Home Improvement Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
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9 answers

How can I pour a concrete pad with a circular hole in it?

Essentially, I'd like to put down a concrete pad for a patio, but leave a couple of circular areas within that patio unpaved (for planting shrubs). I'm familiar with the techniques for using dimensional lumber for angular concrete pads, and even…
JohnFx
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What types of tile require a wet tile saw?

I have tiled with all kind of tile in the past. When redoing my kitchen I custom ordered hand painted tiles to match the odd color of the granite. So I only had enough tiles for the project without breaking a single one. So I decided to split the…
allindal
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4 answers

Why do my bulbs glow brighter when the microwave is running?

When I run the microwave oven in my rented apartment, the incandescent lights nearby glow much brighter. What sort of mis-wiring could cause this? EDIT: Suspecting a bad neutral connection, I measured the voltage between hot and neutral at a nearby…
nibot
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1 answer

How can I change the bulb in this three-clawed, ceiling-mounted dome light fixture?

I am having trouble retrieving the light bulb in this fixture: I tried bending the claws to release the dome, but that did not work. I tried twisting the whole fixture many times in either direction, but it did not seem to help to remove the…
Gareth
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5 answers

Can I mix latex paint into concrete

would like to color concrete mix can I use outdoor latex paint to mix in with the concrete?
Susan Buckner
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11
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4 answers

Garage door opener installation - hardwired vs. outlet power?

I'm installing an opener for my garage door, and need to run some new wiring in order to get power to the unit. The unit can be hardwired or plugged into an outlet. I'm leaning toward the outlet option for now since it seems more versatile. Is this…
ajk
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5 answers

What type of ethernet cable do I need for outdoor use?

I want to run about 100 meters of Ethernet cable out my attic and down a drainpipe. The cable will be exposed to the elements, and attached to a gigabit switch (indoors) at both ends. What kind of cable do I need? Can I get a basic Cat5E bulk cable,…
Portman
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3 answers

How do I connect a new cooktop that has no white neutral wire?

My old cooktop which is being replaced connects to a j-box with black, red, white, and bare ground wires, which goes to a 40 amp circuit breaker (US here, noticed this site is popular with Europe too). We just bought a brand-new Bosch cooktop which…
mtjhax
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3 answers

Do I need an egress bedroom window if I have a walk-out exterior door?

I have a basement with three hopper windows and a walk-out door. There's also a staircase that connects the basement with the upper (main) floor of the house. If I build a bedroom, do I need an egress window or is the basement walk-out door acting…
Peter Q
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6 answers

Are bubbles in new exterior paint normal?

Not happy with the new exterior paint job - it bubbled immediately, and the initial recommendation from the contractor was "don't pop them". We gave it time to settle, but the issue still hasn't been resolved. I am so disappointed in the appearance.…
Tara Benson
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11
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7 answers

How do I reduce how much the sun heats up a front room of my house?

My office room is in the front of the house and facing south. It gets hot very fast during hot days (even in spring). It is a fairly small room and I have computers there attributing to heat. There's a small double pane window with cloth blinds.…
Zepplock
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11
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6 answers

Has anyone ever used IdeaPaint?

Someone sent me the link to IdeaPaint which appears to be a paint that turns any surface into a whiteboard. It looks pretty appealing, but I was wondering: Whether anyone here has ever used it and if so whether they are happy with it? What if I…
Zippy
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11
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11 answers

Inconsistent Garage Door Open Remotes

We have a single garage door with an opener and two remotes. We get extremely inconsistent results with both remotes (a change of batteries does not fix). When we leave in the morning and we're right outside the door and want it to close, the remote…
Mike Cole
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11
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3 answers

Why is a neutral wire needed for most 'smart' light switches?

Why do most smart light switches need a neutral wire?
Aaron
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1 answer

Is it worth it to replace old style breakers with GFCI or AFCI breakers?

I have older wiring on my house (2-wire) BX. And while it's all in good condition, and I do check the outlets monthly to make certain it's still grounded, I'm wary of the BX sheathing as the ground. Is it worth it to replace the breakers with GFCI…
Spencer K
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