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Home improvement and renovation tips

Finish carpentry tips Part II – Nailing

When you're working with trim and other finish jobs, nailing becomes a whole new ball game. Your goal is to hold it all together as unobtrusively as possible. Here are some ways to make your nailing nigh on invisible. Using proper finish nails is your obvious first step. Thin, spiral nails with an indent in ...

Finish carpentry tips Part I

Finish carpentry is a matter of getting the details right. Here are some tips to make sure you are always spot-on. First off, avoid using a tape measure when possible. If you're trying to mark a board, hold it in position to mark the cut. And don't measure and cut each piece of trim before ...

Faux wood finish technique a low-cost alternative

Want to make the trim in your home office out of mahogany? Popular in Victorian homes, it's not that easy to find these days, and if you do manage to find some, be prepared to get a loan. But here's a way to make cheaper stocks or MDF look just like mahogany. With a few ...

Why the heck? Answers on tools and techniques

It's the accepted way to do it. But why? Why do you wrap wires clockwise around a terminal screw on an outlet or switch? The outlet or switch will work just fine if you wrap the wire counter-clockwise; as long as there's contact, the current will still be carried, right? That's true. But here's why ...

Trim measuring tips

The key to good trim is perfect measurements, right? Well, partly. No matter how often you measure a distance and transfer your measurements to stock, you have a margin for error.So wherever possible, hold the stock in place, and mark it more accurately that way.You can actually case a door or window without using a ...

How to age new wood so it looks old

There's nothing like old wood. Wide old planks, rustic weathering, rich patinas... these are qualities you just can't recreate using new wood.If you like the character of antiques, old buildings, and weathered or aged wood, why not use old wood in your new projects -- whether it's furniture, trim or paneling?Some suppliers offer salvaged wood ...

Wood finish tricks

If you're a detail kinda person, and you want to really finish up your wood projects perfectly, here are some tips.A lot of us are happy to simply countersink finish nails in trim, so they're not noticeable. But to really finish it properly, you should fill the holes. Now, the problem is, much of the ...

More tips for tight fitting trim

If you're using a chopsaw to cut your trim, you're already ahead of the game. Here's a technique to make everything fit even more snugly. Cut your trim section long to begin with. Then, after checking the fit, shave off 1/32" increments. Here's how. With the saw off, lower the blade and slide the stock ...

Mantel ideas for gas or wood fireplaces

After going to the expense of putting in a gas or wood fireplace, many people don't give a lot of thought to spending more on the finishing touches. But a mantel needn't cost a lot, and can add a lot of traditional warmth to your room.At its most basic level, a mantel is a sturdy ...

Six steps to repainting trimwork

Need to touch up some paint on some old woodwork, or thinking of painting over it? Here are some pointers.1. Check for lead. Gently scrape a chip of paint from the woodwork, and test it for lead using a home testing kit. Test both sides, and the layer underneath the chip, if there is one. ...