The BEST episodes of Ask This Old House season 18
Every episode of Ask This Old House season 18, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Ask This Old House season 18!
The crew at This Old House take on some pretty big projects, which means they can only work on one or two houses a year. But homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions on smaller projects, and the TOH crew is ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by viewers - and the crew even makes house calls!
#1 - Weird Shower Valve; Mossy Roof
Season 18 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/8/2020
Richard travels to Salt Lake City to replace a shower valve he has never seen before in his career with a conventional pressure balanced one; Nathan demonstrates how to refinish stair treads; Tom helps a homeowner remove moss from his roof and prevent it from growing back.
Watch Now:Amazon
#2 - Indoor Garden; Fireplace Hearth
Season 18 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/15/2020
Jenn installs a unique kind of indoor garden for a homeowner who wants to grow vegetables year round. Richard demonstrates how and why frozen pipes burst, andTom explains the basics of using a hole saw. Then, Mark replaces a common terra cotta hearth with slate tile.
Watch Now:Amazon
#3 - Cherry Blossoms; Mount Rushmore
Season 18 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/28/2020
Jenn travels to Washington D.C. to see the Cherry Blossom Festival and then helps a homeowner select and plant a cherry tree for his own house; Mark learns about how Mount Rushmore was built and demonstrates various techniques for cutting stone; Nathan visits Abraham Lincoln’s house in Springfield, IL. Then, he helps a homeowner to replace his traditional mortise hardware with hardware that locks.
Watch Now:Amazon
#4 - Cable Railing; Painting Shutters
Season 18 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/4/2020
Tom travels to Utah to help a homeowner replace his traditional stair railing with more modern cable railing; Richard explains why standard PVC should not be used to vent gas appliances and what should be used instead; Nathan upgrades a standard, flat panel hollow core door to look more modern; Mauro helps a homeowner properly clean and paint her vinyl shutters.
Watch Now:Amazon
#5 - Loose Railing; Smart Thermostat
Season 18 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/1/2020
Nathan travels to a Sears kit house in Richmond, Virginia to tighten an old, loose stair railing; Mauro demonstrates how to strip paint off of old door hardware; Heath explains the uses and purposes of different types of electrical boxes; Richard replaces an old thermostat with a smart thermostat without replacing the original two wires in the wall.
Watch Now:Amazon
#6 - Mantel; Too Many Light Switches
Season 18 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/9/2020
In this episode, Richard tests a faucet, and Mark installs a mantel. Ross and Mauro discuss why and how to remove cigarette smell from a home. Then, Heath connects 4 separate switches that control 6 lights in the same room.
#7 - Beehive Oven; Jimmy DiResta
Season 18 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/11/2020
Mark explains the history and function of colonial-era beehive ovens and then restores one in a house built in 1750; Richard explains the failure points in toilet tanks and how to repair them; maker Jimmy DiResta invites Tom to his shop for a welding lesson and to build a metal coat rack.
#8 - Built-in, Dining Room Light
Season 18 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/2/2019
Tom repairs an old dining room built-in with hand tools and a bar of soap; the team shares more home inspection nightmares; electrician Heath Eastman makes his first house call to install a chandelier in a homeowner’s dining room.
#9 - Cedar Shingles; Vegetable Garden
Season 18 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/2/2020
Tom Silva explains the architecture, installation, and maintenance of white cedar shingles; Richard Trethewey explains some of the common failure points in hose spigots and how to repair them; Jenn Nawada travels to Raleigh, North Carolina to help a couple build and plant a self-watering vegetable garden.
#10 - Polybutylene; Squeaky Door
Season 18 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/23/2019
Ross and Richard discuss indoor air quality, what it is, and how to measure it; Richard travels to Richmond, Virginia to help a homeowner replace her polybutylene piping with conventional PEX; the team shares more Home Inspection Nightmares; Mauro explains which type of drop cloth he selects for which project; Tom explains different methods for silencing a squeaky door.
#11 - Pedestal Sink; Grout Cleaning
Season 18 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/18/2020
Richard Trethewey helps a homeowner replace all the plumbing components in his pedestal sink; Heath Eastman discusses some new technology for bathroom vent fans; the team shares more home inspection nightmares; Tom Silva explains how to clean dirty tile grout using only household supplies.
#12 - Radiator, Fireplace Veneer
Season 18 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/19/2019
Jenn teaches Kevin how to plant a small herb garden with a cocktail theme; a homeowner’s radiator sprung away from the pipe when he tried to replace the valve, so Richard heads to his house to help him reconnect it; Mark replaces a homeowner’s sloppy fireplace surround with a clean, thin brick veneer.
