The Journal of Light Construction articles from June 2006

The Journal of Light Construction archives from June 2006

Countertop bolts for stair rails.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... In the article "Installing an Over-the-Post Handrail" (4/06), Jed Dixon uses an interesting rail bolt I've never seen before. Is it possible to get the supplier's name? Bill Tanner North Haledon, N.J. Author Jed Dixon responds:...

Which comes first, membrane or drip edge?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... In light of the numerous listed standards (such as the "NRCA Roofing and Waterproofing Manual" and ASTM) and of the fact that all major roofing-shingle manufacturers disagree with your opinion concerning the proper placement of the underlayment...

Theory vs. practice.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... I am a college professor who teaches courses in engineering technology and technical physics to students in several majors, including Construction Management. Therefore, I was pleased and impressed that Dave Yates used Boyle's law and provided...

Acoustically dead ducts.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... Good article on sound control ("Innovations in Sound Control") in your March issue; Bonnie Schnitta did a great job covering a complex issue. However, when it comes to ducts, she's a little off-base. The purpose of duct wrap is thermal,...

Softwood lumber deal announced: U.S. to return $4 billion of duties; Canada may face taxes, quotas.(In the News)
June 1, 2006... The U.S. and Canada held a joint news conference on April 27 to announce a framework for an agreement to resolve the longstanding lumber trade dispute between the two countries. Lumber has been a sticking point in trade relations for more...

The Rhode Island Builders Association launched a nonprofit program in January for soldiers involved in combat since Sept. 11, 2001.(In the News)
June 1, 2006... The Rhode Island Builders Association launched a nonprofit program in January for soldiers involved in combat since Sept. 11, 2001. "Builders Helping Heroes" gives construction assistance to wounded veterans and the families of those killed in...

It's not enough to keep up with the Joneses anymore; now homeowners want to keep up with the Sopranos.(homeowners home design preferences, survey)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... It's not enough to keep up with the Joneses anymore; now homeowners want to keep up with the Sopranos. A study released in February by Therma-Tru Doors, "Driving Design: From the Front Seat to the Front Porch," looks at how American homeowners...

A sand shortage in Maui, Hawaii, could mean trouble for the booming Honolulu construction industry.(In the News)
June 1, 2006... A sand shortage in Maui, Hawaii, could mean trouble for the booming Honolulu construction industry. Most of the 318,000 tons of sand mined each year in Maui ends up in concrete used in Honolulu. But because of heavy mining and development on...

Construction is off-limits in Park Ridge, Ill., before 7 a.m., due to an ordinance passed in February by the city council.(In the News)
June 1, 2006... Construction is off-limits in Park Ridge, III., before 7 a.m., due to an ordinance passed in February by the city council. Monday through Friday, construction is allowed between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and on Saturdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m....

FEMA tells New Orleans to raise houses 3 feet.(Federal Emergency Management Agency)
June 1, 2006... The Federal Emergency Management Agency released long-awaited guidance in April for rebuilding homes and commercial buildings in flood-soaked New Orleans. A FEMA document posted on both the agency's Web site (www.fema.gov) and the city's Web...

Immigration agency shelves OSHA ruse.(In the News)
June 1, 2006... When workers at a North Carolina commercial job site gathered one morning in July 2005 for what was purportedly a mandatory OSHA safety-training session, they got an unwelcome surprise. According to the New York Times, after the government...

Salvaged millwork presents lead threat.(In the News)
June 1, 2006... In February, an inspection prompted by the routine blood screening of a Montgomery, Vt., child revealed an unexpected source of lead contamination: the front door of a newly built home. The child's parents, Mary Niles and Jacob Racusin, had...

For couples remodeling their homes, disagreements are bound to be part of the process.(In the News)
June 1, 2006... For couples remodeling their homes, disagreements are bound to be part of the process. Rachel Cox, a marriage and family therapist in Northern California, learned that lesson while working at her husband's construction company. She now...

An Ohio jury awarded a retiree $700,000 after a developer filled the man's lake with silt and mud.(In the News)
June 1, 2006... An Ohio jury awarded a retiree $700,000 after a developer filled the man's lake with silt and mud. When Dr. Stephen Luczek planned his lakeside retirement back in 1982, he didn't foresee a housing boom. Twenty-four years later, though, his...

Housing design for narrow lots.(RESOURCES)
June 1, 2006... As part of an overall strategy to encourage thoughtful infill housing on narrow urban lots, the city of Portland, Ore., held a design competition in 2004 and published the winners in two monographs. More than 400 architects submitted plans for...

Q&A.
June 1, 2006... Q. Mounting a Wall-Hung Sink on a Steel-Stud Wall I used 25-gauge steel studs to frame the partition walls in an upstairs renovation. Now my client wants to install a wall-mounted lavatory in the bathroom. What's the best way to reinforce...

