If you've always wanted a kitchen island, make your own

Kitchen islands are really great if you have the extra room in your kitchen. They don't have to be fancy, built-in models, either. If you are a little creative, you can make one yourself. Here are some ideas worth considering.

An island could be a simple, inexpensive base cabinet. Or it could be an old clothes dresser. It's customary for it to be the same height as your existing countertops.

Since it's primarily a work surface, you will need to top it with a countertop. This could be an old, recycled one, cut to fit. It also could be a tiled surface that you create yourself. If you can find a small piece of granite, that would be really special. Even an old butcher block surface could be used.

Storage is also important, so make sure your cabinet has doors, drawers or some other places that are suitable for storing pots and pans or whatever you plan to store there. You can customize them with special inserts available at organization or discount stores.

If you want to be able to move the island, you can install casters, but make sure you get the type with locks so you can prevent the wheels from turning for more stability while you work.

If you are a pro or have extra money to throw around, you even could add electricity and/or plumbing, but it's not necessary. Make sure you do it to code.

That extra work surface might make your kitchen seem more like paradise!

Good to the last drop

Want to get every bit of caulk from the tube? Try this. Pull the plunger of the caulking gun back out from the bottom of the tube and insert a small scrap of wood, maybe a half-inch thick. Now when you put the plunger back into the end of the tube, you will have taken up any slack that might have been between the end of the caulking tube and the end of the plunger. This is a sure way to get every inch of caulk from the tube.

Extra cleaning power

Cleaning a deck or concrete patio is just part of the fun of homeownership. We have a great "invention" that will make this job easier. A push broom is your base, and it does a great job of scrubbing and sweeping. Place a garden hose on top of the handle and run it down to the tip so that the end is just in front of the brush. You can use cable ties or tape to hold it in place. Now you can wash as you scrub, and you will get these surfaces more clean in record time.

Super hints

• If you have a calculator that you use in the workshop, keep it stored in a sealed plastic bag. This will keep the dust and dirt out, and you still can use it right through the plastic.

• Place washers and dryers on top of rubber mats to help insulate their noise from the rest of the house. The mats will absorb a lot of it. You can add weatherstripping to the doors of the laundry room to help, too.

• I have a few assorted clamps, but sometimes I have to get creative when I don't have one that's the right size. I have found that using a belt from my closet will work in a bind. Most are easily adjusted and strong enough to hold things together while they set up or are repaired.

Q. Our patio slopes back toward the house and causes problems whenever we get some rain. Is there a simple way to fix this?

A. The best way to fix this might be to apply a topper to the patio surface. This might not be simple, but you should be able to do it, and it won't cost too much. You need to clean the surface completely and use a self-leveling topper with a bonding agent in it (to make it "stick" to the existing concrete). The topper is thin concrete and will be applied over the top of the patio surface, and you will use a float to smooth it out, making it thicker near the house and thinner, with a slight slope, at the edge of the patio to make drainage more efficient.

Q. Our basement has a musty smell. We've tried air fresheners and some cleaners, but the smell just won't go away. How can we get rid of this?

A. You should find out what is causing the smell first. If it's mildew or mold odor, you need to locate the source of the moisture problem and eliminate that. Sealing walls and floors can help somewhat. There are some desiccant products like Dry Rid that work pretty well. But if the problem remains, you will have to keep replacing these. Adding more ventilation also might be helpful.

Q. I have a faucet on the north side of my house that freezes every now and then. It has started to drip now. Of course, I know that when it's dripping it won't freeze, but it just never stops dripping. What are my options?

A. You can try putting a hose end cap on it to stop the dripping. If you cover it with an insulation cap during cold weather, it might freeze less. If you have to replace it - and you should, eventually - install one of the frost-free faucets. The valve is located inside or behind the wall, so it is less likely to freeze. It can be a difficult installation but might be worth it in your case.

Q. We have a vaulted ceiling in our great room. The room looks OK, but it is rather chilly. I also notice that all of the vents are upstairs or right in the room, and none are located near the floor. How can we compensate for this lack of heat circulating in the room?

A. A ceiling fan could be helpful for circulating the warm air back down into the room. Most fans are reversible to help make this possible. You could add small heaters to the room near the floor. Some are wall-mounted and barely noticeable. A heated floor is another option but is more work. Or you could have the heat ducts extended to the floor level.

Reader tips

• I decided to paint our patio furniture a different color. I wanted it all to match, so I chose to paint some of it the same color as the rest. I bought the paint and everything I needed, except I found some rust on one of the large chairs. I scrubbed and scrubbed, and even got out the steel wool, but needed some sort of remover that I didn't have. I tried straight vinegar with the steel wool, and it really got the rust off. I knew it was acidic but didn't realize how strong it really was. The rust is gone, the paint is on and the furniture looks brand-new.

• Well, we are fully into our spring cleaning and have a large collection of tools and hardware and other home-repair items to donate. We found a great local outfit that helps seniors make needed repairs to their homes, so we are going to donate all of this stuff to it. They do a great job, and after talking to them, I think we may even volunteer to start helping them on a regular basis. It's not a lot of hard work, and when you see what good it does for some of these folks, you just can't say no. I would encourage other readers to find outfits like this to donate to or work for.

• My wife likes to throw veggie scraps and other food scraps to the birds. The only problem is that I am starting to see other critters there, too. I don't want them getting into our yard, so I have created a feeding station for her to use. I took a pie plate and nailed it to the top of a fence post. Now she can put these items in the pan, and the birds can get all they want. But the armadillos and opossums don't get fed. Hopefully they will go somewhere else soon.

• I sure have used my snowblower this season. I've discovered a little trick that you might want to try. I spray down the work surfaces of the blower with some Pam cooking spray before I take it outside. The snow doesn't stick anymore and when I'm done, it just slides off and there's not much left to melt on my garage floor and make a mess. It's great, it's simple and it works quite well.

• Our garage is not attached to our home, so we put in a roof that covers the walkway to create a breezeway. This fall we replaced several of our windows, and I had the installers set the old windows aside. I am going to create a wall from these windows in the breezeway. This will shield the area from wind and rain, and should help us create a less-breezy breezeway. It ought to look neat, too!

Shoptalk

• If you have to remove paint from a concrete or brick surface, you have quite a project to do. You might want to try Behr's Concrete & Masonry Paint Stripper. It's great for removing several layers of paint, and even works on walls. It's tough enough to work on epoxies and urethanes, too. Another important feature to note is that it's biodegradable, which makes it a little safer for the environment. You can find it at your Home Depot and learn more about it at behr.com.

• We recommend TSP (trisodium phosphate) for cleaning all kinds of surfaces because it works so well. It's great for cleaning walls before painting, and even can be used to lightly etch surfaces before applying your paint. But if you don't like to use phosphates, DAP has TSP Substitute. This new formulation is better for the environment. It's available right next to the regular TSP in most paint departments, and works just as well. To learn more about TSP Substitute, visit dap.com.

• Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or visit the Carrells' Web site at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2010, Cowles Syndicate Inc.