Building Materials & Supplies

Tile cutters don't actually "cut'' the tile, but rather break it to size, which is much easier. The cutter works by scoring the surface of the tile, then snapping it at the scored line. Cutting...

Travertine tumbled stone tiles are cut flat and square like other stone tiles, but their surface is pockmarked with craters and holes, the result of natural mineral activity in the stone. The...

Laying tile on a floor usually requires very rigid cement board and thinset mortar, but it's much simpler on a countertop because there won't be significant weight on it. Just about any solid,...

Grout is a type of mortar made to sit in the spaces between tiles, providing a solid connector. "Floating'' the grout refers to the method of pressing the grout into the lines and wiping off the...

The usual method of grouting the spaces between tiles is to wipe the grout across the entire surface with a flat rubber trowel, and then sponge the excess grout off the tile face, leaving it in...

Installing tile over a subfloor usually entails first putting down a layer of concrete backerboard or extra plywood. If you are trying to avoid raising the level of the floor, you can get away...

Laying a tile floor requires a strong, immobile underlayment. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that it's possible (and even advantageous) to lay new tile over an existing tile floor or over...

The backsplash behind your countertop is generally going to be made of tile, with grout between the tile lines. Regardless of what material it is, though, you should caulk around the bottom of the...

Porcelain, when fully glazed, is one of the most solid and moisture-proof kinds of floor tile you can buy. But that won't mean much if moisture can seep under the tile through the grout in...

The normal process for installing a wood floor is to remove all the floor trim (base board and quarter round), lay the floor leaving an expansion gap' between the floorboards and the wall and...

The intent of a vapor barrier is to impede water permeation of a structure. Although it may not be considered the most important moisture control method used in your home, the installation of a...

Trimming off the end of a laminated kitchen counter top isn't as simple as just taking a circular saw to it. If that cut isn't razor-straight, its imperfections will be very noticeable, especially...

Laminate sheeting for a counter top comes in a wide variety of colors and styles, but the installation process is always the same. You sand the counter top surface and make it flat and dull, you...

Hardi Shake is fiber-cement-reinforced shingles used in siding and roofing. Many builders and homeowners prefer Hardi Shake because it is durable and fire-resistant, saves wood and is easy to work...

Loose or cracked ceramic tiles not only look bad, they can also cause damage. Tile walls or floors are designed to seal out moisture, and any break in that seal can allows moisture to get behind...

Treated lumber, which is notorious for warping and bowing, is treated by dunking the lumber into a vat of liquid and then applying pressure to force the liquid into the wood. That means the wood...

Often times, the connections for a metal gate do not fit a wooden post. In order to attach the metal gate to the post, it is necessary to adjust the attachment fittings and drill through the post....

When I built my last house my sons were eight and ten respectively and just on the verge of teendom, I knew the combo of their loud music and my night shift schedule would make it hard on all...

Moisture content, as the term suggests, refers to the natural qualities of moisture retention in wood. Lumber manufacturers develop methods of measuring moisture content in order to produce lumber...

Cutting a perfect hole in a ceramic tile requires a specialized hole saw---and even then is difficult to get right. Luckily, you seldom need to cut a perfect hole in the tile. Usually, a hole is...

Old-time porcelain tubs--clawfoots, built-in soakers and other classic varieties--are actually cast-iron tubs with a porcelain coat over them. The porcelain inevitably wears, dulls and discolors...

Everybodies roof wears out over years and it is costly to replace the shingles. With the right know how you can do it yourself.

Grout is the cement-like substance that fills in the spaces between your shower tiles. If it starts to crack and crumble, it means either that it wasn't properly installed in the first place, or...

When you're installing a new tongue-and-groove floor, there are two basic kinds of cuts you'll have to make: lengthwise cuts along the whole span of the first and/or last course or flooring; and...

The costs of a home remodeling or building project can easily grow beyond expectations. The steps in this article will help decrease the costs of your next project.

