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Author Archives: Joe Provey

The Basics: Composite Roof Shingles

Composite Shingles - Slate

EcoStar's Midnight Majestic Composition Slate Roofing

Coming up with alternatives for traditional shingle materials has proved a steep and slippery slope for a surprising number of manufacturers. Class-action lawsuits have showered down as so-called “lifetime” roofing products with names like Hardishake, Maxishake, and Permatek have prematurely failed.

Related: Composite Roof Shingles: The Great Pretenders

“The impetus for the development of many of these products was the ban on the use of asbestos fibers,” says Rick Damato, a 38-year industry veteran and editorial director of Roofing Contractor magazine. “Manufacturers substituted other fibers and they just didn’t perform as well.”

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Prefinished vs. Unfinished Wood Flooring

Prefinished or Unfinished Wood Flooring - Acacia

Acacia Natural Prefinished Floor. Photo: fantastic-floor.com

I’ve looked at flooring from both sides now… and it’s the horrors of applying polyurethane I recall.

Apologies to Joni Mitchell for that, but when it comes to installing solid or engineered wood flooring, prefinished is my choice. Some pros disagree, but these are my reasons:

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Laying a Walkway with Bluestone

Bluestone Walkway

Photo: sansoucystone.com

There’s a lot to recommend a bluestone walkway. The natural colors and textures look great in almost any setting. Maintenance is low. And unlike concrete pavers or brick, bluestone pavers do not require edge constraints.

Another pro: Shifting is rarely a problem. If root growth or a frost heave does shift a bluestone paver, repositioning it is relatively easy. Need to fix a broken water main or run an electric line? No problem. Just pry and temporarily lift the pavers out of the way.

Yet another benefit is that, in contrast to concrete, a bluestone walkway will not prevent water from reaching the roots of prized trees or shrubs.

Related: 12 Easy-to-Imitate Stone Walkways

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  • Kitchen >
  • How To: Add Under-Cabinet Lighting

How To: Add Under-Cabinet Lighting

Install Under-Cabinet Lighting

Photo: jacksonelectricinc.com

Under-cabinet lighting can vastly improve the workability and appearance of your kitchen.

For starters, under-cabinet lighting facilitates cooking tasks, such as chopping veggies or reading from a recipe book. Aesthetically, it helps balance the room’s ambient light, eliminating shadows in parts of the kitchen that would otherwise be dark.

An added convenience is that under-cabinet lighting can serve as a nightlight if equipped with a dimmer.

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  • Bathroom >
  • The Easiest Way to Clean Shower Doors

The Easiest Way to Clean Shower Doors

Clean Shower Doors - Modern Bath

Photo: Kohler

It’s always a challenge to clean shower doors, but that doesn’t mean you have to use powerful cleansers made with ammonia, bleach, and other harsh chemicals. Without much trouble, you can effectively clean shower doors in ways that are much safer for your family.

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Quick and Easy Vinyl Flooring

Installing Vinyl Plank Flooring

Photo: JProvey

My son recently asked for help installing vinyl flooring in his bathroom. So we took a trip to the local home center to pick up materials and supplies. What I found surprised me.

I knew that vinyl flooring had come a long way since the days when I was a young father, but even within the past few years, there have been eye-popping advancements. No more boring patterns or unconvincing imitations of wood, tile, and stone. The products we saw were virtually indistinguishable from ‘the real thing.’ Even better, all we needed to do the job was a carpenter square and a utility knife.

My son chose a rustic pine plank-style flooring, ideal for areas that get wet. (Did I mention my grandson’s penchant for splashing at bath time?) In addition to being waterproof, the vinyl planks had the texture of real wood grain, were heavy enough to feel solid underfoot, and had a convincing look complete with knots and splits.

Related: Bathroom Flooring: A Wealth of Options

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Top Tips for Weaving a Veneer Brick Wall

Veneer Brick Walls - Backyard

Photo: McNear Brick

Brick has a timeless appearance and requires little maintenance, making it a popular material for a variety of applications. Once a structural component, brick nowadays is more commonly used as a veneer, with concrete blocks, poured concrete, or wood laying under it.

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  • Painting >
  • Is Stripping Paint Really Necessary?

Is Stripping Paint Really Necessary?

Paint Stripping - Old Door

Photo: coastalthemehome.com

It’s always amazed me to see workmen sanding all the paint off a home’s exterior just because some of the paint is peeling. All that work and expense, and rarely is it necessary. Generally, new paint isn’t going to adhere any better to bare wood than it would to a layer of old paint.

Before climbing the ladder, sander in hand, take the time to answer a pair of essential questions: 1) Why is the paint peeling, and 2) is it really necessary to strip all of it?

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How To: Clean Concrete

How to Clean Concrete - Pressure Cleaning

Photo: trueshinememphis.com

When it comes time to clean concrete, you don’t need to be delicate; after all, it’s a very hard material.

In order to clean concrete outdoors, you can rent a pressure washer for use in combination with a biodegradable detergent. Indoors, your supplies are likely to be a bucket, detergent, and scrub brush, with or without a wet/dry vac at job’s end.

These approaches will enable you to get a long way toward removing ground-in dirt, mildew, spilled paint and most food stains. But the bad news for the fastidious homeowner is that concrete is a porous material with innumerable tiny voids that can harbor dirt, mold, and all kinds of deep, stubborn stains.

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  • Painting >
  • Painting Masonry Walls and Floors

Painting Masonry Walls and Floors

Painting Masonry - Concrete Slab Floor

Photo: allthingsconcrete.com

Hurricane Sandy proved to be a trial for many of us. My wife and I were fortunate, and our home suffered no major damage. The storm did, however, test the paint job I’d recently completed in the basement of our new co-op.

This apartment complex—a set of brick buildings with slate roofs and stone foundations—was completed in 1918. When moving in just a month before the hurricane, our basement looked as though it hadn’t been touched, or even cleaned, since the ’40s.

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