Building Materials & Supplies

A lag screw or lag bolt is used to provide a structural connection between two or more pieces of lumber. A lag screw has a ticker shaft than a normal screw or bolt and the threads around the shaft...

Cinder blocks (also called concrete blocks) got their name because they are usually manufactured from a combination of coal ash and cement. Cinder blocks are versatile and inexpensive. You can use...

The best way to care for cedar lumber is by painting or staining it. Before painting it, you should prime the cedar. Whether it is used for siding, a deck, railing, or another purpose, cedar...

White grout is not always the best choice for a ceramic tile application. White gets dirty quickly, creates a stark contrast with some tile colors, and is particularly impractical in high traffic...

Tile grout is the cement that fills the spaces between tiles. It looks rock-solid, but it's actually the most porous and vulnerable part of any tiled surface and is apt to absorb moisture and...

Removing paint from treated lumber works much the same as removing it from regular wood. There are three primary methods that are used--sanding, chemical stripping or applying heat and scraping...

Cutting and working with treated lumber is similar to working with regular or cedar lumber except for a few key differences. There are also certain safety precautions that you should take and ways...

Sheetrock, also known as drywall, is one of the critical elements of home construction. Although it doesn't support the weight of the home the way the wood or steel frame does, sheetrock provides...

If you have various types of metal and want to sell them to a scrapyard or metal recycling facility, you will need to know how to identify each type of metal. There are several different types of...

Hardie board is a cement-board siding made from combining sand, cement, water and cellulose wood fibers. It is produced by James Hardie and revered by builders and homeowners as a durable, rot...

Pressure-treated lumber is used for such outdoor items as decks, railings and fences. Treated wood is soaked in a chemical that makes it resistant to rot and insects. The best way to care for...

Over time, scratches inevitably appear on the surface of even the most well-maintained decks. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to cover them up and extend the life of your deck in the process.

The best way to care for cedar lumber is by painting or staining it. Thompson Protection is a high-quality stain, routinely rated as one of the best available. It lasts for three years before...

We are all familiar with the fumes painting a room can put off, and those fumes are a sure sign that there are toxins being released into the air; but what you may not know is that paint continues...

Removing paint from treated lumber works much the same as removing it from regular wood. One of three methods are usually used: sanding, chemical stripping or applying heat and scraping off the...

The best way to maintain pressure-treated lumber is by painting or staining it. Whether it is a deck, railing or other purpose, painting or staining the material will lengthen the life of the...

The best way to maintain pressure-treated lumber is by painting or staining it. Whether it is a deck, railing or other purpose, painting or staining the material will lengthen the life of the...

It is easy to glue wood to a mirror with some construction adhesive and clamps. PL-400 is the most commonly used construction adhesive and bonds to all sorts of surfaces, including wood, concrete,...

It is easy to glue MDF to wood with some construction adhesive and clamps. MDF stands for medium-density fiberboard and cuts and handles similar to wood. PL-400 is the most commonly used...

Installing a wooden pole is easy to do and only requires a few basic materials. Setting a wooden post is generally done by digging a hole, placing the post in the hole, and filling the hole with...

Cellular PVC molding is easy to glue to wood with some construction adhesive and clamps. Cellular PVC cuts and handles similar to wood and is easy to work with. PL-400 is the most commonly used...

The best way to care for pressure treated lumber is by painting or staining it. Whether it is for a deck, railing or other purpose, painting or staining the material will lengthen the life of the...

Removing paint from cedar lumber works much the same as removing it from regular wood. There are three primary methods that are used; sanding, chemical stripping, or applying heat and scraping the...

If you read my article on sound insulated walls or' Quiet walls' you may have realized that having sound insulated walls helps but the doors leading to those rooms surrounded by these walls was...

Wire rope clamps are composed of a saddle, U-bolt and two hex nuts. This simple device makes a structurally strong connection when creating an eyelet in the end of a wire rope or splicing together...

