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Cranky Carpenters and Good Houses

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:57:44 +0000

I used to know a cranky carpenter who said he followed two rules in his construction practice. First, ignore the architect, and second, don't pay much attention to the building code.

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Thinking About Garage Door Replacement?

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:34:01 +0000

What can you say about a garage door? It's big, but there really isn't all that much to it. Most garage doors are composed of a series of simple panels held together with some simple hardware, which is fastened to a cable tied to springs. Big deal, right?

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New Life for Old Concrete

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:10:19 +0000

Concrete is a strong, reliable and long-lasting material. It is not, however, one of the more attractive materials used in construction. And that's particularly true when it gets old.

A lot of folks who get tired of looking at their old driveway, sidewalk, garage floor or other concrete surface make the mistake of assuming that the only cure is to rip out the old slab and put in a new one. Actually, for many, there is a much easier and less expensive option. Concrete Resurfacer is a mix of sand, cement and polymers that can be poured on a concrete surface. Applied properly, it can add many more years to the surface, while significantly upgrading the appearance. And, yes, you can do this yourself.

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Replacing the Gears on a Garage Door Opener

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:10:22 +0000

It's always a particularly irritating PITA when your high tech device stops functioning because of some simple little old school mechanical breakdown. Garage door openers aren't exactly at the leading edge of high tech, but they are getting there.

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Promising Start To a New Kitchen Cabinet Paint

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:15:57 +0000

After repeated delays, false starts, design reconsiderations, budget shortfalls and fits of laziness, I've finally plunged into building new cabinets for my old kitchen. One of the first tasks I accomplished was building some "floating" shelves along one wall. I'll describe how I did this in a future article (hint: the metal rod you can see in the photo provides the "hidden" support).

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What You Should Know about Concrete Slabs

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:29:19 +0000

Concrete is a pretty simple product. Just add a little water to some portland cement, sand and stone, pour into a form, and wait for the mud to cure. That simplicity, combined with its undeniable durability, are responsible for the enormous amount of new concrete being poured every year.

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Dreaming of Genie (Garage Door Openers, That Is)?

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:51:21 +0000

Genie is one of the most popular brands of garage door openers available to do-it-yourselfers. If you have a Genie (as I do), or if you're just doing a little research on garage door openers, you should find the article Genie Garage Door Openers helpful.

Lighter, Better Drywall

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:58:29 +0000

Yeah, it's true. Many drywall installers are singing the praises of the new, much lighter drywall panels. USG has knocked about 19 pounds off the weight of a standard-sized sheet of 1/2-in. drywall. For more on that, and other, drywall developments, take a look at What's New in Gypsum Drywall.

Garage Door Spring Replacement Time

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:07:59 +0000

That loud popping noise heard around my house the other day turned out to be a torsion spring on my garage door breaking . . . after a mere 55 years of faithful service. Ever wonder what a broken torsion spring looks like? Well, you'll know after looking at the photo.

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Garage Door Remote Controls

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 12:36:56 +0000

I've written quite a bit about those wonderful garage door remotes in recent years. Lots of useful information, I think, but it has been scattered all over the place.

To make it easier to answer most questions people have about their garage door remotes, I've collected the most important information in Garage Door Remotes - Repairs, Replacements and Upgrades. I hope you find it useful and convenient.