Cracking and Crazing

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Q&A: Supporting a New Slab Next to Existing Foundation

Q: What’s the best way to support a new garage slab next to an existing foundation... More

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Patching Stucco

Making durable patches in stucco finishes is as much art as science. A veteran stucco contractor shows how to use dry dusting, fog coats, and trowel mix plastering both to repair damaged stucco and to blend new stucco work with old. More

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Preventing Tile Failures

When a tile job fails, it’s easy to blame the materials. But in most cases, shoddy... More

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Q&A: Ceiling Cracks With Trusses

Q: On a recent house we built, cracking has occurred where nonbearing interior... More

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Q&A: Weathertight Windows for Wind-Driven Rain

Q: As a general contractor in the Blue Ridge mountains of southwestern Virginia,... More

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Q&A: Preventing Drywall Corner Cracks

Q: I’ve noticed that whenever I finish drywall, fine cracks start appearing at inside corners a couple of days after the job’s done. What is causing the cracks? More

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Framing Details for Wood Shrinkage

When a house frame shrinks, it can leave bumps and dips in the floor, cause doors to bind, and open cracks in drywall and casing joints. Proper selection of materials and attention to framing details can keep these problems to a minimum. More

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Q&A: Truss Uplift Solutions

Q: What would cause the sole plate of a nonbearing partition wall to pull away... More

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Letters

Reversed polarity question, markup percentages, thin-slab radian More

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Controlling Cracks in Concrete Slabs

It’s inevitable: A concrete slab is going to crack. But how much it cracks, and where, depends on the amount of water in the mix, where you place control joints, and how you finish the slab. Here’s what you need to know for good results. More

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