Super Handyman: Making a backyard fire pit

A backyard fire pit is a hot idea, and very popular these days. You can buy a portable model starting at just about $40, or you can install one that is a permanent feature in your yard to enjoy for years to come.

Here are the basic instructions you will need to follow for most.

If you use paving stones, you can do the job in one day, and you won't have to use any mortar. Choose some that will stack easily and can be staggered. Smaller stones will enable you to create a smoother curve. Once you choose them, lay them out in a circle and measure the total width. This will give you the dimensions for your base. Remember that you want your pit to accommodate standard-size firewood so you won't have to do a lot of cutting when you need to use some.

Dig down at least 6 inches below the existing grade of your soil in the shape and width of your proposed fire pit. Fill this area with pea gravel and tamp it down until it is firm and level. You can use a flat scrap of wood screwed onto the end of a four-by-four as your tamping device, or you can buy or rent a metal one. It really does make a difference.

Now you can start putting down your paving stones. Use a long level for accuracy and a rubber mallet to tap the pavers into place. Now start your second row, staggering the stones as you stack them. This will give you more stability.

You probably will want to have three or four rows.

That's about all you have to do. You may want to add a grate over the top to prevent some of the sparks from flying out. You can buy these where you buy grills and other outdoor accessories. You and your guests will really enjoy those mild nights out by the fire, and the kids will get to have plenty of s'mores. Don't forget to douse your fire when you're done, and keep a garden hose around for safety's sake!

No-mess epoxy

Epoxy is one of the strongest adhesives around. We depend on it for lots of glue jobs around our homes. The manufacturers have come up with a great idea with the twin-dispensing tubes, which put the same amount of the dual compounds onto a surface, where you then mix them. But this still means mixing and, usually, a mess. We have found that if you put both compounds into a plastic sandwich bag, then seal it and mix from the outside with your fingers, all of the mess stays in the bag. Then you can clip off the tip of the one corner and squeeze out the glue. Now you have avoided the mess of mixing. Toss the bag when you have finished, and you have avoided all of the messes associated with epoxy, and you'll have a super-tough repair.

Straighten up

Picky, picky! Some people are bugged by the littlest things. Kelly can't stand seeing a crooked picture hanging on the wall. She will go out of her way to get to it and straighten it. The easiest way to prevent this, once and for always, is to find the center of the hanging wire on the back of the frame and wrap a little bit of masking tape around it at that point. Now as the wire is placed over the nail or hook, the tape will bunch up a little bit and settle on the nail in a way that won't allow for much movement. With all her hanging things, she has her life's work ahead of her.

Super hints

• You can “antique” any wood finish by just rubbing a little dark stain over the surface and letting it settle in cracks and crevices. Apply it with a rag and wipe off the excess. It's a super way to make a new piece of furniture look old.

• Most bathmats have a rubber backing on them to keep them from sliding on a slick tile floor. But if you have a rug that doesn't have this safety backing, you can paint one on. They make a rubber backing that is painted on and is available at your hobby and craft store. It's easy to use and really does the job. It's great for other rugs around the house, too.

• When you have to drive a nail into some woods, especially thin material, the nail will sometimes split the wood. One way to avoid this is to dull the point by turning the nail upside down and tapping the point with a hammer to dull it. Then when you drive the nail in, there will be no splitting, hopefully!

Q. I am considering covering our concrete patio with brick paving stones. Do I use thin-set or something to glue them down?

A. Make sure the surface is smooth and clean, and just lay the pavers right on top of the concrete. Fill the cracks with a little sand, and make sure you add an edging to keep the materials from shifting. Sounds like a great project!

Q. I have a problem with my water heater. The water smells like rotten eggs. What gives?

A. In some tank water heaters, there is a rod that is designed to collect minerals from the water and prevent them from going out into your household water supply. This anode rod will wear out over the life of the water heater and may, in some cases, need to be replaced. It sounds like that might be what is going on in your water heater. There is an access on the top of the water heater where you can pull and examine this rod. If it's broken or damaged, you can remove it and replace it with a new one.

Q. I know it wasn't Santa, but somebody tracked black soot marks from the fireplace across the white den carpet. Really, I think it was one of our pets. I don't want to make the problem worse by scrubbing the marks but would like to get them out of the carpet as soon as possible. What will work on this?

A. Sprinkle some table salt over the stains and give it plenty of time to absorb the charcoal. Then vacuum it up. If that doesn't work, then go ahead and use carpet cleaner. We suggest trying the dry cleaner first, but if the stains are too tough, then you may have to use a different product. Remember to blot, not rub, especially with these stains. Good luck.

Reader tips

• I reworked all of our outdoor lights this past summer. We had some older fixtures and some newer ones, and several connections that would fail when it rained. I bought new wire and replaced the old. I used outdoor connectors where I could, and put a dab of silicone caulk into the wire nuts on the rest. I reasoned that the silicone would prevent the moisture damage that I had to deal with. It sure has made a difference.

• My husband and I wallpapered our dining room. We used a gray paper over a tan wall. It was really hard to see where the paste had been spread on the wall and the paper, so we added a little blue food coloring to it. It was a lot easier to see after that, and it looks like we didn't miss any spots. The coloring didn't show up anywhere else either, so I guess we did a good job. We also used a paint roller to spread it, which was a whole lot faster than a brush.

• My wife has helped me put together a great new home office. Before, we just had a desk and file cabinet and lots of papers and things stored in a small room that also doubled as a guest room. Now we have turned the room into a complete office, with built-in bookcases with a matching desk and credenza. We each have a work station. I took the old, metal file cabinet out to my workshop and use the top drawer for instruction manuals, plans and such. The bottom drawer is a great place to store some of my more expensive tools, since I can lock it.

• I have been going through old boxes of tools and hardware to get rid of some things and find other things that I thought I had lost long ago. I ran across a length of beaded chain that I guess came from a ceiling fixture or a fan. It was long enough to string all of my sockets on. I closed up the loop, and now have it hanging on my pegboard wall. It's easy to grab the whole thing when I need a socket and take the lot of them with me to where I am working.

• We keep a refrigerator in our garage for storing some things. My husband hunts, and we had stored some meat in it. Unfortunately, the circuit overloaded and shut off one night. We found it the next morning, but the meat was already starting to thaw. We got rid of the meat, but the fridge had a bad smell that we had trouble getting rid of. I put about half a bag of charcoal briquettes in the fridge. It's been a month, and it seems to have helped. The smell is gone now, but I've decided to keep the charcoal there to prevent any more bad smells.

Shop talk

• The Xtend and Climb Telescoping Ladder may look weird, but it has a lot of advantages over a standard model. It takes up little space in a garage or shed — a 12-foot ladder collapses down to 2½ feet. It's tough, safe and lightweight. To find out more, visit www.extendandclimb.com and see the video. The ladders come in several sizes and are available at select dealers.

• Shockwave Impact Duty Driver Bits are engineered for extreme durability. Heat-treated and specially designed, they are made to take abuse, and should last 10 times longer than standard bits. That means no more broken bits in the middle of your projects. They are available in a wide variety of sets and are worth a little more in the price. Check them out wherever Milwaukee Tools are sold. See them on the www.milwaukeetool.com website.

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

© 2011, Cowles Syndicate Inc.