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25 Articles

Yes, It’s All Fun and Games

If you were to tell 7-year-old me that in my middle age I would be spending time in a humongous treehouse, I wouldn’t have believed you. I mean, sure, I’ve heard of “she sheds”—those backyard havens where you can escape with a book and a glass of wine. But a treehouse? Nah. Never. Still, from the moment I moved into my home, fully equipped with a hand-built treehouse in a massive oak tree, I knew that I was going to be regularly hanging out there, Swiss Family Robinson-style. And so would my two teenage boys. We are lured there for the same reason: There’s a certain magic in climbing to a secluded perch in the midst of budding leaves with a far-reaching bird’s-eye view. And, you better believe, it truly is a…

Yes, It’s All Fun and Games

A Multifunctional Garage Workshop

When Brad Allred set out to create his garage workshop, there was one stipulation: “My wife said we still had to fit two cars in it.” A challenge? Yes. Impossible? No, as proved by Allred’s creative use of every corner and wall. He created wooden storage units to fit tools of all shapes and sizes. To avoid circuit breaker issues, he installed 120V circuits to run multiple tools at a time. Most importantly, he made many elements of the shop mobile to wheel out of hiding when needed. Here are a few main takeaways from the project. Wall Hangers “A new, improved version of pegboard made of steel allows me to organize and access my tools. Any wall organizational system is a way to maximize space.” Smaller Tools “Items I use most often like…

A Multifunctional Garage Workshop

Adventure Awaits

A Cyclist’s Best Friend When I first started cycling and mountain biking, I balked at the prices of high-end bike racks and bought one for about $200. That was a $200 mistake: The rack was so finicky it made me dread going for a ride. When it promptly broke, I took the plunge and invested in the Küat Sherpa 2.0. Three years later, I have no regrets. The Sherpa is a popular model due to its middle-of-the-road price, durability and ease of use. If you show up to a triathlon race, you’re likely to see more than a few in the parking lot. The tray-style, hitch-mounted rack carries up to two bikes weighing up to 40 lbs. each. The aluminum rack is surprisingly lightweight on its own, making it easy to install…

Adventure Awaits

Patio Pick-Me-Ups

GET INSPIRED Vacation Destination: Your Patio Summer might have you dreaming of traveling, but you can get that fresh-new-place feeling right at home. Take a cue from these immersive environments that thoughtfully use botanicals, furniture and lighting to set a scene. Whether you use your patio as a private haven or entertaining oasis, it will feel like a getaway.…

Patio Pick-Me-Ups

Outdoor Entertaining Must-Haves

1. Double-duty insulated cooler For mimosa bars or taco bars, this is a go-to. Displayed beverages can be grabbed without digging through ice. Condiment trays keep their chill to take the heat off the food. REVO Dubler Cooler, $160; revocoolers.com 2. Fade-resistant portable umbrella These sturdy canopies block UV rays, while resisting fading, dirt and mildew. Choose from 40-plus colors and patterns. Round Outdoor Market Umbrella, $450; frontgate.com 3. Lantern speaker Bring music and light to any corner of the party. Small but mighty, this has hi-fi surround sound and Bluetooth tech. Uma Sound Lantern, $600; cantoni.com 4. Eco-friendy napkins Skip the paper towel waste and try these reusable cloth napkins—what a perfect way to add a little color to the fun! UNpaper Towels, $38 for a 12-pack; marleysmonsters.com 5. Umbrella drink markers Keep tabs on your drink. Clip…

Outdoor Entertaining Must-Haves

Build a Stone-Top Patio Table

1 CUT THE PARTS To cut identical parts without measuring each one, screw a stop block to a 1×4 base. Position the base and clamp it in place. Use a miter saw to cut the top supports at 45½ degrees. That way, they’ll join tightly at the visible outside corners. Sand the parts before assembly. 2 SCREW AND GLUE THE SHELF SUPPORTS TO THE LEGS The shelf supports and legs must meet at 90 degrees. You can position them with a square, but if you’re building more than one table, you can speed up the job by making an assembly jig. This jig is made from 1×4s screwed to plywood. 3 ATTACH THE TOP SUPPORTS Screw the top supports to the legs. Be sure to countersink the screw heads so the tile top will rest…

