Home & Auto Maintenance

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How to Tile a Backsplash – Part 1: Tile Setting

This is the tutorial that I've been anxious to share with you! How to Tile a Backsplash! The reason I've been anxious to share is for two reasons! 1) The backsplash and tiling truly makes my kitchen feel luxurious. In addition to the cork…
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Krud Kutter Exterior Clean Up without a Pressure Washer or Ladder

Is your home ready for Halloween? I don't mean decorating. I mean is it so grimy and dirty that you don't need to decorate to scare off the trick or treaters? Umm, yup, that was my house. But, a few weeks ago I was introduced to my new…
Notched Hanging Brackets
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Hang Wall Decor Straight Every Time with a Simple Laser Level

Have you ever had the frustrating experience of hanging something on the wall only to notice afterward that it wasn't straight? Yah, this happens to me all the time. So - let's talk about how easy it is to Hang Wall Decor Straight Every…
10 Non-Toxic Dust Mite Remedies | Pretty Handy Girl
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Save Money while Reducing Fall Allergens

If you hang around me in the Autumn months you hear a lot of that. My seasonal allergies seem to peak in the Fall. Most people think springtime is the peak for allergens. But, nearly 3/4 of springtime allergy sufferers also suffer from ragweed…
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Hanging a Key Box from London

One of the souvenirs I brought back from our London trip was this adorable little carved bird key box. The colors, the wood and the artistic way it was carved spoke to me and told me that I had to have it in my kitchen! Despite the…
Enjoy Your Newly Painted Patio Chairs
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Painting Metal Patio Chairs: 5 Easy Steps to an Awesome Makeover

What's worse than a rusted, faded, and drab looking patio chair? Not being able to enjoy your outdoor space because of them!! We all want to be proud of our homes and be able to have friends or family over. Don't let a little paint…
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How to Move a Floor Register in a Window Seat

Remember last month when I showed you how to build a window seat in a bay window? I had promised to share with you how to move the floor register. I'm true to my word and am back with the tutorial today. When I built our kitchen window…
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How to Protect Your Home from Costly Refrigerator Leaks

Two of the main causes of leaks in a kitchen are dishwasher and ice maker water line leaks. They can be slow drips that accumulate over time and leave costly damage and potentially hazardous mold spores. Our leak wasn't caused by either…
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Ewwww, What’s that Smell – Replace Your Car’s Cabin Filter in Minutes

  Driving two boys and a dog in the Handymobile several times a day can lead to some truly funky odors. The other day I found myself wondering what the latest funk could be attributed to. Was it the stinky socks and shoes left behind…
Trim a door with a power planer
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How to Trim a Sticking Door with a Power Planer

Doors that rub the floor or jamb are flat out annoying. This problem is typically fixed by tightening or shimming hinges. But sometimes the door just needs to be shaved down a tiny bit and this can be accomplished by using a power planer. The…
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Cracks in Drywall: 5 Steps to a Permanent Fix with 3M Patch Plus Primer

Do you have a crack in your drywall that keeps coming back? Today's post will help you fix this annoying problem in 5 easy steps using 3M's Patch Plus Primer. This weekend I was cleaning out the guinea pig cage that sits in our living…
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What You Should Know about Replacing Your Roof and Asphalt Shingles

It's time to replace your roof. Where do you start? This is the exact predicament I found myself in after the tree fell on our house a few weeks ago. Choosing shingles and roofing material in less than 48 hours had me in a panic. Don't they…
Boy's Red, White & Blue Themed Room | Pretty Handy Girl
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20 Brilliant Built In Storage Ideas

I love finding unused space for storage. Nothing bothers me more than a wall that obviously hides a large void behind it.  Or a built-in bench that could have been perfect for extra storage. While on the hunt for creative ways to store more,…
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10 Tips for Surviving Springtime Allergies

My plane had no sooner touched down at Raleigh/Durham airport than I started sneezing my head off. We were back in the pollen bomb (what I call the abundance of pollen accumulation this time of year.) Here are to Tips for Surviving Springtime…
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How to Finish Drywall {Spackling or Mudding Sheetrock Joints}

Finishing drywall seams has been compared to frosting a cake. But, as anyone knows, the first time you frost a cake, it doesn't usually come out Cake Boss worthy. I figured it would be helpful if I gave you a few tips and tricks to get you…
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Kitchen Progress Update + Filtrete

I can honestly say that this is the first week that I've felt the progress on our kitchen (besides just feeling it in my sore muscles.) And, it FEELS GOOD! No more road bumps like termites or asbestos.  I'm sure from this picture you are…
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How to Replace a Car Battery {Pretty Handsome Guy Style}

Hey Pretty Handy Girl readers, I'm stepping up to the podium today to prove to you that I can do more than just wrap presents around here. I also have a handy side (don't let Brittany fool you) that occasionally comes out. There…
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All About Termites and Clean Up with The Bagster Bag

There we were, Harvey the electrician and I were happily making progress on the kitchen renovation. Harvey was just finishing up on the last row of outlets when his hand disappeared into the wall. "Ummm, Ms. Bailey, I think there's something…
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When and Why You Should Get a Permit

When and Why You Should Get a Permit Have you heard the horror stories about filing for a permit and the subsequent inspections? Did you hear the tale about the inspector that made the electrician pull everything out and start over? Have…
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Installing Semi-Rigid Dryer Hose to Prevent Fire Hazard

It's time to take on a little fix in your laundry room. This single upgrade can prevent your home from a house fire. Let me show you how installing semi-rigid dryer duct can prevent a fire hazard! Installing Semi-Rigid Dryer Hose to Prevent…
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Interview at the Permit Office: Your Questions Will Be Answered!