When shortening a piano hinge, you must ensure that the thin rod that comprise the hinge does not receive damage. If you apply excessive pressure to the hinge or use the incorrect cutting tools,...

Cedar has a number of characteristics that make it desirable for outdoor projects including decking, siding and construction. Cedar takes on a wide variety of colors, is low in pitch and resin,...

Jack posts are designed to provide adjustable leveling of floors and beams, both in new and re-modeling situations. Some are one piece while others are designed for either crawl spaces or full...

Crushed rock is often used as a base for stone patios, concrete applications and footers. Crushed rock is strong and durable but will allow moisture to drain through to the soil below. It is easy...

When affixing wood to concrete, one of the best, and easiest, methods is to glue the wood to the concrete with epoxy. One suggested glue is PL-400. It comes in a caulking tube and is sold at...

Applying a paint to treated wood is a good idea no matter how the wood is used. Whether it is a deck, railing, or other purpose, painting or staining the material will lengthen the life of the...

Applying wood sealer to wood used outside is a good idea---no matter how the wood is used. Whether it is a deck, railing, or porch, sealing the lumber will lengthen the life of the wood. It's also...

Wooden dowel rods are commonly used in woodworking projects. They are circular rods that come in many different widths and can be used for many different functions. Dowel rods are commonly used to...

Cork is great natural sound dampeners due to its cellular structure. It is made up of millions of 14-sided cells that form a honeycomb of sound-absorbent material that is durable, sustainable and...

Ceramic floor tile can be laid with either a chemical tile adhesive---which resembles an acrylic glue---or thinset mortar, which is more like cement. Which you choose to use is up to you, though,...

Shellac is a more traditional version of modern gloss finishes like polyurethane. Made from insect secretions, shellac has been around for centuries, providing a warm, slightly soft, clear surface...

The process of choosing the best anchor to fasten to concrete might appear simple, but the complex variables involved may quickly create complications. It is possible to review the variables in...

A flue pipe is used to exhaust smoke and fumes from a fireplace, boiler or stove. The flue pipe has a longitudinal snap-lock seam you need to connect before installing the pipe. The snap-lock seam...

Sheet metal roofing can prove to be a durable and long lasting material that is available in several different styles and shapes. While sheet metal is an option applicable for just about any...

Laying a hardwood floor is a complicated project that will go a lot easier if you make the proper preparations. Hardwood flooring comes in tongue-and-groove planks that are generally installed...

When building a new home the most visible parts are the exterior siding and trim. Recently, a new type of siding and trim has come to market that is made of concrete: Hardie Siding and Trim. These...

For sheer holding power and ease of installation, it's tough to beat lag bolts. Sometimes referred to as lag screws, these fasteners are used to join pieces of wood. They may be made of bright,...

Enamel paint is composed of a solvent (water, oil or latex), a pigment and a polymer that acts as a binder to the paint. Enamel is a hard-surfaced paint commonly used by high quality paint brands,...

A drum sander is basically a very large version of a belt sander. It's made specifically to strip and sand wood floors for refinishing. There is a proper sequence to stripping the floor (gloss...

When you estimate concrete for an area, you want to make sure you have enough to finish the job but you also need to limit how much extra you purchase so you do not squander your money. To...

Caulk binds together the materials that combine to make a house. Caulk fills the seams, protects valuable materials from the elements and helps to insulate your home. All of this combined helps...

Wood decorates the outside and the inside of your home by adding borders and joining various parts of the house to form flowing lines. Both exterior and interior wood, once installed, must be...

It is a fact of life that most nails rust. For this reason, you should always do any work in any area that has the potential to get the least bit moist or humid with galvanized nails. However, if...

A butterfly valve is a piping tool that works using a small piece of rubber, plastic, or metal to obstruct the flow of a gas or liquid within a system of piping. Butterfly valves work using a...

Steel roof decking is a cost effective and durable material with seemingly limitless applications. This roofing material is made in rectangular panels at modular sizes; however, most roofs to...