1 comments about Yard & Garden Furniture: Plans and Step-by-Step Projects.

1. I found the instructions to be very easy to follow, and crystal clear on the important points. A couple of the projects called for materials that are simply too difficult to find in my area, like 16-foot lengths of 2x. I know it exists, but when you're looking for something to make "furniture" you need better stuff than framing lumber. So, you're off to a specialty lumber yard, which isn't open after work hours, etc.
   
   So, 4 stars for a variety of projects and clarity of instructions then.

1 comments about Home Inspection Checklists: 111 Illustrated Checklists and Worksheets You Need Before Buying a Home.

1. This checklist book has some photographs of homes that were OK but the checklist and text part of the book was much too basic. None of the parts of a home inspection were revealed or included in this book. So it is NOT a worksheet with 111 checklists but only a very basic and simple guide. I could not recommend this to anyone. Get another book that has a more complete checklist that you can use and that is helpful. You will never be able to do a home inspection from using this checklist book. If you did then you will be risking a lot since you will not know what to check out and inspect if this book is your guide!!!!

2 comments about Complete Tile.

1. Whether you like this book or not will depend on whether you are looking for design ideas or a how-to book. If the latter, then you will find this a source for all the basic techniques. After short introductory chapters on the various kinds of tile (ceramic, stone, vinyl, laminate, etc.) and the tools needed to work with them, Steve Corey starts right in with chapters on tiling floors, walls, countertops, and patios. A short chapter on care and repair wraps everything up. The discussions are clear and well illustrated.

   Where the book falls short is in discussing design principles and providing lots of examples. Anyone who has ever wandered into a tile store has found an almost limitless number of possibilities and alternatives. And price tags from pennies all the way to horrendous. What is really needed is a book that makes order out of this chaos and helps the reader understand how best to fulfill a set of requirements. Otherwise, the potential tiler is left to a great deal of guesswork.

   In the final analysis, more than one book is needed. While this is an excellent technical resource, be prepared to turn to other resources. The more information and ideas the merrier until you find the style that best suits your one needs.




2. This book can inspire you to do that tile project you have always wanted to do. I read it and went to the local hardware store, bought my supplies, and made a nice tile addition to my kitchen. It is as easy as it looks in the book.

2 comments about Sharpening Made Easy: A Primer on Sharpening Knives and Other Edged Tools.

1. This book will give you all the basic knowledge that you need to get your knives as sharp as they should be. If you are not sharpening strange shapes of blades, or edged tools other than knives, it will get you where you are going. There is one section discussing misc. kitchen tools (peeler, corer, etc.) that is unique to this book (although the grater was apparently overlooked). Also note that although several sharpening systems are compared, very few endorsements are made, and the author is not selling anything that I can tell.



2. The second printing of Sharpening Made Easy (Nov. 2005) is now available with updated supplier information and a dozen or so text corrections.

3 comments about The Flooring Handbook: The Complete Guide to Choosing and Installing Floors.

1. This is an excellent book, by far the best I have ever bought on flooring maintenance and installation (I wish I had bought this one first). This book offers great comparisons of different types of materials, well written and simple instructions on how to install them and advice on when to get a professional if your an amatuer such as myself. This book is a great resource and will help you make an informed decision if your putting in a new floor, whether you do it yourself or not.



2. We're refinishing our hardwood flooring and adding laminate to the playroom downstairs, but I wanted to do some research before spending any money. I checked out several books on flooring from the library, and this was the only one that was so thorough I immediately went out and purchased my own copy. Not only does it cover hardwoods and laminates, it covers just about every flooring material you can imagine (leather, rubber, cork, bamboo, etc.). Every material gets a solid description, several pictures, a list of pros and cons, and installation instructions. Also, a big chart in the front tells you which floors can be installed yourself and which need professional installers. It also gives number ratings for the difficulty of the task (should you take it on yourself) and for how much you can expect to spend in comparison with other flooring materials.
   
   This book is simply the definitive resource on the subject.



3. This book provides a very good overview of the different types of flooring. It also provides some useful tricks. I recently installed 17'x17' hardwood bamboo floor for a friend whose house is on a slab. We had to install a vapor barrier and if you read this book you'll notice that the author and the references are generally from the UK. So if you walk into a flooring distributor and ask for some of the products Jeffries mentioned, you will get some weird looks. But the trick about using tape to hold the boards while the glue dried was invaluable.

5 comments about Household Hints for Dummies.

1. This book is great for the kids going off to live on their own (either school, marriage or moving in with boy/girlfriend, or just leaving home) My mom just passed away so its up to me to keep the house tidy and I dont have the advisor I used to have so this book is great!!! Hints on everything from cleaning the right/easier/faster way to keeping home clutter free, getting kids to help out and even tips on little household jobs and keeping bugs away. Book has lots of hints and easy to see icons alerting u of dangers or more tips.



