Repairs & How To

Problems with plaster, woodwork, pocket doors–find advice here for old-house inspection, repair, and maintenance.

Product of the Week

Products of the Week

Pewabic Pottery

Repairs & How To

How To Prevent Lightning Damage

Prevent lightning damage with lightning rods.

Repairs & How To

Expert Advice: Low VOC Paint

What is it that makes one kind of paint environmentally friendly? And how do the new standards affect performance? We explore low VOC paint and more.

Repairs & How To

Fast Facts on Fasteners

Understanding how fasteners work and how they were traditionally used is the first step to choosing the right one for your carpentry project.

Repairs & How To

How To Rebuild a Victorian Porch

Have you always wanted a Victorian porch with an elaborate balustrade? Here’s how one engineer did it.

Repairs & How To

Underneath What’s Underfoot

The finish flooring is only as good as its underlayment, especially when it comes to tile and resilient floors.

Repairs & How To

Expert Advice: Refinishing Fir Floors

If your home has original fir flooring or woodwork, here’s what you need to know about refinishing it.

Repairs & How To

Wood Floor Finishing Techniques

Two finishing techniques of the past, scraping and filling, help make wood floors look their best today.

Repairs & How To

How To Create Patinas on Hardware

Follow these simple steps to help “youthful” metals grow old gracefully (and quickly).

Repairs & How To

How To Find Replacements for Unusually Shaped Windows

Victorian-era houses came decked out with windows in a variety of curvy shapes. Today, restoring them has gotten a lot easier.

Repairs & How To

How To Restore Sash Windows

Restoring your home’s original sash windows is easier than it seems. We follow a Texas window restorer to get her tricks of the trade.

Repairs & How To

From the Civil War to Nixon, the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company’s maps meticulously documented buildings in thousands of cities. Today, they can be invaluable for uncovering your home’s long-lost historical details.

Repairs & How To

Where To Find Sanborn Maps Online

Searching for a Sanborn map of your neighborhood to aid in your home restoration? Check out these links.

Repairs & How To

Top 10 Restoration Mistakes

Read up on these common renovation don’ts to avoid making them on your house.

Repairs & How To

How To Choose Lighting for Period Homes

The right lighting fixture for your old house is out there—if you know how to find it.

Repairs & How To

How To Remove Rust

Make rusted iron elements as good as new again in 4 simple steps.

Repairs & How To

Battling Wood Rot & Termites With Borate

Borate gets new attention as a less toxic safeguard against wood rot and wood-destroying insects, such as termites.

Print Digital E-Newsletters

2143 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312

Repairs & How To

Product of the Week

West System

Charles P. Rogers Beds

Pewabic Pottery

How To Prevent Lightning Damage

Expert Advice: Low VOC Paint

Fast Facts on Fasteners

How To Rebuild a Victorian Porch

Underneath What’s Underfoot

Expert Advice: Refinishing Fir Floors

Wood Floor Finishing Techniques

How To Create Patinas on Hardware

How To Find Replacements for Unusually Shaped Windows

How To Restore Sash Windows

Mapping Out a Restoration

Where To Find Sanborn Maps Online

Top 10 Restoration Mistakes

How To Choose Lighting for Period Homes

How To Remove Rust

Battling Wood Rot & Termites With Borate