Building & Remodeling

You can cut tile with a side grinder. Renting or buying a wet saw is expensive. For less money you can use a side grinder to get the job done. Side grinders are actually easier to use when cutting...

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...

Laminate flooring is generally simpler to work with than solid wood, because it's lighter, straighter, and designed to more easily assemble. One area where it's a little more complicated, though,...

Building stairs can be a daunting task if you are not familiar with the tools needed for the layout. A framing square is a metal "L" shaped tool. The shorter and skinnier portion of the square...

Installing ceramic tile to an outside corner involves "hiding" the tile edges from view. To obtain a sharp and symmetric look, both sides of the corner must be flush to the corner evenly. A butt...

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,...

Concrete is among the most commonly used materials for paving driveways because of its durable and long lasting nature. However, most concrete driveways are installed on a budget and can lack a...

Clay tiles are strong, durable tiles suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, as flooring and as a decorative wall surface. When laying a surface using clay tiles, you'll find that they often...

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...

Granite countertops are heavy and expensive. Granite itself is often thought of as difficult to work with, requiring special tools, equipment and knowledge. Cutting granite countertops doesn't...

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...

A power miter saw is an essential tool in any remodeling process and makes cutting any type of moldings, trim, baseboards or crowns very simple. In addition to trimming these types of wood, the...

Vitreous is a term used to describe a tile that is impervious to water. They are usually glass, ceramic or porcelain tiles. Cutting vitreous tiles should be done with a wet saw, which is has a...

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...

Metal shelving is a strong, reliable source for storage, but occasionally you will need a hole cut in the rear of the shelving to possibly run a cord through it. Metal shelving isn't as easy to...

A few brands of cement fiberboard are on the market, and you cut them in the same fashion. Cutting cement fiberboard is a very easy task to complete with the right tools. A masonry blade makes...

Most radial arm saws are built with a steel frame and a wooden table top. The main reason for this it that the saw blade will penetrate the table top for most cuts. After prolonged use it will...

Whether you are using a corded or cordless Skilsaw, it is important for your safety that you understand how to use it properly and safely. The circular saw is probably ranked near the top of the...

If you're not exceedingly careful when using it, caulk can get everywhere, and it happens to be a very difficult stain to get out of fabric. Here are some tips that will help you save your clothes.

Cutting ducting consists of reducing the length of individual pieces of ductwork and providing a mounting hole for duct accessories. Ducting refers to two types of material. Metal is widely...

A Dewalt miter saw equipped with the correct blade can cut lightweight aluminum easily. All Dewalt saws come equipped with carbide-tipped blades, which are much stronger than regular steel blades....

Concrete block is among the most widely used construction materials because it is a strongly built rigid material. Concrete block may need to be cut for partial wall sections or openings or...

In the course of laying tile you may have used too much thinset in some spots and caused an excessive amount to be pushed between the tiles. Having too much thinset in between tiles can impact the...

Cutting a marble countertop with a wet saw is possible but requires a bit of preparation to make sure that the countertop will not crack. Wet saws have a gliding table that is used to move a tile...

Certain installation situations require laminate flooring to be cut after it is installed. If a diagonal transition between the laminate flooring and another flooring type is desired, laminate...

Miter saws are used for making precisely angled cuts. Most of them can cut on both the miter and the bevel angles. The saw motor mounts an automatically retracting guard that covers the blade when...

Laminate countertops are a great way to do a quick remodel in your kitchen or bathroom. They come in a variety of colors and styles and install in minutes. One drawback, however, is that they...

The task of cutting concrete block walls can prove to be a messy one, and even difficult in some situations, as the walls are often built to be permanent structural features, and therefore built...

Laminate is a great material to install in a new kitchen or during a remodel. It comes in a variety of styles and is durable, heat resistant and easy to clean. Cutting laminate, such as making a...

The first rule of caring for a rusted handsaw is don't let your handsaw get rusty. But sometimes we break the first rule and have to make things right. Whether you left your saw in the rain for...

Installing a sink in a laminated countertop is a fairly straightforward process, made more challenging because of the nature of laminate. When cut, laminate has a tendency to splinter and break,...

A damaged laminate board in the middle of the floor doesn't have to require ripping up your floor. You can fix it by cutting the board into pieces to remove it, and then taking a new board and...

Medium density fiberboard (MDF) is a man-made material typically used in construction of cabinets, shelves and wall units because of its strength, ease of machining and lack of a grain. MDF is...

Making a perfect cut on a 4-inch-square wood post, requires perfect alignment of a circular saw blade. If your cut if off slightly, the top of the wood post will have a cut mark. Other saws can...

Removing the tiled edges from a kitchen counter can be done easily, but it will take some time to do so with as little mess as possible. By concentrating on the tiled edges only, you cannot go...

Hydraulic hose, unlike many other hose types, cannot by cut using snips, scissors or a knife. This is due to the fact that hydraulic hose has steel belting like a tire inside of it. Hydraulic...

Mexican tile should be cut with a wet saw, a type of saw featuring a carbide blade and a wet pan which pumps water onto the cut. A wet saw guarantees a smooth cut that will not crack or crumble...

Removing paint from the outside of a house can be an expensive and time consuming endeavor before repainting everything. It entails scraping away the old paint that has been on the outside of the...

The Sawzall is a versatile reciprocating saw designed to be used in wide variety of projects. It can be used to cut PVC, metal, wood and nail-embedded wood, and to make scroll cuts, rough cuts 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...

Concrete is among the most commonly used building materials. One of the only downsides of this material is its permanent nature; once concrete has had time to dry and cure, it can prove difficult...

Porcelain tile is so hard and strong that it's easy to assume it must take a wet saw or other extreme measures to cut it. In fact, for straight cuts, all it takes is to score a line through the...

Bosch reciprocating saws can cut many different material--and each material has a different blade available for it. Next time you're at thevhardware store, take a look at the selection and pick up...

Laminate countertops are an economical and stylish choice for any kind of kitchen remodeling. Once the countertops are installed, however, you will have to install your kitchen hardware, such as a...

Radial arm saws are designed for crosscutting wood--cutting wood against the grain. They can be used for ripping---cutting with the grain, but a regular table saw is better for that. Try it,...

There are six basic cuts. The cross cut, the rip cut, the miter cut, the bevel cross cut, the bevel rip cut and the compound miter cut. Long cuts are technically called "rip cuts." Rip cuts are...

Circular saws can be used for all types of wood product cutting--lumber, plywood and paneling. The saws can cross-cut and rip cut. They also can be set to bevel cut and pocket cut. The blade...

You can cut concrete using several kinds of tools. For small jobs around the home or on the job site, a skill saw equipped with a masonry blade will allow you to finish the task with ease. There...

A miter cut is a cut made at any angle other than 90 degrees. Cuts you can perform on a miter saw include a bevel cut---a cut made with the blade at any angle other than 90 degrees to the table...