2. A friend gave me this book as a housewarming present and I thought she was nuts because I've had my own home for 30 years. What could I possibly learn from a book about keeping house? As it turns out, plenty! I cannot believe how many hints, ideas and shortcuts I've used from the book -- on taking care of my house, clothes, car, pets. Mine is by my bedside, so I can read a little passage on how to get wax out of carpeting or iron a shirt efficiently before I go to bed. Lest you think I'm a cleaning fanatic, I am not. My house is littered with papers and junk because I work full-time. What this book has done is show me how to use shortcuts and techniques that make keeping things under control easier and less tedious. I salute Janet Sobesky and the publishers. If the whole series is as useful as this book, I'm buying them all.



3. A friend gave me this book as a housewarming present and I thought she was nuts because I've had my own home for 30 years. What could I possibly learn from a book about keeping house? As it turns out, plenty! I cannot believe how many hints, ideas and shortcuts I've used from the book -- on taking care of my house, clothes, car, pets. Mine is by my bedside, so I can read a little passage on how to get wax out of carpeting or iron a shirt efficiently before I go to bed. Lest you think I'm a cleaning fanatic, I am not. My house is littered with papers and junk because I work full-time. What this book has done is show me how to use shortcuts and techniques that make keeping things under control easier and less tedious. I salute Janet Sobesky and the publishers. If the whole series is as useful as this book, I'm buying them all.



4. Why didn't my mother tell me all this? I believe that reading this book should be required along with every marriage license, lease and mortgage agreement. This book is a natural for a bridal shower gift, or anyone just setting up housekeeping. I'm giving it to everyone on my gift list for Christmas!



5. This book is a "wonderment." And a "wonderment" is a thing of wonder. Don't bypass this book if you are anal. Anals have super clean houses and are frequently
   nurses. They start sniffing the air for dirt as soon as you walk in. The author calls
   them "clean-o-holics." This is such a great book. It's like being at Disneyland.
   We first go to section 1 (there are six sections). Here we may be in for some disappointments. The author won't say it. But she really hypothesizes that you
   can't have (this is hard to grasp) a user-friendly house or dwelling unless you have
   a minimum of some time-management or organizational skills. Now she doesn't
   write separate books on time-management or organization, but she does give the
   bare minimum of these skills. That includes calendars and "to-do" lists. She does
   say that you can go right to the other sections to learn. But the implications are
   what I just stated. Sections two through four give us all the stuff that we need.
   The messy bathroom. The messy kitchen. And so on. This takes up a lot of room
   in the book. About 180 pages of this 350-page book. Section 4 is about "troubleshooting." The stuck door, bugs, the plunger. Section 5 is about safety.
   Burglars, bad food, accidents. Section 6 is "The Part of Tens." Basically everything
   that we didn't cover in the previous five sections. One of the points that I am trying to make is that this book is even good for the "clean-o-holic." Because they can find out how much they don't need to do. Thank you. I hope that I have helped

2 comments about Farm Conveniences: And How to Make them.

1. These books (there are two others in this series, I think - "Farm Appliances" and "Fences") are truly wonderful. I have lived my whole life on a farm and I have seen some of the things shown in these books, but to see the whole range of rural inventions in one place is an overwhelming testimony of the ingenuity and brilliance of our forefathers. I also think the introductions by Denis Boyles are the funniest things I've read in a long time.



2. The contents of this book are borrowed from a very old book (printed in the 19th century I think), and thus the contraptions and devices that are shown therein have been eclipsed by modernizations of the same things. The sheer ingenuity of these devices gives the book its worth in the present day. Where I probably wouldn't build many of the devices exactly as they would, the illustrations and explanations (problem/solution format) gave me ideas for new and better devices. This book is excellent for the inventor, and perhaps even the occasional historian/nostalgia-enthusiast. Well worth its price (I recieved it as a Christmas gift!)

No comments about 1001 Do-It-Yourself Hints and Tips: Tricks, Shortcuts, How-tos, and Other Great Ideas for Inside, Outside, and All Around Your House.

5 comments about The Woman's Hands-On Repair Guide.

1. I found this book to be very helpful when faced with a leaky faucet and a defective oven heating element. It is simply written and easy to understand. The illustrations are especially helpful and clear. This book is a wonderful reference and makes a great gift for all occasions.



2. This book isn't as comprehensive as I would have wanted. The information is basic and geared towards someone who has never held a screwdriver in her life. Although the repairs she reviews are thorough, I was hoping for something that focuses on more complex issues.



3. I got this book from a relative for Christmas and since then I've actually known what a hammer was for! Up until then I was using it to tenderize meat for my big guy (he beat me up when he found out I used his hammer this way - dummy me). Anyway, now my small woman - sized brain can almost - almost - understand the things that men do. I feel so much closer to being human now, though I would never let on to my mas..., er, husband. I'm sure that's what the author had in mind. After all, she must know what it feels like to be a woman, too.



