If you want your garden to look beautiful this spring, the time to start prepping is now. Check out these spring lawn care tips to get your garden ready for a gorgeous spring.

Give Your Tools a Bath

After being used to dig in the dirt, it is no surprise that garden tools get messy fast. Prepare them for another season of hard work in the garden by giving them a good scrub. All you need is some soap and water. To keep your gardening tools in top shape, do this at the beginning and end of gardening season, plus any other times that they get especially dirty. While you’re cleaning your tools, rubs some mineral spirits on any wooden handles. This will help keep the wood from splintering as you do your spring gardening. Early spring is also an excellent time to tune-up your lawn mower or get a professional service.

Tidy Up the Garden

Your carefully maintained garden can become a bit of a mess during the fall and winter. Clear away any branches, leaves, and debris that may have accumulated over the last few months. It is important to do this task early, before the weather really starts warming up. You don’t want to risk damaging or disturbing any bulbs and plants as they start to sprout. You should also apply pre-emergent herbicides well before weeds start sprouting.

Prep the Soil

The soil will play a critical role in supporting your garden throughout the spring and summer. Give it the care it needs before you begin planting. Start by using your pitchfork and rake to turn the soil over. Remove any weeds you find. A few weeks before you begin planting, add compost or manure. This gives it time to integrate the nutrients into the soil and prevents the fertilizers from burning your plants’ roots.

A brand new year is just over the horizon, and we couldn’t be more excited. We’ve made our pacts to drink more water, eat fewer cookies, and spend more time with the people we love. But something is missing . . .

5 Home Improvement Resolutions for 2017

1. Don’t call the pros (unless it’s a specialized project). We wouldn’t recommend redoing your home electrical system unless you have some serious training, but things like fixing the garbage disposal, repairing drywall, and fixing a leaky faucet are much simpler than they appear. Save money and fix it yourself!
2. Cut the energy bill. Double check that your HVAC system isn’t leaking air (and wasting your money). Seal any holes or cracks you find, and consider insulating your heating and cooling system. Dial back the thermostat when you’re not at home to save even more.
3. Go big when you go home. Even if you live in a tiny house or apartment, you can make a small home feel spacious with a few simple interior design tricks.
4. Don’t delay. We’ve all been there. “I’ll do it tomorrow” turns into “I’ll do it next week,” and soon your critter problem is out of control. Don’t delay on important home improvement projects this year. You’d be surprised at how much money and stress you save.
5. Grab a coat and go outside. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you’re stuck inside. Use this opportunity to build a backyard fire pit or finish those deck renovations you started last summer.

Visit Ace of Gray for home improvement tips and tools.

Are you still searching for the perfect Christmas gift for the handyman (or woman) in your life? Look no further than these 5 handyman gifts for all budgets.

5 Gifts for Home Improvement Lovers

1. Spot light kit. The days are getting shorter, but to-do lists are getting longer. Brighten up those late-night projects with a spot light kit from Ace of Gray.
2. Ratcheting screwdriver set. For the handyman who needs a little bit of everything, this screwdriver set comes with 18 removable screwdriver heads and a maneuverable ratchet handle. Best of all? The whole thing fits on your belt!
3. Swiss army knife. Speaking of “a little bit of everything,” no handyman would be caught without a Swiss Army knife. When your favorite handyman just can’t resist tinkering with a project, a Swiss Army knife will save the day until he can get to his tool kit. Get one in classic red or cobalt blue, or upgrade to a Swiss Army Camper Knife, which comes with a corkscrew and other handy features.
4. Power tools. Is your daughter a fledgling Etsy craft queen? Does your son have a new project every week? Is your spouse’s reliable belt sander getting a little old? We have a full range of power tools at Ace Hardware in Gray. From compact drills to grinders to multi-tool kits, we have everything your DIYer needs to get their next project off the ground.
5. Power equipment. Go all out this year with a Toro Timemaster push mower or a Stihl hedge trimmer. One gorgeous lawn (and happy husband) coming right up!

There are only a few days left to finish your Christmas shopping. Visit Ace of Gray for gifts for the DIYer in your life.

If you buy your own groceries, clean your own house, and occasionally eat cereal in your underwear while paying the electric bill, then congratulations: you’re officially an adult. That means you go to work, spend weekends landscaping or decluttering the house, and you have at least partial control of the remote. It also means you should have mastered these home improvement skills years ago. (Don’t worry. We promise not to tell if you’re still learning).

