Test Your DIY IQ on QuizRevolution

Concrete doesn’t dry—it cures via a chemical reaction between cement and water. The reaction takes place over five to seven days, during which time it’s critical to keep the fresh pour covered and moist. Stake a tarp over the patio and mist the slab once every 24 hours.

Air pressure recommendations appear on the driver’s side doorsill or in the owners’ manual, not here. The only psi number on the tire is the maximum air pressure—not a recommended level.

Second step down from the cap.

Increasing the tire pressure reduces the rolling resistance. Going easy on the gas provides an efficient throttle input. And a/c requires engine power to run, reducing fuel economy.

Hacking at an old gutter with a moving reciprocating-saw blade just might knock you off a ladder. Instead, wedge the saw’s blade and shoe firmly against the material before pulling the trigger. Get the other saws’ blades spinning at full speed before carefully making contact with the workpiece.

Window sash-weight chains’ flexible links and low heft make them ideal to snake wires down stud bays.

Polyurethane insulation materials typically have an R-value of about 7.0 to 8.0 per inch, and rigid polyurethane panels with foil facings can get up to 8.7 per inch . With an R-value of 3.0 to 3.8, loose-fi ll cellulose ranks near fiberglass batts. Same goes for shredded blue jeans, with a 3.4 to 3.7 R-value, and for mineral wool, about 3.7.

Ball-peen hammer. The ball-peen—and not your old carpenter’s framing hammer—is appropriate for striking chisels, punches and other hardened metal. Use softer faces like lead or brass for delicate work.

Hickory is the hardest here, falling in at 1820 on the Janka hardness scale. Cherry is at 950, bamboo measures 1380, and maple scores 1450.

The 15-degree nozzle’s narrow spray can cut caked mud off the lawnmower and strip weak paint from brick. The wider, gentler, 60-degree spray can apply mixtures of cleaning chemicals and water to weathered decks and wood siding.

Acrylic paints are superior to alkyds—except on exterior ironwork. Scrape away loose paint and rust, apply a fish-oil-based primer, and clean with mineral spirits.

Overdoing mulch actually stresses the plant—pile it 2 to 4 inches high, and avoid burying the plant’s root stem. Apply mulch in cool late spring to give the plant’s roots insulation against the first hot sunshine.

The problem with those cheap lug wrenches is that the short handle gives the user little leverage. The pipe extends the handle and increases the user’s mechanical advantage over the nut the wrench is turning.

Carbon-steel brushes like this one work on ferrous metals, but can introduce rust and contamination to stainless steel.

At up to 11.3 cfm at 90 psi, the orbital sander’s continuous draw may overtax this machine during extended periods of use. The compressor can handle the 3⁄8-inch impact wrench (2.5 to 3.5 cfm at 90 psi), the framing nailer (2.2 to 5.0 cfm at 90 psi) and brad nailers (0.3 cfm to 1.3 cfm at 90 psi).

Dutchman repairs often stand in contrast to the surrounding flooring, and on historic floors exposed to years of wear, it’s not uncommon to see several such patches. The aesthetic is so distinct that some engineered flooring manufacturers have built faux Dutchman repairs into the finished product when replicating historic styles.

Connect one end of the positive (red) cable to the positive (+) terminal on the battery of the dead car, then repeat for the booster car. Connect one end of the negative (black) cable to the negative (–) terminal on the booster battery. Then connect the other end of the negative (black) cable to a clean, unpainted metal surface (such as the engine block) on the engine of the disabled vehicle.

According to Quikrete’s Build and Repair With Concrete (the edition with a sneering, troweling Don Knotts on the cover), the diameter of a posthole should be roughly three times the post diameter. Hole depth should be one-third the overall post length. Ergo, drop this 12-foot 4 x 4 in a hole 1 foot wide and 4 feet deep, leaving 8 feet of tether post exposed.

The 8-inch nominal dimension actually measures at 71⁄4 inches. The difference occurs because the nominal dimensions typically refer to rough lumber, the size of which declines as the boards are planed and dried.

The pickle fork’s forged tines will separate the tie rod ends from the suspension, either by hammering the handle or attaching the handle to an air hammer.

Load-bearing walls in the central part of the house run perpendicular to the joists. Exterior walls and most stair walls are also load-bearing.

Neutral wires are white.

Couplings continue a straight run in pipe or tubing, joining pipes of like sizes or, with a reducer coupling, mating two different diameters.