#13 - Stoop Planters; Fireplace Insert
Season 18 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/18/2020
Kevin O’Connor builds a hexagon planter with maker Jenn Largesse, who demonstrates how to take advantage of the bevel cut feature on a miter saw; Jenn Nawada travels to Brooklyn to revive a stoop that has been taken over by weeds; the team shares more Home Inspection Nightmares; Mark explains what to understand when buying a home with a wood burning fireplace; Heath installs an electric fireplace insert into an unconventional opening with zero clearance.
#14 - Sliding Barn Door, Dry Well
Season 18 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/5/2019
Nathan travels to Birmingham, Alabama to install a sliding barn door in an open-concept loft apartment. Tom compares the qualities of different types of roofing materials. Ross explains the culprit behind damaged solar panels and how to prevent future damage. Mark installs a dry well for a homeowner with drainage issues in his backyard.
#15 - Switch; Affordable Geothermal
Season 18 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/16/2019
Heath replaces a standard toggle switch with a reproduction antique push button switch to match the rest of the house; Ross travels to Albany, New York to explore ways to make drilling for and installing geothermal heat pumps more affordable for average homeowners.
#16 - Dog Dish Stand; Gas Lantern
Season 18 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/22/2020
Nathan demonstrates a mobile CNC routing machine; Tom teaches a young woodworker how to build a dog dish stand using primarily power tools; Heath explains a few different methods for wiring a portable generator to a house; Richard travels to St. Louis to install a gas lantern on an original 1890s home in a historic neighborhood; and Ross gives an update on an app he discussed a few years ago.
#17 - Nursery Paint, Record Stand
Season 18 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/12/2019
Mauro paints a baby’s nursery using zero VOC paint. Richard tests out a new dryer that uses a heat pump to dry the clothes. Tom and Kevin build a record player stand out of oak plywood.
#18 - Ceiling Light; Tool Storage
Season 18 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/25/2020
Nathan demonstrates a sanding kit with different profiles on it to make hand sanding easier; Heath clarifies the temperature rating system for ceiling lights and then installs one for a homeowner; Mark explains the purposes and uses for different types of trowels; Tom and Kevin build a tool storage shelf out of leftover lumber from other Build It projects.
#19 - Custom Screen Door; Paint Trim
Season 18 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/4/2020
Ross Trethewey tests out some new smart lighting configurations, and Tom Silva helps a homeowner build a custom screen door to fit her unique front entryway. Richard Trethewey gives some general advice on maintaining a washing machine, and Mauro Henrique teaches a homeowner some techniques to paint old 1960s wood trim with a varnish on it.
#20 - Ductless Humidifier, Planters
Season 18 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/26/2019
Tom explains the uses and purposes of different types of screws; Richard travels to Park City, Utah to install a whole house ductless humidifier; Ross and Richard discuss changes to electric bill payment structures; Jenn installs a front entry planter for a homeowner that will last through the winter.
#21 - Ground Wire; Fireplace Doors
Season 18 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/11/2020
Kevin works with House One maker Jenn Largesse to demonstrate an interesting technique on a trim router. Heath explains the purpose of a ground wire and then grounds an outlet for a homeowner, while Mauro explains the different types of paint rollers and then demonstrates good rolling techniques. Mark replaces a pair of outdated, malfunctioning fireplace doors.
#22 - Pantry Doors; Reflective Shingle
Season 18 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/16/2020
Nathan installs bypass doors for a pantry; Richard tests different smart automatic water shutoff valves; Ross explores asphalt roof shingles that can reflect some of the sun’s heat.
#23 - Paver Patio; Shoe Rack
Season 18 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/25/2020
Mark McCullough helps an expecting couple install a concrete paver patio; Jenn Nawada discusses the common elements she includes in outdoor kitchen designs; Tom Silva and Kevin O’Connor build a combination bench/shoe rack out of fir decking.
#24 - Quartz Countertops; Firepit Kit
Season 18 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/23/2020
Kevin learns how quartz countertops are manufactured and installed. Nathan explains how to hang and display a U.S. flag, and Tom and Jenn split firewood. Then, Mark installs a fire pit that comes in a kit.
#25 - Shower Cartridge; Turning a Bowl
Season 18 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/30/2020
Nathan shows Kevin some old drywall paneling he found, and Richard teaches a homeowner how to clean her shower cartridge. Tom teaches Kevin the basics of using a lathe, and then they turn a bowl together.