Category: Home Improvement

Thinking about building your own DIY Storage Cabinet? Check out this easy DIY project where I built my own storage cabinet for my garage!

Today I’m taking an unorganized outdoor patio and tidying it up some by building an outdoor cabinet. Instead of having outdoor yard tools and other miscellaneous things scattered around looking messy, they can all be in the same area and tucked away out of sight.

Check out the video above to see how I built it!

Cabinet Plans

Things I Used in This DIY Storage Cabinet Project:

Roseburg Armorite Exterior MDF

Armorite Prime/Paint/Finish Guidelines

DAP Weldwood Contact Cement

Shop Sabre CNC

Stihl RE110 Pressure Washer

ISOtunes Hearing Protection (use code APRIL for 10% off)

3/4″ Overlay Hinges

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(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Trying to figure out how to repair a deck yourself? Look no further because in this post I’ll show you how I repaired my rotting deck and saved my house!

Ok maybe I’m being a little dramatic but technically it is true. I started noticing signs that things were not right and began investigating, only to find some serious issues with my deck structure.

Check out the video above to see what I found and see how I fixed it!

Things I Used in This How To Repair A Deck Project:

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Looking to build your own DIY Raised Planter Box? Look no further because in this DIY project I’ll be showing you exactly how to build your own!

In this video, I’m going to be building myself this simple free-standing herb planter. A few weeks back I made a multi layered planter and loved it. But, I wanted a taller one for my porch. Let me show you how I built it!

DIY Free Standing Planter Plans

You can also check out this really cool set of planter templates and plans!

Pyramid Planter Plans

Things I Used in This DIY Raised Planter Box Project:

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(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Trying to figure out how to build your own DIY wood countertops that are inexpensive? Check out this project where I used 2x4s to build my own!

This week I am building some simple countertops for my laundry room!

Earlier this year I demo’d a shop building. And in that process, I ended up with a ton of scrap material that I de-nailed and threw into a pile. You can definitely do this project with any material, but I’m going with 2×4’s and 2×6’s since I have an abundance of them.

Check out the video above to see how I built them!

Things I Used in This DIY Wood Countertops Project:

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(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Painting MDF Cabinets is great. It is cheaper, more machinable and cheaper than wood, which makes it perfect for painted cabinets or trim. But, if you’re painting MDF, you encounter one problem. Anytime you cut an edge, it leaves a fuzzyness. Check out the video above to see what you can do to ensure a smooth finish on MDF.

Things I Used in This Painting MDF Cabinets Project:

Primers For MDF:

• Zinsser’s BIN is my favorite because it dries fastest and sands easiest.
• But I also like Kilz Original and Zinsser Cover Stain. All of these are solvent-based, so cleanup is a pain.
• Both Zinsser and Kilz have a few versions of water-based stain-blocking primers. They clog sandpaper more than solvent-based products. But I still use them when I want easy cleanup.
• Instead of primer, some people use water-based polyurethane (such as Minwax Polycrylic) to seal MDF. It dries fast and sands very well. But it’s not really a primer and paint may not adhere to it as well.

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Thinking about building your own DIY Fire Pit Table? Check out this DIY project where I used a really easy to use gas burner to speed up this project!

To prepare for fall, I decided that I’m going to build myself a DIY Fire Table!

I designed the table with a slatted design that has plenty of room for multiple people to sit around. Check out the video above to see how I built it!

Small Fire Table Plans

Large Fire Table Plans

Things I Used in This DIY Fire Pit Table Project:

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(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Thinking about upgrading with new DIY laundry room cabinets for cheap? Check out this DIY project where I completely upgraded my laundry room!

This week, I am transforming my laundry room by taking it from a simple room that just holds a washer and dryer, to a functioning room with lots of storage.

I’m doing a laundry room. But regardless of the room, here is a tip for building cabinets: Buy stock cabinets from any home center… and then upgrade them! Let me explain the video above.

Simple Cabinet DIY Plans (with CNC File)

Also, you can check out my related How to Paint MDF Video!

Things I Used in This DIY Laundry Room Cabinets Project:

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(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Trying to figure out how to refinish a deck? In this DIY project I’ll show you how, and figure out whether to sand it or strip it, and without chemicals!

Check out the video above to check out my process.

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Trying to hide your dirty laundry? Why not build out a DIY sliding laundry cabinet right next to your washer and dryer?!? Check this easy DIY project out!

A few weeks ago I built out my laundry room with new cabinets. During that project, I built a custom cabinet that holds two laundry hampers on a pull-out drawer. That way the hampers inside are hidden when the drawer is closed, but easily accessible by a simple pull of the drawer handle.

