Why replace your rusted metal outdoor furniture when you can refresh it instead? Using an inexpensive all-star tool and few other supplies, you can scrape away seasons’ worth of rust and refinish your existing set—and put all the money you saved toward more exciting home improvements.
No pantry? No problem! Find room for all fruits and vegetables that need no refrigeration in a clever kitchen accessory.
From pampering pool houses to sublime sun lounges, these 14 enviable rooms blur the boundary between indoors and out to create bold and beautiful spaces for entertaining, dining, and pure relaxation.
Any bibliophile knows that storing your books is almost as much of an obsession as reading them. And while books can be an expensive habit, storing them doesn’t have to be. DIY bookshelves are an easy project, and you can build a bookcase yourself for a lot less than you can buy one. And quickly too — in half a day, or less, on a weekend. DIY design ideas abound on the web, so there is no lack of guidance on how to build bookshelves. Repurpose a ladder, pallet or cinder blocks — it’s within your reach. Keep in mind some design considerations when building a DIY bookcase. A general purpose bookshelf should be 10 – 12 inches deep. And be mindful of the span (how wide the shelf area is between supports). Fully loaded, a bookshelf will need to support 20 – 25 pounds per linear foot. If your supports are too far apart, the shelves will sag and be disconcerting visually. In most cases, 30 – 36 inches between supports will suffice, unless the books you’re storing are very heavy. If you live with small children, or in an earthquake prone area, you should secure your bookcases (and any other heavy furniture) to the walls. So, pick one of our favorite DIY bookcases and get started. Once you’re finished, you can obsess about how you’ll organize it — by title, author, date, subject, or even color.
Get exactly the amount of counter space and storage you need when you DIY your own console table. This adaptable piece of furniture is the perfect accent piece for any room in your home.
For a cozy hideout that’s a big step up from the standard blanket fort, craft an indoor-outdoor teepee inspired by one of these 5 imaginative designs.
Add style and storage to a simple unframed mirror using little more than a 1×4 and plywood.
These concrete candle holders look like they’ve been ripped from gargoyles or the nearest graveyard, making them a perfect addition to your DIY haunted house.
Do you dread laundry day? Even if you love the smell of freshly cleaned clothes, chances are you could be working smarter—or cheaper. So if you need a little extra help in the laundry room, turn to our list of some of the best hacks. From making your own bleach pens on the cheap, to building extra space for storage, to finally getting rid of that musty towel smell, there’s surely a take-away for washers of all stripes. Click through to find out more.
Shipping pallets are the DIYer’s standby building material for many good reasons. They aren’t hard to come by, and even damaged pallets can be salvaged for smaller projects. Kept whole, shipping pallets make great building blocks for large projects; deconstructed, they can be used to build just about anything. This versatility means that just a couple of cast-off pallets can fit the bill for a huge assortment of home improvement projects. In fact, what can’t you make from shipping pallets? With so many options, narrowing down our favorites was quite the task… but here they are: 15 projects for your home— all made from shipping pallets.