Simple Solutions

Hinge Mortise Trick – Here’s an easy, accurate way to cut hinge mortises: Secure the hinge to the door with two screws and use it as a cutting template. Align a wood chisel with the edge of the hinge and strike it with a hammer to establish the outline of the mortise. Then, remove the hinge, chisel out the waste wood to the proper depth, and then screw the hinge into the mortise.

Salvage Wood Trim – If you’re careful when removing wood trim and moldings from a room, you can reuse the trim, saving a lot of time and money. However, when you pry off the molding the nails will likely pull out of the wall and become stuck in the molding. Don’t hammer out the nails from the back; the nails will splinter the front, finished surface of the molding. Instead, use locking pliers to pull out the nail from the backside of the moldings.

Best New Product

Almost every project that involves wood eventually requires some fine tuning – take a little off here, dig a little out there… The Nicholson Wood Chuck is the ideal tool to keep on hand for those chores. It combines a wood chisel with three different rasps (or files) to address all kinds of situations. The tool comes in a set of the three most common chisel sizes and each chisel features an extremely sharp polished blade with a flat wood rasp on one side and a half-round wood rasp on the other. These rasps allow you to shape broad surfaces or remove material while the teeth along the edge of the tools allow you to get into narrow, hard to get spots.

You can purchase this product at The Home Depot.

Around the Yard

Julie Day Jones has all the advice you need to keep your lawn and garden looking their best. She joins us in hour one with all the details. For more, be sure to visit the lawn and garden section of our website. Around the Yard is sponsored by Pavestone.

Checking in with Chelsea

Chelsea joined us in hour two to talk about her latest Checking in with Chelsea episode, sponsored by Woodcraft. This trash to treasure project is a must see! Check it out!

Hour 1

Teresa in FL
Today’s garages have no second outside doors and no windows. Mine is extremely hot in the summer. What can I do to exhaust the heat? I have a pull down stairs to the attic and thought about putting a vent in there so the heat would escape through the ridge vents. Is that practical?

Dennis in GA
We had a house built and moved in 2 years ago. We are having problems with a lot of water in our crawl space. The floors under the house where the air vents go are wet. We keep trying to get the home builder to fix these problems and it’s not getting done. What should we do? The house was built on a slope going down on a hill.

Hour 2

Rita in VA
We have a porcelain sidewalk leading to our back porch. It’s very pretty and a lot of time and expense went into the project. Our porch is also laid with the same tile. My husband wants to take it out because it can get very slippery (I fell and broke my hip when there was black ice that I couldn’t see!). I want to save it. Is there anything we can do to make the walkway a much rougher surface?

Pamela in AL
I was cleaning in my attic when I fell and put my foot through the ceiling in my garage. My income is very limited so I would like to fix this myself. What do I need to do?


LISTEN NOW: Play this episode of the “Today’s Homeowner Radio Show” here>>


Danny Lipford

Danny Lipford is among the country’s most sought-after home improvement experts.
The seasoned remodeling contractor and media personality served as the home improvement expert for CBS’s “The Early Show” and The Weather Channel for over a decade and has made more than 180 national television appearances on “Fox & Friends,” “Inside Edition,” “Morning Express with Robin Meade,” Fox Business Channel, Rachael Ray and more.
He travels the country making appearances as a brand ambassador and spokesperson, and each year contributes expertise to hundreds of popular magazines and online media outlets.


Don’t miss out! Follow Today’s Homeowner on social media for exclusive videos, home improvement tips and behind-the-scenes photos.

Editorial Contributors
avatar for Danny Lipford

Danny Lipford

Founder

Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

Learn More