You may think your kitchen cabinets are solid wood --- and the doors and drawer fronts probably are --- but look closer at the body structure of the cabinet itself (the part that's attached to the...

Grout and stone or clay tiles look impenetrable, but in fact neither is completely waterproof in their natural, unsealed states. Applying liquid sealant over the grout lines is simple, unless...

Oriented strand board, or OSB, is made from small strips of wood scraps pressed together with resin to provide a surface similar to particle board. Like particle board, OSB isn't the best surface...

Oil-based stain and polyurethane gloss are more difficult to work with than water-based products. Oil-based stain and polyurethane produce more potent fumes, cleanup is more difficult (you must...

"Shower pan" is the term that refers to a properly built shower floor structure around a drain. The top layer of a shower pan is Portland cement that's sloped toward the drain from all sides. Your...

A wall tile that's loose, cracked or broken can ruin the look of an otherwise nice tiled wall. It can also literally ruin the wall, if moisture gets under it and migrates beneath the other tiles,...

The first step in refinishing a wood floor is to remove the old finish. Removing the old finish is a complicated process because you have to take up the hard shell of polyurethane (or varnish, or...

It is common to use a treated wood post as a support in a structure, but sometimes treated wood posts are not attractive and do not match the rest of the project. There are several easy ways to...

A tile backsplash protects the wall behind your countertop from splattered water while also providing a decorative element to the countertop and tying it to the wall. There are numerous ways to...

Using premixed thin-set adhesive takes a bit of the prep work out of laying marble tiles. By using the premixed thin set you can save time on tile installation, quickly applying the adhesive to...

Travertine is a form of stone rich in mineral deposits, air holes and other variations. When cut into tiles, it creates a distinctive look of pockmarks and holes throughout the tile face. Since...

Ceramic tile is generally the easiest kind of tile to cut, owing to its relative softness compared to stone, and its tendency to break in a straight line. For straight cuts, all you need to do is...

Ceramic tiles are an attractive and durable tiling choice for any surface. The tiles come in a variety of sizes and colors and can last decades provided they're given adequate maintenance. Placing...

If you want to cover your old laminate countertop with a new surface---whether it's tile, wood or new laminate---you must first scuff up the existing laminate. Laminate is a thin sheet of plastic...

What if you have to a cut a hole in a tiled wall to install a plumbing fixture? The simplest way is to buy a masonry hole saw, which bores through the tile at any size you want and makes a perfect...

Whether you're installing floor trim, a chair rail, or framing a window, there will come a time when you have to create a corner with a miter cut. This is simply two cuts at opposite angles on two...

Treated lumber is treated with a chemical that makes it resistant to rot and decay. The treatment only offers a resistance, not a cure from rot and decay, so some basic maintenance is required to...

Wall tiles provide a solid, classic look to a room, while also protecting the wall from moisture and damage. Porcelain (pressed clay dust) is one of the oldest and most popular forms of wall tile....

Grout---the cement that sits in the lines between tiles---is more porous than it looks. If you don't seal it with a liquid sealer, moisture can get into the lines and cause all kinds of problems....

You can cut a PVC pipe straight and easy with some basic tools and a little know-how. If you don't have a power miter saw, don't sweat it. With an inexpensive hacksaw (about $5) and a bit of duct...

A spiral saw is a type of router which works by running a spinning bit sideways against whatever material you're cutting. The bit comes down through a flat base with a hole in the center that...

Ceramic tiles are the easiest kind to cut, because if you score the surface and apply pressure on both sides of the scored line, it will snap in two right at that line. This is the principle on...

Cutting a straight line in ceramic tiles is about the easier tile-cutting chore you could ask for---you just score and snap it with a manual tile cutter. Angled and corner cuts can be made with a...

If you have a ceramic floor tile that is loose, cracked, badly stained or otherwise unsalvageable, you can remove it without disturbing the surrounding tiles. It is a somewhat delicate operation...

Laying marble tiles (or any other natural stone tile) over a countertop is a somewhat different and more complicated job than installing clay-based tiles like ceramic or porcelain. Natural stone...