Roof-pitch jig.(design)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... I built this jig about 10 years ago while waiting on a job site for a building inspector. The parts--laminate countertop scrap and an old 2-foot wooden level kicking around the back of my truck--were cheap. After cutting the countertop...

Lumber-hanging trick.(roofing)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... If you gang-cut rafters, or even if you cut them one at a time, sooner or later all those parts have to be hauled up to the roof and installed. Framers Will Holladay and Nick Ridge used an efficient method for making this happen on a site in...

Skyhooked.(On the Job)
June 1, 2006... Faced with the prospect of backing down a twisting, half-mile-long mountainside driveway, the driver of this 40-foot flatbed tractor-trailer was looking for a place to turn around. The crane operator, who had just hoisted into position the...

Talking to clients about money.(Business)
June 1, 2006... I'm constantly amazed at the reluctance shown by professional builders and remodelers to discuss real numbers with their clients. Hiding or obscuring a project's actual costs in an attempt to make bids and estimates more acceptable is way too...

Selling remodeling jobs.(Business)
June 1, 2006... Some people have a natural talent for sales. That's great for them, but most of us aren't quite so lucky--we have to work at selling. Like any small contracting company, my remodeling firm needs to bring in a steady stream of new jobs to...

The color-coded office.(contractors)
June 1, 2006... I admit it. I carry a wad of colored markers the way Wyatt Earp carried his six-shooters, and I feel just as helpless without them. Colors (unless you're color-blind, obviously) provide an easy way to discriminate visually among things--25...

Allocating risk with "additional insureds".(Legal)
June 1, 2006... You're starting to get contracts on bigger and bigger jobs, even--can you believe it?--government contracts. Good for you. But it's important to know what you're getting into: These contracts may contain terms you don't typically see on smaller...

Adding a cantilevered bay: a steel frame anchored to a new concrete foundation provides support.
June 1, 2006... My company recently completed the renovation of a 30-year-old raised ranch in Vineyard Haven, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard. The job transformed a nondescript house that would have been at home in suburbia into an architecturally unique residence...

Coil roofing nailers: the best guns are light, fast, and easy to load.(Tool Test)(Cover story)
June 1, 2006... We're professinal roofers: The company we work for does all kinds of roofing, including built-up, wood shake, and clay tile. But more than anything else, we install composition shingles. Though roofers used to nail shingles by hand or with a...

Bostitch RN46.(roofing gun)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The RN46 was just about everyone's favorite roofing gun. It's light, fast, and will not fire when empty. The one-piece flip-down cover assembly makes it especially easy to load. After using this tool, a couple of guys on the crew replaced their...

DeWalt D51321.(nailers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Light, with a comfortable grip and trigger, the D51321 is one of our favorites. It seems to nail a little faster than most other models. We have one minor complaint about this tool: The latch is on the magazine instead of on the feed cover....

Grip-Rite GRTCR175.(Comments)
June 1, 2006... The GRTCR175 works well and hits the fastener with a pretty good pop. But it's more nose-heavy than most other models and the particular gun we tested made a subtle but annoying ringing sound every time it struck the nail. [ILLUSTRATION...

Hitachi NV45AB2S.(Comments)
June 1, 2006... A simple, reliable roofing gun with a two-piece cover assembly that opens from the side, the NV45AB2S is of average weight and feels a little bit slower than our favorite models. A bottom-loading version of this tool is also available. ...

Hitachi NV45AB2.(Comments)
June 1, 2006... Except for the bottom-loading magazine, this gun is identical to the NV45AB2S. It's a pretty good tool, but if we were going to buy an Hitachi we'd get the side-loading model. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Makita AN451.(nailers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The AN451 is a nice gun. The single-piece cover assembly swings forward, making it fast and easy to load. It has a comfortable grip and strikes fasteners with a pretty good pop. The only thing we don't like about this gun is that it's of...

Paslode 3175/44RCU.(Comments)
June 1, 2006... Because its single-piece cover assembly is held shut by a "friction-fit" catch, the Paslode 3175/44RCU is fast and easy to load. Pius it has a very comfortable two-finger trigger. On the downside, it's heavier than average and has an...

Porter-Cable RN175A.(Comments)
June 1, 2006... Light, compact, and well-balanced, the PorterCable RN175A is one of our favorites. It seems to nail a little faster than most other models. Even with a twopiece cover assembly, it's easy to load, because it takes very little pressure to snap...

Max CN450R.(nail gun)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The CN45OR has added features, including a swivel air fitting and a self-cleaning air filter. It's fast, very powerful, and drives nails reliably without jamming. Overall, this is an excellent nail gun. The problem is that it's heavy--a half...

