SOLUTIONS: Beautiful bamboo floors easy to maintain

QUESTION: We have new bamboo floors in our home. What should we use on the floor to clean it? Different people with lots of different ideas have advised us, but no one has the right solution. Thank you in advance. Gordon, . . .

Posted: 2010-05-01

DEBBIE TRAVIS: Blackboard paint great for helping kids stay organized

Dear Debbie: Our son and daughter (11 and nine years old) have both asked to have a wall in their bedrooms that they can write on. We have heard of blackboard paint and wonder if you can cover it up when . . .

Posted: 2009-08-30

MIKE HOLMES: Your kitchen can't take the heat

Your stove -- whether it's gas or electric -- needs to have an operating hood and extraction fan over it. These hoods aren't just decorative -- they are essential to help control excess moisture in your home, as well as . . .

Posted: 2009-10-18

Palace or bungalow, she'll do your interior

Celeb designer aims for clients' happiness on her new TV reality show

Kelly Hoppen is designing the Kensington Palace apartment for William and Kate. She has designed homes for many celebrities, including the Beckhams, and spearheaded the seminal "east meets west" design style. Here, she reveals the next step in her journey. Everyone . . .

Posted: 2012-02-11

Take care with pressure-treated wood

New arsenic-free types can still cause problems if used incorrectly

OTTAWA -- Arsenic isn't an element that enjoys a good public relations image. That's why the American and Canadian lumber industries voluntarily halted consumer sales of all pressure-treated wood containing arsenic-bearing chemicals four years ago. Trouble is, the new, arsenic-free, pressure-treated . . .

Posted: 2008-05-04

CONNIE OLIVER: Elegant features coming back into vogue

I'VE stated many times that I am partial to older homes. I take for granted the ceiling trim detail, crown moulding, wide baseboards and beefy door frames in my home. I'd miss those details if I had to move to . . .

Posted: 2010-01-23

Knowledge blossoms

Study group learns about tomatoes, peppers from a fearless experimenter

When a group of gardeners get together to talk about growing vegetables, it leads to some interesting dynamics. Curious gardeners ask many questions because they know that to be a successful food gardener, learning from one another is key. Networking . . .

Posted: 2020-08-22

Quartz countertops popular and practical

Spruce up your kitchen with endless styles and colours

Over the past few years of interior renovations, a dozen or so kitchen renovations have been completed. Although only half were quite extensive, which involved fully gutting the space to introduce new cupboards in a newly designed kitchen layout, . . .

Posted: 2023-08-05

Demolition discoveries

Home renos can turn up fascinating artifacts

The first few weeks of any major lower-level renovation and remodel will likely entail a whole lot of demolition, due to the reorganization room configurations as well as removal of old esthetic sheathing on walls and ceilings. As such, . . .

Posted: 2026-03-14

Don't let good wood go to waste

Make better use of leftover material before tossing it in a bin

Houston, we have a problem. I wish this was fake news, but it’s not. I am gobsmacked by the amount of good wood we are hauling to landfill sites... and burying. Today’s focus is on new-home construction. Allow me to preface my non-covert . . .

Posted: 2019-06-15