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Peel and stick tile over ceramic tile

Dave Farquhar DIY February 27, 2018May 30, 2023

Can you put peel and stick tile over ceramic tile? You certainly can, but there’s a right and a wrong way to do it. Do it without prep time, and you’ll end up with a floor that looks bad and doesn’t last as long as it could. Prep carefully though, and no one will ever know.

Here’s how to put peel and stick tile over ceramic tile and not regret the results. I’ve seen it done the wrong way, and I’ve done it both the right way and the wrong way myself.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

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Does oven cleaner damage car paint?

Dave Farquhar DIY February 23, 2018September 17, 2023

If you poke around a bit, you’ll frequently find people mentioning oven cleaner as a cheap and easy way to remove unwanted logos, pinstripes, stickers, or other things from car paint. But does oven cleaner damage car paint? And what can you do to make it safe to use to remove unwanted paint and decals?

The answer is yes it can, and to minimize the damage, work slowly and maintain your patience. Here are some tricks for that.

Dave Farquhar

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How to remove rivets with a drill

Dave Farquhar DIY February 21, 2018February 20, 2018

Sometimes in the course of making a modification or a repair, you have to remove a rivet or eyelet so you can disassemble it. By far the easiest way is to drill out the rivet. So here’s how to remove rivets with a drill.

Dave Farquhar

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How to fix loose outlets

Dave Farquhar DIY February 7, 2018March 29, 2023

Loose electrical outlets are annoying. They make it hard to plug stuff in and unplug it again. They cause cover plates to break, and can even cause the outlets themselves to break. In some cases, they are even a safety issue. Here’s how to fix loose outlets.

Sometimes you get lucky and this is a five-minute fix with no supplies. Even when it isn’t, you can fix this in less than 30 minutes using less than $5 worth of supplies in most cases. Sometimes you can fix it with junk you have laying around. And it’s worth doing, as loose outlets can lead to broken cover plates or, worse yet, arcs and burns.

Dave Farquhar

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Hole too big for screw in wall

Dave Farquhar DIY February 1, 2018March 13, 2021

What should you do when you have a hole in the wall that’s too big for the screw you need to use? Fortunately, there are at least four things you can do to fix the problem of a hole too big for screw in wall relatively quickly and easily.

Dave Farquhar

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What are thermal curtains?

Dave Farquhar DIY, Saving money January 29, 2018February 24, 2018

What are thermal curtains? Thermal curtains are thick curtains with multiple layers of fabric and a layer of foam to help block the flow of heat. This helps you save energy, while also having sound dampening effects.

Thermal curtains work similarly to blackout curtains. But since their intended purposes are slightly different, a thermal curtain might have some shortcomings as a blackout curtain, and vice versa. If you want a curtain to do both, make sure it actually states that it does both. Otherwise, I recommend getting dark-colored thermal curtains. A blackout curtain may not block as much heat as you would like. Similarly, a light-colored thermal curtain might let in more light than you like.

Dave Farquhar

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Do light fixtures go bad?

Dave Farquhar DIY January 18, 2018August 31, 2022

Do light fixtures go bad? They shouldn’t, because there isn’t much to them. Here’s why, and what to do when they do go bad in spite of the long odds.

Dave Farquhar

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Is oil conductive? Sometimes, actually

Dave Farquhar DIY, model railroading January 11, 2018December 29, 2017

Is oil conductive? It’s a frequent point of debate among model railroaders. But generally speaking, oil isn’t a very good conductor. That said, oil can be a good conductivity enhancer, even though it’s not a very good conductor on its own.

Here’s how to use oil to improve conductivity in electrical applications. This can work whether you’re talking household current, or low-voltage applications like you find in model railroading.

Dave Farquhar

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How to store Liquid Nails once opened

Dave Farquhar DIY January 9, 2018September 11, 2023

So you buy a tube of Liquid Nails or another construction adhesive and you end up only using a little. What do you do? Here’s how to store Liquid Nails once opened.

This is one of those cheap and simple life hacks that can end up saving you a fair bit of money. Enough to be worthwhile, at least.

Dave Farquhar

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Light switch without ground

Dave Farquhar DIY December 29, 2017September 8, 2023

Will a light switch work with no ground wire? Usually. Does a light switch need to be grounded? Not necessarily. Here’s why you normally want a ground, and what your options are for a light switch without ground.

For a normal light switch, the ground is a safety feature, not necessary for operation. You can leave that screw unconnected if you don’t have a ground wire, or if you have the wire but no screw on the switch, you can ground the switch another way.

Dave Farquhar

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