Building Materials & Supplies

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

The fact that Trex composites readily absorb any liquid they come in contact with comes as both a blessing and a curse. They are easily destroyed by staining and weathering, but do absorb paint...

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,...

Old porcelain bathtubs actually have cast-iron bodies, which can last forever, and a porcelain topping, which cannot. Refinishing a bathtub generally means repainting the worn-out porcelain...

Sound smart the next time you go to the paint store!

If you've got a dingy, discolored, worn out porcelain clawfoot or built-in bathtub, you don't have discard that old classic and replace it with a sterile new fiberglass model. You can refinish the...

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...

The amount of paint needed to cover a two-car garage will vary based on several factors. The homeowner will need to calculate the square footage of the surface that will be painted and research...

Painting is one of those do-it-yourself projects almost anyone can realistically tackle, whether it's an inside room or the exterior of a house. The first step is to get an accurate estimate of...

Masonite is a proprietary pressed-wood product, made by Masonite International Corp., that is made from wood chips that have been reconstituted under pressure with resin. It comes in exterior and...

Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is often selected by builders and do-it-yourself homeowners for building bookcases, cabinet boxes, workbench tops and other household items that need a sturdy base....

Having the proper painting tools and extra equipment is essential for making painting projects successful. Follow the steps below to assemble a good quality basic kit.

Transparent paint is what it seems: paint that you can see through. That doesn't mean transparent paint is clear. Transparency in paint, then, doesn't necessarily mean invisible.

Getting rid of old paint can be challenging. You can't dump it down a drain, and you don't want to put it in the trash in the liquid form because this can lead to spills, contamination, and...

Many of us have a lot of extra paint and oil sitting around from various projects and want to save it for other home improvement projects that may come up or to touch up damaged paint on walls or...

You walk out onto the patio and notice that the nails on your patio deck or siding are beginning to rust--and that rust is beginning to "bleed" onto the surrounding wood. Can you stop rust in...

Spray paint can be an unsightly problem on surfaces in some cases, or in others you may be trying to remove spray paint from a steel piece of furniture such as a table or chair to give it a new...

Plaster was common as a type of decoration during the late 1800s and early part of the 20th century. It was used in finials, medallions and other decorations used on the walls and ceilings of...

Pressure treated lumber is different from ordinary wood. The wood undergoes a process of chemical infusion to prevent rotting, fungi and insects from spoiling the wood. After pressure treatment...

Because a metal surface is smooth, it is one of the easiest surfaces to paint. Foam rollers were designed to seamlessly paint smooth surfaces, making them the perfect tool for metal surfaces....

Milk paint has been used for many generations; the earliest paints was made from a combination of milk, lime and pigments. It was often used on early American furniture and is still in demand in...

Hardy plank, also known as HardiePlank, is one of a group of fiber cement exterior application siding products manufactured by the James Hardie Co. based in the Netherlands. HardiePlank is a...

Because it's lightweight, less expensive and more "green" than wood, fiberglass is often used for architectural details like columns and porch railings. Fiberglass columns may come pre-primed from...

There are times when we all need to paint a wall or even just touch it up. However, we may not want to have to repaint an entire room. If we saved the old paint can or we are lucky and remember...

Easily seal your basement walls and floor from moisture.

Some projects call for the use of oil based paint and once finished the brushes have to be cleaned and properly stored to keep them in good shape for the next job. Then you have the problem of...

Wood is a beautiful material used for building a wide variety of items. However, its main limitation is the fact that it is prone to rot, insect and water damage. All of these problems can be...

Artistic oil paint is usually very thick when purchased, so you may need to thin it for the desired effect in your painting. You can achieve subtle colors or the softer tone of a wash look by...

Primer is commonly used prior to painting walls or objects with the final base color. The primer seals the existing wall and doesn't allow chemicals from plaster or underlying coatings to leech...

Paint is a common leftover of projects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated in 2007 that nearly 69 million gallons of paint are left over each year -- roughly 10 percent of all...

Discarding old paint cans in the regular trash can create an environmental hazard and cause problems for sanitation workers if the cans rupture or leak. Proper disposal is becoming easier as more...

It’s summer time and time to tackle another do-it-yourself home painting project. Don’t mind the painting but wish someone else would do the cleanup? Here are some tips to help make this chore...

To paint straight lines, apply low-stick tape tightly against the wall and begin painting along the strip. Paint straight lines with tips from an experienced handyman in this free video on home...

To get rid of paint smell, open the windows in the house and put a fan on one end to draw out the fumes. Get rid of paint smell with tips from an experienced handyman in this free video on home...

There are several ways to deter the corrosion of iron, one of which is cathodic protection. This method is used on marine or underground constructions, water storage containers, gas pipelines,...

Unwanted paint on concrete can present a big problem. Not only is paint frequently difficult to remove; concrete is a problematic surface for any project. Fortunately, there are some innovative...

Choosing a paint finish is an important consideration when selecting paint for a painting project. Regardless of whether you are sprucing up the interior or painting the exterior of your house it...

Fiberglass sheets are fairly thin, and are usually used to wrap around corners and provide a cosmetically appealing finished look. Fiberglass mats, on the other hand, are very thick and are used...

Here are ways to save money on home improvement and remodel projects.

Mixing latex with mortar or concrete is not new. Since the 1940s, companies have added latex to add durability and strength to regular mortar. However, many states and municipalities are studying...