How to Build a Pergola on an Existing Deck

In the last few posts we went through the process of refinishing your deck. I did mine and it came out beautifully. One of the things I mentioned was that the most detrimental thing to the deck is the UV rays that beat on it all year.

In order to combat the rays and provide a friendlier place to hang out you may want to think about building a shade. Luckily, I have trees that shade my deck but I have assisted on a few pergola builds and I assure you this is not a hard project to take on in a weekend.

When you first look at building a shade you want to take a look at your budget and size requirements, also see if there are any building codes in your area before beginning construction. You may need a permit.

The next thing you are going to want to do is get yourself a good set of plans. The pergolas I have helped build have all come from the same source and I recommend them as the most complete set of plans to show you how to build a pergola step by step.

You can download the plans here.

The last thing is to follow the plans exactly. Take your time. You want a good solid construction for safety and for durability. Here are a few good free resources on building pergolas:

Popular Mechanics - Pergola Build
How to Build a Wood Pergola - DIY Network
Family Handyman - Pergola

Don't forget, the most important part of the build is starting with good solid plans that you can have laid out in front of you. Don't follow free plans, they are usually thrown together by someone who is not a licensed contractor and you never know what you are going to get.

Get the best Pergola Plans Here

How to Refinish a Deck - Part 3

The next step in refinishing the deck was to apply the waterproofer. Now Behr has a wide variety of water proofers. They have clear, wood-toned, semi-transparent, and solid color stains and waterproofers. I decided on the semi-transparent in mahogany tone.

From Behr's website: BEHR’s best semi-transparent product, this advanced 100% acrylic formula penetrates deep into wood to deliver complete protection from the elements for up to 6 years on decks and 8 years on fences and siding. The silicone-fortified formula delivers excellent protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Behr’s Premium Semi-Transparent Wood Stain is available in 83 custom colors that add beauty while allowing the natural wood grain to show through.

Application:

1. I loaded the waterproofer into my pressurized sprayer for a quicker application. This is important as you want to be able to maintain a wet edge as you work so that the stain blends well.

2. I started on one side of the deck, spraying the waterproofer on and then backrolling it with a long paint roller in order to fully saturate the deck. It worked beautifully.

3. Moving from one side to the other I sprayed, then rolled keeping a wet edge as I moved along.

4. I let the first coat dry for 24 hours and then applied a second coat.

The whole process was very easy and it turned out beautifully. I can't wait to enjoy the deck with my friends this summer.

In the next post I am going to talk a little bit about adding a fancy element to the deck, a pergola. Not only is it beautiful, but it breaks up the UV exposure to the deck, allowing your hard work to last many more years.

How to Refinish a Deck - Part 2

We spoke in the last post about the reasoning behind why I chose the products and methods I chose. If you missed it, go back and read it here before reading this post.

Step 1: Cleaning





Since my deck has no previous finish I luckily do not have to worry about stripping or sanding the old finish. I will simply use a cleaner/brightener. I chose the Behr product no.63. You can find all the information on their website HERE.





Basically I bought the cleaner/brightener and a pressurized sprayer from Home Depot. The pressurized sprayer ran about $30 but was definately worth it. I mixed up a gallon of no. 63 with 4 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket and then poured it 2.5 gallons at a time into the sprayer.

I sprayed the deck down while my wife scrubbed with a brush in between taking care of the baby. It all worked out pretty well even though she had to bail halfway through to entertain what the DR. refers to as a "Wild man."

I finished the deck alternating between spraying and scrubbing. The only problem I had is that you need to keep the deck moist with the cleaner while you are working. I had to rush the deck project through the week to be ready for a party on the weekend so it was a hot day that I chose to do this procedure, too hot. The cleaner was drying too quickly so it didn't foam up well. I was still able to keep it pretty well moist before spraying it off with the garden hose.

It came out very well. I think it would have come out better if I waited for a cooler day like the directions state but I am happy with the results. Simply put, here is the procedure:

1. Lightly dampen surfaces with water prior to cleaning.
   


2. Apply solution liberally with a plastic container pump sprayer, brush, mop or roller.
   


3. Keep the surface wet for 10-15 minutes. Reapply solution as needed to keep the surface wet and foaming during the cleaning period.
   


4. Scrub surface using a stiff bristle broom or brush. The solution will foam.
   


5. After the 10-15 minute cleaning period, rinse the surface using a garden hose with nozzle at maximum pressure.

In the next post I will talk about the waterproofer I used.

How to Refinish a Deck - Part 1

Alright, sorry to everyone who has been waiting for me to start posting again. I have been through a pretty long span of being burnt out, and coupled with the new baby, I just haven't been able to even watch a home improvement show in months.

However, I am back at it now. The first project is to get my deck back in shape. I have a wood deck and it has never been waterproofed. Since it is pressure treated it is not in bad shape, it just needs a good cleaning and then an application of waterproofer.

The first name that comes to mind of course is Thompsons waterseal. I did a little research on Thompson waterseal and there are some very good reasons I decided not to use it. The main reason however is that Thompsons Waterseal is just is just a paraffin wax coating so of course it repels rain, but it does absolutely nothing for UV, the major player when it comes to weathering. Also, it wears off in 3-4 months according to Thompson Waterseal reviews. I am a big fan of researching products and then doing it right the first time. I decided to stay away from Thompsons Waterseal.

The products I decided to go with are made buy Behr, and available at your local Home Depot. The first step in refinishing the deck is going to be to give it a good healthy washing. Stay tuned for the details on that in the next post. You can find it here.

