for Cold Climate Housing and much more

Keyword Search

Search Again

Found 209 results for the keyword(s) ‘shingle roof repair’

  • Article

    OVERVIEW: Built-up Felt/Asphalt/Gravel v.s. Torch Sealed Elastomeric for a flat residential roof -- which one is best?

    "Have listened to you for years. I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION. A membrane roof has a longer guarantee 20 years, the material looks unimpressive, what is it's longevity beyond that? An asphalt roof has a 10 year guarantee but with good maintenance can last 3 times longer. My old roof is at least 4...
  • Article

    Basement Perimeter Drainage and Leaking Foundations

    This article deals with walls below grade, foundation walls.  For insulating above grade cinder block walls see How do you Insulate a Brick and Block construction as well as Insulating an Above Grade Block Wall from the Inside. The best way to prevent water from leaking into the basement is not ...
  • Article

    Techniques for hiding furniture and hardwood floor scratches.

    Scratches on furniture can often be camouflaged by any of a number of simple techniques, especially if the scratch follows somewhat the grain of the wood.   WIPE-ON POLY When there is no stain on the wood, so the finish is actually the natural colour of the wood, simply putting a bit more fini...
  • Article

    Working with Contact Cement

    Contact cement is a uniquely useful adhesive. It will adhere to most all surfaces and hence is often the in-between for sticking two different materials together. It comes in two basic varieties, solvent based and water based, the later often being called "green" or "solvent free". Although thes...
  • Article

    New rain gutters with a built in leaf guard.

    Leafs and other debris clogging up the rain gutters can be the death of a roof. On a one story bungalow you can pretty easily keep those gutters clean but when things are higher up, or you have a lot of mature trees in the yard, it can be a big maintenance task. If you have tried any of the scree...
  • Article

    Drilling & Replacing ceramic tiles -- even with your own photo

            DRILLING A TILE When you want to hang something on ceramic tiles you will need to drill a hole. Regular metal cutting twist bits will not cut through the hard ceramic face, and in fact the ceramic material itself will destroy such a bit. You need to use a bit that has a carbide head....
  • Article

    Repairing Marble surfaces

      Cleaning stone People often create hazed patches on polished marble surfaces simply by using the wrong cleaner. Anything like vinegar or most glass cleaners will actually etch the surface of marble, requiring re-grinding of the surface. This is not just some substance sitting on the marble th...
  • Article

    Pro: Tiles -- More than you thought you wanted to know

    Probably one of the best ways to learn about good and bad building techniques is to work on the renovation or restoration side of the construction picture. Here is where you see the results of everything done before, especially when the results are a failed system. In the world of ceramic, stone ...
  • Article

    Fixing drywall tape that bubbles up

    When drywall tape breaks loose with a little bubble, it is because there was not enough compound under the tape when it was first put on. If you can, lift the paper ever so little with a spatula and then simply slide in some fresh drywall compound to glue it back down. In some cases, white glue m...
  • Article

    Mending China

    Most of our common adhesives will not work well to put pottery or china together. We need something that will stick to a very porous surface, so none of the "Wonder Glues" will work. Also we do not want a noticeable line, so any coloured adhesives are out. Contact cement would work, but be very d...