Nails, Hammer, and Wood – Sometimes you are short on tools and supplies when you are repairing your house. Knowing nail tricks is important when you lack the things to make your job easier (mainly nail guns). Here are a few things that I hope will help you on that new job…
1) Don’t [...]

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One thing that night shift has taught me is that I need to find ways not to hurt myself despite being tired or just physically unable to do something. Small nails are very difficult to hold and at times seem to be intended for someone with small metal fingers. There is nothing worse [...]

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If you have children then you know that their stuff takes a beating when they are getting through their 2s & 3s. They would be excellent testers of any durable goods in a lab. This chair is no exception. It has two legs on it with wallowed out dowel holes (probably used [...]

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Have you ever wanted to make faux (fake in French) beams in house for a country or rustic appearance. Many old houses have some form of artificial beams and you can easily do this in your house with a few little tricks. First thing you want to do is to find the existing [...]

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Cupped boards, popped nails, rusted screws, just a few of the things you would like to avoid when building a deck. I have worked on many decks and though many uh..ohs and oopss I have learned a few tricks along the way (book knowledge does not hurt).
- Remember when you are laying [...]

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One common problem with doors is loose hinge screws…Screws that have over time torn up the wood that originally held them in place. If your door snags on the latch side it is common to find several loose screws on the hinge side. If you have this problem, this is what you can [...]

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Ever try to put a screw in hardwood only to tear up the screw head with your screw driver or drill/driver. Try lubricating your wood screws with a little Gulf(paraffin) wax or beeswax before you put them in the wood. Of course this should be used in conjunction with pre-drilling. Just take [...]

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One thing you are guaranteed to find in an old house in Charleston is rotted wood. The damp/humid environment is the cause of many undesirable effects on building materials. The problem with rot in an old house is that the rotted area is likely on a piece of wood work that is either [...]

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If you do not have a trim nail gun crown molding can be a daunting task. Its never easy to work over head with small nails and a hammer with both of your hands already holding up a piece of trim. I use this trick whenever I am unlucky enough to get stuck [...]

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In the past I have ran into a few things that are a pain. One of those is the task of installing a new door knob on an old door (pre 70’s). First thing that happens is you get home and get all excited to install your new hardware on your old door(an [...]

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