Michael Franco

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A creative director with Reader's Digest for ten years, also formerly serving as site editor for a division of About.com, Michael Franco has spent over a decade covering science, technology, hospitality and home improvement. His writing credits include Angie's List, Good Housekeeping, Consumer Reports, and National Geographic. A graduate of Ithaca College and Manhattanville College, with a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing, Mr. Franco once owned and operated a bed and breakfast in Amish country. Today, he lives and works in Asheville, NC. Michael Franco on LinkedIn | Google +

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FEBRUARY 18, 2014 | TUESDAY
How to Install a Prehung Door

Installing a prehung door tends to be easier and more straightforward than hanging a door that isn’t prehung. While doors can be made in countless different sizes and styles—from modern, ...

FEBRUARY 17, 2014 | MONDAY
New & Notable: 10 High-Tech Gadgets to Make Housework Less Work

Remember Rosie, the congenial (and often hysterical) robot that flitted around the Jetsons' apartment in the sky, keeping things neat and tidy? When the cartoon first aired, in the 1960s,...

FEBRUARY 12, 2014 | WEDNESDAY
Planning Guide: Mudrooms

As the main staging area for arrivals and departures, the mudroom is a much-relied-upon space. If your floor plan doesn't include a mudroom, you can create one by screening or walling in ...

FEBRUARY 4, 2014 | TUESDAY
How To: Install a Dryer Vent

Developed in 19th-century England, the first mechanized clothes dryers were perforated barrels that rotated over flames. Today's appliances are not so very different, at least in principl...

JANUARY 29, 2014 | WEDNESDAY
9 Ways to Dress Up a Room with Molding

Looking for ways to add character and interest to your interior? Use trim and molding! Check out the various ways you can add wall trim to amp up your home's design.

JANUARY 24, 2014 | FRIDAY
8 Easy and Affordable Garage Floor Options

When you think of flooring options for your home, your mind may turn to images of polished hardwood in the dining room, evocative Spanish tile in the kitchen, or classic white hexagonal t...

JANUARY 22, 2014 | WEDNESDAY
Breathe Deep: 5 Ways to Improve Your Home's Air Quality for Better Health

Deep breathing has been shown to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and even improve digestion. But if the air you’re breathing in isn’t as clean as it should be, taking those breaths m...

JANUARY 15, 2014 | WEDNESDAY
Electricians: 5 Reasons Why Home Depot Deserves Another Look

Ever since the first two stores opened in Atlanta, Georgia in 1979, The Home Depot has been a storehouse for the supplies do-it-yourselfers need to undertake home improvement projects—fro...

JANUARY 14, 2014 | TUESDAY
How To: Texture Walls

Learning how to texture walls does more than transform boring-to-look-at surfaces into pitted, peaked, and otherwise visually appealing objects of interest. With any of the numerous techn...

JANUARY 13, 2014 | MONDAY
How to Mount a TV on the Wall

While mounting a TV to a wall isn’t a complicated job, doing it the wrong way carries pretty significant consequences. If you use the wrong hardware or mount the TV in the wrong place, yo...