Ridgid R175RNA.(roofing nailers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Ridgid R175RNA ranks among our favorites. It's fast and light and has a good pop. It's also one of the more comfortable roofing nailers to use, because it's well-balanced and has a curved trigger with a rubberized surface. The twopiece...

Senco RoofPro 4SSXP.(Comments)
June 1, 2006... Although the Senco 455XP works well and is easy to load, it feels a little slower than average. It's not very comfortable to use; it's nose-heavy and at 5.8 pounds it's one of the heavier roofing guns around. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Spotnails VRN45.(nails)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Spotnails VRN45 is one of two bottom-loading models in this test--a strike against it, because we much prefer to load nails from the side. Most of the crew also said it was slow, and we all found it nose-heavy. With its bare-bones trigger...

Max CN445R.(Too Late to Test)
June 1, 2006... This new model from Max came out after we had completed our testing, so we weren't able to try it out. It has many of the same features as the CN450R that we tested for this article--a swivel air fitting, a self-cleaning air filter, and a full...

Coil roofing gun specs.(Coil Roofing Nailers)(Statistical table)
June 1, 2006... Coil Roofing Gun Specs Preferred Brand models Model Street price Bostitch * * RN46 $290 DeWalt * ...

Decorative shingling: distinguish your sidewall work with this easy-to-build diamond design.
June 1, 2006... When I'm siding with cedar shingles, I like to give my projects a distinctive look by taking advantage of this material's unique artistic possibilities. I use just a few basic techniques to craft a range of designs, from simple accents and...

Restoring wood floors without sanding: preserve the patina and renew the luster of wood floors using only a buffer.
June 1, 2006... Fifty years ago, if you had asked anyone how to rejuvenate a wood floor, you'd have been told there was pretty much just one way to do it--with wax, down on all fours. And it was not considered fun, which was one reason for the huge market...

Practical plaster repair: use plaster washers, joint compound, and drywall to repair cracked or broken plaster.
June 1, 2006... Most of who work on old houses have a love-hate relationship with plaster. We love it for its rock-solid character, but we hate it when we have to patch a crack, rip out water damage, or simply cut a hole in it. I have never mastered the...

Armored vinyl.(Kitchen & Bath / Flooring Options)
June 1, 2006... Because they're sold in 12-foot widths that provide seamless, waterproof coverage, vinyl sheets are a good choice for bathrooms. Natural Fusion flooring is an exceptional 105 mils thick with a scratch- and stain-resistant surface coating of...

Easy care.(Kitchen & Bath / Flooring Options)
June 1, 2006... This high-pressure-laminate (HPL) flooring offers simple "Tap-N-Lock" installation, immediate usability, durable performance, and easy maintenance in the kitchen or bathroom. Crema Milan tile is one of 20 wood and stone looks available. Both...

54 shades of green.(Kitchen & Bath / Flooring Options)
June 1, 2006... Natural cork is harvested from the bark of the cork oak every 10 years, a process that actually prolongs the life of the tree. It provides a remarkably durable, comfortable, and environmentally friendly kitchen or bathroom floor covering....

Synchronized trims.(Kitchen & Bath / Lighting)
June 1, 2006... Cooper Lighting's satin nickel and antique copper ceiling trims coordinate with recent trends in faucet, hardware, and bathroom accessory finishes. They come in 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-inch diameters, in reflector, baffle, adjustable (eyeballs,...

Countertop illumination.(Kitchen & Bath / Lighting)
June 1, 2006... Here's an undercabinet fixture line that lets you choose between T5 fluorescent, 12-volt xenon, and line-volt-age halogen lamping. The 1 1/4-inch-high Bright Lite Series comes in 8-, 13-, 20-, and 27-inch lengths. You can also choose either...

Flexible pendants.(Kitchen & Bath / Lighting)
June 1, 2006... Designed for kitchen task and accent lighting, hand-blown Quick Connect G618 Series glass pendants come in five colors: blue, green, orange, purple, and white. Flexible components make the fixtures suitable for a variety of mounting options,...

Nice view.(Products / Decorative Ceilings)
June 1, 2006... Few would argue that 2x2 and 2x4 drop-ceiling tiles and fluorescent fixtures--found in countless homes and virtually every commercial building in America--are architectural gems. A new product, Ceiling Scenes, makes it easy to boost their...

Tin substitute.(Products / Decorative Ceilings)
June 1, 2006... Installing a tin ceiling can take a long time and leave your hands battered--but now you can achieve a similar look minus the bloodletting with a Tin Look ceiling from Armstrong. According to the manufacturer, the 1-foot-square acoustic tiles...

