Exterior Finishes Instruction

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Q&A: Repairing a Chipped Laminate Countertop

Q: During a countertop installation, one of the screws popped through and chipped off a 1/4-inch-diameter piece of laminate. Is there a way to make a repair without replacing the whole countertop? More

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Q&A: Bubbling Skim Coat Over Painted Surface

Q: How can the bubbling be eliminated when skim-coating joint compound over a painted surface? More

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Q&A: Finish for Bare Slab

Q: What is a good, durable, transparent finish for a bare radiant slab? I’ve tried Glitsa over colored concrete. The finish looked great initially, but was not water-resistant. A year later, there was a fair amount of delamination and flaking. How should I refinish the floor? Would a polyurethane finish bond better? Also, for the future, should new concrete be acid-washed before applying a coating? More

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Q&A: Preventing Grout Stains on Kitchen Counters

Q: I often hear clients complain that they like the look of their tile kitchen... More

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Q&A: Pressure-Washing Before Painting

Q: Is it a good idea to pressure-wash wood siding before painting? It seems like this would drive a lot of water into and behind the siding — water that might still be present when the paint is applied. And what about pressure-washing decks? More

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Best Strategy for Siding and Trim Nails?

A professional painter weighs in when to leave nails flush, when to set them, and... More

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Q&A: Substrates for Tile Countertops

Q: Can countertop tiles be installed directly to a plywood base? More

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Simple Specs for Small Jobs

Writing a good set of specs is just as important as drawing the plans. Here’s how to organize your specs and what to include in them. More

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Q&A: Painting Stucco

Q: We are working on a cement-stuccoed house. The old paint is peeling in many places where water leaked from old gutters or was trapped by overgrown shrubbery. We have solved the moisture problems. What is the best way to prepare the stucco surface for new paint? More

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Q&A: Scraping Shingle Siding

Q: What is the best way to strip alligatored paint from shingle siding? Scraping is not working for us because it loosens many of the old shingles. More

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