Build a Stone-Top Patio Table

7 Tricks to Make Your Next Outdoor Dinner Party Look Expensive

Improve the mood with lighting Hanging lanterns or string lights will create a soft evening glow to create atmosphere as the sun sets. Start neutral, then add pops of color White, ivory or gray tables and chairs set a sophisticated scene. Then add bold touches, like pillows, dishes and napkins in vibrant colors. Be creative with serving displays Use your favorite vase as a stylish cupcake or cocktail display. Any dish will look gourmet if turned upside down and topped with a decorative vessel for the food. Spruce up old furniture Make your well-loved set of table and chairs look brand new by polishing them with a little WD-40 lubricant. You’ll get a smooth, shiny refresh. More ambitious? Try sanding and spray-painting an old kitchen set. Get crafty Instead of buying the usual plastic tablecloth from the dollar store,…

7 Tricks to Make Your Next Outdoor Dinner Party Look Expensive

The Power of Play

What It Takes Time 3-4 days Cost $850 Skill Level Beginner Tools • Assorted drill bits • Circular saw • Drill/driver • Level • Miter saw • Painting/staining supplies • Sanding block • Speed or framing square • Stepladder With its 8 x 10-ft. base and open A-frame, this roomy playhouse is designed to grow alongside the kid in your life and still leave room for all their biggest, boldest ideas. And despite its size, the build is surprisingly manageable. We call for common lumber sizes readily available at home centers, saving you the fuss of complex cuts; two novice DIYers with basic circular and miter saw skills can tackle this project, painting included, in just a couple of weekends. While I’ll guide you step-by-step through the base build and painting, at the end of the day this project is all about creativity. You can easily adjust the…

The Power of Play

Epoxy River Bench

What It Takes Time About 1 week Cost $350+ Skill Level Intermediate Tools 6" orbital polisher with pads, air compressor, angle grinder with wire wheel, brad nailer, caulk gun, chip brush, chisel, clamps, drill and drill bits, drill mixer attachment, foam brush, framing square, handheld torch (or heat gun), large and small plastic buckets with measurements, level, mallet, miter saw, orbital sander with sanding discs, palm router, planer/sander, plastic scraper, plunge router, router bits (45-degree chamfer, ¼" round-over), sawhorses, shop vac, spray bottle, squeegee, table saw, tape measure, tarp, track saw, wire brush You may have seen some impressive epoxy resin projects on social media sites lately. But what tends not to be highlighted is all the careful prep work needed to achieve those amazing results. Here, I’ll walk you through the full process, leaving room for personal touches…

Epoxy River Bench

A Painterly Perspective

When Samantha Pynn decided it was time to look for a new condo, she strolled around her downtown Toronto neighborhood, eyeing up real estate. When she found “the one,” it wasn’t the unit that drew her in. It was the garden. “When I saw hydrangea and dogwood blooms, I knew it was for me,” she says. Her new 1,200-square-foot condo in a 1950s art deco building reflects the luxe-on-abudget style she advocates as co-host of the show Save My Reno, which originated on HGTV Canada and now streams on the At Home with Family Handyman channel. With neutral and timeless furniture, cabinetry and paint, she expresses herself through an ever-changing array of colorful botanical and decorative elements. “I’m really accessory driven,” she asserts. “I’ll swap in new throw pillows, blankets and art,…

A Painterly Perspective

Samantha Pynn’s Flower Arranging Tips

These real-life examples from Pynn’s condo look freshly clipped from the garden. To pull together a nice bouquet of your own, each of her tips comes down to this: Don’t overthink things! • Don’t mix … match Group like-minded flowers—all one type of bloom or color—together in one vessel for a mod look. • Skip the vase Pitchers are a great go-to because the tops are wide enough to allow the flowers to splay but not fall over. • Play with shades Try going tonal with various shades of one color. For example, use a darker plum color and then lighter lilac and lavender. • Make a solid choice Opaque vessels keep focus on the flowers, not ratty stems. • Widen your natural scope If you are not a fan of floral decor, blossoming branches…

Samantha Pynn’s Flower Arranging Tips

Essential Tips for Installing Pavers

Installing pavers is one of the most DIY-friendly projects out there, but there’s still a lot to keep in mind from a safety and quality workmanship perspective. Here’s some guidance to get you started. Buy extra pavers For some patterns and stone types, placing pavers is a bit like working a jigsaw puzzle. In this case, it’s OK to have extra pieces. In fact, it’s helpful. Buy 10% to 15% more than you need so you can pick and choose the stones that fit and have extra for cutting around corners. Prepare the base It may be a lot of work, but don’t skimp on the paver base. It should be 4 to 10 in. of Class V aggregate, or an equivalent angular fill that’s ¾ in. or less in size. Compact the aggregate…

