Ask TOH | Build It, Downlights: 1516

On this episode of ASK This Old House Tom and Kevin use scrap wood to create an end grain cutting board in Build It. Scott installs surface-mounted downlights in a living room. Roger discusses the best ways to keep mice out of your house. And the guys ask, “What is it?” Build It | End Grain Cutting Board from Scrap Wood Tom and Kevin create an end grain cutting board with scrap heart pine wood. Where to find it? Heart pine is only available from reclaimed and salvaged sources. For this project, it was originally purchased from Longleaf Lumber. To glue the boards together, Tom used wood glue from Gorilla Glue. Tom used a roundover router bit to ease the corners and a cove router bit to dress the edges of the cutting board. These bits are available at home centers and woodworking supply shops. For a finish, Tom used mineral oil, which can be purchased at a pharmacy. It will need to be reapplied periodically to keep the wood sealed. What Is It? | Sliding Red Metal Tool The guys check out a sliding, red metal tool and ask, “What is it?” Where to find it? The professional bar-mount filing guide is a jig that holds a chainsaw file at the correct angle and is manufactured by Oregon. How to Choose a Mouse Trap Roger discusses the best traps to catch mice and ways to keep the animals out of a home and demonstrates several different traps designed to catch and kill mice. The Victor Metal Pedal Mouse Trap is one of the oldest, but most effective designs. The Victor Electronic Mouse Trap is powered by batteries and kills mice with a high voltage shock. Both of these traps are manufactured by Victor. The Tomcat Kill and Contain Mouse Trap kills the pest and traps it in a container. It can then be thrown out without any mess. This trap is manufactured by Tomcat. The Jawz Plastic Mouse Trap is easier to set than a traditional trap. It is manufactured by JT Eaton. The Live Animal Cage Trap is meant to lure mice inside the cage without killing them. The version shown by Roger is manufactured by Havahart. To keep mice from squeezing into any cracks in a home’s foundation, Roger recommended filling in any cracks with an expanding insulating foam sealant, a layer of wire cloth, and then another layer of sealant. The foam sealant is manufactured by Great Stuff. Roger also recommended filling smaller gaps in the home with steel wool, which mice don’t like to chew through. To ward off mice, Roger said repellents are also a good idea. Repellents, wire cloth, steel wool and many other types of traps can be found at home centers. How to Install Surface Mounted Downlights Scott installs surface-mounted downlights in an open living space. Scott installed a Lightolier Slim Surface LED Downlight in the living room area. The downlights are manufactured by Philips. Scott installed the Caseta Wireless system to control the installed downlights, which included an in-wall dimmer, a Pico remote with wall-mounting kit, and a Pico remote for the couch. The entire system is manufactured by Lutron.