Building Materials & Supplies

Homeowners select brick veneer and face brick because of its stately, substantial appearance. Usually a sign of quality construction, both add value to any home. According to the Brick Industry...

Fully insulating a wall is the single best thing you can do to improve your home's heating and cooling efficiency. It's very easy to do if the wall is open for new construction or remodeling....

When you lay granite tiles for a counter, they come with straight, sharp edges, instead of the rounded corners you see on many other tiles. This is because the whole idea with granite tiles is to...

A Dremel tool can be used for cutting, grinding, sanding, buffing and shaping materials such as wood, laminate, ceramic and metal. Learn about the many uses of this versatile tool with tips from a...

An FIP is a "female iron pipe," or one in which the threads are on the inside.

Calculating stair height and depth follows two simple rules: tread plus riser should be between 17 and 17.5 inches, or tread times riser should be between 70 and 75. Measure heights and depths for...

Changing a two-prong outlet into a three-prong outlet requires an unused ground wire that has been part of the electrical wiring of the house. Unwrap the ground wire behind a wall outlet and set...

Cutting acrylic plastic requires a fine-tooth handsaw or skill saw, and some cutting may melt the edge of the acrylic as sawing tends to build heat. Sand and refine acrylic plastic after cutting...

Bullnosing solid countertop surfaces works on wood counters (not Formica) with a router or a hand plane. Bullnose countertops with a cove bit set in your router to make elegant curves along the...

Vernier calipers are a highly accurate measuring device that gauges to the thousandth of an inch the distance between two symmetrical sides opposing one another on an object. What makes a Vernier...

It really isn't that hard to build your self a deck. You can save your self a lot of cash.

Bead board wainscoting hails from the Edwardian era when opulent interiors featured coffered ceilings, paneled walls, ornate casework and finely crafted wood furnishings. The use of bead board is...

Most concerns about climate change and ecological issues are focused on fossil fuel consumption and motorized vehicles. The majority of greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, not cars and...

This is a quick and budget-friendly solution if you are in need of a desk. For $50 or less you certainly will not find anything in the store that is as sturdy (if you can find anything at all at...

As its name suggests, ductless air conditioning is a cooling system that operates without the need for ductwork. It is an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional central air...

Walk-in freezers are surprisingly easy to put together. They are found in many restaurants, food storage facilities and research laboratories, and are used to store large quantities of frozen...

Laminate flooring has grown in popularity every year since it's inception. It's durability, ease in care and pricing has made it a favorite of builders and remodelers alike. The thing most...

Plywood has become an integral part of construction today. From its creation in the early 20th century, plywood has undergone a great deal of transformation and refinement over the years. It...

Rubber roofs are becoming a popular choice among roofing materials. They are durable, low maintenance, energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Made from recycled materials, such as tires,...

The majority of concrete building is found in commercial applications, such as malls and individual retail stores. In some locations, residential homes feature concrete exterior walls, designed to...

When it comes to selecting the roof you want for your house, there are actually a number of choices. The roof is considered a major part of the 'envelope' of your house and you will want to...

As children we first encounter glue in the form of paste, while in elementary school. Youngsters advance to glue sticks, and then to the familiar household white glue. It is a substance that...

A-frame houses are just like regular houses except they rely on perhaps the simplest architectural structure: a triangle for the entire frame of the house. A frames look like a house that is all...

An adobe home is a mud-brick house. The bricks are made of natural materials and dried in the sun. Adobe homes are common in dry climates. They are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The...

Tiling looks great, but it can also be expensive. In order to make sure that you can afford your tiling project and that it won't go over your desired budget, it's important to learn how to...

Remodeling and recycling can go hand in hand when it comes to using the bricks that you may already have from a previous project. Instead of buying new bricks, remove the mortar from the bricks...

Basement conversion projects require careful estimates regarding materials. This is especially true when you estimate the amount of drywall you need. There are several ways to estimate drywall...

Sal ammoniac is a chemical that protects soldering iron tips. Learn how to use sal ammoniac blocks on soldering irons in this free video clip about using copper foiling for stained glass art.

Learn arc, tig, and mig welding fumes safety from a welding expert in this welding safety video.

Learn the different types of stick welding machines from an arc welding expert in this free DIY video.

Learn How to Calculate Area for Flooring for a building or remodeling project in this free home improvement video from our construction expert.

Learn How to Calculate Area of a Circle for a building or remodeling project in this free home improvement video from our construction expert.

One of the strongest methods of joining metal is through fusion by arc welding. In this welding process, an electric current allows an electric arc to melt two metal pieces. A filler material...

Rivets are fasteners, like nails and screws. Rivets themselves are smooth, metal cylindrical shafts with a head on one end and a buck-tail on the other. To use, a rivet is placed through a hole...

Many parents will wander around a big superstore like Wal-Mart and Target with the kids in tow. For some unexplainable reason they will find themselves in the toy aisle where the kids will...

Plexiglass, also called an acrylic sheet, is a see-through substance similar to glass panels but safer, as it doesn't shatter or cut like glass can. You can use plexiglass in place of traditional...

There are myriad types of robots you can build yourself, but a mini robot is a good start. The parts are cheaper, and the process of putting the arrangement together is an easier task than...

Adobe brick is one of the oldest and simplest building materials to make. The process dates back to Biblical times when the Israelite slaves formed mud bricks for their Egyptian captors from the...

For pipe installation projects, it is important to cut copper pipes correctly. This ensures that the pieces of pipe are the correct length and that there is no distortion in the pipe. Luckily,...

Here is an easy way to make a kitchen island out of an old dresser. This project is inexpensive to make and adds country charm to any kitchen. All you need is some paint and a few pieces of...

Insulation blowers are a convenient way to install insulation into existing walls. You can rent insulation blowers from local hardware stores and sometimes use them free if you purchase a minimum...

Products can be made from unexpected materials such as inner tubes, egg cartons, automotive products, soda labels, candy wrappers and other pieces of junk most people throw away. Learning to...

Wooden shingles provide a distinctive look. One of the benefits of using wood around the home is the additional insulation wood naturally provides. In the winter, wooden shingles will keep the...

One of the oldest methods of building low-cost homes is through a material known as cob. Cob homes have a good deal in common with adobes or rammed-earth homes, as the principal construction...

A hammer works well for a few nails and a small project. But once you get into a large project, you should consider buying a nail gun. Unlike hammers, nail guns come in a large variety and many...

Ever tried to insert a screw into a recessed hole? How about working up above your head installing a light fixture on the ceiling? In both of these cases and others where you're reaching out to...

Papercrete is a building material made from Portland cement, sand or other aggregates, and paper. It’s a relatively green building material, because it generally uses recycled paper, and lasts for...

Quartz is a mineral that's not in danger of being depleted any time soon. It's the most widely available mineral in the world and is abundant on the earth's crust. This makes it the ideal mineral...

The sawhorse is a staple in any woodworking environment, and a matching pair of sawhorses is a great asset to any workshop. Sawhorses that you build yourself are often stronger and last longer...

Electric tools are a useful way to reduce construction time and costs. What would ordinarily take hours takes only minutes with the proper use of electric tools. Electric hammers are a source for...