Essential Tips for Installing Pavers

Materials Matter

Concrete Durable and versatile, concrete pavers come in many colors and sizes and are widely available. Use small squares to line a path or larger slabs to cover more ground. Since it is easy to work with, concrete is a perfect choice for a rookie DIYer. Rubber Looking for a durable, sustainable and low-maintenance option? Rubber pavers, such as these bone-shaped tiles from Playsafer, have plenty of give in case someone takes a spill—perfect for families with small children. They’re less expensive than other paver options, and they’re made from recycled rubber, so you can feel good about keeping old tires out of a landfill. Stone Flat, irregular-shaped stones, such as Southwest Boulder & Stone’s Gold Quartzite Flagstones, lend a rustic vibe to backyard gardens, but stone paver choices don’t stop there. Granite, slate, sandstone…

Materials Matter

Get Design-Minded

Circular Whorl Soften your square-paver hardscape with a round design. Start in the center of your project and arrange pavers in a circle as you move outward. Romanstone Hardscapes Circle Paver Kit in Timberwood Blend; romanstone.com Herringbone Named for its resemblance to fish bones, the herringbone pattern offers a timeless yet versatile look. The pavers can be laid at 90- or 45-degree angles. Unilock Copthorne; unilock.com Freeform Stone Slabs Slate and flagstone’s irregular shapes can be sleek and elegant or rough and rustic. Complete your preferred look with landscaping to enhance the effect. Aussietecture Kimba Crazy Paving; aussietecture.com.au Basket Weave The long-side faces of pavers are called sailors or shiners, depending on their orientation. Alternate stacks of sailors and shiners for a basket weave effect. Running Bond This classic design is a breeze to install. Lay one course in…

Get Design-Minded

Paver Care & Maintenance

Low spots? Weed invasion? Loose areas? Here’s what to do when your paver project has seen better days. Seal the deal Sealants keep paver patios and walkways protected against rain, snow, salt and de-icing chemicals. Top off paver joints with sand yearly to keep them locked in tight. Keep them clean Periodically sweep away leaves, sticks and acorns so they don’t break down your pavers or become tripping hazards. Yearly washing with a gentle cleaner, such as dish soap or vinegar, and a deck brush can keep moss and mildew from piling up. Replace cracked pavers Pop out a single paver with a flat screwdriver, then tamp a new one into place with a rubber mallet. You may need to scoop out a little paver sand, or remove more than one paver, to get the new…

Paver Care & Maintenance

Disk Swing Using a Lathe

When people ask me what my favorite shop tool is, I always give the same answer: a wood-turning lathe. Unfortunately, lathes are intimidating for many DIYers—they have a steep learning curve and can require a hefty investment upfront. But here’s the good news: There are several ways to work with a lathe without purchasing one. Woodworking stores often give lessons and offer open studio time, and many wood-turning clubs have lathes available to members. Try it! I promise: Once you start wood turning, you will want to do more. 1 MARK THE CIRCLE Locate the center of your slab and pencil out a circle using a large-scale compass. 2 TRIM THE SLAB With a miter saw, make 45-degree cuts close to the pencil line to eliminate as much wood outside the circle as possible,…

Disk Swing Using a Lathe

Classic Plank Swing

Cut two 22-in. planks from a 1x4 mahogany board and round over all edges using a router fitted with a round-over bit. Cut two 7⅛-in. braces from the same 1x4 material and round over the edges of the braces. On the bottom of each brace, mark screw locations in all four corners, ¾ in. from the top/bottom and sides, and mark two rope holes, 1¼ in. from the top/bottom and 1¾ in. from the sides. Attach the braces to the seat boards with outdoor wood glue, ensuring the outer edges of the braces are flush with the short sides of the seat boards and leaving a⅛-in. gap between the seat boards. Fasten with #8 1¼-in. stainless-steel dual-head screws. Use a ⅝-in. Forstner bit to drill the rope holes. Finish the swing with two…

Classic Plank Swing

Disk Swing Using a Router

1 CUT AND GLUE BOARDS Using exterior-grade wood glue, laminate three ¾ x 11¼ x 11¼-in. square boards, alternating the orientation of the wood grain to create strength. Use clamps to tightly squeeze the layers together. Let the glue dry for 24 hours. 2 MARK THE CIRCLE Draw an 11-in. circle using a large-scale compass or two-point trammel. 3 CUT THE CIRCLE WITH ROUTER ON TRAMMEL ARM With a router attached to a trammel arm, cut the circle. Depending on the depth capacity of your router and the length of the router bit, you may have to cut with a regular straight router bit from both the top and bottom, and then change to a straight router bit with a bearing on the end to continue the same size of circle and remove the wood…