This is such a quick and easy build! I love it so much so I wanted to share it. Check out the video to see how it went together.

Sneaky Drawer Plans (+ CNC file!)

Things I Used in This DIY Sliding Laundry Cabinet Project:

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(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

If you want to build your own, I have a set of DIY rising shelf plans and a parts list, including everything I used:

First, I started off by building the main body of the rising shelf. It consists of a piece of plywood with a 2×4 attached to the backside of it. On this 2×4, I attached some hooks. Then, in the four corners, I attached some garage door rollers. These rollers are really versatile and were key in making this project work.

For a track, I actually wanted to buy something off the shelf and ended up looking at garage door tracks. They use to be cheap, but like everything else, have skyrocketed in price. Instead, I decided to build my own tracks from wood. I grabbed the hardest wood I had in my shop that was long enough, which was oak, and arranged it into an L. For the tracks, you definitely want something hard for long-term durability. I attached it to the wall by holding it in place and throwing in a single brad nail. This will hold it just long enough for me to put a level on it and plumb it up. I only had a 4’ level in my shop so I moved to the bottom, then top, and placed a few brads as I straighten it out. Once it looked good, I came back with screws. I pre-drilled the holes to ensure the oak didn’t split. Next, I repeated the process by attaching the right track the same way as the left.

Now that the tracks are attached, I moved to the top and attached some pulleys. These will be what the cable will go up to, before veering right to the hoist. I used some lags to go into my wall here. Then, even though it isn’t needed, I added a ledger board…just to be safe. A lot of the force on these pulleys will be vertical since it’s going to be reaching down and pulling the rising shelf upward. To directly oppose this force, I ran screws up into the ledger board. This is in addition to the lags that went into the wall.

Moving on, the next step is to go back to the shelf and attach a few components. The first is a thimble hooked onto the anchor point on the 2×4. This is used so the wire rope has a track it can be placed in and then it can be looped back onto itself. To secure it, I used what’s called “wired rope clamps”, which are tighten down onto both the lead in and lead out strains. I used DAP’s Tank Bond Thread Locker on all of the project’s hardware that had a nut on it. I applied it to the threads before I added the nuts. It a fast-dry coating that creates a tight seal that absorbs shock and vibrations, preventing fasteners from unintentionally backing out. I really love it because the treated fasteners remain completely adjustable, removable and reusable if I have to replace them in the future. I use it on anything that has vibration. 

At this point I was able to set the shelf in place. It’s large and awkward so help was needed for this step. Jacob and I brought it in from the bottom, slightly tilting it so the top roller would slip into the track, then straightening it out vertical.

I fed the cable up to the pulleys from both anchors, but now needed to join them into one. What I did here functions the same exact way that a window blind does. In the shelf set-up, the component I used is called a turnbuckle. This allowed me to attach both cables to one side, then shoot one cable from the other. Also, this gave me the ability to make small, micro-adjustments later on once everything was installed and it was time to do final tuning.

The last component to add is the hoist itself. The mounting bracket is a simple DIY one made from some square tubing I had laying around. The holes are drilled in locations to match the stud location of the wall it will be mounted onto. The hoist is kind of heavy, but nothing unmanageable. I screwed a temporary 2×4 to the wall to give myself a resting shelf to set the hoist onto as I put lags into the studs.

The last step, I added the shelving needed to hold all of the products I wanted to store here. One of the coolest things about this project (I mean, besides the fact that it’s a rising shelf), is that you can customize it to hold just about anything. Just keep on eye on the total weight of the objects that you’re storing – it will need to be below the capacity of the hoist and the components you used. The key things to pay attention include what the hoist is rated at and do all of the components have the same rating. One weak link in a chain will cause it to fail. I built the rising shelf as an ultimate shop storage system to organize spray paint cans, tubes of caulk, paint cans, and paint supplies such as brushes.

Before I forget, another thing I did was extend the pendent to be over near my shelf instead of up by my hoist. Now, if my shelf is raised when I need to access to my hardware, I can walk right up to the wall and lower it down. Then I can either keep it here or I can raise it back up to store at the top of my wall and keep the hardware rack exposed. Cooooool!

Are you ready for the before and after?! Check it out!

By the way, I have a blog and video on how I made this in-wall hardware rack if you want to do the same. 

Don’t forget to check out the DIY Rising Shelf Plans!

Interested in organizing your shop? If so, I have several DIY workshop plans to help you out! See y’all next time!