How To: Remove Paint from Plastic

Nothing spoils the satisfaction of a paint job like drips and splatters on plastic surfaces, such as light switch cov...

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Cool Tools: The Gentler Alternative to a Pry Bar

Removing trim is one of the peskiest aspects of a deconstruction job. Rotating through and manipulating various clunk...

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The 3 Best Reasons to Upgrade Your Garage Door

Every time you leave or return home, you can’t help but notice the garage door. But how often do you really look at i...

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Solved! What to Do When Your Air Conditioner Is Leaking Water

Q: My central air conditioning system is leaking water. Any way I can DIY the repair and avoid an expensive repair bi...

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Studio drawers and drawers and drawers

Time for a studio update!  I’ve been building and installing drawers for weeks now (it feels like).  I’ve shared many drawer building tutorials with you already so this post is simply an update on my studio.  It now has lots and lots of drawers.  Seriously.  I showed you the first 8 in my last post when I shared a few drawer material and hardware tips.  It’s taken me this long to install 8 more.  

After that first batch of eight drawers I finally got into a rhythm and started building assembly line style.  

I cut all my drawer side material and then assembled three sides of a bunch of drawers.

Then I cut all the bottom pieces and finished off all those drawers.

I have four cabinets that are exactly the same and I’m putting four drawers in each one so installing the drawer glides is easy.  I cut spacers out of wood scraps and install the top glide first and then work my way down.  I can use the same spacers in all four cabinets.  That speeds up the process a bit because I don’t have to measure and cut new spacers for every cabinet.  But installation is still tedious and tiring.  Leaning into the cabinet to secure the back end of the glides is uncomfortable.

I install the glides in the cabinet, then attach the locking mechanisms and then slide the drawer into place.  (Blum hardware I talked about in last post)

Finish one cabinet and then start again in the next cabinet.

It’s nice when everything goes smoothly.  Periodically I get a drawer where one of the locking mechanisms doesn’t want to catch and then I have to figure out why and fix it.

Getting all the drawers in place isn’t even terribly gratifying because I know I still have two major steps before the drawers are complete; build and paint all the drawer fronts– then install them and the drawer pulls.  These steps are equally time consuming and tedious because of the precision required for inset drawers.

I almost decided to just do overlay in my studio because — it’s a studio.  It won’t be scrutinized like a kitchen would. And it would be so much easier!

Since I’m the designer AND the builder, I have to make sure I’m fairly weighing the desired design against the time/work it will take to create that design.  Sometimes the “I don’t want to have to work that hard” side of me shouts so loudly that I can’t hear what the designer side of me is saying.  That is the point that I have to take a step back and do something else until the negative emotional connection to that project has faded.

I’m committed to making cabinets with inset drawers and doors in this house so I’m not going to wimp out on my studio.  So I have some more work to do!

The post Studio drawers and drawers and drawers appeared first on Sawdust Girl®.

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Garage Safety Tips for National Safety Month

For homeowners, safety and accessibility are a main priority, particularly as it pertains to entry and exit points. Unfortunately, millions of homes are at risk, with 1 in 15 garages and 3 out of 4 gate systems lacking the latest safety features that ensure protection for everyone who comes into contact with garage door openers or automatic gates.

As National Safety Month comes to a close, here’s some tips on keeping one of your home’s more vulnerable entries safe whether you’re on vacation or just running to the store thanks to the people over at LiftMaster:

• Don’t Chance It. Check It.®: For more than 70 percent of homeowners, the garage is the main access point which makes it vital that garage door openers function safely and properly. “At LiftMaster, safety is our top priority,” said John Villanueva, Vice President of marketing at LiftMaster. “To help those at home ensure their operators are working as they should, we developed a simple 3-Step Safety Check that can be done in a matter of minutes and should be conducted throughout the year when checking other home safety devices like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.”

• Ensure devices are up to code: Whether you live or work within a gated community, it is equally important that automatic gates at entry and exit points have the proper safety equipment and are up to date with the latest industry standards, as indicated by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) – a global independent safety science company dedicated to promoting safe living and working environments. To ensure safety around automatic gates, UL standards require that in addition to safety devices such as photo eyes and/or sensing edges, gate operators bearing the UL label must stop working if the safety devices are not functioning properly. So keep your eyes peeled for any malfunction and take the appropriate steps to repair and update your safety devices as soon as possible.

