So your client goes to the home show and sees this new decking material that is either cheaper, or more durable, or more ecological, or fancier or simply exotic and they want you to install it. So you check out the literature on it and they all say that you can work with their material just ...
Most nail pops come from one of two basic causes: fiberglass holding the panel away from the stud, hence a gap between the stud and the panel; or shrinking wood.Assure contact between the panel and the stud at the moment the nail or screw is driven home and you avoid the first problem.The seco...
We all dream of dustless drywalling?especially in a renovation job with shag carpets in the next room. So product development people are bringing sanders with vacuum attachments to the stores. If you have ever tried to vacuum up gypsum dust you may have found out that it is very abrasive stuf...
Getting definitive information from contractors on hammers is like trying to find out which sports team is the best. Preferences seem to be based on some comparative experience, a tiny bit of logic, a very personalized concept of balance and a large measure of ?that?s what I?ve always used?...
The power miter box is the tool that drove the Radial Arm saw almost out of existence. Don?t get me wrong, I love miter boxes. But then again, I was the guy that wrote the book on how to use a Radial Arm Saw for precision furniture building. Most contractors only used their radial arm saws...
There are times when each of us has to do a little work outside of our own specialty. We usually know how to get by in someone else?s trade but we often don?t have the specialized tools that make things go so much easier. Sheet metal work is one of those area that I do only when I have too,...
When you put two pieces of drywall head to head, like on the ceiling, there is no tapered valley to hide the paper and drywall compound. The secrete to hiding this joint, which will be raised above the surface, is to spread it out as much as two to three feet wide.On this TV show we visited an o...
With the advent of biscuit joinery we may do less dowel work that we once did, but there is still the need to get that round stick of wood into a hole. When drilling the holes, use a brad tip bit, it will cut the grain cleaner on the walls of the hole and allow for a better fit with the dowel. ...
Mrya from Mt. Pearl Newfoundland writes:Which way is the right way for our electrical outlet? This is the reason for asking. I now have an apartment in my sons house which was finished in the last twelve months. The house itself is not a new one. Anyway, I bought one of those plug in light...
Harry and his wife from Saanichton, B.C. write:The pivot points on this sewing box are just screws into the wood. As the boxes pivot in and out, the screws unscrew and fall out. What to do?-------- Response:I love little challenges like this, and your drawing was great.What we need to do is e...
