When installing Ceramic Tile or wood floors you always want your substraight to be level and without bumps.
Although Mortar and Mastic will provide you with a little bit of leeway it is best to remove any high spots with a hand or electric grinder.
The choices you have in tools include a hand grinder like we will be using or electric models either a hand held disk grinder or a …
HowTos
Block Planes
Hand Block Planes are a great way to remove an even amount material from the edges of doors, windows or other wood features around the house.
When using a plane you should only remove material along the grain and not against it. If you must remove material against the grain then never run the plane off the end of the wood or you will risk splitting.
To set the depth of the plane blade …
Choosing Door Locks and Knobs
There are many reasons that you may need to upgrade or change your door locks. One of the main reasons is when you purchase a new home. Another is when you are remodeling and changing your doors. Whatever the reason you should always purchase the best quality lock set that you can afford.
So what features should you look for when making your purchase?
Testing the products at your home center is one of the best ways …
Hand held Hammers
Picking the right Hammer
There are as many hammers out there as there are jobs to use them for. The one that you select should fit both the needs of the job you are performing and your body. Choosing a hammer that is too small will mean many extra blows are required to drive a nail and too heavy a hammer means that you may miss your target causing damage to the material you are working …
Basic Tool Kit for Home Owners
If you are a new home owner or even an apartment dweller there will be times when making a repair yourself is so easy that spending money for a repairman is just a waste. But to do the job yourself you will need a few basic tools. Here we will cover the bare minimum tool kit that everyone should put together but its not like you have to run out and get everything all at once. When …
Exterior Sheathing Options
Most wear on your home will come from external elements. Wind, rain, snow, ice and uv rays from sunlight will all cause your home to break down over time. Unfortunately there is little you can do to stop its final demise but choosing the right products during construction will help extend the life of your home.
In about 1950 new building materials standards improved the quality of available lumber. Timber mills began to test, grade and size dimensional lumber …
Brad and Finish Nail Guns
Smaller then their Framing Nailer counterparts Brad and Finish nail guns are used mostly by Finish Carpenters to install Moldings, Cabinets, Interior Doors and Build Decks.
The size and amount of fasteners that you need to use will dictate whether you choose electric or pneumatic guns. Air Nailer are great when you know you need to use either a larger nail or a lot of nails in a short period …
Pneumatic Framing Nail Guns
Nail guns now come in as many varieties as manual hammers. In this HowTo we will cover how to select and use a framing nail gun.
There are 3 basic factors in your choice of a nail gun.
1) Will you use Full Round Head Nails or Clipped Head Nails
Round Head Nails have a higher holding capacity then clipped head nails. For this …
Water Service Line
The main line that brings water into your home is called your service line.
For most new homes this will be a 1 inch line made of ABS or similar flexible plastic pipe that resists cracking and is considered safe for drinking water. Older homes may have various types of metal lines: Galvanized Steel, Brass, Copper and sometimes lead.
Important if you find that the line that feeds your home …
Sump Pumps
Adding a new Sump Pump to your home is not an easy job.
Cutting through the floor is the most dificult part but you will also need to drill a hole in the side of your foundation or Rim joist to run the exit pipe through.
You will need to rent a gasoline powered concrete saw or hire a contractor to cut the floor. For this reason this is not a job for the home owner but if you feel …