The Home Maintenance Idea File provides maintenance and repair information and project support resources. Click article titles to view each article:
Paint-It-Yourselfer's—Learn Valuable Tips From The Pro's
With a little planning and the right materials—homeowners can enjoy highly successful home painting projects without hassle and without breaking the budget.
Dated Or Upgraded ... What Is Your Home's Attitude?
Time was when application of the home improvement notion was sparsely seen in many a dwelling place. Like replacing the garden hose, you put off virtually all improvements until you could afford to have them done properly, or at least until after the ...
What Every Homeowner Should Know About His/Her Roof
Harsh winter weather and inevitable spring storms wreak havoc on roofs, a home's first line of defense against Mother Nature.
How To Build Your "Dream Garage"
Have you ever indulged in honest to goodness home renovation envy? Wished you could even think about a new deck? A classy family room, or ... my gosh, a real garage?
New All-In-One Hardwood Floor Mop ... Shines!
When a hardwood floor mop provides premium, luxurious hardwood floor care for a lifetime, it’s more than a mop—it's a must!
Elegant Hardwood Floors With Safety And Ease
Think hardwood floors are a lot of work? Many busy homeowners want elegant wood floors but have little time available for preserving the life of fine wood.
Survey Probes Rocky Relations Between Homeowners And Contractors
The fall home improvement season will soon be upon us, ushering in the next installment in the ongoing soap opera that homeowners might refer to as "Contractors of Our Lives."
Common Paint Problems And Handy Solutions For Better Curb Appeal
Paint is a valuable ally that can help protect and rejuvenate your home's exterior.
SAFETOUCH™ Fiberglass-Free Insulation Recieves Breakthrough Award
SAFETOUCH won a Breakthrough Award because it solved a long-standing problem for those installing home insulation. Do-it-yourselfers have long avoided installing home ...
Dow Helps Support Habitat for Humanity's 25th Annual ‘Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project’ in Gulf Coast
Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) joins former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, to support Habitat for Humanity's 25th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project (JRCWP) in the Gulf Coast ...
Professional Ladder Series Helps Homeowners Step Up To The DIY Challenge
Contractors aren't the only ladder users enthused by the Contractor JobStation™, a performance rated (Type IAA) fiberglass stepladder ...
Green builders Antimicrobial Effectiveness Of Copper Metals—A Timely Study For Builders And Remodelers
Two studies funded by congressionally appropriated funds will continue clinical trials by the Copper Development Association, to determine the antimicrobial effectiveness ...
All Decked Out!
As the summer season approaches, decks are the living and entertaining space of choice for many homeowners. However, before home-owners pull out that table and umbrella, they should consider re-energizing this space ...
Open The Door To A New Home Décor
From newlyweds and urban singles to second-home owners and empty nesters, home décor and remodeling isn’t just for the pros any more.
New Exterior Trim Makes Great Impression
Whether you are buying a new home or are selling your existing one, first impressions are everything.
The Importance Of Well-Fitting And Well-Maintained Window Screens
Spring rushes in with it share of home improvement challenges just as certainly as certainly as the scent of flowering trees and warm breezes. None more important than ventilation ...
Put Your Walls On A Diet
"Paint color and sheen can influence a person's perception on size and width of a room," Debbie Zimmer, Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute (PQI) paint and color expert says.
Safe "Living" With Your Home Repair Projects
Every family’s home represents a big investment—perhaps the largest of your lifetime.
Imagine A World Without Natural Grass
Imagine a world barren of natural grass; a world where today's front lawns and backyards are no more.
Patio Furniture Shows its True Colors
Wood is a wonderful, versatile material that makes beautiful indoor and patio furniture.
Egress Window Well Systems Provide Safety And Peace Of Mind
Family rooms, kids' playrooms, home offices, bedrooms, and home theaters are just a few popular uses for today's basement living spaces.
Enhance Your Home's Curb Appeal With Stylish, Eco-Friendly Roofing
Imagine your home with an elegant new roof that offers durability and low-maintenance, too.
First Line Of Defense For Small Household Fires
First Control™—a new chemical and water fire suppressant delivery system ...
Not All Ladders Are Created Equal ...
