Quick Column Summary: Intake vent for makeup air What height from the ground Be aware of blockages Randy King, who's in need of makeup air in Madison, WI, wrote: "I saw your video on make-up air. I'm installing Skuttle's Model 216-6 (6") damper control and exterior intake vent. The intake vent needs to exit through […]
Quick Column Summary: How to paint over stain Painting Kitchen Cabinets ebook Video link Olivia Stewart wants to paint her stained-wood cabinets. She lives in Oakland, CA. "What kind of paint do you use to paint over stained cabinets? I do not want to use a stain paint. My cabinets are wood and over 30 […]
Quick Column Summary: Parquet flooring on tile delaminating Organic mastic can't form bond Adhesive chain Joe McGarvey lives in a house in Glenview, IL where the oak parquet flooring is unruly. "My 30-yr, oak parquet floor, adhesively bonded to porcelain tile, has begun to delaminate. What is the best way to stop this delamination?" Joe, […]
Quick Column Summary: Screwing cabinets to concrete wall Attach wood 2x4s to concrete Attach cabinets to 2x4s Video link James Toth, who has his hammer out in Bridgeport, CT, is itching to install wood cabinets on a poured concrete wall. Here's what he wrote after watching the video below. Be sure to read MY REPLY […]
Quick Column Summary: New building upgrades Credit for standard cabinets or flooring Original pricing for cabinets / floors plus price of upgrade Larry Niccum, who now lives in Ogden, UT but is moving west to Mesquite, NV, had a stumper question to a sales rep at a Del Webb community. Here's what Larry sent me: […]
Quick Column Summary: Reclaimed cedar siding Can you use it for flooring Cedar is too soft for floors Try oak or maple Teresa, from Dove Creek, CO, asked a pithy question about recycling cedar siding. "Does reclaimed cedar siding make a good floor?" Here's my answer: Teresa, cedar is a very soft wood. I'd never […]
Quick Column Summary: Wood floor wanted for basement Current floor gets condensation in winter Consider vinyl tiles that look like wood They look great Gordon Polson, from Mercer Island, Washington, is remodeling his basement. His wife wants a wood floor, but ... There's always a but: "We're finishing our basement floors. My wife favors a […]
Quick Column Summary: How to reduce humidity in basement You may be doing everything right Damproof or waterproof foundations Run a humidifier Tom Donohue, who lives up in Ontario, Canada, has a humid basement. He's not alone. Millions have this issue. "How can I reduce humidity in my basement in the summer. I do not […]
Quick Column Summary: Roof turbines keep blowing off Should I just remove them Great roof turbines can take high winds Link to great turbine manufacturer Bill Curtis, who lives in Concho, AZ, emailed me with a fascinating situation: "We have a barn that we installed 8 roof turbines. Four blew off, mangled. Company sent 4 […]
Quick Column Summary: How to use wood filler Hard to match the look of wood Filler keeps stain uneven Wood conditioners can help DEAR TIM: I’ve never had great success filling cracks in stained wood surfaces. I’ve tried different wood fillers and the crack looks the same or worse after the repair. When I use […]