Monthly Archives:

February 2011

Pepper Spray Gun for Personal Security

The non-lethal personal protection industry continues to grow and Mace remains at the forefront of delivering interesting and effective products. Recently Mace has taken gun form factor and turned it into a simple delivery method for pepper spray in…

How An Energy Audit Can Save You Big Bucks

We’ve talked about energy audits before here at C&H–they’re a great option if you want to gauge your home’s energy efficiency. Audits also provide an ideal starting point if you’re planning on making your abode more eco-friendly. Energy audits…

Why Wheatboard Wins In The Green Kitchen

Cabinets are a large part of any kitchen renovation and make up a good portion of the budget. That means when you’re opting for a green reno, getting eco friendly cabinets scores big in the environmental department. What Is…

Painted Hardwood Floors

We’ve talked before about the pros and cons of painting wood trim and brick walls/fireplaces. Although there’s no doubt that a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for the look of the piece, one of the biggest disadvantages…

How Do You Tackle Your DIY To-Do List?

Now that warmer weather is (possibly) on the way (sorry – we’re a little snow-weary here in Kansas CIty!), you may find your DIY list getting even longer with the temptation of warm, sunny days–and more daylight hours–beckoning your…

White Roofs Can Reduce Energy Costs

Painting building roofs white is a movement that’s slowly catching on in big cities. A light-colored roof reflects light, rather than absorbing it, a function that can significantly reduce energy costs. And when air conditioning use is decreased, the…

Lawnmower Safety and Kids

A lawn tractor can be a handy tool to keep your yard looking great. As with any tool, you must respect its power and use caution during operation. For lawn tractors, these precautions are especially critical if children are…

How To Prep Cabinets For Painting

We’ll be honest with you. Painting cabinets is a pretty serious undertaking. If you’re in the market to update your kitchen but don’t want to invest in new cabinets, painting them (and swapping out hardware) is the easiest way…

DIY Inspiration: Pine Plank Ceilings

We follow several DIY bloggers who are all in varying stages of basement renovations. Whether your lower level needs an update or a complete finish, putting some DIY muscle into your basement can do wonders for your home’s square…

Pros And Cons Of Copper Countertops

If you’re hopelessly devoted to trend forecasts, then you may have noticed that warm, rustic materials such as bronze and copper are becoming increasingly popular throughout the home. Faucets and fixtures are one thing, but what about copper countertops?…

How To Navigate A Home Show

Spring will soon be here, and that means it’s prime home show time for much of the country. Whether your city hosts a home show or a combined home and garden event, these expos can be valuable resources of…

Needing Neutrals? Think Gray, Not Beige

Although bright or deep hues can certainly make a statement in any room, there’s no denying the power of neutrals. Besides adding a timeless appeal, choosing a neutral wall color makes it easier for you to change the look…

Tile Removal Tips

Removing tile is right up there with removing wallpaper as one of the more challenging DIY jobs. If you’ve decided it’s time for new tile, you’ll have to remove the old. This process becomes a lot trickier if you…

3 Priorities When Considering Universal Design

The U.S. is in the middle of a boom–or, should we say, a boomer. The nation’s baby boomer generation is now turning 65 in record numbers; nearly 7,000 a day. This generational milestone not only has repercussions on the…

Design-It-Yourself With Unfinished Wood Furniture

Have you ever found yourself spending countless hours online, scouring the usual and unusual sites looking for that perfect piece of furniture? You know, the one that is the right style, size, and color — only to find it…

Restore Wood In Minutes With A Single Product

You’re probably familiar with the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” If you’re talking about materials, especially wood, there’s no reason to discard pieces just because they’ve seen better days. On the flip side, maybe you’ve…

Tips On Setting Your Security Code

In today’s digital world, creating passwords, identifying questions, and security codes are required in nearly every aspect of your daily life. From voicemail to ATMs to security systems, one of the most common forms of security codes are the…

5 Bargains To Look For at a Liquidation Sale

For book lovers, yesterday’s news of Borders’ bankruptcy filing was a sad day. Along with the filing, the bookseller announced it would close 30 percent of its stores, with those locations yet to be determined. Store closings are never…

Problems When Refinishing a Clawfoot Tub, Part One

When we began this venture, we knew it was a gamble. This is our first turn at refinishing a tub, and we knew we might have to settle for less-than-professional results. This was okay by us, because we love…

Home Office Design Makeover

There’s no reason your home office has to reflect the drudgery of bill paying, document filing, and to-do lists. Like any other room, it presents an opportunity to make a statement. And, if you work from home, your business…

DIY Wallpaper Removal Tips

At some point in your DIY career, it’s likely you’re going to have to tackle one of the most arduous of tasks–wallpaper removal. Depending on how the wallpaper was originally adhered to the wall, this can be a relatively…

Try Contact Paper For An Insta-Fix

When we were moving into our house, we very quickly realized that the lack of closet space was greatly slowing down our unpacking. There was one great closet in the smallest bedroom with a very sturdy wooden hang bar…

