Construction, Remodeling, Pro Tool Reviews, Best Practices, How-To Tips, Tool Buying Guides, Home and Garden, and Solutions to Remodeling Problems Targeted to the Professional and Do-It- Yourselfer
How To Build a Fireplace Mantel We recently were asked to assist in the refacing of a 17th Century Colonial fireplace. The project entailed covering the brick facing with soapstone and then adding a simple, but elegant fireplace mantel. Fireplace Facing Material Fireplace facing material, immediately surrounding a fireplace, must be non-combustible. Materials such as…
How To Make And Use A French Cleat The French Cleat mounting system has been around longer than anyone can remember. Many think the name French Cleat originated from the 1800’s French shipbuilders who used the cleats to hang items on the ship walls to free up limited space on the ship’s floors or decks.…
Proper Techniques to Insulate your Basement Many homeowners look to their basements when they want to efficiently increase the living area of their homes. Compared to the cost of a home addition and the significant difference in the amount of building material, expanding a home through a basement renovation is cost-effective and easier on the…
Warmup Roof Ice and Snow Melting Cables Some homes are predisposed to ice dams – and the leaks that can result from them. Lack of insulation, warm air leaks, and complex roof designs all contribute to ice dam formations. Preventing roof leaks requires addressing these issues and ice dams themselves, but that’s not always easy…
Eliminating Half-Wall Wobble! We typically see half walls at stair openings, replacing railings and balusters, as well as in bathrooms. In remodeling we use half walls with glass, a lot more in showers, to allow in more light. Whether you call it a half wall, knee wall or Pony wall the issue is the same. They…
Cleaning Your Driveway, The Right Way It’s easy to know the right thing to do after you’ve made a mistake. A few months back I was cutting a bunch of metal rods [rebar] and I did NOT anticipate all the microscopic metal dust staying on my driveway and leaving unsightly rust stains. My first thought was to pressure…
Installing A Dryer Duct and Vent – Best Practice The type and length of your dryer duct can have a significant effect on the efficiency of your dryer as well as increase or reduce the risk of a fire. Use Metal Duct Pipe – Best Practice The best duct pipe to use is 4” solid,…
How to Clean Bluestone Many homes have concrete and blue-stone walkways, steps and patios. The problem is leaves, pollen and rust stains that develop can very difficult to remove. This article will address using a pressure washer as best practice for cleaning a Bluestone patio. Use A Pressure Washer The most effective and safe cleaning method…
© Copyright 2019 A Concord Carpenter · All Rights Reserved
