A Look at Traditional Trim Designs
While I spend much of my time traveling around the country teaching carpenters and contractors the ins and outs of trim carpentry, I don’t often have the...
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Recent Blog Posts
Five Winter-Friendly Exterior Projects
Winter may not always be the first season that comes to people’s minds when they are thinking of revamping the exterior of their homes. However, the winter...
Beautiful Hazard: How to Design Safe, Functional and Beautiful Stairs
While on a recent trip to Dallas, I had dinner with a friend at an outdoor restaurant. One of topics we discussed was this very article on designing better...
Attaching Posts to a Rooftop Deck
Q. How can I mount newel posts to a deck on a flat roof without cutting into the roof? A. Paul Nichter, a contractor in Islesboro, Maine, responds: I’ve been...
JLC Field Guide: Shingles
Shingle and Shake Coverage The same shingles and shakes used to cover roofs may be used as siding; however, different maximum exposures apply (see Figure:...
The Strength of Wood
The strength of wood is typically measured by a number of "strength properties," including: Modulus of rupture in bending - This reflects the maximum load...
Winter Home Improvement Projects
It’s easy to feel cooped up inside after a few months of winter. The holiday buzz has died down, you’ve finally finished putting away all those seasonal...
How To Correctly Measure For Replacement Doors
Looking to upgrade your exterior steel door to a more energy efficient fiberglass or solid wood door? Or perhaps you want to replace the composite interior...
How to Repair Your Wood Siding
Wood siding, for all of its classic elegance and historical significance, can require a lot of upkeep. Beyond the usual scraping and painting, there will be...
Is Fence Installation the Next Big Opportunity for Home Improvement?
Outdoor spaces are one of the hottest remodeling trends for 2021, but designing full-scale outdoor living rooms may be out of scope for many companies. However...
Know Your Wood When Selecting Paint
How well exterior paints and stains adhere to wood is a direct result of wood properties and the various manufacturing processes. Dense wood shrinks and swells...
Easy Energy Saving Projects for your Kitchen & Bath
Want to make a difference in your energy bill but don’t want to get involved in a huge project? A great place to make a big impact with little effort is in...
DIY Home Projects Before Holiday Company
Whether you are planning a casual party, a large formal dinner, a festive gathering, or a combination of all three during the holidays, it can be helpful to...
How to Make Drywall Airtight
An air barrier stops air from leaking into exterior walls. That not only keeps heat from escaping, but it also prevents moisture from entering into stud, joist...
How to Repair Plaster on Lath
We’ve all seen it, and we’ve all done it. To mount an HVAC duct, we’ve cut through a plaster wall with a recip saw, sending plaster flying and leaving the lath...
Building Resiliency
Now that hurricane season is officially upon us, this is a good time for remodelers to think about upgrades to make existing houses more resilient. Updated...
Porcelain: Facts, Myths, and Tips
Porcelain is a really versatile material. It can be used in places like showers, flooring, backsplashes, and fire surrounds. We saw an increased interest in...
Estimating Shortcuts for Circular Concrete Shapes
When it comes to estimating concrete quantities, most remodelers rely on a quote from a subcontractor. But occasionally it’s easier to estimate the costs...
3 Tips for Resilient Decking
Building decks in areas regularly exposed to moisture, such as rainy or snowy climates and shaded property, is often an invitation for rot and...
Top Nine Home Design Trends for 2021
NAHB recently recognized more than 160 single-family, multifamily, interior design, remodeling, and community projects at the annual Best in American Living...
Your Deck: Do-over or Makeover?
If your old deck is looking worn and shabby, you might be thinking it’s time to demolish it and start over with a newly designed deck. While that’s a perfectly...
Hardwood and Laminate Flooring Markets Projected to Rebound
While laminate and hardwood flooring have experienced greater exposure on home-improvement and home-flipping shows, both experienced sales decreases in 2018,...
General Woodworking Knowledge
Woodworking encompasses an incredibly wide spectrum. This includes anything from making knickknacks and birdhouses, to building heirloom furniture and ornate...
How to Install Hardwood Flooring
The good news is that most will consider installing hardwood floors easier than installing carpet because the pieces are easier to assemble than cutting carpet...
Choosing the Right Wood for Your Project
As tempting as it may be, cost should not be the driving factor in choosing the right wood for your project. Typically, softwood such as pine and poplar are...