DEAR TIM: My wife is begging me to install a patio. The issue is she hates the interlocking cast concrete brick and they seem to lose their luster and color in a few years. Plus, they look too perfect she says. She want’s me to create a brick patio that looks like it’s been down Read More »
I tested the Yardmax YW7565 Chipper Shredder in November of 2016. Over the years I've owned several different chipper shredders so I felt as if I could evaluate this machine quite well. The bottom line is it's a great machine. Here's the top reasons why I feel this way: It's well built. I didn't observe Read More »
I had the distinct pleasure to test the Yardmax 35-ton full-beam log splitter in November of 2016. Having used many different types of log splitters, including a sledge hammer and wedge, I felt I could give an honest opinion as to how well this massive tool works. The bottom line is it's unbelievable. I've owned Read More »
DEAR TIM: I work at a smaller municipal airport and need your help. The concrete inside some of the plane hangers is crumbling at the straight lines where one giant slab of concrete touches up against another slab. There’s a metal strip in between the slabs if that makes a difference. What’s the best way Read More »
"I knew the Deck Over product would FAIL at some point because it was a film-forming product meant to completely cover the wood much like a clown applies makeup to completely hide their face/skin." Beware Behr Deck Over - It Will Peel Dan lives in Norwalk, CT. He emailed me overnight and needed immediate help. Read More »
DEAR TIM: I recently saw a new paving system that I thought was ingenious. Instead of a solid driveway there were two strips of some precast concrete, each about 2-feet wide for the car tires. Grass was growing within the concrete strips and the area between the concrete was just lawn. Back by the person’s Read More »
This is an experiment. I discussed it in my September 14, 2016 AsktheBuilder Newsletter under Galvanized Nails, Screws and Connectors. I want to see if you're interested in discovering how and why things work around your home in a fun and clever way. Please take the quiz below. It's only five questions. All of the questions Read More »
DEAR TIM: I read your column each week in our paper and a few weeks ago you talked about building stairs for a deck. I can handle that but am worried about how to make all the complex cuts required for the deck stair railing. I realize you can’t provide step-by-step directions in the space Read More »
DEAR TIM: How can I match the stucco finish on my eighty-year-old front porch? I tried using white Portland cement and buff sand, but as you can see in my photo, the results are atrocious. I added some dry cement pigment to try to get a match and it just didn’t work. I noticed the Read More »
DEAR TIM: I need to build some simple outdoor steps to replace ones that fell apart and rotted, even though they were made with treated lumber. I’m fairly handy and have a decent grasp of the math but would love some tips to get professional results. I’d also like to prevent the new steps from Read More »
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