• Installation and maintenance: As both garage door openers and automatic gates are heavy pieces of machinery, professional installation is recommended. While garage door openers can be inspected at home, automatic gates should always be inspected by a safety trained dealer to ensure they are operating properly.

With these helpful tips, homeowners can ensure their garages and automatic gates are safe and functional.

Thanks to Liftmaster for these great tips!

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The Dos and Don'ts of Swimming Pool Maintenance

Nothing says summer like a refreshing swim in the backyard pool. But your swimming pool does need care—and doses of t...

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The Dos and Don’ts of Setting a Fence Post

It's a bona fide do-it-yourself classic: Every summer without fail, legions of homeowners grab their toolbox and head...

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How To: Custom-Build The Ultimate Outdoor Kitchen

Whether you're accustom to hosting the big barbecue or simply enjoy the occasional family dinner from the grill, you'...

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Honeywell Bluetooth Air Purification Unit a Must Have for Allergy Sufferers

For the 50 million Americans that suffer from nasal allergies, warmer temps usually means runny noses, watery eyes, and other irritating symptoms caused by indoor and outdoor allergens.

This includes my little family in the Midwest, so when Honeywell wanted to send their new Bluetooth Smart Air Purifier with HEPA filtration, I jumped at the chance. Between moving into a new (old) house where unknown pets lived previously and being in one of the many high pollen periods in our area, any little bit of relief for me and my kids is a welcome guest.

My first wow moment during unboxing was finding that there are two levels of filters within the unit — two smaller HEPA filters, and then a pre-filter layer between the HEPA filters and the machine’s vent. If there’s a particle to be caught, this thing was surely going to nab it.

Setting up the Bluetooth functionality was super simple — just download the app and follow the prompts to connect the device and adjust your personal settings.

I was able to easily connect, name this particular unit, and set program times as well as use my zip code so the device could recieve real-time updates on common allergen levels via AccuWeather data and automatically adjust the air purifier’s run setting when local allergens are at their worst.

One of my favorite features of the app is the ability to communicate with the air purification unit from anywhere in my house. As I set it up in my kids’ room, being able to turn it on or off while I’m downstairs after their bedtime is just that extra little bit of perfection I seriously appreciate.

After running the unit in their room for about a week, both of my littles were less sniffly and sneezy generally over all — which became even more pronouced when I moved it to my room for a couple of nights and I could literally hear the difference in their morning voices. I slept like a baby with it in my room as it is insanely quiet while running — I was more than a little sad to set it back up in the kids’ room, but with individual unit identification and profiles, I may just have to add another air purification unit to the mix.

Thanks again to Honeywell for the opportunity to breathe a bit easier this allergy season!

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How to Mount a Curved LCD TV Securely to the Wall

As our appetite for larger television screens continues to increase, the issue of how to mount these behemoths becomes more important. The worst case scenario is spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a new television, only to have it unsecured and fall off of a piece of furniture and not only damage itself but anything below it. Here’s how to mount a curved LCD TV safe and securely.

The Plan

Our current setup consists of a 45-inch Toshiba flat panel LCD TV that is mounted on a swing out arm above our Design Within Reach credenza and Sonos Soundbar. The picture is adequate for a 7-year-old TV but we’ve been pining for something slightly larger. When SANUS reached out to us about checking out a new 55-inch Samsung curved LCD TV and their curved television mount, we couldn’t resist.

We’ve been wanting to switch out our DWR credenza for something smaller. It was a holdover from our office space in New York, that fit well in a large loft studio, but not so great in our LA bungalow. We found a West Elm media center that was the perfect size and allowed us to lower the television for a better viewing angle.

Installation

The first step was moving the DWR credenza and setting up our new media cabinet, as well as removing the other TV and mount from the wall. With the new cabinet in place we could properly align and space the location for the television.

The SANUS TV mount is curved and specifically made for installing curved televisions. While they’re other mounts work with curved TVs, this mount allows me to swivel the TV – perfect for getting the immersive experience everyone talks about. The toughest part of the install (which wasn’t hard at all), was determining the height we wanted the TV. Once we figured that out, we mounted the wall plate using a spirit level and four lag bolts.

These bolts need to be attached to wall studs and the mount comes with a handy pin tool for locating the studs. Because we had a previous wall mount we just used that as a reference and counted 16-inches from each side to locate the adjacent studs.

