Building Materials & Supplies

A custom frame accents any work of art, whether surrounding an original canvas, a piece of photography or your favorite finger paint masterpiece. But because professional framing can be expensive,...

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...

When wood is pressure treated, chemicals are forced into the wood to preserve it and make it resist rot, decay and insects. Three of the most common chemicals used to treat lumber are discussed...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

Deciding what material to use to cover the exterior of your home is an important decision. Two popular options are cement board and vinyl siding. Each has its own set of pros and cons to consider...

Devoloped by James Hardie, Hardie board is a siding made of fiber cement. Cement is combined with sand, water and cellulose wood fibers to make a solid building material well suited for protecting...

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...

Compared to conventional stick frame building techniques there are many different means and materials to construct a house.My personal favorites is straw bale . To me this is among the greenest...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Plywood is attached to the side of a wood house as a siding and a cover for windows and doors during intense storms, like hurricanes and tornadoes. Plywood is used because it is lightweight and...

Pine is a versatile, soft wood. It is used to make the lumber that frames out houses as well as some very fine furniture. Its wide variety of uses makes it an important commercial commodity.

A well-built wooden fence can add beauty, value and security to your property. If you have already decided to assemble your fence using screws, you have made a wise choice. Screws are easy to...

Trex and Veranda are two name brands in the newest family of wood composite materials. Though similar in principle to old-school particle board, these composites represent a quantum leap forward...

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...

Cedar is a wood used commonly in the construction of closets, decks and outdoor projects. Cedar is naturally resistant to weather and insect damage. If you have a project that calls for cedar,...

Staining white pine can be difficult because the wood is very porous, so it readily absorbs the staining liquid, which can lead to dark spots and uneven staining, or a much darker color than...

You can protect natural wood from inevitable deterioration in many ways. Paint stores offer wood finishes for indoor and outdoor use, but by taking the time to mix your own homemade wood...

Wood screws are a common type of fastening tool designed mainly for wood-to-wood use, but can be used for a variety of other purposes. These types of screws are used to strengthen joints in...

Lumber can be used for many home improvement projects, but the cost of commercial lumber can make many of these projects cost-prohibitive. One money-saving alternative is to build your own wood...

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...

Typically found on homes or woodsy-inspired buildings, shake siding is similar to roofing shingles. Small wooden squares line horizontally and overlap each other vertically on the exterior. It is...

Keeping tools organized is one of the biggest challenges faced by many handy homeowners. A wood tool rack can help you keep your hand tools organized, while giving you easy access to tools for any...

When considering which type of fence to install, cost is a major factor. Wood and vinyl fences are two types of fences that are popular in the fencing industry. The cost to install either of these...

Removing nails can be somewhat difficult at times. Depending on the density and/or thickness of the wood, some steel nails will put up quite a resistance. However, there are ways to get out most...

Quarter-round wood is a type of molding with a quarter-circle cross section. It is commonly used as a trim piece around door and window casing, hiding any gaps between the casing and the...

Hardwood floors are an old idea with some new twists today. Modern wood floors aren't just planks nailed next to each other, but are a precisely milled tongue-and-groove system designed to hold...

Gluing panels together is a process that is called edge gluing. This involves placing multiple panels side by side and gluing the edges together to create one large panel. Wood panels that have...

Wood is a wonderful building material for its flexibility, strength and aesthetic appeal. Unfortunately, wood also has many natural enemies, as it's highly susceptible to deterioration from pests,...

When choosing wood it's important to consider all aspects, especially depending on how you plan to use the wood. Teak and mahogany are two choices to consider.

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...

The table saw, sometimes called a sawbench, is the cornerstone of any serious woodworker's shop. The tool quickly and accurately cuts wood, and, with a few accessories, can help with complex...