Toughweld Giveaway: Metabo Hammer Drill

As the saying goes “you need the right tool for the job” and that not only includes the actual tools you use, but also applies to your clothing. This week we’re teaming up with Toughweld Workwear who are offering…

Milwaukee Sliding Utility Knife Review

Milwaukee Tools is well known for their line of ubiquitous power tools including the SAWZALL, drills and fasteners, but they are quickly making a name for themselves in the hand tool market. Hits: Feels great in your hand and…

Cheap Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing

This easy to apply kitchen cabinet refinishing solution from Rust-Oleum will save you time and money and give you fresh looking cabinets to last for years.…

How to Check Your Furnace and Home Heating System

A broken heater or bad insulation can lead to the uncomfortable situation of living in a cold house. If you’re fairly certain your windows and doors are completely shut and air-tight you’ll then need to inspect your home heating…

John Deere 1026R Sub-Compact Tractor Review

Our tour of the John Deere manufacturing facility in Augusta, GA was amazing and testing the latest tractors and riding mowers was definitely the highlight. Our photos and videos from the event have been getting a lot of attention…

John Deere 1023E Sub-Compact Tractor Review

We’ve had a ton of interest in our John Deere tractor articles so we thought we should provide even more detail on their newest utility tractors. We’ll start with the base model from their new 1-series the 1023E sub-compact…

Best Home Improvement Apps

We’ve been sharing our favorite home improvement apps for a few years so we decided to compile them into a helpful guide that is categorized according to your home improvement needs. Many of these apps are available for your…

How To Move and Replace Your Dishwasher

Did you just (finally) invest in a dishwasher? Or has your family upgraded to a fancy new model? Good for you – this is one appliance that is vital to the efficiency of a modern home. Who wants to…

C&H Best Of SURFACES 2011

We recently traveled to Las Vegas for SURFACES, and for 2.5 days were immersed in the world of flooring. This was the first year that SURFACES co-located with StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas, creating a show that focused on both flooring and…

Prepping a Clawfoot Tub For Refinishing

The first step in our great tub refinishing project was prep work — dismantling the tub as much as possible so we could address each issue separately, without potential damage to any other component. Also, clean the everloving bejeebus…

Small Space Solutions: Tiny & Tall Closets

If you’re in the process of a renovation, something that’s likely to come up numerous times is the concept of storage. Namely, creating more. Whether you live in a 200-year-old house or a 20-year-old house, more storage always seems…

Tips for Buying For Sale By Owner (FSBO) Real Estate

If you are a do-it-yourself type when it comes to home improvements, you may want to consider the same when dealing with real estate transactions. A licensed real estate agent is not required during a home transaction although if…

How To Protect Yourself From A Fraudulent Contractor

Now that a much-needed warm-up has been forecasted across a large portion of the U.S., many homeowners will turn their attention to snow and ice removal, especially those who have been hit hard by recent storms. If the task…

How To Remove Wax From a Surfboard

Yes, it’s the middle of winter and if you live in Southern California you can still wear shorts and a t-shirt. You can also surf while wearing a wetsuit and remain relatively comfortable. These days my regular surfing has…

How to Clean a Chimney

Fireplaces have been getting a bad rap lately as they are to blame for pollution, losing heat, and being an overall hazard, but some of us still love the sound, feel and smell of a wood burning fireplace. One…

What To Ask When Refurbishing Vintage Furniture

You hear about it all the time — people finding great vintage or antique pieces of furniture on Craigslist or from their great-great-aunt’s basement or even on the curb, throwing in a little elbow grease, and voila, they have…

Ryobi TEK4 Batteries and Chargers

Ryobi is banking on their lineup of consumer focused TEK4 tools and the batteries that power them. They’ve diverged from the typical uses of power tool batteries and have branched out to create a convenient mobile phone/device charger that…

Justin Bieber Headphones and iPhone/iPod Covers

Last year Justin Bieber blew up and unless you live under a rock you’ve at least heard of him. That fact didn’t get past some exhibitors at CES this year and we thought we’d share only two of the…

How To Install a Light Dimmer Switch

When your lights are controlled by a dimmer switch, they utilize less electricity when you have dimmed the lights. In the long term, this will reduce your consumption of electricity which in turn lowers your electric bill. Changing out…

Evaluating Our Antique Clawfoot Tub

Now that we had our antique, cast iron, claw foot tub Clementine finally in our home after three years of storage, it was time to give her a good once over to see what was required to get her…

Cork Floors Are A Versatile, Eco-Friendly Choice

We’ve already talked briefly about cork floors here at C&H. They’re an especially good option for your kitchen because they provide a softer, more shock absorbent surface that’s ideal if you find yourself standing for long periods of time.…

Outdoor Security Lighting Has Evolved

The NightWatcher is an outdoor security lighting system that separates itself from the pack of other security lighting systems because it not only turns on when it sense motion, but it will also track an intruders motion within it’s…