Issue 286 – Oct/Nov 2019
Features
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2 Methods for Patching a Hardwood Floor
Learn professional techniques for evaluating damaged flooring, removing individual boards, and installing seamless repair patches.
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How to Install Built-up Crown Molding
Use these time-tested design principles and basic carpentry techniques to create beautiful layered crown and cornice trim details that will dress up any room in your house.
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Retrofitting a Home Elevator
Powered by suction, pneuamatic vacuum elevators are a low-maintenance, compact alternative to conventional lifts, plus they have a much more modern look.
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Clever Fix for a Sagging Floor
Learn how to level floor framing in an old home by lifting joists with temporary walls, installing a midspan beam, and adding new studs to distribute the load down to the foundation.
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Updating a Traditional Design With Modern Elements
Modern accents and a monochromatic color scheme enliven the traditional design of this 19th-century-inspired home
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Fine Homebuilding Issue #286 Online Highlights
Here are the digital extras from Fine Homebuilding’s November 2019, Issue #286: Exterior and Interior Finishes in the Kentucky Fine Homebuilding House On page 8 of issue #286, we featured…
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Create the Perfect Caulk Joint
Masking tape and solvents are the key to a clean bead of sealant.
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Clean Copes
A specialty woodcarving tool works better than the typical utility knife does when cleaning up molding joints.
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Ladder Helper
This homemade rack conveniently holds small workpieces when working up high.
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Driver-Bit Storage
Make a simple pocket for keeping several bits handy by wrapping a piece of a bicycle inner tube around the base of your cordless drill.
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Keep Out Sewer Gases
A drink cup beats a pile of rags if you need to temporarily plug a plumbing drain pipe when replacing a toilet.
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Open Out-of-Reach Windows
A DIY extension handle works well for window cranks that can't be operated from the ground.
Tips & Techniques
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A New Old Way to Vent a Kitchen Island
The combination waste and vent system is a simpler alternative to island fixture vents and air-admittance valves, and a recent code change may make it more popular.
Know the Code
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Heavyweight Portable Tablesaw
The sturdy and powerful Grizzly G0870 10-in tablesaw is a workhorse on the job site.
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Clever Clamps
Powertec's Drawer Front Installation Clamps make simple work of this often frustrating task.
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Semi-Pro Paint Sprayer
The Wagner Flexio 3000 spray rig is a good alternative to professional painting equipment when you want a faster, smoother job than you can get with a brush or roller.
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Stress-Free Sander
The Makita XOB01Z 5-in. cordless random-orbit sander is well balanced and more convenient than its corded counterparts.
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Toilet Tamer
Oatey LiquiLock powder makes removing an old toilet less of a mess.
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Versatile Electrical Box
Unlike typical work boxes that have one connection method or another, Carlon's Zip Box Blue electrical boxes have a 3-in-1 mounting system so you don't ever have the wrong type for the job at hand.
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Thermally Broken Studs
Tstuds are a new energy-efficient framing product that look like vertical trusses made from two thin boards joined by a series of angled dowels.
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Hinges for Thin Door and Drawer Fronts
Blum Expando T hinges have a unique pressure-fit mounting system that only requires 1/4-in. penetrations into cabinet doors and drawer faces.
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A New Line of Push-to-Connect Fittings
SharkBite launches a professional series of plastic fittings that is claimed to speed up PEX-to-PEX rough plumbing jobs.
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Polymer-Modified Wood
Lignia polymer-impregnated pine decking is an attractive new alternative to pressure-treated lumber.
Tools & Materials
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Row House Revived
A major remodel of the back of this 1890s brick home brings in more light and makes a better connection to an existing rooftop deck.
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Back to Plumb and in Plane
Creative framing and trim details straighten out the kinks during the remodel of a crooked old timber-frame farmhouse in Vermont.
HOUSES by Design
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How to Install Doors in Thick Walls
Superinsulated walls make it challenging to install standard-size door jambs and sills. Energy-efficient-home designer Michael Maines offers some workable solutions.
Building Matters
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Trading in Your Hammer for a Clipboard
When tradespeople transition into project-management roles, mastering record-keeping and communication skills is essential to success.
As-Built
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Keep Craft Alive: Ethan Harrison, Student and Woodworker
This aspiring furniture maker is taking advantage of every learning opportunity he can find to work towards his goal of owning his own woodworking studio someday.
