Repairs & How To

Repairs & How To

How to Get Rid of Ants

Ants are a wonder of nature, but no one wants to see them in their kitchen. Or tunneling through walls. What are the best methods for getting rid of ants?

Repairs & How To

Bathroom Retrofits & Other Plumbing Fixes

Think it’s time to change out old plumbing fixtures for new ones? Not so fast. Restoration may be the smarter, better route.

Repairs & How To

How to Repair Metal Ceilings

Tin-plate or steel, metal ceilings remain popular because they are inexpensive and highly decorative. The only enemy is rust.

Repairs & How To

The Cowling Chair & Other Ball Chairs

A classic of industrial design, the Ball Chair is a swiveling room within a room. These newly-designed Cowling Chairs are an industrial-modern take on that classic design.

Repairs & How To

Shop Tour: Adams Architectural Millwork

We take a behind-the-scenes look at Adams Architectural Millwork.

Repairs & How To

Reclaiming the Attic

Is your house bursting at the seams? Do you long for private office space, a guest retreat, or a kids’ bonus room? The solution might be right over your head: no need to leave the neighborhood, or even put on an addition.

Repairs & How To

Identifying the Best Window Attachments for Your Comfort

Learn the pros and cons of both traditional storm windows and storm window inserts to determine which work best for your home’s windows.

Repairs & How To

Moving Toward Fossil Free

Changing energy markets and evolving technology make it possible to heat, cool, and ventilate homes of any age with (mostly) clean, all-electric power—and less of it. Heating home water, formerly an energy hog, is turning into an energy sipper, too.

Repairs & How To

Caring for Silverplate

Whether the design is Rococo, Aesthetic, or Art Deco, silverplate is collectible—and needs care.

Repairs & How To

DIY Furnished Elegant Bathroom

This elegant bathroom has fixture panels fabricated from parts of a Victorian armoire.

Repairs & How To

Leather Furniture Care & Cleaning

Expert advice on how to keep leather furniture looking its best.

Repairs & How To

Correcting Unsympathetic Add-ons to a Greco-Gothic House

Hidden by overgrown lattice and fencing, its interior filled with odd little rooms and level changes, the Greco–Gothic house retained its charm, but needed rethinking.

Repairs & How To

The Singer Vanity

Learn how to create a Singer vanity.

Repairs & How To

Hanging a Salvaged Door

We’re old hands at hanging the doors we salvage. Years ago, we bought six interior doors that matched originals elsewhere in our 1885 row house. We just installed the last of them for a bathroom closet. Here’s what we’ve learned.

Repairs & How To

Replacing Doors

Is your original front door long gone? Is the entry so altered it’s impossible to tell what used to be there? It happens a lot. The wrong front door muddles the style of the house and hurts curb appeal. Take heart: you can restore what’s gone using salvage, custom replication, or an astute purchase.

Repairs & How To

Shop Tour: Vintage Doors

For more than 30 years, Vintage Doors in Hammond, New York, way up on the St. Lawrence River, has been a national source of handcrafted, solid-wood screen, entry, and interior doors.