Features

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  Gluing Wood Flooring to Concrete

  A successful job starts with a moisture test.

   
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  Innovative Products 2008

  Our annual pick of products designed to help you work smarter, faster, and better.

   
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  A Pier-and-Beam Foundation For a Coastal Site

  Where unstable soil and periodic tidal flooding are a concern, helical piers topped with a concrete stem wall rise to the challenge.

   
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  Remodeling a Working Kitchen

  A simple reorganization of existing space and thoughtful material choices maximize efficiency and “green” appeal.

   
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  Framing Red Flags

  Catch these common framing and sheathing errors and you’ll prevent inspection failures and customer callbacks.

   

Letters

• Letters

  Vapor retarders in North Carolina; cost of curved coffered ceiling; hiring illegal immigrants

   

News

• In the News

  Pneumatic nailers under fire; assessing the risks of broken compact fluorescents; big builders rank low on sustainability; DeWalt recalls popular table saw; more

   

Q&A

• Q&A: Upgrading to Three-Prong Outlets

  Q. In an older house wired with BX cable, can the original two-prong outlets be upgraded to three-prong grounded outlets, provided they're properly bonded to the original metallic boxes?

   

• Q&A: Overdriven Fasteners in ZIP System Sheathing

  Q. When fastening ZIP System sheathing to wall and roof framing with our pneumatic nailers, we've found that it's difficult to keep nail heads from penetrating the applied protective barrier on the face of the panels. Won't these holes compromise the moisture barrier's integrity and lead to...

   

• Q&A: Clarifying Liability Coverage

  Q. After working for several years as an employee, I recently headed out on my own and began shopping around for liability insurance. Most policies offer "occurrence" coverage, but one company offers a "claims made" policy that provides similar coverage for less money. What's the difference between...

   

Business

• Business: Lessons From the Corporate World

  Lessons from the corporate world

   

Products

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  Products

  Basement finishing; flashing

   

Toolbox

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  Coleman Cable Eco-Logical Smart Strip Surge Protector

  Phantom loads cost electric-utility customers $3 billion annually.

   
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  Woods Industries LockJaw Locking Plug Extension Cords

  Few things are more irritating than having a power tool repeatedly come unplugged from an extension, or dealing with a knotted connection that keeps snagging on framing members or ladders.

   
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  General Cable FrogHide Ultra Flex Extension Cords

  Working outside in the winter usually means your extension cords will be about as supple as a frozen garden hose.

   
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  Forrest Duraline Thin-Rim Blades

  If you regularly cut high-pressure laminate, melamine, wood veneer, or acrylic sheet, Forrest's Duraline Thin-Rim blades promise reduced chipping and a better quality of cut.

   
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  Skil Ugly Recip Saw Blade

  Designed primarily for pruning and other fast cuts through wood, The Ugly recip-saw blade from Skil is perfect for trimming those overhanging limbs that get in the way while you're painting, siding, and roofing.

   
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  Irwin Marathon Saw Blades

  I've always found that Irwin's Marathon saw blades offer a good combination of value and performance.

   
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  Pacific Laser Systems PLS180 Laser

  As a remodeler, not a day goes by that I don't have to do some kind of plumb or level layout.

   
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  Callander Equipment Hand Operated Jackhammer

  Sometimes setting up a jackhammer and a compressor takes longer than doing the actual work.

   

Backfill

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  Backfill: Solar Cargo Trailer

  Solar cargo trailer

   
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  JLC Extra: Solar Cargo Trailer

  This schematic shows how to wire the trailer-mounted photovoltaic power system described in July’s Backfill article.

   

Other Articles

• JLC Extra Q&A: Comparing Propane and Oil

  Q. Which home heating fuel is usually cheaper, oil or propane?