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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.

Want to see a new Fine Homebuilding tip in your inbox every day? Then sign up for the Tip of the Day newsletter!

  • Free Paint—Color TBD

    I painted my shop this weekend, but I didn’t buy any paint. Instead, I mixed together whatever was left in the cans I had lying around, which produced a reasonably…

  • Problem-Free Diagonal-Tile Spacing

    While installing a backsplash with diagonal 12-in. tile recently, my crew and I had nerve-wracking problems with the grout spacers. They aren’t made for diagonal tiles with accents at the…

  • Water for Cutting Stone

    The best way to cool the blade and control the dust while cutting pavers, tile, stone, asphalt, or concrete is with water. I keep a steady stream of water flowing…

  • Protect Your Outside Air Conditioner

    Learn how to make a cost-effective, weatherproof cover for your outdoor HVAC unit.

  • Fine-Tuned Scissor Lift

    I was about to install a complete set of kitchen cabinets, and I wanted a better way of lifting and positioning the upper cabinets. With that in mind, I purchased…

  • A Deck with Skirtboards

    When a deck plan calls for skirtboards and the beam is a doubled rim joist, the skirtboards will be in contact with the face of the support posts. This means…

  • A Tuned-Up Sander

    I just got a 1-in. by 30-in. Delta sander and decided to correct several problems. The first is the sanding dust that rushes out of the top straight into my…

  • Removing Ceiling Tiles

    After spending 30 minutes going up and down a ladder to remove the panels of a 2000-sq.-ft. drop-in ceiling, I decided that I could remove tiles faster from the ground…

  • Stacks of 5-Gallon Buckets

    I have a lot of empty 5-gal. buckets, usually from drywall compound, and I stack them up to save space. They inevitably get stuck together, to the point where a…

  • Replacing a Hammer’s Magnet

    I lost the 1/4-in.-dia. magnet for holding nails in my framing hammer. After looking around for different solutions, I found a magnet of the same size inside one of my…

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Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 333 - August/September 2025
    • A Practical Perfect Wall
    • Landscape Lighting Essentials
    • Repairing a Modern Window Sash
  • Issue 332 - July 2025
    • Custom Built-ins With Job-Site Tools
    • Fight House Fires Through Design
    • Making the Move to Multifamily
  • Issue 331 - June 2025
    • A More Resilient Roof
    • Tool Test: You Need a Drywall Sander
    • Ducted vs. Ductless Heat Pumps
  • Issue 330 - April/May 2025
    • Deck Details for Durability
    • FAQs on HPWHs
    • 10 Tips for a Long-Lasting Paint Job
  • Issue 329 - Feb/Mar 2025
    • Smart Foundation for a Small Addition
    • A Kominka Comes West
    • Making Small Kitchens Work

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