Hot Furniture & Woodworking Posts

How To: Install a built-up crown molding

Installing molding in your home, is a great way to add character and elegance for an inexpensive price. Whether it's base or crown molding, it's a great option for your home and a good way to help bring up the value of it as well. In this video tutorial, discover what it takes to install built-up crown molding in your home. It's a project that will require two or more people and can easily take a day or two depending on experience. So good luck and enjoy! Install a built-up crown molding.

How To: Build a fireplace mantel from scratch

If you have a bare fireplace in your home, it can sometimes look unfinished and boring. Installing shelves or a new layer of brick or stone can help the cause. But a mantel can do so much to a fireplace as well. In this tutorial, you'll discover how to build a mantel from scratch. It's a great way to add character to not only your fireplace, but to your home as well. It's project that can take a day or two to complete depending on your level of expertise. So good luck and enjoy! Build a firep...

How To: Make a custom built-in entertainment center

If you're looking to make use of some extra space in your home, this tutorial may be the answer. This video focuses on making a custom built-in entertainment center. It's a task that can take two or three days to complete, depending on time and skill. Once completed, though, it gives you a great amount of storage and space to put all your entertainment needs. Enjoy! Make a custom built-in entertainment center.

How To: Build your own picture frame from scratch

This tutorial shows you how to build your own picture frame from scratch. It's a grea tutorial for those interested in saving some money for a high-end frame or for those interested in expanding their woodskills. This tutorial has great insight and tips for making a great looking frame. Sit back and enjoy! Build your own picture frame from scratch.

How To: Install a wood handrail in your home

If you've recently bought a home or currently reside in one with stairs, handrails are an important way of ensuring you and your family's safety. If you are looking to add a handrail on the opposite side of the wall, this tutorial will give you the necessary steps and tools needed for the project. It's an moderatley difficult task that takes time, but will look great once completed. Good luck and enjoy! Install a wood handrail in your home.

How To: Install a wood stair railing kit in your home

Many home that have stairs in them, tend to have either wood or metal stair railings. Each has their own benefits, but metal tends to be cold and less attractive to homeowners and potential home buyers. Installing a wood stair railing adds much more character to the space and can increase the value of a home significantly. So check out the tutorial above and see if this is a project you would like to tackle. Enjoy! Install a wood stair railing kit in your home.

How To: Add details to your moldings and door casings

Sometimes when it comes to existing moldings, they tend to be dull and lack any kind of style to them. But the best way to maximize their look without breaking the bank, is to add some detail to existing moldings that are already in place. This can help with the character of the room and even house. So check out this tutorial and find out if you got what it takes. Enjoy! Add details to your moldings and door casings.

How To: Best use your space by installing pull-out shelves

If you're looking for a way to maximize the amount of space you have in your cabinets, this video tutorial may have what you need. In it, you will be shown, step-by-step the process of removing old shelves and adding pull-out shelves instead. This ensures that whatever space is available is being used properly in your kitchen cabinets. Good luck and enjoy! Best use your space by installing pull-out shelves.

How To: Apply a ceramic tile over an old countertop

Sometimes, it can be a pain to remove an countertops made of material such as wood and laminate. So an easy to do option would just let it be. If you're looking to add ceramic tile, you can easily do that over your existing countertops. This video will show you how for a quick to do and easy kitchen project. Enjoy! Apply a ceramic tile over an old countertop.

How To: Treat your furniture for bed bugs

Nothing is worse than bed bugs, right? Those pesky little creatures can make you seriously uncomfortable and cost you tons of money replacing furniture. But you can treat your furniture without spending money or having to throw it out. You will need to inspect everything thoroughly and make sure to to follow every step properly. This video will show you how to treat furniture for bed bugs.

How To: Calibrate your jointer

You will to learn set up and calibrate your jointer for optimal woodworking and creating a clean and straight edge on a rough board to later use as a reference. You will also learn a system on how to set up your knives to achieve the perfect cut using a jig and how to select the best jig to work with.

How To: Assemble an IKEA Kvarnö garden table

Looking for comprehensible instructions on how to assemble your IKEA Kvarnö garden table? You're in luck! This free video tutorial presents comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to put together a Kvarnö table. For detailed instructions and to get started setting up your own Swedish garden table, watch this helpful how-to.

How To: Finish antique furniture to give a distressed look

Kathy Carroll of the Chicago Institute of Fine Finishes and Faux by Kathy demonstrates how to give a decorative distressed look to antique furniture pieces. Distressing is a great way to revive outdated or worn pieces, as well as achieve character and age newer pieces. Antiquing furniture techniques are easy to do and can be done by everyone from veteran decorative artisans to the beginning crafter.

How To: Whittle a wooden bird

Whittling has been around for years and years and doesn't require a great amount of skill to perform. What it does require is patience, a steady hand, and a creative mind. This tutorial focuses on how to start of whittling a wooden bird. So sit back, pay attention, and enjoy!

How To: Recover a chair with custom fabric

If that old chair is covered in holes or stains, or boasts a pattern that can best be described as "70s chic" it may be time to update it a bit. In this video learn how to save your favorite comfy chair and recover or reupholster it like a pro. By recovering your furniture yourself you can avoid the cost of buying a new one or paying a professional, with the added bonus of holding on to a long-loved piece of decor.

