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Tips & Techniques

Tips & Techniques is a collection of methods, tools, and jigs that our readers have devised to get things done on their own construction projects. Email photos and descriptions of your tips to us at [email protected]; post them with the #FineHomebuildingTips hashtag on Instagram; or upload them to FineHomebuilding.com/reader-tips for a chance to have them featured in an issue of Fine Homebuilding Magazine. Plus, we pay for any tips we publish.

Get a Grip on Light Bulbs

February 27, 2019

A DIY tape handle simplifies swapping blown bulbs.
Unistrut Soffit Vent

February 27, 2019

This typically commercial building material makes for a modern, unconventional architectural detail.
Baluster Tape Trick

February 27, 2019

Flip sticky tape for easier paint masking.
How to Make Custom Rubber Parts

February 27, 2019

Silicone and plaster are all you need to reproduce hard-to-replace rubber bushings, gaskets, and more.
Keep Water in the Shower

February 27, 2019

Self-stick weatherstripping stops drips in a frameless-glass enclosure.
Make Plans Talk

February 27, 2019

Laminated construction documents makes mark-up easy and erasable.
Fine Homebuilding’s Top 5 Tips & Techniques

February 5, 2019

Browse some of the best job-site solutions submitted by Fine Homebuilding readers.
Simple Way to Keep Spray Paint Spraying

January 12, 2019

Don't waste paint by clearing the nozzle after every use–do this instead.
Great Grout Spacers

January 12, 2019

Use these craft supplies as an easy-to-handle alternative to conventional spacers.
More-Accurate Quarter-Round Molding

January 12, 2019

Use a band saw and a spindle sander to cut and fit tight corners in this common trim profile.