For those certain home improvement projects when two ladders are better, faster, or sturdier than one, or perhaps one leg of the job is simply higher than the other—Werner Ladder has a range of perfect solutions.
Inside ... Outside ... All Around The House: It's Home Improvement Time
Spring always brings its share of surprises. As the snow begins to melt in Northern and Middle Areas, and early flowers ...
New Time-Saving Device For ‘Do-It-Yourselfers’ Promotes Family Leisure
Don’t be stuck with time consuming household projects.
Homeowners Bullish On Home Improvements Despite Current Housing Slump
While the forecast for the real estate market has been pretty stormy in recent months, there seems to be a silver lining when it comes to homeowner outlook.
SHUTTERCOVER TRIM to FIT™ Whole House Attic Fan Cover
Many of you have an open window in your house and don't even know it, the shutters on your whole house attic fan.
Kiss Messy, Black Asphalt Goodbye!
Through the Roof™ clear roof sealant from Sashco solves the problem of ugly, black roof repairs with a permanent seal that’s both tough and beautiful.
Consumers Are "Brushing Up" On Painting Knowledge According To Rohm And Haas Paint Quality Institute
In a recent telephone survey conducted by the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute, consumers shared their personal painting experiences and attitudes for this common do-it-yourself home improvement project.
New — Patented Wireless Remote Controlled Water Security System
A new Wireless Remote Controlled Water System developed by Millennium International Development Corporation can prevent damage to property and can save homeowners water and money.
New Exterior Trim Makes Great Impression
Whether you are buying a new home or are selling your existing one, first impressions are everything.
Building Green With Copper
If you are looking for ways to "green" your next building project, consider the benefits of copper.
Mold In My House? … Confronting The Issue Of Moisture In Homebuilding And Repair
With more than 100,000 species of mold present in- and outdoors, wherever there is standing water or any dampness, it’s no wonder that leading building product manufacturers are making major commitments
Preserving The "Welcome" In Hardwood Floors
"Shine" says it all when you enter a home with elegant wood floors … "taste … permanence, … cleanliness … and downright good looks."
Leave The Mess Behind, Give Your Hardwood Floors An Enduring Facelift With Waterborne Floor Finishing Products
Family health is an up front ’in your face" issue today requiring homeowners to take another look at building, remodeling, and maintenance materials.
New Dimension In Home Attic Ladders Makes Space Exploration Both Popular And Probable
A telescoping attic ladder introduced by Werner Ladder last fall is causing quite a stir among today's home improvement planners.
Easy Steps For Finding A Memorable And Practical Holiday Gift
If you are looking for a great gift that "raises" expectations and has special appeal to the home maker/fixer-upper in your life
How "Green" Is Your Home?
Fresh air and clean water are undeniably the most essential elements necessary to any home environment.
"Go Green" - Save The Environment, Save Money and Save Your Mirrors
No need to dispose of existing frameless mirrors that are showing signs of deterioration around the edges.
A Step Towards Preventing Water Damage Caused By Rainwater Accumulation ... The Easy Way
Rainguard™ Automatic Downspout Extensions is part of an effective and low cost protective maintenance plan to help prevent water damage caused by rainwater accumulation. And it couldn't be easier!
Spring into Exterior Painting – Four Tips from the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute (PQI)
With warm weather just around the corner, soon it will be time to begin those home exterior painting projects.
Mold Coalition Helps Homeowners Control Moisture, Avoid Mold
An Internet search reveals that there are more than 33 million sites one can visit to learn about controlling moisture and mold.
A Fresh Coat Of Paint Can Help Sell Your Home: Four Tips From The Rohm And Haas Paint Quality Institute
An attractive quality paint job imparts the kind of well-maintained appearance to a home that gives it a distinct selling advantage.
Great Interior Painting As Easy As One-Two-Three
Painting can quickly and dramatically transform the appearance of a room, an apartment or an entire home; it's personally rewarding; it's inexpensive; and it's fun.
