Want to attach two pieces of wood together and not see the nails or screws? Want to disassemble them later? So you can not use glue. Try using pocket holes. The fasteners are hidden and it is a very strong joint.
To make the pocket holes, you need a pocket hole jig. The jig clamps the piece of wood in position while you drill the holes with a special drill bit. Just drill the holes to the prescribed depth and you are ready to assemble the pieces.
You can use this method to make 90 degree corners or to put two pieces of wood side by side. This is useful if you are making a table top. Again, just drill the pilot holes and screw the pieces of wood together. It is that easy. You can use 1-1/4 inch drywall screws because they are not too long and they have a nice sharp point.
Using the pocket hole jig will allow you to make great wood joints. Quick and simple.
Oh, you know the two most common driveway materials here in the tri-state area are blacktop and even concrete. You see them all the time but to me, they're kind of plain vanilla.
If you want a driveway that is drop-dead gorgeous, durable and built the way roadways we're done 70 years ago, you want a driveway like mine. A tar and chip driveway.
The way you install a tar and chip driveway is really simple. You just need to bring liquid asphalt cement to the job site. It's pretty hot. It's about 350 degrees so you have to be careful. You can get burned by it and they spray it onto your driveway and it's about 3/8 to a quarter of an inch thick. And into that hot tar, they dump gravel chips. It can be brown gravel that's beautiful. You can also get gray gravel and if you come up with any different color that you can think of they'll put it into the tar.
The tar really doesn't care what goes into it. It's very important that they put just enough tar down. If you put too much the tar can actually ooze through the surface and cause a problem on hot summer days. But I've never seen it happen with the different companies that I use to install my tar and chip surfaces.
You probably want to know what the tar and chip surface looks like up close and personal. That's a good point. I have a light loose coating of these brown stones on my drive. But look here. This is exactly what it looks like if I brush them away. These brown stones are firmly locked into the tar and it basically looks not much different than a standard blacktop roadway or driveway.
And it provides excellent traction in the wintertime and if you do want to plow the tar and chip driveway, it’s not a problem. Just tell your snowplow operator to hold that blade up about one-inch and he won't push any of the stones off of your driveway.
If you want a tar and chip driveway go ahead and open up your yellow pages (this video was recorded before the Internet search engines were popular), start calling around the different blacktop contractors. if you're really lucky you just might find one that still knows how to do a tar and chip surface. I'm Tim Carter, Ask the Builder. If you want to discover more home improvement tips, go to AsktheBuilder.com
It is easy to paint a house. But if you want long lasting results, you have to prepare the house properly. Here are some of the tools for getting the house ready.
First, a large sponge. Most paints will state on the can that the surface should be clean and dry. You will have to wash down the house. Be careful of power washers, they can drive water deep into the wood.
You might have to scrap some areas of the house to remove loose paint. The paint scrapers are available in various widths. Get a couple of sizes for your project.
If you have some nail holes or cracks in the wood, you will need some putty knives to fill and smooth over the holes. Spackling compound is also needed to fill those holes. Read the label to make sure the spackling compound is an exterior type.
Caulk and a caulking gun will be used to fill in any cracks along side trim or door and window frames. A good caulk gun will give you more control over applying the acrylic caulk.
Finally, paint brushes. Some paint manufacturers have special paint brushes that are designed specifically for the type of paint.
The final decision is the paint itself. There is a polyurethane acrylic latex paint that holds great. Since paint is basically colored glue, the polyurethane adds to the stickiness. Buy the best paint you can.
Plans are a very important part of the remodeling or new home building projects. There is very affordable software available that can be used for a variety of planning.
It will allow you to design a small garden shed all the way up to a mansion. It will do complete blueprints with interior and exterior elevations. It will show you 3D views of the plans.
As you are designing your project, the software will allow you to apply different textures, such as brick, stone, hardwood floors, tile, etc. It will also do landscaping.
The 3 dimensional views will allow you to see the finished project with various lighting configurations. You can do a cut-away view much like a child's doll house.
One more neat feature of this software package is once the plans are done, you can built a scale 3 dimensional model of the house or shed. Print out the pieces and glue them to foam board and you have a 3D model. This software package has all the features for planning your next project.
Water Heater Recirculating Pump - Hot Water Instantly
Do you turn on the hot water for your shower or to wash your face and the hot water is not there for a while? Does that get you hot? Well, there is a solution. A water heater recirculating pump will get you in hot water when you want it.
With the built-in timing system, you can set the time you want the pump to activate and pump hot water into the plumbing system. Set if for that morning shower and when you return from work in the evening. In between, hot water is not pumped throughout the house.
This is a reliable recirculating pump you can install on top of your water heater. The weird threaded fitting goes under the sink that's farthest away from the pump. CLICK on THE IMAGE NOW TO ORDER THIS PUMP.
