DIY Life

You will need: a canvas drop cloth, upholstery fabric for the appliqué designs, and some other decorative fabric for the trim. You will also need a few sewing essentials: fusible web, iron, sewing machine, and scissors. Interested? Check out the step-by-step instructions here.

I have to admit the finished product looks amazing, atlhough I don't think it would work well in high-traffic areas of the house. A piece of non-slip foam backing underneath would be a must for safety's sake.

For more rug-related advice, check out Debbie's post on rug flipping.

The key part of basement remodeling happens before you ever even touch a tool. I'm talking about design, of course. What you intend to use your basement for will move your design ideas in the right direction. A great method is to brainstorm with your spouse and kids with notebook and pencil in hand.

Plan, plan, and plan some more

Throw out the ideas willy-nilly and discuss them. You'll be surprised at what you find! Once you've got all your "wants" nailed down, take a look at your budget and identify your "needs." There's bound to be some chaff there somewhere.

Are you going to use the basement as a home office? Then plan on Internet, phone, and fax connections. Will it be a game room, family room, or something along that line? You'll probably want to install plumbing for a wet bar as well as cable or satellite TV connections.

One of the first things you need to assure yourself of is whether your entire basement space, walls and floors, are properly sealed against moisture. This is the perfect time to take care of it -- before it can become a problem.

A while back, in another feature on concrete, pavers, and stone, I touched on staining and sealing concrete. I recently had another great opportunity to stain and seal a 1300 square foot floor and, because of the advances in technology, it was a lot easier than last time. (If you need to repair the concrete first, take a look at Diane Rixon's great article here.)

Take a peek at the gallery; it will give you a sense of just how easy the process is, and we'll continue.

Bamboo is fast becoming one of the hottest green flooring materials. Why green? There are at least two reasons. First and foremost, it's sustainable. If you've ever had any in your backyard, you know how hard it is to contain. Even worse if you don't want it, but it's an under-the-fence gift from a neighbor!

Yes, I know there are non-spreading varieties. But the point is, compare bamboo's renew rate to hardwood.

The second green aspect of bamboo is that it's a natural product. Carpet usually has a lot of synthetics in it, and that means petrochemicals and gas-off issues. Formaldehyde may also be an ingredient. Yuck.

There's a variety of choices for installing bamboo flooring. It requires a dry floor and a membrane or layer of felt. Other than that, it can be nailed, glued, or floated like laminate floors. There's something for whatever kind of subfloor you have!

This week, instead of talking about a particular project, I'd like to talk about one of the most important and versatile tools in the shop: the benchtop table saw. The fact of the matter is that although I'd love to have a contractor table saw or cabinet table saw sitting in the middle of my wood shop, that's not an option.

Sure, it's a two-car garage, but it contains everything else as well. Workbench, lathe, a pile of lumber, power stool storage, paint storage, and of course room enough to actually assemble a project.

The latest models have really come a long way from the earlier models. Manufacturers weren't born yesterday, and recognizing the huge market, responded with plenty of R&D. The newer ones have virtually eliminated vibration issues.

Benchtop saws spin 10 inch blades, so there's no problem with common hardwood lumber sizes or sheets of plywood. And if a chunk of stock happens to be just a hair too thick, you can always do the old trick of cutting half way through and then flipping it over and finishing the job. I'd recommend having a helper if you try this!

And along with that disclaimer, here's another one: always wear those safety glasses or goggles.

Read on to learn the advantages of a benchtop saw, accessories available for it and more.

I had recent occasion to work on a 100 year old cabin. It required major construction to make it habitable; one of the projects that fell to me was the repair of three areas of the hardwood floors that the termites had taken a liking to. They had attacked parts of the floors in two different rooms and to different effect; as for the repairs, one site had convenient access and was easy to fix, one had inconvenient access and required replacement of a number of short pieces, and the last site had a hole clean through the floor about 8" in diameter! (Look right.) I'll go through the process -- it was not difficult, but some time-consuming -- so you can see the easy way to do this repair.

Take a look at the gallery to familiarize yourself with the procedure and we'll begin.

Linoleum is back...with a new name: Marmoleum. Linoleum's newfound popularity stems partly from its cool colors and patterns. It's also a relatively eco-friendly flooring choice, because it's made from natural substances like linseed oil, wood flour, and jute. (Mmm. Smells like middle school art class...) Manufacturer, Forbo, also touts the fact that linoleum is non-toxic, biodegradable and hypoallergenic. Marmoleum's massive color selection, running the gamut from classic neutral to exhilaratingly vibrant, has attracted tons of attention as well in the past couple years. (The photo, above, shows just some of the available colors.)

What's cool is there is even a Marmoleum option for DIY'ers. It's called Marmoleum Click, and it's sold in the form of interlocking tiles. Click comes in both square and rectangular sizes, and Forbo's website provides very detailed information on how to measure and install this stuff. There are basically two big advantages to going with Click. One: installation is do-able for those with lower or moderate DIY skills. (Yay!) Two: you can be as creative as all get-out in planning your new floor, combining colors and patterns to your heart's content.

A couple caveats: Click color choices are much more limited than for regular Marmoleum. Also, (as with all DIY flooring adventures) you're going to need an absolutely level surface on your existing floor or installation will be a nightmare. Repeat: a nightmare.

Perpetual Remodeling Syndrome (PRS) is brought to you every Thursday by Kelly Smith, who is hopelessly afflicted with this home-altering ailment. Remodeling can be a never-ending and contagious illness, so read on, at your own risk. Don't say we didn't warn you.

My home is a modest three bedroom model with a two car garage. It's about thirty years old, roughly speaking. The layout is nice and the construction is sound. One thing I like about it is the kitchen; I like to cook and there's plenty of real estate. The problem is that after all the plates, coffee cups, pots, pans, and small appliances have been put up, there's precious little room for canned goods and cereal boxes. I need a pantry!

Luckily, there's a door in the kitchen that leads directly into the garage (no cars allowed; it's my wood shop). This makes the pantry solution pretty much a no-brainer. I decided to just steal some space and build out a small room.