Housewares

Repairing Drywall

A hole in your drywall is never fun, although it may have been caused by fun. Maybe it was from a wild party or maybe someone was making an emphatic "point."

Anyway you look at it (or through it), a hole is a hole and needs to get fixed.

Fortunately there are a few tricks I can show you in How to Repair a Large Hole in Drywall.

For smaller holes caused by doorknobs, kids, toys and other elements of home life there is the tutorial Repairing a Small Hole in Drywall

Don't have holes but just dents, popped nails or drywall tape? Then Tips for Repairing Drywall is the tutorial you need.

And after the repair, you'll have to paint the wall so take a read through Repairing Textured Walls and How to Paint a Room.

Repairing Drywall originally appeared on About.com Home Repair on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 09:08:46.

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Do Seedlings Need Fertilizer?

Now that your seeds have sprouted and are actually starting to look like plants, what do you do?Indoor seedlings can be very temperamental.  They need lots of light, or they'll grow wispy and weak.  Move them as close to your light source as possible and leave artificial plant lights on for at least 12 hours a day.

They'll need more and more water, as their roots fill out the small cell packs and pots.  You may need to move them up to a larger size pot, before you can move them outdoors.  That's the most frustrating time for me, because the larger pots take up a lot more space.  But doing this makes the plants stronger and better able to acclimate, when you do move them out.

And finally, there's the question of when do you start feeding your seedlings.  If  you used a potting soil that already has fertilizer in it, you shouldn't need to add more. But if you used a traditional soil less mix without fertilizer, you'll need to keep watch for when your seedlings develop their first true leaves, like the tomato seedling here. That's when you need to know how much to feed them and with what?

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Do Seedlings Need Fertilizer? originally appeared on About.com Gardening on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 01:55:08.

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PeeGee Hydrangea

Have you been mulling over PeeGee hydrangea (or "tree hydrangea") as a possible addition to your yard? I, myself consider it a top-notch performer. Of course, a plant that is a standout in one region won't necessarily excel in another. But in USDA planting zones 3-8, PeeGee hydrangea is a plant that has enjoyed widespread success.

I've seen PeeGee hydrangea flourish even in abandoned yards. For example, I've found it at old homesteads in the woods surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts -- homesteads abandoned for some 70 or 80 years. This is one shrub that, once established, can certainly fend for itself!

I just love the way the panicles of PeeGee hydrangea dry in fall: Pick a few of them and stick them in a vase, and you've got an instant dried floral arrangement. More importantly, a tree hydrangea provides a standout specimen for the summer landscape. At maturity it's tall enough to be showy, but it never grows tall enough to become a problem. And talk about big "blooms" (I explain in the article why I put that word in quotes)....

Read article: PeeGee Hydrangea

PeeGee Hydrangea originally appeared on About.com Landscaping on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 08:38:22.

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Tile Backsplash Ideas: We Are "Backsplash Central"

Slowly, About Home Renovations is becoming something like Tile Backsplash Central of the Internet.  I swear.

I have been published (seemingly) thousands of tile backsplash ideas, and will probably continue to do so until cobwebs grow between my fingers and the Men From the Asylum have to forcibly carry me out.

But I love it.

Backsplashes are like one of those secrets of home remodeling that provide instant results, quickly and easily.  Backsplashes are like the crown molding* of the kitchen.

Literally, a backsplash is that space between the kitchen/bath counter and whatever is above it, typically a cabinet or mirror.  A backsplash can be as little as 4 inches high or, as shown in this image of Merola stainless steel subway tiles, stretching all the way up.

Image Copyright The Home Depot

* = Crown molding being another quick/easy project that looks good.

Tile Backsplash Ideas: We Are "Backsplash Central" originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 03:00:05.

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