4. I thought this book was fantastic! I like to consider myself "handyman challenged", but with this book, I actually took apart a sink drain and put it back together! Correctly and working I might add.
   
   This book has lots of tips and tricks for basic maintenance and household repairs. It describes what you need to do step by step.



5. Well, this is the deal here. I didn't order this book, but when it came I kept it because it looked interesting. It was, I guess. The information is simple and easy-to-grasp. I am somewhat offended by the implication that women need special books written in 5th grade language to accomplish tasks around the home that must be easy for men. Something wrong with that thinking. Nevertheless, the book is in my repairs reference section of the bookcase in case I need a quick look sometime.

4 comments about Build Like a Pro: Painting and Finishing.

1. When you look at the cover of this book, what does the largest photo show? A man painting an interior wall of a room. And what is the book title? Painting and Finishing. And the first bulleted caption line on the cover is "Painting the interior or exterior of a house." The second bulleted caption line is "Choosing finishes for kitchens and bathrooms." So, does this book discuss strategies and techniques for efficiently painting a home's entire interiors, including walls and ceilings? No. Does it discuss the new paints for painting plastic laminates or stains and paints for concrete floors and counters? No. Does it discuss scaffolding if you are "blessed" with exceedingly high ceilings in large rooms or address when it makes sense to spray paint rather than roll walls and ceilings? No. This book is devoted exclusively to discussion of painting or finishing wood, that is, solid and composite woods or wood veneers used in moldings, cabinets, furniture, siding, decking, and decorative items.

   While a great deal of interior and exterior decor in better homes is composed of wood, this book is marketed as a general painting and finish book for the home, not as a book for one material in the home. Nowhere on the front or back cover, is this book labeled as what it is: how to paint and stain new or old wood surfaces. And although I already know how to use a paint roller, I bought the book to help me plan how to paint two complete home interiors. Not just the trim and the cabinets. The professional advice I expected to find simply is not there because this book is being presented, in my opinion, as something it is not.

   If what you need is advice on painting wood, I think there are better, meaning more detailed and more creative, books available. For instance, "The Painted Kitchen", by Henny Donovan (Firefly Books, 2000) demonstrates a wide range of styles and techniques for painting kitchen cabinets and Annie Sloan's "Inspirations In Painted Furniture," (Collins and Brown, 1999) is both inspiring and an excellent technical reference for painted furniture.

   Michael Dresdner's book delivers a great deal of solid, basic, technical information, it is well written, and it is well illustrated, but it is also very limited in scope. He covers tools of the trade, oil-based versus water-based products, work area preparation, clean up, and safety thoroughly. He provides some nifty tips on preparing wood for finishing as well. Unless that's just what you need, however, I recommend you keep browsing.




2. The title is misleading. Interior painting is barely touched upon, exterior painting content is basic at best. Staining and finishing sections are rather rudimentary.

   Typos abound. Some sidebars are repeated three times.

   I've never been disappointed by a Taunton book until this one.




3. I like Tauntons press books alot. So when I went to find a book on painting I looked for thier book on painting.
   Most of Tauntons Press books go into more advanced aspects of what ever they are refering to. This book is more suited for the slow 2nd grader. It mostly deals with outside painting and staining.
   nothing at all on how to roll inside walls. This is the WORST book that I have ever bought. This book does not even come close to Tauntons Press normal quality, Shame on you Tauntons...



4. The Taunton Pro books are usually quite good, but this one is an exception. Even the bullet points on the front are misleading "Painting the interior and exterior of a house." When I think interior, I think walls, but evidently they mean every other surface EXCEPT walls! LOL.
   
   I also wondered if the author had a contract with BIN. I don't mind if you mention that you like BIN products the best, but to waste valuable photography space on showing a BIN display and cans of paint seems a bit of a waste to me.
   
   The section on floors had several diagrams with arrows going in various directions to show sanding patterns (page 74-75). There was not a clear explanation of which sanding pattern you should use and I came away from reading that section even more confused. The section on Kitchens and Bathrooms was also incomplete. It started out telling you how to prepare the old cabinet surface, how to choose the right primer, then "next to painting, the easiest way to change the look of kitchen cabinets is to recolor them" and goes into staining. It NEVER talks about painting the kitchen cabinets! (page 24-27).
   
   Even the "In Detail" callouts were incomplete! On page 27, there is a short paragraph on Mixing Glazes. It talks about clear, water based glaze base, then talks about getting a paint chip and having the store make up a quart. The mixing instructions are "When mixed with enough glaze base, one quart of paint makes 3-4 quarts of glaze." That's it!
   
   I found the instructions incomplete and not up to the regular Taunton level of quality in their books. Do not waste your money on this book.