Tips & Techniques

My favorite kneepads have hook-and-loop straps that have steadily lost their grip. They got so bad that when I stood up after working on a recent flooring project, the kneepads…

My construction company does a lot of renovation work, including new foundations under old buildings. This typically involves jacking up the house, with big beams carrying the load, and then…

The secret lies in rounding the corners.

As an electrician who prides himself on workmanship, I attempt to install every piece of wire and conduit as straight as possible. When I’m on a residential job and installing…

Learn how to install a tub with no flange mounted under a stone-slab tub surround.

If the toilet bowl moves when you sit on it, sooner or later the seal around the toilet flange will leak. Most often, a bowl rocks front to back, perpendicular…

When my three milk crates of leftover plumbing parts failed to provide a combination of fittings that would connect the 1-1/4-in. hose on my shop vacuum to the 2-1/2-in. dust…

Done right, stain-grade crown moldings showcase the talents of the trim carpenter who installed them. Even the best carpenters need to fill a little gap now and then, however. For…

To help keep a hole saw cooler and cutting effectively, it’s important to keep the gullets of the serrated teeth clear of sawdust. For years, I would stop the drill…

The rig in the drawings shows the setup I use to spray-paint four doors at once. The offset arms give me access to all the edges, while the chair glides…