Install an Under-Sink Water Purifier

Step 1: Disconnect the Water Supply


Below the sink, shut off the cold-water supply to the faucet. Use an adjustable wrench to disconnect and remove the tubing that connects the faucet and supply valve.



Step 2: Connect the Water Filter

The filter is installed between the cold-water supply and the faucet, in the space where the rigid line was removed. Flexible supply-lines are usually included in the filter kit. Use one to connect the water supply to the filter inlet, and the other to connect the faucet tubing to the filter outlet (Image 1).

Wrap all male fittings with Teflon tape to ensure a watertight seal (Image 2).

Compression fittings, also included in the kit, are used to connect the flexible supply lines. Each fitting includes a compression nut, sleeve and ferrule (Image 3). When making a connection, seat the plastic (or brass) ferrule into the male receptacle and hand-tighten the nut. If water leaks from the fitting when you turn on the supply valve, use a wrench to tighten the nut an additional quarter turn.

Connect the flexible supply line from the water filter inlet to the home’s cold water supply (Image 4).

Connect the flex-line from the water filter outlet to the kitchen faucet tubing (Image 5).

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Step 3: Install the Water Filter

Mount the canister to the back wall of the cabinet beneath the sink (Image 1). Make sure the canister is mounted high enough to allow sufficient clearance to remove the canister body when it's time to change the filter (Image 2).

Check and follow the manufacturer's instructions on the recommended frequency for changing the filter

How to Install Laminate Flooring

Step 1: Stack the Laminate Flooring Before Installation


Temperature and humidity can affect flooring planks. Acclimate the flooring in the house for 48 hours before installation. Stack the laminate flooring being used flat on the floor. Remove any plastic wrapping from the boxes and leave air space around each box to allow air to freely circulate around them. Have about 10 percent more flooring than the square feet of area of the room since you'll waste just a little when cutting some pieces.

Step 2: Clean the Subfloor, Remove Base Molding

Clean the subfloor to make sure it's free of any dirt and debris. If installing on top of a new concrete floor wait until the floor is fully cured. Using a pry bar and hammer, carefully remove all base molding (if necessary) and place it out of the way.

Step 3: Install the Vapor Barrier

Start by laying out the vapor barrier one row at a time from the longest wall of the room. When joining two sheets of barrier together, follow the manufacturer's directions. Some manufacturers will have you overlap the vapor barrier and some will have you butt each row against the previous one.

Step 4: Trim the Door Jambs

Lay a piece of flooring flat on the subfloor and up against the door jambs. Use it as a guide to mark the jambs so that the new flooring can slide underneath the jamb. Use a “flat” saw or a coping saw to cut the jambs, making sure to cut parallel to the subfloor. This will give the floor and jamb a nice finished look without having to remove the entire jamb.

Step 5: Install the First Row

For the best appearance, lay planks parallel to the longest wall. Install the first plank with the groove toward the wall. Place 1/2" spacers against the wall and push the first plank up against them. These spaces create an expansion gap so that the floor can "breathe" (expand and contract) and not warp or buckle. This gap will be covered later with base molding. The spacers also allow the floor to have a firm base to install against. Place the spacers about every 12 inches along the wall and at the end of each plank against adjoining walls.

Step 6: Install the Flooring

For each plank, match tongue to groove and tap it into place using a scrap piece of flooring to protect the planks. Make sure the pieces fit snugly together and that there are no gaps along the length of the planks. While installing subsequent rows, stagger the joints of the flooring. When starting a new row, offset it six to eight inches so the joints at the ends of planks are not lined up row to row (which can weaken the floor and create a too-uniform look).

Step 7: Install the Last Plank

The last plank will need to be trimmed to fit. To mark the plank to the correct width place a plank directly over the next to last plank and place another on top of that and slide the top plank until it sits evenly against spacers against the wall. Draw a line along the plank below the top plank along the edge of the top plank. This will mark the width of the gap between the next to the last plank and the wall. Rip cut the plank along this line and install.

Step 8: Install Thresholds and Base Molding

Install any thresholds between the end of the flooring and any open doors where the flooring ends. Thresholds come in different styles to accommodate the kind and height of the flooring the new laminate floor butts up against. Remove the spacers and install base molding to cover the expansion gap.

How to Grow Strawberries

Step 1: Purchase the Plants


There are two main types of strawberry plants: June-bearing and ever-bearing. The first produces one large crop of berries in early summer. The second produces a crop in early summer and then continues to bear fruit sporadically until frost. Strawberries are typically grown from bare-root plants.

