Thomas Martinez

A sheet of plywood comes off the shelf and feels good in your hands: It’s heavy enough to feel sturdy, but not so thick as … Read more

They get out their tape measure, note the raised diamond pattern and figure it’s just a solid piece of metal. Measure from flat bottom to … Read more

Ever see someone loading a forklift with a pallet full of products and carefully easing corner of that load against an upright in their racking? … Read more

Most of our budget mistakes stem from difference between how we think about our homes and how our contractors do. We see our homes as … Read more

There are two problems with stairs: framing them to hold weight isn’t hard; making them feel good when walking up is. Most failed attempts at … Read more

This has likely happened more than once in your lifetime on the shop floor. A brand-new operator pulls a bar of steel into his machine … Read more

Here you are facing a steel column and a bracket that needs to be bolted on. You see the load and your mind goes numb … Read more

Drywall repair is one of those jobs most folks try to do as if it were a plastering job (i.e., fill the hole and be … Read more

The main cause of most failed DIY pours is underestimating material needs for amount of ground the pour will cover. It’s not so much about … Read more

The right amount of material and consistency is key when it comes to drywall texture. Any kind of inconsistency show up when lights come on. … Read more

Lifting mistakes is not good. It’s important to estimate weight of your steel tanks. If you have ground prepared with a solid foundation and even … Read more