Metal Grades Chart
Find the right metal for task at hand by comparing material characteristics: cost, workability, hardness and tensile strength. A visual guide divides 24 common types … Read more
Thomas Martinez
Drywall Ceiling Calculator | Sheets, Screws and Tape
The way most home owners estimate their ceiling drywall projects mirrors how they estimate their flooring projects. They multiply length times width and then divide … Read more
Welding Rod Chart
You reach for a box of electrodes, put on your welding helmet, and then hold one of the steel pipes you’re going to weld up … Read more
Welding Gas Tank Sizes Chart
Imagine going to a welding supply store. They has several different sized steel cylinder lined up in rows. Some are very expensive. Others weigh hundreds … Read more
Cellulose Blown-In Insulation Calculator
So now you look at your attic full of yellow fiberglass. It’s sagged down low. It insulates, sure, but gravity and time has made it … Read more
Tile Trowel Size Chart
Here you are, armed with a sheet of tile and a bucket of tile adhesive; the smell is unmistakable; it’s work and dust. You smear … Read more
Grout Line Size Chart
When DIYers install tile they imagine it’s all about making the tile flat and level. You spend days fussing with the mortar bed and lippage; … Read more
Vinyl Siding Estimate Calculator
Measuring your house for vinyl siding is tricky because there are many small holes and shapes, like triangles and rectangles, that reduce total square footage. … Read more
Load Factor Chart
Imagine you’re inside a half-built office building. The steel beams is up. Concrete’s been poured. Looks solid. But beneath that placid exterior, an invisible tug … Read more
Pitch Roof Angle Calculator | Roof Pitch to Degrees
When most people imagine their roof they visualize a plain old triangle. What that geometry doesn’t show is the additional labor involved. A few degrees … Read more
Deck Post Span Chart
When you start a weekend building project, you usually starts with the pretty stuff. You might choose nice composite boards or decking with minimal upkeep. … Read more
Hip Rafter Calculator | Length, Angles, Jacks
Once we get to the valleys and hips, though, the roof framing becomes more about thinking in diagonals then straight lines, and this is where … Read more
Roll Insulation Calculator | Rolls, Area, R-Value
For insulation, it’s the same as paint: we’re casual about the purchase; we’ll get what’s on sale or nearest our budget. The result? It never … Read more
I Beam Load Capacity Chart
Now imagine adding a second floor on top of your garage. You stand there looking at that steel beam and ask yourself: Will it hold? … Read more