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Architecture : Home & Garden
How to Remove Black Mastic From a Basement Floor
Removing black mastic from a basement floor requires a substantial amount of labor, and even after several hours of hard work, it may not completely come up. Mastic is used to adhere vinyl composite flooring to a subfloor, usually concrete. Because of its chemical nature, the mastic may seep into co
How to Build Desk Height Cabinets
A simple desk-height cabinet can help keep a work area neat and organized and present a more professional-looking workspace. With a nice, flexible design, you can create a cabinet that is large enough to hold computer towers or office equipment, and yet is easily adaptable to contain shelves or even
How to Add Cabinets & Bookcases to a Fireplace Wall
Built-in bookcases are no longer a common feature in homes with fireplaces. When you add bookcases with cabinets to your fireplace wall, you create a focal point for your room. You can also use the bookcase shelves to display collectibles. The cabinets let you store less-frequently used items while
The History of Wood Lamination
Laminate is a product created by bonding two or more layers of thin material together to form a thicker, stronger material. The process of wood lamination has ancient origins. Traces of laminated wood have been found by archaeologists in the tombs of the pharaohs. The Chinese shaved wood and glued i
Paper Design Tools
After an on-site consultation, hand drawings can be translated to a computer.ULTRA.F/Photodisc/Getty ImagesHand sketches and floor plans are essential to the development of a design plan. Although great advances in digital design technology have been made, paper design tools are widely...
How to Remove Build-Up From Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring revolutionized the way kitchens and bathrooms are floored. Expensive, fragile tiles were replaced by this easy to install and easy to maintain alternative. Routine maintenance of your vinyl flooring such as mopping and immediate clean up of spills and stains, will cut down on the time
How Thick Should Shower Tile Adhesive Be?
All tile showers require a bed of thinset mortar for floor installations and either mastic adhesive or thinset mortar on the walls and ceilings. Various tiles have different requirements based on size and type of material, and the thickness of tile adhesive will vary depending on the requirements of
How to Use Refractory Ceramic
This substance is usually called refractory cement when it is used in a fireplace and kiln mortar when it is used in a kiln. Both names are used in the construction of brick ovens. It is also called ceramic cement, ceramic mortar and refractory compound so you might have heard it called "refractory
How to Wind Power a Home
Windmills have been around for 1,300 years, first used in ancient Persia to grind grain. In the United States windmills are part of the classic American Western landscape. Today, high tech wind turbines have become a source of clean, renewable electrical energy. It's now possible for individuals
How to Stain Maple Cabinets
Staining or re-staining cabinets is no small task. Most cabinets are purchased fully stained and finished since the task is so involved and, for some, extremely difficult. If you want to stain your own maple cabinets, follow the basic procedures on your purchased stain; however, remembering a few ke
Hints for Tig Welding Stainless Steel
Welding stainless steel is more difficult than welding ordinary carbon steel. This material contains a higher percentage of chromium and nickel than regular steel. These other metals prevent rust, but can also cause welding trouble. TIG welding, also called heliarc welding and gas tungsten arc weldi
How to Lay Quarry Tiles
Quarry tile is similar to ceramic, but thicker and stronger. It doesn't have the shiny glazed surface of most ceramic, which makes the quarry more apt to pick up stains. It's a good flooring to lay in a laundry room or hallway, where there's lots of foot-traffic but not a lot of food spills. Althoug
The Effects of Hot Water on Lima Bean Growth
Lima beans grow best in climates with cool nights like California.bean pot image by Rog999 from Fotolia.comLima beans are at once a good source of vegetable protein and the terror of nearly all growing children. The production of the plant is highly influenced by weather, soil content and...
How to Mount a Pegboard on Drywall
You can use pegboard for a number of applications, such as hanging tools or equipment for easy access. The best way to hang pegboard on drywall is to use toggle bolts, which come in a number of sizes and lengths. The bolts are designed to slide through a hole made in the wall and then open up so the
The Disadvantages of Fiberglass Insulation
Fiberglass is a common form of insulation, but it does have many disadvantages. It is potentially harmful to humans and its effectiveness depends heavily on the climate. For example, if there is a significant difference between the outside temperature and the inside temperate, fiberglass insulation
Tricks to Painting Around Popcorn
Cutting-in is the process of carefully brushing paint into a surface corner to create a straight line. Applying a straight edge of paint on a corner presents a challenge, especially for a ceiling corner filled with popcorn texture. The chunks of texture often get in the way of the paintbrush, which
Backsplash Ideas With Granite
When planning your granite backsplash, remember granite comes in a variety of colors.granite image by Roman Sigaev from Fotolia.comIf you want a kitchen backsplash that will last for years, a granite backsplash provides the durability you want. A type of natural stone, granite is not the...
How to Fix Tiny Gaps in Wood Floors
Tiny gaps between the planks in wood floors is a common enough problem that usually has two causes. It's either a result of one of two situations. It could be the wood reacting to moisture or other extreme weather conditions and shrinking slightly, in which case you just need to be patient and the s
How to Do Skim-Coat Refinishing on Countertops
Refinishing your kitchen countertops can be much easier and less expensive than purchasing and installing new ones. Skim-coating old tile or laminate countertops with a masonry product can give you the durability and cleanliness of a stone finish without the extensive investment that products like m
How Do Umbrellas Open?
Umbrella StructureTo understand how an umbrella opens and closes, it is necessary to understand its construction. Any umbrella, from huge patio versions to the little emergency umbrellas small enough to fit into a purse, work on the same principle. Waterproof material is stretched over a...