Step 2: Prepare the Site

Strawberries grow best in sunny spots with fertile, well-drained soil. Work a generous amount of compost into the garden bed before planting. Using a hoe, form raised rows in the garden spaced about 4' apart.

Step 3: Plant the Strawberries

In early spring, dig small holes every 24" in the rows. Keep the roots in water to avoid drying out during the planting process. Place the strawberry plants in the holes and fan out the roots. Make sure the crown, the portion between the leaves and the roots, is even with the soil surface. Gently firm the soil around the roots, backfill with soil, and water well.

Step 4: Pinch the Blooms

Pinch off any blooms that form during the first growing season. This allows the plant to focus its energy on developing runners. A runner is a shoot that grows out from the main plant and develops into a second plant. This creates a thick, vigorous row of strawberry plants.

Step 5: Cultivate the Strawberries

Give the strawberries 1" to 1-1/2" of water per week. During the first summer, fertilize the strawberries twice using 10-10-10 fertilizer. It is essential to keep the berry patch well weeded. Add a generous layer of mulch to control weeds and conserve moisture.

Step 6: Protect the Plants

To protect the berries from birds, cover the plants with bird netting as soon as the berries start to form. In cold climates, add a thick layer of winter mulch in late fall to protect the plants from freeze damage. In early spring, pull back the mulch from the plants.

Step 7: Harvest the Strawberries

Different strawberry varieties ripen to different colors. The best test is the taste test. If the berries are sweet and juicy, they are ready to pick. For the best quality, pick berries in the morning and refrigerate them as soon as possible.

How to Grow Tomatoes

Step 1: Purchase the Plants


Tomatoes come in two main varieties, heirlooms and hybrids. Heirloom varieties have been cultivated for generations, and are prized for their characteristic shapes, sizes and flavors. Hybrids are genetically bred to be disease resistant and increase yields. While more reliable, the plants are said to produce less flavorful fruits. Popular heirloom varieties include Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter. Popular hybrid varieties include Early Girl and Better Boy.

Step 2: Prepare the Soil

Tomatoes require lots of sun and heat to thrive. Select a site in the garden that receives at least six hours of direct sun per day. Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Work a good amount of organic material and compost into the beds before planting. For an added nutrient boost, add some 10-10-10 fertilizer.

Step 3: Build the Tomato Cages

Using wire snips, cut 60"-tall wire-mesh fencing to a length of 60" for each plant. To turn the wire mesh into a tomato cage, join the ends to form a cylindrical tower. Fasten the cages by connecting the ends to one another with wire. Place mesh cages where you intend to place each tomato plant. Secure by attaching to 6' wooden stakes driven deep into the soil.

Tip: To increase yields, many tomato gardeners add a layer of reflective red plastic, called red mulch, to the surface of the soil before planting.

Step 4: Plant the Tomatoes

Well after the final spring frost date, it is okay to plant the tomato transplants. Snip off the bottom leaves from the plants and set in holes about six inches deeper than where they sat in their pots. Tomatoes have a unique ability to grow new roots from their stems. Water well immediately.

Step 5: Water, Mulch and Feed

Tomatoes require frequent and deep waterings. It is important to maintain a consistent moisture level in order to prevent blossom-end rot, a disease that ruins the fruit. When the soil has had a chance to warm up, lay down a thick layer of mulch around the base of the plants to help conserve moisture. When fruit begins to set, work additional fertilizer into the soil around the base of the plants.

Step 6: Harvest the Tomatoes

When ripe, a tomato will pull easily from the vine. Grab firmly but gently and twist to remove the fruit. Be careful not to break the main stems when harvesting. If a frost is in the forecast, remove all fruit, ripe or not, and store inside to ripen.

How to Install an Easy Heat Floor

Step 1: Dry Fit the Mat

NOTE: Electrical inspection may be required before, during and/or after installation of the Easy Heat mat. Contact your local electrical inspection authority for more information.

After electrical installation is complete, confirm that the mat you have selected is suitable by laying it onto the floor (with the mesh side on the floor) and fitting it into the area to be heated.

If you are not working with a rectangular-shaped floor, you can cut the mesh and support strands to configure the mat to the appropriate shape.
DO NOT CUT THE HEATING CABLE!
Do not space heating cable further apart than recommended, as the floor will not warm to a comfortable temperature in these areas.

TIP: You only need to lay the mat in areas where you will stand; heat will spread throughout the floor.

