Q&A / 

Quick Column Summary: Best way to install stone veneer WHAT does the manufacturer say The warranty is most important Cement paint will help get a great bond Dan Ritchey, from Malta, Montana, asked: "Do you have to use metal lathe and thinset on stone veneer or can you apply a scratch coat on cement board […]

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Quick Column Summary: Can asphalt drive be covered with crushed rock Make sure there are 4-6 inches of angular stone A thin layer of stone will eventually expose asphalt The new stone will not  interlock with the asphalt Karen Cesar, who lives in sunny and warm Tuscon, AZ, is getting ready to tackle a paving […]

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Simple Common Roof Rafters Quick Column Summary: How do you create a roof rafter You need 4 simple tools and geometry How to determine your roof slope DEAR TIM: I'm now retired and starting to attack a huge list of projects. One of them is building a simple shed and I have no clue how […]

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Quick Column Summary: Brick steps falling apart Can bricks be reused Why all brick are not the same Reuse the brick with special mortar Raimond Cheung was working on his brick steps at his house in Rego Park, NY and got stumped. Here's his question: "My old brick step is falling apart.  I took a few […]

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Glue Rocks Together - Use Magic Epoxy Below Quick Column Summary: Stacked rock sculpture What is the bonding material Use a rock/masonry epoxy Maurizio Magnani was perplexed after visiting a public park in Duarte, CA. Here's what he wrote to me: "I would like to build a river rocks assembly I saw at a nearby […]

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Quick Column Summary: Need to fix a planter Can it be ground down and leveled Easier to start over Link to video series Barbara Mandese, who lives not to awful far from the San Andreas fault in Monterey, CA, reached out for a life preserver after throwing out her back mixing concrete. Read what her […]

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Quick Column Summary: BBQ brick type Will pavers work Inferior brick will crack Links to columns on fire brick and brick bbq David from Longford, Ireland, wrote me with a fascinating question about building an outdoor barbeque. He's wondering about the correct brick to use. "I'm building a DIY bbq and need around 40-50 bricks. I was […]

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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 […]

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Quick Column Summary: Wood privacy fence cracking and leaning Wood fence post orientation Set fence posts in crushed stone, not concrete Use the right wood and the right size posts DEAR TIM: I've got a 5 foot 6-inch tall wood privacy fence with very little gap between the vertical wood pieces. When I built the […]

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How to Repair a Crumbling Foundation Part 3 Tim demonstrates in this video, the magical cement paint and how to mix up strong and sticky stucco repair mix. It's all magic. This is the last video in the series. [Lynn asks] "How do you get the new stucco to stick to the crumbling stuff?" Okay […]

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