Paint Color Choices: The Psychological Impact
The words "paint" and "personality" aren't often used together, but they certainly could be. Studies show that paint and room color can have an effect on the body and mind
Comfort Color Trends Promote Stress-Free Room For Living And Relaxing
From spicy color combinations to hues that warm the soul, 2007 color trends contain palettes that work independently as a "statement color" or as a subtle backdrop where home furnishings and accessories take center stage.
Mold Coalition Helps Homeowners Control Moisture, Avoid Mold
An Internet search reveals that there are more than 33 million sites one can visit to learn about controlling moisture and mold.
Five Mold Myths And Facts For Homeowners
In a recent Ducker Worldwide Research survey, 86 percent of homeowners said that mold is a critical issue to them. Among 400 consumers surveyed, 74 percent say they have experienced indoor or outdoor moisture issues in their homes
House Painting Tips: Most Often Asked Questions About Painting
House painting ranks as the most popular do-it-yourself home improvement project. Here are some of the most popular questions about painting, and answers from the experts at Dutch Boy.
Choosing The Right Adhesives For Home Repair And Remodeling Projects
These tips from the adhesives experts at Macco Adhesives can help when choosing and using an adhesive for your next home remodeling or repair project.
New Surface Care Products For The Home
Four new surface care products have been developed to help homeowners clean and maintain their investments in quality hard surface home improvement products.
Improving Attic Ventilation: Shabby Shingles Plus Soggy Insulation Equals Higher Energy Bills
Does your roof show signs of premature deterioration? Is your attic insulation soggy? Are your energy bills going through the roof? If any of these applies to your home, you may have inadequate ventilation in your attic.
Preventive Maintenance Can Keep Your Home Fit
Many people seem to be taking better care of their cars than the homes they live in. According to a survey by the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the leading association for the home inspection profession in the U.S. and Canada, "poor overall maintenance" was rated one of the top five problems most frequently found during pre-purchase home inspections.
Shopping For A New Home? What To Expect From The Home Inspector
In many parts of the country, a pre-purchase evaluation of a home’s condition has become routine, providing buyers with the vital information they need to make a sound purchasing decision. Since the home inspector profession is still relatively young, however, consumers should learn something about it so that they will understand what to expect, and what not to expect, from their chosen home inspector.
Residing With Vinyl Siding Products
Many prudent homeowners are considering residing their home’s with vinyl siding due to its durability, easy care, great looks and high return on investment. Yet older homes can pose an aesthetic problem for vinyl siding installations because they can have wavy, uneven walls which sometimes give ordinary vinyl siding panels a warped look.
Tips For Keeping A Healthier Home
You may have some uninvited guests creeping around your home. And they're not your relatives. They're allergens such as dust mites, animal dander, and molds that reduce the quality of the air in your home and can harm your family's health.
Professional Home Inspectors Play A Vital Role
Professional home inspectors play a vital role in the home buying process, helping to educate and alert consumers to problems or potential problems in a prospective new home. That's why it's so important to choose a home inspector with credentials.
Hardwood Floor Refinishing--Make Old Hardwood Floors Look New
Bona Kemi offers a complete line of easy-to-use hardwood floor refinishing and maintenance products. Bona's Swedish Formula Hardwood Floor Refresher, for example, is a do-it-yourself maintenance coating that can help restore the protective coating on worn polyurethane finished hardwood floors.
Unique Corrosion Resistant Faucets Answer Homeowners' Concerns
Faucet corrosion is unsightly on the outside, but a persistent cause of leaking and dripping as well. Ceramic disks in Gerber’s corrosion resistant faucet cartridge can help solve the problem because they're harder and more durable than the stainless steel or plastic components often used in faucet cartridges.
Choosing A Home Inspector: Standards You Should Look For
Standards governing home inspectors and the home inspection process vary significantly from one state to another. It pays to do your homework to help make sure the home inspector you choose will do a good job.
Preventing Mold and Mildew Growth In New Homes
Mold and mildew prevention is an important point of discussion for new home builders and their contractors. Proper building techniques and materials can help minimize the moisture problems that foster growth of mold and mildew in the home.
Holiday House Cleaning Tips
From stubborn sticker residues to tree sap drippings and more, it seems like Magic American manufactures a specialized cleaning products for nearly every cleaning job in the home.
