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Read the latest articles from Bob Vila (Page 362)

Architecture

17 Parts of Your Home You Never Knew Had Names

Your house is made up of walls, windows, floors, doors... and a bunch of other thingamajigs and whatsits. Here, a slew of architectural mysteries solved!

Tools & Materials

The Best Deck Resurfacers to Refinish Your Outdoor Space

Replacing decking is an expensive and backbreaking endeavor. Breathe new life into that old deck with the best deck resurfacer.

Garden Pests

20 Tips for Keeping All Critters Out of Your Yard and Garden

An enjoyable afternoon spent working in the garden, a lovely evening relaxing in the yard: the exterior of your home provides plenty of opportunities to recharge your batteries while soaking in the great outdoors. Unfortunately, a wide variety of unwanted critters—including insects, rodents, and other trouble-making animals—also are drawn to your yard, and they aren’t there to help with the gardening. These visitors are generally in search of a meal or a home of their own, and they don’t care how much backyard mess and destruction they create in the process. While you’ll never be able to block 100% of outdoor pests, the following tips will help you greatly reduce 20 of the most common uninvited visitors.

Workshop

How To: Apply the Dry Brush Technique

Spruce up your plain wooden furniture with this beautiful, barely there paint finish.

Workshop

The Secret to Sanding Almost Anything—Without All the Dust

The right tools and techniques are all you need to give your walls and wood surfaces a smooth finish—without the worry of a dusty aftermath.

Appliances

How To: Clean an Electric Stove Top

Your stove top shouldn’t reveal forensic evidence of everything you’ve recently cooked. Discover five easy steps to keep your electric range from exposing your culinary spills and missteps.

Repurposing

5 Things to Do with… Old Dishes

Rather than leave your old plates and platters to gather dust in the attic, repurpose them into beautiful objects more useful in today's home.

Walls & Ceilings

How To: Rebuild a Wall with Three-Coat Plaster

A true, traditional three-coat plastering job is the longest-lasting and most faithful way to complete a wall in a period home. At once both an art and a science, this type of plastering is a refined skill that master tradesmen spend years developing and perfecting.

Cleaning

How To: Use a Swiffer to Clean Floors (and So Much More)

Follow these tips to keep your floors—and the rest of your house—sparkling clean. 

Flooring

All You Need to Know About Paper Bag Flooring

Easy yet epic, this week-long DIY project can help you bag the beautiful floor of your dreams—and it’s a bargain, too!

Gardening

The 15 Worst Invasive Plants in America

Many of the most invasive plant species thriving in the United States came from elsewhere—mostly Europe and Asia. While they are often beautiful, these plants spread rapidly in an environment that has not evolved to keep its growth in balance. If left unchecked, invasive species can create devastating changes to both landscapes and ecosystems. Make sure you’re doing your part by not planting any of the species on this list.

Tools

Solved! Does Titanium Rust?

If you’re wondering if titanium can rust, the answer is multilayered. Join us as we discuss titanium’s rust-resistant properties and how it protects itself.

Tools & Materials

The Best Glue for Particle Board Projects

Whether joining two pieces of particle board or adding a veneer to a single piece, the right glue will ensure the job goes as planned.

Landscaping

15 Ways Landscaping Can Save You Money

Don't assume a nice landscape has to break the bank. In fact, a smart landscape design plan can offset other home maintenance costs. See the best landscaping ideas for a gorgeous yard that also saves you money.

Gardening

So, You Want to… Plant an Herb Spiral Garden

An herb spiral garden enables gardeners to grow a greater number of edible plants, and to do so more successfully, than would be possible otherwise.

Garden Pests

The Surprising Benefit of Opossums All Homeowners Should Know About

Forget what you think you know about opossums. They’re not the nasty, trash-eating troublemakers that some folks make them out to be, but remarkable creatures that provide valuable services, including pest control. Learn more about these misunderstood marsupials and how one of their habits can actually be helpful. 

Paint Needs

The Best Paint for Garage Walls

A coat of one of these top interior paints can turn a dreary garage into an inviting work space.

Painting & Finishing

Solved! How Long Does It Take for Paint to Dry?

Painting tasks go a whole lot easier—and yield better results—when you have a handle on dry times. Here, learn the dry times for both oil- and water-based products so all your paint projects can have perfect timing.

Interior Design

11 Modern Kitchen Ideas You’ll Want to Steal

Offset all the madness that unfolds in the kitchen with a sleek and modern design.

Easy DIY Projects

DIY Lite: Make an Herb Garden from Kitchen Recyclables

Bring a little life into your kitchen—and spice up your meals—by building your own vertical herb garden! Check out these easy-to-follow steps to create a stylish and sturdy structure that even a novice can achieve.