DIY Repair Tips

Low water pressure at the faucet?

Over time, aerators get clogged with minerals or other bits of stuff that break loose from the inside of the pipes. Remove the aerator by turning it clockwise when you're looking down on it. You may have to grip it with pliers to unscrew it. Once it's off, you can take the parts out of the aerator and clean them, but it's usually better to simply replace it. Take it along to the hardware store to find an exact thread match.

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Landscaping: Tips for Your Backyard

Snap lines on the sand
You can stretch a string between stakes to create a layout line for setting bricks, but simply snapping a chalk line in the sand is quicker, plus you don't have a string in the way. With layout lines snapped on the sand, laying bricks is faster and easier. The chalk won't stick to dry sand, so you may have to mist the sand with water before snapping lines. Then snap layout lines directly on the sand using a standard carpenter's chalk line reel.

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DIY Tips for Your Garage

Store more on walls
If you mount hooks, brackets and other hardware only on studs, you're wasting lots of opportunities. The best strategy is to add a layer of 3/4-in. plywood over the drywall or bare studs. That gives you a continuous fastening surface, so you can mount storage hardware easily, arrange items in a space-efficient way and cram more stuff onto the wall. See how we doubled the storage capacity of this wall with plywood and inexpensive hardware here.

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