Disk Swing Using a Router

Grilling, Well Done

Gas Grills TAILGATING FAVORITE Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill $259 • Grilling Area: 189 sq. in. If you need a grill for tailgating or camping, Weber’s versatile Q 1200 has you covered. Carry it to your cooking spot or buy a rolling stand that lifts it to waist level while you cook. Fuel the grill with a small disposable liquid-propane cylinder (sold separately) or use an adapter hose to attach a standard 20-lb. canister. PREMIUM FEATURES Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB $1,499 • Grilling Area: 500 sq. in. (plus 260-sq.-in. warming rack and 140-sq.-in. side burner) This backyard monster will rival the oven in your gourmet kitchen. The knobs glow blue or red so you can tell if they’re on, even in the dark, and there are tons of other features to love. Highlights include the rotisserie…

Grilling, Well Done

Pick Your Plank

In plank grilling, food is placed on a wooden board set over indirect heat on a grill, infusing the dish with a deep, wood-smoked flavor. Here’s what to look for in precut planks at the store: • Material: Cedar, hickory and maple are all common plank materials. Think of your favorite proteins, such as hickory-smoked salmon or applewood-smoked bacon. Which flavors do you gravitate toward? If you’re unsure, invest in a variety pack.• Dimensions: You’ll need a larger plank for a full side of salmon than for one fillet. Make sure the plank is large enough to fully contain your food. A plank that’s at least ½ in. thick will withstand a grill’s heat without warping or scorching too quickly.• Safety: Choose planks labeled for food use (avoid treated lumber). Be…

Pick Your Plank

Best Pro Tips • Fix-It Focus • Handy Hints Advice from experts, tips from readers Summer brings backyard barbecues, lazy days by the pool and warm evenings with family and friends. But without the beauty and shade of a canopy of trees, summer’s activities can be unbearable. Family Handyman talked with tree expert Spencer Campbell, manager of the Plant Care Clinic at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, to help you get your trees in tip-top shape for the season. Tree care basics “It’s important to take care of trees because they provide so much to us,” Campbell says. Trees enliven outdoor spaces, provide habitat for wildlife, reduce heating and cooling costs and increase property values. Tree maintenance can be species-and climate-dependent, but these “evergreen” tasks keep trees healthy and happy. WATERING: Regular watering during…

Know the Signs:

“If trees could talk, we’d be in trouble,” Campbell says. “If they could get up and move, we’d be in real trouble.” Monitor your trees once a season for signs of stress, including immature leaves and leaves that turn brown and decay too early; falling branches and branches that cross each other; split or cracked trunks; oozing sap; and discolored bark. Anything that’s outside of the norm for your tree should alert you to potential problems. “You don’t need a horticultural degree to identify these things,” Campbell says. “You just have to be familiar with your tree.”…

Know the Signs:

Q: What’s an easy way to extend the life of my HVAC unit? It’s really easy to clean an air conditioner condenser, and it’s one of the regular maintenance tasks that will make your unit last longer. Aim your garden hose nozzle upward into the top of the condenser coil to remove the crud buildup under the lid. Then work all the way around the coil. Then aim the nozzle down and flush the debris down the coil fins. Finally, adjust the nozzle to a gentler stream and shoot water directly into the coils to flush out any remaining debris. Q: Why is one room of my house hotter than another? How can I fix it? The culprit is usually uneven airflow. Remember: Heat rises naturally. Or it could be an extra-long duct…

Keep Wrenches Organized Tired of searching for the right size or style of wrench in the middle of your project? Try this to keep things organized. First, in order based on their size, thread the wrenches onto an eye bolt. Then attach a wing nut to secure the wrenches in place. —Frank Wright A Sneaky Way to Clean Sandpaper You can clean sandpaper on your power sander quickly, getting it back to nearly new condition, with a simple old sneaker. Start up your power sander and dust collection system, making sure to wear hearing and eye protection. Then, slowly press the rubber sole of an old sneaker along the sandpaper. —Tim Harper Secure Small Parts with a Clamp Bar To safely drill small parts, you need a way to hold them. A clamp bar is a fast…

Sign up for our newsletter! Get our best tips and hints sent to your inbox. Sign up at familyhandyman.com/newsletter. Got a DIY question? Finding the answers is easy at familyhandyman.com. Click on the three bars at the top left of the page and then search your topic for expert step-by-step help with your projects. Got a handy hint or tip for us? To share your original idea with us, submit a copy of your contribution, including photos and/or sketches online at: familyhandyman.com/submissions Or mail to: Family Handyman, 1610 N. 2nd St., Suite 102, Milwaukee, WI 53212 Please include your name, mailing address and email address if you have one, and indicate to which department you are submitting. We reserve the right to publish your submission in any appropriate department, or elsewhere. Contributions will not be acknowledged or…

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