Easy Furniture Fix-Ups For The Holidays
These simple furniture maintenance tips can help you fix a wobbling chair leg, repair a loose spindle, remove watermarks from a table or address problems with your couch's upholstery.
Lawn Aeration Benefits Run Deep
Periodic lawn aeration is a great way to help you reduce thatch build-up, combat soil compression and otherwise maintain a healthy and attractive lawn.
Winter Home Maintenance Tips
A thorough visual inspection of your home before winter sets in can help you identify and address potential maintenance issues before they become a problem, and a good winter checklist can help.
Woodstove Safety Tips
Woodstoves are becoming increasingly popular as homeowners combat the ever increasing cost of energy. If you're considering a woodstove installation in your home, take time to learn about the potential dangers and what precautions you can take to keep you and your family safe.
Completing Those Fall Home Improvement Projects
Fall is a great time to begin home improvement projects for a variety of reasons. These tips from the NARI explain why.
New Minwax Hardwood Floor Reviver Restores Beauty and Luster
Minwax™ Hardwood Floor Reviver is a clear protective topcoat that homeowners can apply to help restore beauty and luster to scuffed, scratched and dull hardwood floors. Excellent results can be obtained on many floors in one simple application.
Tips For Simple Wiring Repairs
Electrical wiring repairs and maintenace are best left to professionals, but it helps for homeowners to have an understanding of their home's electrical wiring system so they can recognize a potential problem.
How To Break Mold's Grip On Your Home
Mold thrives in certain conditions, and homeowners would be well advised to seek out and eliminate these conditions from their homes to avoid potential mold growth. The same is true for home's already affected by mold growth.
Fall: The Best Time To Rejuvenate Your Lawn
Lawn care and maintenance you do in the fall has a potentially greater impact on your lawn than efforts undertaken at any other time of year, say horticultural experts.
New Extension Ladder Features Integrated Leg Levelers For Added Safety
Who hasn't tried in vain to stabilize an extension ladder on uneven terrain? The laddder experts at Werner Ladder Company have solved the dilemma forever with the recent introduction of an extension ladder that includes a built-in leg leveling system.
New Independent Survey Reveals What Folks Would Rather Do Than Climb A Tall Ladder--With Some Surprising Results
If the thought of climbing a ladder makes you cringe, you're hardly alone. A new survey finds that climbing a ladders rank high on the list of anxiety-boosters. Learn how Werner is addressing these concerns with new ladder products that address some key safety issues for homeowners.
FLIR Introduces New Entry-Level IR Camera For Building Professionals At An Extremely Affordable Price
Moisture intrusion can be disastrous in a home. Yet many leaks are all but impossible to find until it's too late. Learn how infrared thermography cameras are being used to find moisture and other common—but hard to detect_problems in homes.
Restore Natural Beauty And Gloss To Worn Polyurethane-Finished Hardwood Floors
If hardwood floor maintenance seems to be taking up more time than you have to spare, you'll want to check out Bona Kemi's line of hardwood floor maintenance and refinishing products.
Microfiber Cleans Floors And Controls Allergens
Hardwood floors require special care and attention to help maintain the protective coating that preserves the wood beneath. In fact, some homeowners are avoiding maintenance on their hardwood floors in fear of doing more harm than good.
Stamp Out Grubs!
A brown lawn often signals a lack of water, but—if your lawn is getting plenty of water and still going brown—try pulling it out by the roots. Loose roots and browning are signs of a grub problem.
Wood Floor Refinishing Pioneer BonaKemi USA Earns Greenguard Certification
Greenguard Certification is awarded only when products meet stringent guidelines for VOC's and other air quality standards. Bona's Greenguard Certified hardwood floor dust containment system for hardwood floor refinishing, and its low-VOC waterborne hardwood floor finishes are two such examples.
New Extended Reach Power Tools Make Landscape Jobs Easier
Yard maintenanceand landscaping tasks around the home are much easier to accomplish when you have the right tools for each job. New extended reach power tools from Mantis offer new solutions for tough to reach trimming and pruning tasks.
Spring Into Exterior Home Painting And Add Sparkle With A New Coat Of Paint!
