FRP in a bathroom to shore up the area around the shower head. If you’re wondering how to cut FRP panels, or you’re just looking for the best way to cut FRP, I have some tips.
FRP isn’t necessarily the most attractive material, but if you need a waterproof material to protect a wall from moisture, it’s probably your cheapest bet. Besides using it inside a shower, I’ve also used it to waterproof a bathroom window that was near a shower to prevent future moisture damage.
Sometimes the locking system on laminate floor fails over time. When this happens, the piece slides around, leaving a big, unslightly gap in the floor. Tearing the floor up and replacing the worn-out pieces takes a lot of time and runs the risk of creating more damage. When this happens, here’s how to easily fix gaps in laminate floor.
You will want to fix these gaps sooner, rather than later. Gaps in laminate floor increase the risk of gouging the individual pieces.
If you need cheap kitchen backsplash ideas, I have one idea that’s cheaper than any of the others I’ve seen: Fiber-Reinforced Plastic, or FRP. With FRP, you can knock out a backsplash with less than $50 worth of materials.
It’s not the best looking material but it’s cheap, easy to work with, and readily available. It will do a good job for you until you can get something better. It’s both cheaper and more durable than many cheap kitchen backsplash ideas I see elsewhere. And since I said ideas, I’ll share one more idea I like a little less, but it’s clever.
If you’re hooking up a gas dryer, or stove, or another appliance that uses natural gas, here’s a valid question: Can Teflon tape be used on gas fittings?
The answer is yes, with a big caveat.
If you’re wondering about a vacancy switch vs occupancy switch, both types of switches have their uses. The basic difference comes down to whether you want the light to turn on when it senses motion and turn itself off after the last time it senses motion, or only turn itself off after the last time it senses motion.