DIY Life

There's been a lot of talk recently about the decline of handiness among the greater American populace (including a great article by our own Francesca Clarke), and to that end Popular Science has compiled a list of 25 skills that everyone should know. As is to be expected, many of the skills reflect our society's increasing reliance on technology (especially dealing with personal computers and networks). Let's take a look at these skills, and see how we (and by we, I mean ME) measure up:

1. Patch a radiator hose - Radiator hose? No. Pantyhose? Yes. Although, I'm sure if you gave me a new one I could replace it without any problems. (0.5 points)

2. Protect your computer - Yes. I never let my computer go to parties without a box of condoms... too many viruses out there. (1 point)

3. Rescue a boater who has capsized - I certified for my lifeguard badge in Boy Scouts, and I swam the English Channel when I was nine, so "yes." (1 point)

4. Frame a wall - It might be a little wavy in places, but I've framed enough walls with my dad that I think I could pull this off. (1 point)

5. Retouch digital photos - Did you see my console TV embedded into the wall picture?! Come on! I should give myself two points, but I don't want to be greedy. (1 point)

I live in a house with five other people. Folks are always coming and going, and they aren't always conscientious about closing the doors behind them, whether to keep air conditioning inside, to keep pets out of some rooms, or just for privacy. Beyond that, some doors just don't stay shut.

I hate blinds. Don't ask me what I like better, because there isn't an answer, I don't know what is better, I just know I hate them. Blinds of all varieties, venetian (who doesn't hate those), vertical, roman (slightly better, but still), cheapo-plastic, mini-blinds, and I think you get the idea.

We have vertical blinds in our home now, and I suppose the thing I vehemently despite and loathe with all my heart is the fact that these dumb blinds always lose the "control rod," you know, that little stick you turn to open the blinds and let the glorious sunshine in. That small piece of the entire blind apparatus is the most frustrating. Why? Because as soon as you get done turning it, and get the blinds slid over to the end where they can be out of the way, right then, it happens, you barely let go and the darn thing falls to the floor. Putting it back is even more frustrating. I must admit that this one item in my home is the one that would incite the most cussing and swearing ever, except I don't swear. Either way it is infuriating.

A simple fix for the devil in this set of blinds is to use a small piece of transparent packing tape and complete the loop of plastic artificially where it was left open by the manufacturer. This simple piece of tape will be nearly unnoticable to guests, and will make sure your blind control rod will never fall off it's hook ever again. I enjoy blissful blind-opening every morning now because of this simple trick. It is amazing how one simple quick-fix can turn your run-down ghetto home into the grand villa in Tuscany. That my friends, is what DIY is all about.

Toolstravaganza marches on, with 23 days left to go. The prizes are gonna get bigger, so stay tuned. Today it's a Makita cordless drill. What's that? You already have a cordless drill? Not like this one. This drill has headlights. Two LED's attached above the trigger so you can see what you're doing, even in crawlspaces and dark rooms. This is a very nice driver drill.

The engineering on this "mere" cordless driver drill is impressive. Eighteen volts with a 1.5 amp hr battery (this thing lasts a while), charges in 15 minutes and manages to provide 450 in./lbs. of torque-- all in a 3/5 lb. package. An ergonomic and pretty snazzy package at that. The batteries can be charged over 1200 times, and the charger contains a fan to prevent damage while charging.

Sound good? Save what you were going to spend on that cheap thing and spend it on some fancy matching Makita work gloves. Enter to win by leaving a comment on this post. Entry period is 5AM-11:59PM on July 22. Full rules on our Toolstravaganza page and after the jump!

Wood flooring is great -- it's attractive, easy to clean, and adds a certain charm that carpet simply can't provide -- but anyone who has lived with older hardwood floors can relate to the frustration of creaky boards, nails that pop up from the floor, and unsightly scratches. Luckily, it doesn't take much to fix these problems and get your floors back to looking (and sounding) like new.

Squeaky floors

Squeaky floors can be caused by several things, ranging from the settling of your house over time, expansion and shrinkage of the wood in varying climates, and / or standard wear and tear from foot traffic. Some solutions are more temporary than others, so you have to ask yourself whether you'd mind if the squeak comes back.