Question: What causes a wet spot to appear each winter in one location on my ceiling near an outside wall? You can see it in the photo I sent. This never happens in summer, no matter how much it rains,…
Question: How can I get rid of the insects that are boring holes in furniture wood I have stored in my workshop? The holes are less than 1/8” in diameter and only seems to affect several of the newest boards…
A few years ago I got an email from Mark K. He’s from British Columbia, Canada, and he’s been asking me questions from time to time over a few years as he built his beautiful log home. Mark’s latest questions…
Step onto any active job site and, somewhere between the scaffolding and the site trailer, you will still find a roll of drawings under someone’s arm or pinned to a wall. For all the promises of CAD and BIM tools,…
A tube of caulk and a free weekend can feel like the obvious answer to a pest problem. Spot a gap near the roofline, fill it, and move on. Sometimes that works perfectly. Other times it creates a worse situation:…
A homeowner notices a bubble in the paint on a window frame and presses it with a thumbnail. The surface gives way, a few crumbs fall out, and the natural next step is to scrape it, fill the hole, and…
Most people picture bed bugs in a mattress, but the living room sofa is just as inviting to them. Bed bugs need only a warm host, a place to hide close by, and a few weeks of undisturbed time. A…
The world of circular saw blades is like a game of poker. The longer the hand goes on, the higher the stakes get. The made-in-Italy Diablo Tracking Point blade is a perfect example. It’s one of the best offerings in…
Waterbased urethane is the most common type of film-forming wood finish these days, but waterbased is not as easy to apply as successfully as solvent-based urethanes. That’s one reason people often have trouble getting good wood finishing results with waterbased….
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, explains four insulation options to ensure your new home or addition is energy efficient.
A house can look tight from the curb and still leak at the edges. Pests do not need a broken window or an open door. A hairline gap beside a gas line, a curled corner of weatherstripping, or a torn…
QUESTION: How can I fix the streaks on a table top I’m refinishing? I’ve used your buffing technique as I saw on YouTube, along with waterbased urethane. The surface is smoother but the streaks still remain. ANSWER: From the photos…