How To: Measure wood by relative dimensioning

The Wood Whisperer demonstrates how we can install hinges on a cabinet without a tape measure, using relative dimensioning. In this example, we use center lines instead of marking the top and bottom of each piece that needs to line up. Using shims at the bottom and top of the door, we center the door on the cabinet to the desired spot. At this point, it's as simple as marking the center lines where you want your hinges to go on both the door and the cabinet frame. Now we can simply attach our...

How To: Upholster a cushion

Let's face facts: Upholstering a cushion can be difficult. However, it can also be easy. So easy, in fact, that this video guide can present a complete and thorough overview of the entire process in just over a minute and half of time. Watch to learn a simple upholstery method that will insure your cushion turns out perfect every time!

How To: Re-paint old furniture

If your furniture has seen better days but is nevertheless structurally sound, restoring it might be as simple as applying a fresh layer of paint or wood stain. This free video tutorial demonstrates a method for refinishing furniture with a power sander. For more information, and to get started rejuvenating your own antique furniture, watch this video tutorial.

How To: Build your own custom workbench

Enhance your garage with a custom-built workbench. If you can use a wooden workbench, you can build one. And this carpenter's guide, which presents a complete breakdown of the build process, will show you precisely how to do it. For more information, and to get started building your own custom worktable for your garage woodshop, watch this free video guide.

How To: Build a garage workbench

Want a work table for your garage workshop? If you can use a wooden workbench, you can build one. And this carpenter's guide, which presents a complete breakdown of the build process, will show you precisely how to do it. For more information, and to get started building your own custom worktable for your garage woodshop, watch this free video guide.

How To: Build a workbench on a tight budget

A good first project for anyone interested in doing woodworking projects on a regular or semi-regular basis is, naturally, a wooden workbench. This carpenter's guide will help you to build a solid work table without breaking the bank in the process. For more information, including a step-by-step breakdown of the assembly process, watch this free video tutorial.

How To: Build a fireplace mantel

Have an interest in building a protruded mantelpiece for your fireplace? It's easy. So easy, in fact, that this free woodworker's guide can present a complete overview of the process in fewer than 10 minutes. For more information, including a step-by-step look at the mantel (or mantle) building process, watch this DIY guide.

How To: Make an accurate boomerang

In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to make an accurate boomerang. Material required are 4-6mm thick ply wood or hard board or paper-mache, saw and some spray paint. Search for and download boomerang plans from the internet. The boomerang has three protrusions or handles equally spaced with each protrusion being 14cm long and the diameter of the circle at their ends being 4.5cm. Trace the plan on the plywood and cut it out with a ‘U’ shaped saw. Next draw out the line for ...

How To: Install Dry Core basement sub floor

First, the plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) subfloor floats on a corrugated or “cleated” waterproof underlayment, so the wood never actually touches the floor. The underlayment material can be made of Styrofoam or heavy-duty polyethylene, the same material used in corrugated plastic drain pipe (one of the toughest plastics available). This underlayment creates an air gap above the concrete. Combined with the wooden panels, the air in this space provides a thermal break that acts as insu...

How To: Turn an old door into a desk

Danny Lipford and Allen Lyle demonstrate how to turn an old door into a desk. First, remove the door hinges. Then, fill the biggest part of the voided hardware holes with wood and seal them with bonding adhesive. Don't leave too much excess bonding adhesive on the door or else you'll have to sand it off once it's dried. You may need at least two coats of bonding adhesive to get the surface level. Cut wood for the sides of the desk and then run them over a router. Sand down the door and the ne...

How To: Spray paint Ikea furniture for a girl's bedroom

The video demonstrates the way of converting a plain IKEA cabinet for a girl's bedroom using spray paint. The person presenting us the video uses a pink all-purpose spray paint from Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch. The cabinet to be painted is dismantled and placed on a table. The person recommends to shake the paint spray bottle well before using it. First she paints the cabinet body and then the two cabinet doors using the pink spray paint. Once the spraying is complete, she lets it dry well and...

How To: Apply a deep red mahogany finish to furniture

Add shimmer and color to your wood furniture with a Deep Red Mahogany Finish. Watch as The Wood Whisper's Marc Spagnuolo shows you how to apply this look to anything wood in your home. First Marc tells you about narrowing down whether or not you have to mask the wood or enhance the wood. After you figure that out you must choose how to color your wood. There are stains, oils, dyes and more! Marc chooses both a Merlot General Finishes Water Based Dye and Brown Mahogany General Finishes Gel Sta...

How To: Build a punching bag out of trash

In this video, Danny Lipford will show you how to make a punching bag with trash found at a construction site. First, a circle of plywood is cut out about one foot in diameter (in this video, a bucket is traced in pencil over the plywood). This is for the base of the punching bag. A large piece of PVC pipe is used for the center of the punching bag, which carpet padding is wrapped around to makeup the main part of the bag. Finally, duct tape is wrapped around the whole thing. Out of these ver...

How To: Make your own professional looking jewelry box

A jewelry box is not just a great way to keep your jewels safe, it is also a beautiful addition to your decor. In this video, learn how to make a gorgeous, professional looking jewelry box from walnut, maple and cherry woods. This in depth, seven piece series takes you from selecting your wood, through the finishing touches. These boxes are lovely enough to compete with anything on a store shelf.