The curved attachment attaches to four anchor points on the television, and then the TV is lifted and mounted onto the wall plate. The Samsung TV is very thin and we had concerns of not being able to access the cables behind it, but the curved sides and rotating mount allowed for enough room.

Once the TV is mounted, you can fine tune the height and level by accessing two adjustment screws located on the top of the mount. This is a great feature to have in case your original mounting location is slightly off-kilter.

Final Design

Our new television looks great in our space and our fears of it being too big were quickly washed away as we enjoyed an episode of Game of Thrones in full gory detail. The slim mount gives the impression that the television is just glued to the wall as there is no visible hardware that detracts from the profile of the television. We do need to hide the cables either behind the wall or use a guide—both of which Sanus has available, but otherwise we are extremely happy with how it all turned out.

The curved mount also makes it possible to turn the television up to 11 degrees in each direction, so a viewer can maintain an ideal position despite not sitting directly in front of the TV.

We’re happy we waited to install both the television and media center at the same time, as they work together to inform the design of the room.

If you are considering a larger television but have fears of mounting it, you can hire a professional, but the better and money-saving choice is to mount it yourself using the proper SANUS mount that is recommended for your TV.

Here’s a great video from Sanus that provides more information and details about using the mount to attach your curved LCD TV to your wall.

 

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Sage Is the Perfect DIY Home Security Solution

We’ve had a chance to spend a couple of weeks with the SAGE by Hughes DIY home security system, and it’s been a game changer for our family. We now have total peace of mind when home and away.

Starting with the initial unboxing and installation of the SAGE home security system, we knew it was different from others. The TV interface was simple to set up and the process of pairing devices was flawless. We were hoping it would perform just as well and we were not disappointed.

Yard Security

Our home is small, but we have a studio in the back yard that we work from. When we close up for the night the studio is locked, and the only other security measure we had is a motion sensing outdoor light.

With door and window sensors from SAGE setup in the office as well as a SAGE outdoor camera in our backyard, we now receive alerts anytime one of these is tripped. We can also instantly view on our camera if there is a real threat and we can call the MyLocal911 straight from the SAGE app to notify local authorities. This is a better option than calling a neighbor to investigate or relying on them to contact the police.

TV Alerts

The mobile alerts are great when we are away from home, but the TV alerts are ideal when we are home in the evening watching our favorite shows. If we had a larger home, it could be even more beneficial as we are alerted of break-ins even if we are distracted by watching TV. A small pop up appears on the screen as an unobtrusive warning.

Privacy

One of the biggest drawbacks for web-connected household products, is privacy and security concerns. Some manufacturers don’t give this a second thought and are selling products that are vulnerable to hacking and snooping on private home networks. SAGE communications from device to hub are always via encrypted links, and the hub supports multiple, backward-compatible wireless security technologies that the most secure modern home networks will have.

Affordability

We started with the SAGE home security kit, but quickly added a few other devices to completely protect our home. Because it is a DIY installation, you save on installer fees, and the SAGE products are relatively inexpensive compared to other systems. There shouldn’t be anything holding you back from building the system you need.

Mobile Alerts

The most important part of this system for us is the mobile app. We want to know the status of our home 24/7 when we are away, and have the ability to make sure the system is armed and ready to go. To use the SAGE app, you just login with the same account you used on their website and you can instantly see all of the devices you’ve setup and what their status is.

There’s no more guessing as to what windows and doors are open or closed, you will know as soon as you open the app.

If you are seeking a home security solution that is easy to set up, provides comprehensive secure monitoring, and won’t break the bank, then check out SAGE by Hughes, we promise you won’t be disappointed.

 

This article is sponsored by SAGE by Hughes who provided product for review, but the opinions expressed are those of Timothy Dahl and Charles and Hudson LLC.

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The Cooling and Heating Option You Haven’t Considered—Yet

It’s astonishing: Technology has revolutionized so many aspects of day-to-day life over the past 50 years, yet home a...

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How To: Drill a Hole in Glass

A lot of crafty DIYers hit the glass ceiling when it comes to the material of the same name. You’d love to create a l...