Step 2: Install Thermostat Sensor

If a floor-sensing thermostat will be used to control the system, install the thermostat sensor wire to ensure it is embedded in the mortar.

Step 3: Attach Mat to Subfloor

With a staple gun, staple down the mat to the subfloor. Be sure to not staple through any of the electrical cords.

Step 4: Apply Mortar and Set Tiles

Cover the complete mat with a uniform scratch coat of mortar that is level with the heating cables. Scratch coat should be level and extend over the entire floor area, including areas not being warmed. The mat strands can be partially exposed. Once the scratch coat is dry, set the tiles in the usual manner.

How to Create a Fabric Headboard

Step 1: Mark and Drill the Plywood


Mark the center point of the plywood and use a yardstick to draw a line across the diagonal with a pencil. Then draw an intersecting diagonal and with a pencil mark the point where the two lines meet . Maintaining the diagonal pattern, mark the entire surface with spots for more buttons, 12" apart. Put on safety glasses. Then use a power drill with a medium bit to drill holes through all the pencil-marked spots.

Step 2: Arrange the Fabric and Batting

Pick a piece of upholstery-weight fabric that is 6" or so longer than the piece of plywood on all sides. Lay it on a sturdy work surface, with the side you want to show facing down. Cut batting a few inches longer than the piece of plywood on all sides. Place it on top of the face-down fabric. Top it with a same-size piece of thin batting foam. Center the drilled plywood on top of the three layers of material -- fabric, batting and batting foam.

Step 3: Attach the Fabric to the Plywood

Pull the foam, batting and material snugly over each corner of the wood and staple it. Do the same to cover the hard edges on the sides of the board.

Step 4: Sew the Buttons Onto the Headboard

Select large buttons, possibly ceramic or antique glass. Secure them to the fabric-covered board with a large needle and upholstery thread: start by threading the needle through the drilled hole on the uncovered side of the plywood. To get the buttons secured tightly on the plywood, lay a finish nail on its side over each of the drilled holes on the back of the plywood. Once you've finished sewing each button, tie the ends to the finish nail. If you want a tufted look, with the buttons recessed in the fabric, twist the nail several times clockwise. This will create tension in the upholstery thread that will pull the button into the cushion-backed fabric.

Step 5: Hang the Headboard

Hang the headboard with mirror hangers equidistant from the center of the headboard. Use the shortest screws that come with the kit -- you don't want the headboard to tilt out from the wall and hit people on the head. Use a level and an anchor if you can't find or don't have a wall stud available.

How to Tile a Kitchen Backsplash

Step 1: Prepare the Substrate

Ensure that the substrate is sound and ready for tiling by screwing, nailing or use construction adhesive to secure drywall, cement board, plywood or other type of backing. Next, tape, plaster, or “mud” the seams on the surface to be tiled for smooth transitions. This is especially important when using sheet tiles of smaller dimensions. Finally, be sure the surface is free of all dust, oils or residues to guarantee a strong adhesive bond.

Step 2: Determine Best Location to Start Tiling

Measure and scope the installation site to determine best location to start tiling. The idea is to hide cuts in corners and under cabinets and leave the full tiles in areas that draw the most attention. You can do this by either drawing level lines or snapping chalk box lines to be used as guidelines, or by relying on the level surface provided by the cabinets or countertops as a guide.

Step 3: Apply Mortar

Begin spreading the glue (mastic) or mortar with the flat side of the trowel to ensure good adhesion.

Next, flip the trowel over to the notched side and double back over the glued area to remove excess adhesive. The notches create a uniform application, which will be flattened as the tile is laid and pressed onto the wall. The size of the trowel’s notches should be determined by the thickness of the tile used. Larger tiles can use a wider notch, but very small tiles should stick with tight notches. The mastic should be applied thoroughly to the wall, but take care not to apply it too thickly, or it will squeeze out between the tiles and may not fully dry.

Step 4: Install Tiles

Begin installing the first tile/sheet by working off of the countertop surface. This will ensure a level installation because the cabinet/countertop surface will have already been leveled during installation. It also allows cut tiles to be hidden under the upper cabinets, where they will remain out of sight.

Step 5: Make Cuts

A dry cutter, wetsaw and/or tile nippers may be used to make cuts to fit around electrical boxes, cabinets or mosaic inlays. Tile saws, while expensive, can be rented at many hardware and tool rental locations for $45 to 70 per day, and they will save you a lot of time and aggrevation in the long run.