5 Home Improvement Skills Everyone Should Have

1. How to hang a picture. Arbitrarily tacking nails into the wall (or worse, nailing tacks into the wall) may be how you did it in college, but that won’t fly once you reach adulthood. To properly hang a picture, first measure 57”to 63” up your wall. Why? That’s the height that museums and art curators recommend for best displaying your artwork. Make a mark with a pencil where you want to nail. Make sure you use a picture hanger that can bear the weight of both the picture and the frame. Nail, hang, and voila!
2. How to install a hanging shelf. First step? Locate the studs in your drywall. If you haven’t mastered the “knock and listen” method, pick up a stud finder at Ace of Gray. While you’re here, make sure you also grab the right size anchors, or your drywall will crumble and the contents of your shelf will end up broken on the floor. Carefully follow the instructions included with your shelf.
3. How to stain wood. A nice finish is the cherry on top of any DIY sundae. But if you don’t know what you’re doing with the wood stain, things can get a little messy. Using a paintbrush, apply a thin layer of wood stain, painting with the grain. Wait the amount of time recommended on the can, then wipe it away with an old rag (again, moving with the grain). If you want a darker stain, you can leave the stain on longer or reapply after 4 hours.
4. How to reseal a window. If your caulk is moldy or crumbling, it needs to go. Scrape away old caulk with a screwdriver. Clean the surface and make sure it’s dry before whipping out the caulk gun and applying a new seal.
5. How to replace a shower head. Simply buy a new one, unscrew the old one, and replace the teflon tape from the shower pipe. Screw on your new shower head and you’re ready to go.

Need supplies, ideas, or advice on a project that didn’t make our list? Ace of Gray is here to help. Visit our home improvement store for tips and tricks for your next project.

Staining Cabinets

When it comes to home renovations, our minds default to the big stuff: gleaming kitchens, elegant bedrooms, and sprawling outdoor entertaining spaces. And while we’ll never tell you not to buy that Big Green Egg for the back porch (seriously, have you ever tasted a slow-cooked steak?), there are a few areas of the home in need of a little TLC. Next time you have some funds in your home improvement budget, consider these often overlooked spaces.

Areas for Your Next Home Improvement Project

1. The entryway. It’s the first thing your guests see when they enter the home, but for many homeowners, it’s ordinary to the point of invisibility. If you’re not already used to the bare walls and cluttered shoes by the door, you probably come in through the garage door. Update the entryway for a quick, inexpensive home improvement project that will make a big difference.
2. The driveway. Homeowners worry endlessly about curb appeal, putting in new flowering shrubs and ripping them up mercilessly if they don’t perform. But if the driveway is cracked or caked in grime, no amount of gardening will make it look good. Start out by assessing the integrity of your driveway. Fix any cracks in the concrete. Then pressure wash the concrete to restore it to its crisp, clean color. Once that’s done, you can line it with flowers, shrubs, and garden ornaments to your heart’s content.
3. The laundry room. If you’re like most people, you like to pretend the laundry room doesn’t exist unless you have a load in the wash. Laundry rooms are often dreary, cluttered affairs, making the task of weekly laundry seem like an insurmountable task. But with a little organization, a fresh coat of paint, and even a wall hanging or two, your laundry room can become as soft and welcoming as towels fresh out of the dryer.

Ace of Gray has the tips and tools for all your summer home improvement needs. For help with your next home improvement project, visit our store or shop supplies online.

Pressure Washing

What do you get for the man who already has a Yeti cooler, Big Green Egg, and Cub Cadet mower? Sounds like your father could use a DIY gift this year. No, we don’t mean a handmade card with $50 bucks in it. Change the way your dad does cookouts, lake days, and outdoor living with a DIY cooler stand for Father’s Day.

How to Build a Cooler Cart

1. Measure the cooler. Trust us, you don’t want to finish this project, only to find you miscalculated and made the opening an inch too small. Take careful measurements before beginning any building project. Beware of sloped edges throwing off your measurements.
2. Pick your design. A basic cooler stand has a drain, bottom shelf, lid, and optional wheels. If you know what you’re doing, you can also customize the design based on your dad’s preferences.
3. Visit Ace of Gray for lumber and supplies. You can’t make a good Father’s Day present without quality building materials. Stock up on lumber and other tools you’ll need to build a Yeti cooler cart.
4. Build and finish your cooler stand. Once you’ve gathered your materials, cut everything to size, and fitted the cart together, you can finish the stand with paint or waterproof stain. After you’ve added the drain and additional hardware, add a few custom details such as decor for the front panel or a bottle opener installed on the side.
5. Fill ‘er up and fire up the grill. You’re ready to celebrate Father’s Day!

Found an item missing from your dad’s grilling arsenal? Save Father’s Day with a trip to Ace of Gray. We’re fully stocked on grills and grilling accessories, outdoor living accessories, camping gear, and other gifts for dad this Father’s Day.

Outdoor Living