In This Issue

  • January/
    February     2011 Issue No. 145

  • Easy Paint Makeovers

    idea file
    Solve It With Spray Paint
    These amazing finishes can spiff up everything from worn metal to cheap plastic
    Paint Ideas
    Mimic the look of a wood-grain finish
    Weekend Remodel
    Give a doorway a touch of old-world charm with a stenciled border
    Spiced-up Color Combos
    Heat up your kitchen's personality with surprising paint pairings
    Before + After: Kitchen
    A gut redo changes a merely useful space into a high-functioning cookery--with its 1920s character intact
    Before + After: Bath
    More room, a tile-rimmed alcove, and Deco touches create a stylish bath
    Budget Redo
    A dark and dingy finished attic becomes a sun-filled master suite
    American Craftsman
    Plaster master Ken Wildes turns ceilings into unique works of art
    Fully Loaded Laundry Rooms
    Seven setups chock-full of ideas to make your wash-and-dry center a model of efficiency
    upgrades
    Shopping
    Architectural mirrors
    Get This Look
    Vintage-style bathroom
    Price Wise
    Oriental rugs
    All About
    Laminate
    home solutions
    Home Solutions
    Make over your fireplace surround with tin backsplash tiles; put a closet to work as a home office; purify indoor air with plants; deal with damage from a fallen tree; furnace-filter guide; and more
    how-to projects
    Home Center Project
    Light up a room with a timeless-look floor lamp made of stock lumber and a curtain rod
    Build It or Buy It
    Wood mantel
    Big-Impact DIY for Every Budget
    Four money-saving projects to enhance your home
    ask this old house
    Q + A
    Let the gas company turn the shutoff valve back on after a reno; repair a notched floor joist; create a low-maintenance "green" driveway; seal granite countertops; and more
    Step-by-Step
    Match original moldings
    What Product When
    Spray-foam insulation
    Tool Test
    6-inch random-orbit sanders
    in every issue
    Letter From This Old House
    Some bright ideas just get better
    Checklist
    Easy ways to improve your home right now
    Save This Old House
    A Queen Anne and big barn for a bargain in Greene, N.Y.