Do I need to pull a permit for this? What happens if I don't pull a permit? What can I expect? What surprise could come up? What happens if you fail the inspection? These are just a few of the broad questions I have for Mr. Barry Mooneyham,…
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Installing Cork Underlayment for a Radiant Floor

After you read the title, I guess the cat's out of the bag. It's true, I installed radiant floor heating in our mudroom/laundry room and I couldn't be more thrilled. One of the positives of having a plumbing leak and subsequent gutted room,…
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How to Patch and Level a Concrete Subfloor

We are well on our way to putting Humpty Dumpty back together when it comes to our mudroom and laundry room. The kitchen, it's still a blank canvas. After the water leak, the linoleum flooring had to be removed. What was left was a plethora…
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New Year’s Goals and Another Kitchen Progress Update

Happy New Year! What did you do to ring in 2013? Every year we have a New Year's Day party. It's our annual tradition. This year we almost didn't have our party because our kitchen was in such a disheveled state. But, I remember someone…
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How to Remove a Soffit – Kitchen Renovation Update

How are y'all doing this week? Getting ready for the holidays? Instead of decorating, we did some demolition in the kitchen this past weekend. And it involved buying myself an early Christmas present: I snatched up this DEWALT 10--Amp…
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How to Repair a Leaky Shower or Tub Faucet

You know that saying, when it rains it pours? That statement has become an actuality in our home. While we are trying to build back from the plumbing leak, one of our tub faucets developed a leak. When I tried to tighten the handles to stop…
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Asbestos Removal – Everything You Wanted to Know and More

This is the post that I've been putting off writing. Why? I was still dealing with the shock of it all. The gist of it is, if you think your home is safe from asbestos, you could be dead wrong! I thought our home was in the asbestos-free…
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Water Leaks, Polybutylene Pipes, and Mold – What to Do

Photo courtesy of Grotuk via Creative Commons Today's regularly scheduled post has been interrupted by a leak in our laundry room. I hope my misfortune is your gain. These are the things I've learned about burst pipes, polybutylene…
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Baseboard Trim – How to Remove and How to Install

  I'm back to work on the bonus room makeover, and I couldn't be happier with the results of the project. I had to prep the back wall for a little something special. And it required removing the baseboards. I saved them to re-install…
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How to Seal and Protect Your Deck

One of the home improvement projects that has consistently been at the bottom of my "to do list" was re-sealing the porch floor. And it would have stayed there if I hadn't noticed this: Those would be water stains and a glass ring…
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Install Your Own Magnetic Metallic Backsplash a #LowesCreator Idea

Last week I shared with you some of the changes I made when Woman's Day announced they were sending a photographer to shoot my garage. The back wall of my workbench was rough plywood, which results in sawdust particles attaching to it…
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Rockin’ Out with Safety Gear – 3M Tekk Digital Work Tunes Review

I feel like I'm constantly shouting safety messages at you. But, I can't stress enough how important it is to wear hearing protection when you are exposed to loud noises. But, did you know that the noise doesn't even have to be super loud?…
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Mailbox Post Requirements and Mounting Your Mailbox

When I took my custom mailbox to the postal service for approval, the postmaster handed me a form that details how a mailbox should be installed. Believe it or not, there are more requirements for the placement of the mailbox than the mailbox…
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How to Remove a Stuck, Stripped or Painted Screw

Isn't it frustrating when you are trying to unscrew a screw and the head is stripped? Or some moron painted the screw and now you can't get your screwdriver into the slots. (I might have been the painting fool mentioned.) Luckily there are…
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Top 10 Cleaners that You Can Make Yourself

Anyone else detest cleaning their homes? {Major hand raised over here!} I don't like to clean, but what I really dislike is paying those exorbitant prices to purchase store bought cleaners. Did you know that you can make your own cleaning…
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Scraping Your Own Popcorn Ceilings – It’s a Messy Job, but Someone’s Gotta Do It!

Many of you guessed correctly that I would be scraping my own popcorn ceilings. It wasn't hard to do, but it also isn't for the bad neck or bad back sufferers. Normally I hire out this job — but because our laundry room is so small…
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Demolition Day

This past weekend I was able to make some serious progress on our laundry room. Yeehaw! Sometimes in order to make a room pretty, you have to make it uglier first. That was certainly the case with this project. If  you are just joining…
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Plans to Update My Laundry Room with Flow Wall System

You know that beautiful laundry room I showed you last year? Yes, this one: Well, it isn't so pretty right now, and honestly I strategically didn't photograph the ONE wall in the laundry room that isn't....so....pretty. Can you blame…
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Making it Easier to Take Out the Trash

I know that no one likes to take out the garbage in my house. How do I know this? I know it because we seem to be able to push our 9 gallon trash can to hold 12 gallons! Don't do the math, it is just one of life's unsolved mysteries. When…
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Installing Weatherstripping on a Garage Door Really Warms Up the Workshop

Last year I froze my handy buns off working in the garage. (This year they returned after eating loads of Christmas cookies! Ugh.) In all seriousness, while searching for bigger and more powerful heaters it occurred to me that I might want…