The WORST episodes of Ask This Old House
Every episode of Ask This Old House ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Ask This Old House!
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 - 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.
#2 - Moving a Ceiling Light Fixture, Tool Lab- Finish Nailers
Season 20 - Episode 34 - Aired 6/30/2022
Kevin shares how he became the host of This Old House; Tom shows a simple trick for drawing a perfect ellipse; Heath moves a light fixture and Mauro patches the ceiling; Nathan explains the basics of finish nailers.
#3 - Porch Base Column Repair, Smart Thermostats
Season 20 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/10/2022
Richard shares how he became a plumber and what he loves about his trade; Ross talks about smart thermostats and their features; Heath explains how to understand switch legs; Tom replaces an old, rotted porch column base.
#4 - Stone Water Fountain, Supply Chain Shortages
Season 20 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/3/2022
Jenn and Mark show how to make a stone water fountain for your garden; In Tool Lab, Nathan breaks down Miter Saw blades; The team comes together to discuss the challenges they've faced dealing with ongoing supply chain issues.
#5 - Camilla's Workshop
Season 20 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/16/2021
General contractor and expert woodworker Tom Silva meets past guest and young woodworker Camilla in her dad's shop where they catch up since they last met. After checking out some of Camilla's work, the two discuss her need for a workspace of her own. With a worktable in mind, Tom invites her back to the workshop to help with the special project, a birdhouse.
#6 - 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.
#7 - 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.
#8 - 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.
#9 - 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.
#10 - 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.
#11 - 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.
#12 - 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.
#13 - Grass Alternatives, Smart Driveway Lights
Season 24 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/30/2025
Jenn Nawada visits a Rhode Island sod farm to see what sustainable grass alternatives they've been experimenting with; Tom Silva and Kevin O'Connor discuss the most common types of nail head and shank designs; Heath Eastman brightens up a dark driveway by adding house mounted landscape lights, upgrading the existing outdoor fixtures, and connecting all the lights to a smart system.
#14 - 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.
#15 - 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.
#16 - 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.
#17 - 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.
#18 - Women's Repair Class; Garden
Season 18 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/9/2019
Tom checks out a women’s only DIY class on building a footstool and discusses some of the unique challenges faced by women learning DIY skills; Jenn helps a homeowner select, place, and install plants for her terraced garden; the team discusses the ways homeowners and contractors should communicate to set appropriate expectations for home improvement projects.
#19 - 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.
#20 - 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.
#21 - 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.
#22 - Celebrating 300 Episodes
Season 12 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/5/2014
Celebrating 300 episodes of "Ask This Old House" with a review of favorite moments.
#23 - Planting a Low-Cost Privacy Screen; Sealing Ductwork
Season 12 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/22/2014
Planting a low-cost privacy screen; and sealing ductwork without removing the walls.
#24 - Transplanting a Rose Bush; Replacing Old Outdoor Lighting
Season 11 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/27/2012
Landscape contractor Roger Cook helps a homeowner temporarily transplant a mature rose bush while exterior work takes place. Then, Roger, along with host Kevin O'Connor, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and general contractor Tom Silva ask "What Is It?" Afterward, Richard shows Kevin some rookie plumbing mistakes. And Tom and Kevin replace old outdoor lighting with new fixtures.
#25 - EV Chargers, China Cabinet Repair
Season 21 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/6/2022
Heath explains the three levels of EV chargers and which scenarios they work best for; Mark breaks down different brick patterns, where they originate from, and their pros and cons; Nathan helps a homeowner repair a cracked built-in china cabinet using MDF panels; Mauro then repaints the china cabinet and shows how to paint on MDF.