Ask This Old House Season 16, Episode 19: Stair Railing; Smart Show House

1

Water Softener, App, Shadow Box

Installing a new type of water softener; a home organization app; building a shadow box using wood from an old door.

30 min

2

Toolbox; Smoke Detector; Leaking Valve

A young fan learns how to build a tool box; installing smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; diagnosing a leaking safety valve and installing an expansion tank to fix it.

30 min

3

Backsplash; Leak Detection; Rainwater

How to install a backsplash. Also: a wireless leak detector that prevents floods; and a water feature that collects and reuses rainwater.

30 min

4

Patch Lawn, Swap Toilet, Off-Grid

Reseeding a dead section of lawn and blending it in with the rest of the yard; the basics of changing a toilet; and an off-grid home tests commercial HVAC equipment.

30 min

5

Radiator Swap, Brick Repointing

Replacing a small radiator with one that's the correct size; and repointing brick. Also: the importance of sunscreen on the jobsite.

30 min

6

Tree Removal; Stud Finders

The differences between water filters; and different ways to locate studs in a wall. Also: removing a tree that's leaning toward a house; and installing a smart garage door opener.

30 min

7

Happy Holidays from AskTOH!

A toy box is built; and the guys exchange gifts. Also: preventing fires from holiday decorations.

30 min

8

Window Gap, Solar Drinking Water

Roger teaches how to care for orchids; Tom fixes a window that was not hung properly and his now letting air in; Mark demonstrates how to clean brick with acid; in Future House, Ross finds a solar panel that can generate drinking water.

30 min

9

Walkway Reset; Patch Chipped Floor

Roger shows how to repair a damaged walkway, and also how to identify what caused the damage so it can be prevented; Tom patches a chipped wood floor using a Dutchman and hand tools.

30 min

10

Silica Dust, Wobbly Toilet

Mark tests out different tools that collect silica dust more efficiently; Richard shims a wobbly toilet; Kevin heads to the Catskills to build a wooden slice table with Jimmy Diresta, a maker who's famous online for his how-to videos.

30 min

11

Tankless Water Heater, Retaining Wall

Richard heads to Milwaukee to install an instantaneous water heater; Tom demonstrates some techniques for cutting straight edges with a circular saw; Mark rebuilds a retaining wall that was stacked with the wrong material.

30 min

12

Dutch Door, Landscape Checkers

Richard shows Kevin the proper way to ventilate a sink; in Nashville, Tom converts a regular door into a Dutch door; Jenn updates a landscape by moving around, dividing, and pruning the current plants in the yard.

30 min

13

Rain Chain, Vanity Installation

Roger installs a downspout alternative; painter Mauro Henrique explains the differences between various types of paintbrushes; Richard installs a vanity for homeowners who gave up on it 7 years ago; Tom shows closet storage options.

30 min

14

Lawn Care, Workshop of the Future

Roger tends to a lawn that was seeded in the summer and is not doing well; Richard goes over low-budget kitchen upgrades; Tom travels to a futuristic workshop in San Francisco to build a stool using computer-based tools.

30 min

15

Spitting Faucet, Painting 101

Richard diagnoses and repairs a water system with air in it; in Open House, Tom analyzes a staircase that is not to code; Mauro makes his first house call to teach a homeowner the basics of painting a room.

30 min

16

Houston After Harvey

In this special episode of AskTOH, the guys head to Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey to profile nonprofits working to tear down, clean out, and rebuild homes that were destroyed during the storm.

30 min

17

Metal Railing; Tile Replacement

Mark installs a metal railing using anchoring cement; in Open House, Richard weighs the pros and cons of steam heat; Tom demonstrates the correct way to replace a cracked kitchen floor tile.

30 min

18

Jimmy DiResta; Trough Planter

Richard demonstrates a solution for replacing a water main shutoff; Jenn travels to Tennessee to build a planter out of an animal feeding trough; Mark waterproofs brick; Kevin heads back to Jimmy DiResta's shop to build a sign.

30 min

19

Stair Railing; Smart Show House

Richard discusses the possible causes and solutions for a frozen air conditioner; Tom fixes an end cap on a stair railing that is loose; Ross travels to Napa to tour a house that's testing a variety of interconnected smart home devices.

30 min

20

Shower Valve; Chainsaws; Bucket Stool

In Nashville, Richard repairs and replaces a leaking shower valve; Roger explains safety features built into all chainsaws; Kevin makes a bucket stool with Ben Uyeda, a maker best known for his design-based online videos.

30 min

21

Paint Door; Match Mortar; Wood Joints

Mauro teaches a homeowner how to paint a metal door; Mark explains how to match mortar for repointing jobs; Tom teaches apprentice Austin how to make a variety of different wood joints by building simple utility boxes.

30 min

22

Gutterless Gutters, Desert Plan

Tom installs an alternative to a gutter when a traditional one does not work; Ross and Richard update Kevin on a Future House technology; Jenn heads to Phoenix to recreate the desert in a homeowner's front yard.

30 min

23

Paint Stripping, Fridge Hookup

Mauro travels to Sacramento to show a homeowner the safe way to strip paint; Tom explains basic chiseling techniques; Richard helps a special homeowner hook up her refrigerator with an icemaker.

30 min

24

Reface Fireplace, Kitchen Faucet

Mark teaches apprentice Krysten how to reface a granite fireplace; Jenn gives some tips on starting an organic garden; Richard helps a homeowner replace her kitchen faucet when she realizes her shutoff valve is broken.

30 min

25

Drafty Door, Clean Paintbrushes

Tom uses multiple techniques to make a drafty door weathertight; Mauro demonstrates the most effective way to clean a paintbrush; Roger and Jenn test out a variety of battery operated lawn tools.

30 min

26

Net Zero Community, Live Edge

In Austin, Ross visits a community that plans to have all net zero energy housing; Richard demonstrates the uses of less common wrenches; Tom and Kevin build a console table using a maple slab with a live edge on it.

30 min