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Our Trip to Edisto & My Top 5 Beach Must-Haves

Every year we go on a fun family vacation with Chris’ entire family (his parents, three brothers and their families). We either do the mountains or the beach (you can read about previous trips here, here, and here), and this year we went to Edisto Beach, South Carolina—a new-to-us quaint little beach town about an hour outside of Charleston. (P.S. You can also check out my tips for traveling to the beach with babies/kids here.)

Our Trip to Edisto Beach, SC

In years past, we’ve stayed at Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms (which we absolutely love, by the way), but since our family has grown significantly since our last family beach trip—there are now almost 20 of us!—we opted for a place a little farther out. Instead of sharing one large house like we usually do, this time my in-laws got a duplex with 4 bedrooms on each side. Some of our family members’ arrivals were staggered too (one brother left as another arrived), so that helped with the overcrowding issue as well. The place was perfect. And the view of the sunset from our back porch was breathtaking. We saw some of the most beautiful sunsets we had ever seen.

As for Edisto, there isn’t much there, really, but that’s sort of the beauty of it. It’s a quiet, sweet little beach town that happens to be the antithesis of a tourist trap. If you want a peaceful, calm beach vacation, then this is an ideal destination. We did drive into Charleston one day (we couldn’t pass up the chance since it’s one of our favorite cities!). Since there were so many of us (and 10 kids total, including ours), we didn’t venture out much.

All of our boys loved the water. The older boys stayed in the ocean all day jumping over waves and tossing the football with their uncles and cousins, and Jonah alternated between playing in the sand and splashing in the surf.

We pretty much just hung out at the beach most of the time and carried in food or cooked dinner at our beach house, but we did check out Botany Bay, and I highly recommend it!

The beach at Botany Bay is stunning. There are 3 miles of undeveloped beach, complete with stunning dead Oak trees (it’s referred to as “Boneyard Beach”) and gorgeous seashells which you’re not allowed to take. They want the beach to remain as natural as possible.

It appears to be a tradition to place the seashells in the trees, and we even spotted a little shell shrine at one end of the beach.

 

We also took a driving tour of Botany Bay Plantation. It’s a beautiful wildlife preserve with remnants of its history remaining evident throughout. The old Bleak Hall Plantation Ice House was beautiful. It resembled a tiny church, but as you look from the side it has a bit more of an eerie appearance.

There were beautiful fields of sunflowers too.

We also checked out King’s Farm Market—a cute little place in Edisto Island with delicious treats, fresh produce, and beautiful flowers.

If you’re looking for a quiet little beach town in the Southeast, I highly recommend Edisto!

My Top 5 Must-Have Beach Items

Traveling with kids can be a challenge, but here are my top 5 must-have beach items that came in handy and made life easier during our trip.

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Beach Wagon

This collapsible beach wagon was a lifesaver! I’m so glad we decided to buy one before this trip. It was a must for schlepping all of our gear, and all 3 of our boys were able to ride in it too! Our house was a couple of blocks from the beach, so we got plenty of use out of it. (We bought this one from Amazon.)

Beach Canopy

My in-laws brought a cabana/beach canopy similar to this and it was wonderful to have. It provided enough shade for the little ones to play under, and it held up much better than our flimsy beach umbrella. (This one from Amazon is very similar and/or may even be the same one we used.)

Mesh Beach Bag

This thing has been on so many beach trips with us! I love it because we can toss all of our beach toys in it and the sand just gets sifted through the mesh rather than accumulating in the bottom of a regular bag. This one from Amazon is under $5! Can’t beat that price.

Beach Chair with Attachable Umbrella

This attachable umbrella was a new purchase this year, and I love it! We actually bought them for our sons’ flag football games because there is no shade at the football field, but we brought them on this trip too and I’m so glad we did.

Small Inflatable Baby Pool

If you have a baby or a toddler, this is a must! We brought this for Jonah and our nephew, and it helped cool them off while they played. This way we didn’t have to constantly take them to the ocean, but they could be nearby while we sat in chairs or on a blanket and we could just use buckets to fill it with a few inches of water. It worked out really well. We bought this one from Target for under $10. We also packed a small foot pump similar to this one to easily inflate the pool.

So tell me, what are your beach must-haves? And what’s your favorite beach town? I’d love to know! You can also check out snapshots of all of my travels on Instagram (username is @erinspainblog), by following my hashtag #erinspaintravels.

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-Erin

The post Our Trip to Edisto & My Top 5 Beach Must-Haves appeared first on Erin Spain.

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