New exterior paint on your home can really make a difference in your home's appearance, but paint also serves as an important barrier to the ravages of mother nature. The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute offers these tips to help you get started and keep your home well maintained.
Get Ready For Spring Painting-Five Simple Tips For Hiring A Professional
Thinking of hiring a professional house painter? These tips can help you locate a reputable painting contractor.
Spring Cleaning... There's Something In The Air
If the Spring cleaning ritual is getting you down, a whole home air cleaning system may be just what the doctor ordered.
Maintenance Tips For Hardwood Cabinets
Nothing adds warmth and beauty to a kitchen like hardwood cabinets. Here are some tips on how to care for them, according to the Hardwood Information Center.
Household Traps Capture Insect Pests Without Using Harsh Chemicals
New insect traps from Gardens Alive! make it easy to get rid of pesky insect pests in your home and yard—without having to use harsh or toxic chemicals.
New Website Provides Information About Fighting Mold
For home owners interested in learning more about how to fight mold in their homes, USG Corporation has launched a web site that provides the latest information about controlling mold.
Indoor Air Quality ... The Challenges Today's Homeowners Face
Indoor air quality is important to your comfort and health. Learn how a whole home air cleaning system can help.
Lawns, Water And The Environment
A publication offered by Turfgrass Producers International, titled "Water Right: Conserving Our Water, Preserving Our Environment," explains how homeowners can maintain a beautiful landscape and still conserve water.
Fix Small Wall Cracks Quickly And Easily
Ever notice how small cracks in your home's drywall suddenly look like gaping crevices when company's coming over? Repairing these cracks is not that difficult, and these tips from USG can help.
The Buddy System: A Painter's Best Friend Since The Drop Cloth
Paint touch-ups in your home are easier than ever with The Buddy System. Find out how this unique tool can help you touch up scrapes and dings quickly and easily with no mess.
You Can Minimize The Risk Of Indoor Home Pollutants When Tightening Your Home
It is estimated that Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors. And with studies showing that indoor environments are two to three times more polluted than the outdoors ...
Minimize The Risk Of Mold In Your Home
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York City Health Department, you can minimize the risk of mold in your home by keeping these tips in mind.
Window Sash Replacement Kits
Maintaining the charm and original look of older homes usually means dealing with the problem of old windows. Often older double hung windows don't operate smoothly, won't shut tightly or sometimes won't open at all. Worst of all, they're drafty and inefficient, a problem that's hard to ignore as fall and winter set in.
Carpet Cleaning Tips
Your new carpet has just been installed and it's looking terrific. In fact, it looks so good you're tempted to protect it with plastic runners and assorted carpet scraps strategically placed throughout the house. Well isn't that special!
Tips For Proper Carpet Care
Whether you're still thinking about installing a new carpet or already admiring carpeting that’s just been installed, there are some very important things you need to know and do to protect your new carpet investment. The result of proper carpet care will be longer carpet life, improved aesthetics and a cleaner, safer indoor environment for you and your family.
Replacing Window Screens Is Easy And Inexpensive
Early Spring is a good time to repair or replace window screens. "Besides being a home's first line of defense against flying insects, clean, well kept window screens make a home more attractive," says Peter Miranda, Executive Director of the Insect Screening Weavers Association.
Vinyl Floor Maintenance Tips
The following vinyl floor maintenance tips from Congoleum will help you keep your vinyl floor looking bright, shiny and new.
Spring Home Maintenance: After The Winter, The Repairs!!
About the only good thing that can be said about winter is that it’s over. Okay, that’s a little harsh, but as people welcome the sights and sounds of gentler weather ahead, they realize that the Spring is likely to bring with it a daunting list of home repair and maintenance chores.
Home Maintenance Checklist: Getting And Keeping Home Repairs Under Control
Many homeowners find home repair to be difficult work. Yet for some the job is even harder because they can't decide what needs to be done or where to begin. How can you fix a chronically wet basement, for example, if you don't know where or how the water is coming in?
Easy Hardwood Floor Maintenance
Whether you’ve installed a new prefinished hardwood floor, or refinished a hardwood floor that has been hiding under carpet for years, maintenance of your hardwood floor is an important issue.
|
