Issue 286 – Oct/Nov 2019
Features
-
2 Methods for Patching a Hardwood Floor
Learn professional techniques for evaluating damaged flooring, removing individual boards, and installing seamless repair patches.
-
How to Install Built-up Crown Molding
Use these time-tested design principles and basic carpentry techniques to create beautiful layered crown and cornice trim details that will dress up any room in your house.
-
Retrofitting a Home Elevator
Powered by suction, pneumatic vacuum elevators are a low-maintenance, compact alternative to conventional lifts, plus they have a much more modern look.
-
Clever Fix for a Sagging Floor
Learn how to level floor framing in an old home by lifting joists with temporary walls, installing a midspan beam, and adding new studs to distribute the load down to the foundation.
-
Updating a Traditional Design With Modern Elements
Modern accents and a monochromatic color scheme enliven the traditional design of this 19th-century-inspired home
-
Fine Homebuilding Issue #286 Online Highlights
Find online articles and videos on kitchens, how to cut a straight edge on a crooked board, and more.
Tips & Techniques
-
Create the Perfect Caulk Joint
Masking tape and solvents are the key to a clean bead of sealant.
-
Carving Knives Make Clean Copes
For cleaning up molding joints, a specialty woodcarving tool works better than a typical utility knife.
-
Ladder Helper
This homemade rack conveniently holds small workpieces when working up high.
-
Driver-Bit Storage
Make a simple pocket for keeping several bits handy by wrapping a piece of a bicycle inner tube around the base of your cordless drill.
-
Keep Out Sewer Gases
A drink cup beats a pile of rags if you need to temporarily plug a plumbing drain pipe when replacing a toilet.
-
Open Out-of-Reach Windows
A DIY extension handle works well for window cranks that can't be operated from the ground.
Know the Code
Tools & Materials
-
Heavyweight Portable Tablesaw
The sturdy and powerful Grizzly G0870 10-in tablesaw is a workhorse on the job site.
-
Clever Clamps for Drawer Installation
Powertec's Drawer Front Installation Clamps make simple work of this often-frustrating task.
-
Semi-Pro Paint Sprayer
The Wagner Flexio 3000 spray rig is a good alternative to professional painting equipment when you want a faster, smoother job than you can get with a brush or roller.
-
Stress-Free Sander
The Makita XOB01Z 5-in. cordless random-orbit sander is well balanced and more convenient than its corded counterparts.
-
Toilet Tamer
Oatey LiquiLock powder makes removing an old toilet less of a mess.
-
Versatile Electrical Box
Unlike typical work boxes that have one connection method or another, Carlon's Zip Box Blue electrical boxes have a 3-in-1 mounting system so you don't ever have the wrong type for the job at hand.
-
Thermally Broken Studs
Tstuds are a new energy-efficient framing product that look like vertical trusses made from two thin boards joined by a series of angled dowels.
-
Hinges for Thin Door and Drawer Fronts
Blum Expando T hinges have a unique pressure-fit mounting system that only requires 1/4-in. penetrations into cabinet doors and drawer faces.
-
A New Line of Push-to-Connect Fittings
SharkBite launches a professional series of plastic fittings that is claimed to speed up PEX-to-PEX rough plumbing jobs.
-
Polymer-Modified Wood
Lignia polymer-impregnated pine decking is an attractive new alternative to pressure-treated lumber.
HOUSES by Design
-
Row House Revived
A major remodel of the back of this 1890s brick home brings in more light and makes a better connection to an existing rooftop deck.
-
Back to Plumb and in Plane
Creative framing and trim details straighten out the kinks during the remodel of a crooked old timber-frame farmhouse in Vermont.
Building Matters
As-Built
Keep Craft Alive
More? View Past Issues
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Fine Home Building
Follow
-
Fine Homebuilding
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial Now -
GBA Prime
Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
