Home Improvement

Who better to provide home improvement tips than HGTV Canada stars like Bryan Baeumler, Sarah Richardson and Brian Gluckstein? Whether you’re investing in a major reno or a light makeover, these do-it-yourself home improvement hacks will ensure you get the best return on investment.

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Painting Tiles

I have some ceramic tiles on my bathroom walls. Most of them are beige, with a smaller number of different-colored...


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Painting Stucco

I recently bought an old house that has a sprayed-on stucco ceiling, complete with small ridges and valleys. I know...


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Painted Steps

My outside steps are made of painted wood. During the winter, the steps are considerably slippery. I want to strip...


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Peeling Paint

I live in a wooden house that was built in 1815. In the six years I have lived there, I...


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Bleeding Knots

I moved into a house that was renovated by the previous owners. I think that they did not prime the...


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Cleaning Stains

I have had water leakage where the wall and the sliding door meet in my basement suite. My landlord sealed...


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Exterior Walls

My cottage has pressed hardboard exterior walls that are beginning to flake, particularly on the edges. With the exception of...


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Acrylic or Oil?

I have some wooden bookshelves on which I applied furniture oil. I want to paint the bookshelves, but I do...

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Painting on Wallpaper

Can I paint directly over existing wallpaper or must it first be removed? If I have to remove it, what...


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Safe Paint

I want to apply a paint that will brighten my son's bedroom. Since my son has a mild asthma condition...


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Heating and Addition

I have a cantilevered addition to my house that extends out about 60 cm (2 ft). In the winter, those...


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Window Condensation

I am having a problem with condensation on the windows in my living room. I have blinds over the windows...


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Basement Heating

I bought a house about two years ago. Over the last two winters I have found the temperature in the...


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Garage Heating-2

I have a detached garage that I use as a workshop. I use an electric heater to keep it warm...


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Heating and Flooring

In the winter, when the heat is on high, the cushioned flooring in my kitchen rises in a small area...


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Reducing Heat

I live in a semi-detached house where the first-floor bathroom is directly above the furnace in the basement. Both the...


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Asbestos

I recently bought a very old house. I am concerned that some of the insulation wrapped around the pipes leading...

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Garage Heating-1

I have a water heating system in my 10-year-old house. Can I heat the garage floor by installing hot-water pipes...


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Vapor Barriers

I have a layer of insulation with a vapor barrier in my attic. I want to add another layer of...


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Basement Insulation

The insulation in my basement runs only 75 cm (30 in.) down. I plan to finish the basement, which means...


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Installing Insulation

I have an old brick house that has been stripped of all walls except the outside brick wall and the...


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Old Insulation

The previous owners of our 80-year-old house had put insulation in the attic. Leaky shingles on the roof and a...


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Rigid-Foam Insulation-2

A year ago I built a detached garage next to my house, with a cement floor and 2x6 construction walls....

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Rigid-Foam Insulation-1

I installed an addition to my house this past summer using rigid foam panels. The end result is that where...


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Fiberglass Insulation

How can I get rid of the dirty marks around my floor registers without getting carried away with fancy furnace...


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Furnace Filters-2

My house was built in 1954 with brick exterior walls and plaster interior walls. The house is extremely cold in...


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Furnace Filters-1

I clean the electronic air filter for my furnace regularly in the dishwasher, but it never seems to work as...


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Fireplaces

I installed a new furnace in my town house last year. Since then I have noticed that cooking odors and...


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Wood Stoves

I want to use a wood stove as a primary heat source. Which stove gets the most heat out of...