Where Does the Pump Go?
This pump is installed in the hot water line leaving the water heater. A plumber or plumbing experience will be needed for this job.
Is a ByPass Valve Required?
Yes, the pump system includes a bypass valve. When hot water is needed, the valve sends it up into the pipes. If hot water is not required, the water returns to the water heater. Saves the hot water until you need it. The thermostatically controlled comfort valve, installed at the farthest fixture from the water heater, helps regulate the flow from the hot water line to the cold-water line.
Can I Install it Using Press Copper Fittings?
Yes, you can often rent a copper press tool so you don't have to solder anything. This makes it a true DIY installation. Watch this video to see how one works:
Many times, people will use the wrong shovel when doing a job. If you use the wrong shovel, you could be making the job harder.
A round pointed shovel is ideal for digging into moist soil. The rounded edge slides through the dirt. A square point shovel does not work for digging. It is designed for shoveling loose dirt or moving sand and gravel.
There are various styles of shovels within the same family. For example, a garden spade is a flat nosed shovel, but it does not have the turned up or curved up sides. Standard square nose shovels have curled sides to help with the handling of the loose soil. The straight sides of the garden spade allow it to slice down into the soil like a razor.
A duckbill round point shovel looks completely different from the standard round nose shovel. The duckbill shovel is ideal for digging a nice narrow trench, that is fairly deep, if you are installing a drain line for a French drain.
Not ever spade is a made from the same material. There are some made from 18 gauge surgical stainless steel. It is rust proof and does a great job on those smaller projects.
If you want pro results when painting a four or six panel door, you can not just start painting. There are certain steps to follow for those professional results. There is a particular order to paint the door.
Start with the inside of the panels. Use a special primer on bare wood to properly seal the wood pores. This will even out the gloss of the finish coat. Be sure to get down into all the corners.
A four panel door has eleven major components - the raised panels, top style, middle rail, middle style, another rail, a bottom style and two outside rails. When painting the rails, allow some of the paint to overlap the style. But, immediately, brush the paint on the style parallel with the wood grain.
The final brush strokes should be on the end rails. Avoiding getting paint on the painted areas. Be sure all the brush strokes match the direction of the wood grain, and you will have a beautiful paint job.
Sometimes working with PVC fittings is not as easy as they show on tv. There are steps to take to ensure you get leakproof joints. Did you know that the fittings are tapered? The opening at the top of the fitting is larger in diameter than at the bottom. This is ensure a tight fit as the pipe is inserted into the fitting. But this can work to your disadvantage. If you glue two pieces together and do not hold them until the glue is set, they can slide apart. Resulting in a leaky joint.
PVC fittings have special marking on them. There is normally a number indicating the size of the pipe required, for example a 2, indicating 2" pipe is required. There is a mark line offset 45 degrees to the size number. This is a helpful guide when gluing the pieces together and rotating them into the correct position.
Before glueing the pieces together, be sure to clean the areas to be glued. PVC primer, as well as PVC cement, is needed for the joints. The primer will soften and remove the gloss off the PVC allowing the cement to stick better.
Once primed, apply the cement inside the socket and on the outside of the pipe. Press the pieces together and rotate them about 45 to 90 degrees. Then hold them for about five seconds. This will keep them from sliding apart.
Read the labels on the prime and cement. They contain strong solvents and should be used in a well ventilated area. The warning labels will provide the information you need. They are also flammable. So be careful.
Do you have a sink that is clogged up or runs slow? There are a few things you can do to get that drain flowing again.
First try that old fashion plunger. With the common clog, it normally just needs that gentle push to send it on its way. To use a plunger, cover the drain hole and fill the sink about 1/3 full. With the plunger firmly seated, give it a few up and down strokes. Remove the plunger and see if the sink drains.
If that did not work, bail out the water from the sink. Then pour in some chloride bleach to cut through the clog. Give it a chance to work. If that still does not free up the drain, get a commercial clog remover.
The thicker drain cleaners tend to work better. Follow the directions on the bottle. If that does not work, get a foaming type drain cleaner. This type cleaner actually fills the entire pipe with foam and hopefully with remove the clog. Be sure to follow the directions and wait the proper amount of time for the foamer to work.
If you still have a clog after trying all these steps, it is time to call the pros.
Do you have an older home and you are trying to find a match for some existing woodwork? Or building a new home or room addition and want that special look that is all you own? You need custom millwork.
Provide a drawing or sample of your custom wood profile and a specialty mill house will make a wood knife to match your pattern. They will put the knife on a shaper and cut your lumber. The result is woodwork made to your special design.
Just contact your local lumber yard and see if they do custom millwork. This is a little more expensive, but you can match the exact pattern you require.
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