Confused by the alphabet soup of wood-treatment chemicals flooding the industry? Read on. In 2004, after dominating the market for more than 70 years, wood treated with CCA (chromated copper arsenate) was withdrawn from residential use due to concerns about health risks from arsenic exposure.
Like most small-business people, I’ve used personal computers (PCs) to manage my business. My wife, who runs the office, has also used PCs. Plus, I…
No matter how you slice it, installing effective, good-looking guardrails takes time. Cutting, plumbing, shimming, and fastening the numerous individual parts is not full-speed, turbo-charged…
I have specific criteria for work gloves. First, the gloves have to fit, meaning that when I’m wearing them, the answer to the following questions…
TOOL KIT Light and Compact Framing Nailer By Mark Clement Stanley-Bostitch 800/556-6696 bostitch.com Street price: $250 As dependable as screws are for decking, about the…
For porches – think beaded ceiling material and crown – a miter saw is a must. I use a DeWalt DW718. DeWalt nailed this tool:…
Three Fences Designing, detailing, and installing fences for looks, quality, and production speed Mark Clement If I said I didn’t like building fences, I’d be…
When I’m on a deck or porch site, the way I usually figure out that a scraggly bush needs to be limbed or removed isn’t…
I remember when there were roughly a billion fewer choices of deck boards and railing systems. The first decks I worked on as a carpenter’s…
If you’re old enough, you remember nailing off decks with fistfuls of hot-dipped-galvanized sixteens. Your bags were loaded with pounds of nails, and your hammer…
A toolbelt is a lot like a spouse: If you choose one in haste, odds are you’ll regret it. MyFixitUpLife Mark & Theresa created this…
It’s been said that the Romans were able to conquer the known world because they were organized. I don’t know if that’s true, but I…
The combination playground-memorial was designed by Theresa Coleman Clement as part of an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project in October 2011 that also included building…
I learned deck building from a production deck builder. While he could build decks quickly, he could have been even faster if he’d used more…
If you’re tempted to skip this article because you think safety is boring, consider that having a safety program might help you and your crew…
I learned deck building from a production deck builder. While he could build decks quickly, he could have been even faster if he’d used more…