Archives: Interior Spaces

Home Improvement Lead Paint Safety

By Todd Fratzel on Painting and Finishing, Safety

Chances are very good that if you enjoy doing home improvement projects you’ve probably been exposed to lead paint at one time or another. Most homes built before 1978 contain some amounts of lead based paints. Homes built prior to 1950 contained paints with even higher levels of lead. That is why lead paint safety…

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TileJax Tile Spacers

By Todd Fratzel on Flooring

Anyone that’s installed ceramic tile before knows that spacing the tile is a crucial element in a beautiful finished project. Traditionally most people either set the tiles by eye (left for the pros) or you buy these little rubber “X” shaped spacers (see photo below). Today I came across this new type of tile spacer…

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Framing A Raked Wall

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Garages

Today I finally got a chance to work on framing the walls that will enclose the stairs to my work shop located in the attic above the garage. The walls for the stairway enclosure are more complicated than traditional framed walls. I will be framing raked walls in order for the walls to follow the…

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Sheathing Interior Garage Walls With Plywood (Updated)

By Todd Fratzel on Garages, Insulation

Sheathing the interior garage walls with plywood is a great alternative to drywall. Let’s face it, garages take some abuse and when I see drywall inside the garage I just cringe. Drywall doesn’t do well when it get’s wet, it certainly won’t do well when you slam something against it and it’s a real pain…

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Recommended Hardwood Floor Installation Tools

By Todd Fratzel on Flooring, Power Tools

DIY Floor Installation Tools Installing hardwood floors is a great DIY project that will add value to your home and save you money at the same time. Most flooring sub-contractors get between $2 and $6 per square foot to install hardwood flooring. That’s just the labor cost not including the cost of the actual wood…

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DIY Tips to Remodel your Bathroom

By Todd Fratzel on Bathrooms

Today’s guest blogger is Sarah Scrafford who writes for International Listings. Bathrooms have come a long way from the utility rooms they were a few years ago. Most people are now looking to create a private space where they can unwind after a long day’s work soaking in a bubble bath with scented candles, music…

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Add Elegance To Your Cabinets with a Few Simple Details

By Todd Fratzel on Cabinetry, Finish Carpentry, Kitchens

Cabinet Moldings Many home owners are installing new cabinets in their homes as a DIY home improvement project. You can add elegance to stock and semi-custom cabinet lines by adding a few simple details. Almost all semi-custom cabinet lines come with a very generous selection of matching moldings. When I designed our new kitchen the…

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How To Mix Self Leveling Underlayment

By Todd Fratzel on Flooring

Today’s guest blog post comes from Fred and Ethan over at One Project Closer. Fred and Ethan have just made a great instructional video on how to properly mix self leveling underlayment that I thought you’d enjoy seeing. We just finished the second area of a radiant heated floor in the basement of our home.…

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