Premium panels.(Products / Decorative Ceilings)
June 1, 2006... With huge expanses of drop ceiling on display and relatively little wall exposed, many casinos rely on Above View drop-ceiling panels to jazz up their interiors. No reason a residence can't cash in on that neat trick, too. The 2x2 panels--which...

Mold management.(Products / Paints & Coatings)
June 1, 2006... The M-word makes everyone a little nervous. Homeowners envision walls blackened with fuzzy growth and contractors imagine six-figure court settlements. Perhaps both groups will be able to sleep better knowing that homes have been treated with...

Hybrid stain.(Products / Paints & Coatings)
June 1, 2006... I've never heard anyone complain about the performance of a Sikkens product. The company's Rubbol Siding Finish is a low-sheen solid stain with a unique alkyd/acrylic blended formula that Sikkens says offers the advantages of both finish types....

One-coat coverage.(Products / Paints & Coatings)
June 1, 2006... Who wouldn't prefer to do less painting? According to the maker, ProMar 200XP provides a high-build, uniform finish in one less coat. Applied at the recommended wet-film thickness of 10 to 14 mils, the self-priming paint allegedly minimizes...

Check it out.(Products / Floor Coverings)
June 1, 2006... Some flooring patterns never go out of style--the classic checkerboard, for instance. Available in four color schemes--all variations on the timeless checkerboard theme--Mannington's Checkpoint features a vinyl formula designed to resist the...

Updated favorite.(Products / Floor Coverings)
June 1, 2006... Like sheet linoleum, Nova-Linoleum is versatile and eco-friendly. Unlike the sheet version, it comes in 7/16-inch-thick click-together planks. Each 12-inch-by-36-inch strip contains three layers: a 2mm linoleum surface, a fiber-core center, and...

Tough stuff.(Products / Floor Coverings)
June 1, 2006... Vinyl-composition tile--VCT--is popular in commercial spaces, schools, and hospitals for good reasons: It's inexpensive, wears like iron, and looks brand new after a good scrubbing and a couple of coats of wax--qualities that make it ideal for...

Metabo TS 250 table saw.(product information)
June 1, 2006... Up until about 10 years ago, it wasn't practical to rip full sheets of plywood on portable table saws, because most models couldn't rip more than 12 or 13 inches wide. That changed in 1997, when DeWalt introduced the DW744, the first model with...

Senclamps: the faster fasteners.(Toolbox)
June 1, 2006... In our never-ending quest to find the latest and greatest tools, we carpenters sometimes fail to recognize the value of those that have been around for a long time. Senco's Senclamp joint fasteners (800/543-4596, www. senco.com) are a good...

Enclosure.(Toolbox / Job-Site Cleanup)
June 1, 2006... Most contractors who've used the ZipWall agree that it's an easy and effective way to cordon off a small remodeling job, but some feel the components are simply too expensive. Those of you who subscribe to the latter view will be heartened to...

Particle decelerator.(Toolbox / Job-Site Cleanup)
June 1, 2006... Homeowners often worry about how dirt from remodeling will affect the rest of their home. Imagine how reassuring--to both clients and prospects--the sight of a Predator 1200 would be. With its airtight cabinet, two prefilters, and true HEPA...

Small sucker.(Toolbox / Job-Site Cleanup)
June 1, 2006... Dragging out a big shop vac for a small mess can take longer than the actual cleanup, which is why contractors who do a lot of little handyman-type jobs might want to consider getting a DC515K. The DustBuster-sized wet/dry vac runs off a...

Plunge-cutter.(Toolbox / Gutter & Sheet-Metal Tools)
June 1, 2006... If you're currently using aviation snips to cut holes for downspouts, check out the very cool Gutter Outlet Punch from Malco. The tool's base aligns with the front edge of the gutter in both "A" and "B" orientations for easy and accurate...

Spiral cutter for metal.(Toolbox / Gutter & Sheet-Metal Tools)
June 1, 2006... At just $20 apiece, the Metal Cutting XBit promises to be a fast, easy, and inexpensive way for contractors to cut metal studs and sheet metal of up to 18-gauge thickness. The 5/32-inch solid carbide cutter fits RotoZips and other, competitive...

Copper Torch Kit.(Toolbox / Gutter & Sheet-Metal Tools)
June 1, 2006... Soldered copper is a great way to solve difficult flashing problems and differentiate yourself from the many tar-covered Neanderthals doing roofing. My grandfather used a pair of irons and a blowtorch to join sheet copper, but modern propane...

The nail gun is born.(Marvin Hirsch and John Ollig creates a power nail-driving tool and starts a company Port-A-Matic Tools)
June 1, 2006... According to Marvin Hirsch, who was present that evening in the mid-1950s, it all began when a group of veterans meeting at the Winsted, Minn., Legion Hall came to the sage conclusion that they could buy a lot more beer if they had more money....