Construction Has Haulted

That is right, all construction on the house has ground to a hault, hence the long pause between postings. It seems that our new Foreman (my 2 month old son) takes the opinion that work is unimportant compared to his attention.

Oh well. It is funny because I actually believed I would go on working on the house after he arrived. No matter what I had heard I was confident that I would press on. I still fix things here and there but the combination of the summer along with the baby means that inside jobs are on hold.

You won't catch me inside coping a miter or spreading mastic as long as the weather is nice and I can get outside. Besides, I have been training for my 38 mile Charity ride this Sunday (there is still time to donate to the cause, just hit the "Tour de Cure" link on the right). My activities look like this now-a-days:

However, I have done a little work in the garden and I will begin to update on that regularly. Stay tuned and the posts will start coming a lot more frequently, I promise.

Home Depot Deals

As many of you know I like to do my renovation on a tight budget and I am always sourcing from different merchants, both physical and online stores. I have now found a site called CouponChief that allows me to save quite a bit of money on the things I am buying anyway. They even have Home Depot signed on as a partner. Right now they are offering 20% off area rugs and 20% - 50% off power tools, faucets and hardware. You can find the specific page here:

HOME DEPOT DEALS

Along with Home Depot, they have a whole home and garden section offering coupons and deals for around 25 different stores. There are even videos and instructions that walk you through getting the deals. It is certainly worth checking out.

http://www.couponchief.com/

This is a sponsored post.

Xeriscaping

What is Xeriscaping? It is the process of matching your landscaping to your natural climate in order to conserve energy and water. The word itself is from Greek origin (xero-scape) meaning “dry scene.” Xeriscaping is becoming very popular.

Why should you invest in the idea of Xeriscaping? For one, it is fiscally responsible. For two, it is environmentally responsible. Not only will you be saving money on watering and fertilizing. You will not need to worry about pest control and expensive chemicals that may not be the best thing for your environment. There is also less maintenance involved.

What is involved in Xeriscaping? The first thing involved is planting. You will want to use many native species that are good at conserving energy. Your local nursery should be able to help you out with this. You will also want to plant in groupings so that if you do have to water, you can water in one area. The second thing involved is water conservation. Drip irrigation systems as opposed to traditional watering use less water. There is less water wasted and not as much evaporates to the atmosphere. Mulching also allows the soil to conserve the water it holds.

The conclusion is this: Why fight nature when you can work with it to have a beautifully landscaped yard without all the hassle?

Have a Blog, Want to make money with it?

I have a new option on this site that I think is pretty exciting. At the end of each post you will see a button that says "Get paid to review my post". If you have a blog, and you want to make a little extra money, all you need do is click the button and then write a post about whether or not my post was any good. You get to put your opinion out there, I get positive or negative feedback on my blog so that I can modify the site to what users like, and you also get $7.50 and the opportunity to make much more.

So, if you have a blog, and you want to make a quick $7.50, pick a post that strikes your fancy and hit the button. You will be taken to directly to the opportunity.

Until next time,

Clint

The Stanley Pry Bar

Ode to The Pry Bar

The time has come to set a date

To pry, and pull, and mutilate.

I pick up my tool and go to work

Wherever old trim and wood may lurk.

Together we will conquer all,

And laugh as the the dust will fall.

When the dust clears at last we will see

A room that will be rebuilt by me.

A clean clear pallet expunged from old,

A new room ready for all to behold.

It may not be shiny, not worth a lot.

But it is the hardest working tool I've bought.

That is right folks, I love my pry bar. In every home improvement project there are two parts, demolition and construction. This little $10 tool will take care of every bit of demolition you may need to do. It is absolutely worth the money. I had to buy my wife one of her own because she was always taking mine. That is why the Pry Bar is one of my favorite tools.

Next up: Finishing the closet.

How to Build a Coat Closet - Drywall

After you have all of the framing complete and have test-fitted the door, you are ready to start finishing the closet.




The first step in finishing the closet is to drywall the inside and outside. Here you can see the drywall on the outside of the closet. It covers to flush with the rough-in framing of the door
To the right you can also see the back view of the drywall.



Below is my coat closet with the drywall hung. I have also used a outside corner piece. The next step will be mudding and sanding, then priming and painting.

How to Build a Coat Closet - Framing the Door

The first step in framing the door is attaching the door frame to the studs already in place. Cut (2) 2"x4"s to the length of the door rough-in height. Nail these to the side studs that were already in place. The distance between this rough door frame should equal the rough-in width of the pre-hung door. Next, nail the header plate to these framing studs. Cut 2"x4"s to fit between the header plate and the top header. These are called cripple studs. Toenail three of them between the header plate and door header plate, one on each side, and one in the middle.

Below you can see where I am framing out the new coat closet. I have the door frames in but have not yet put in the cripple studs. This is a test fit of the door to make sure the rough in dimensions were correct.

Houseblogger Rides For Charity

Welcome to everyone from the houseblogs community along with anyone new reaching my site. I have decided to ride in a bike tour for the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes affects 7% of the US population and costs $132 billion/year, and that was in 2002. In 2005, Diabetes was the no. 6 killer in the US, and it is rapidly on the rise.

Because of these reasons, I will be riding in the Tour de Cure on June 10th in Connecticut to raise money for Diabetes research. I will be doing 50K, and I am asking that anyone who has learned something or been entertained by this site drop by the URL below or hit the Tour de Cure logo on the right and consider making a small donation for this cause.

Every little bit helps, thanks in Advance,

Clint

My Tour de Cure Site

How to Build a Coat Closet - Framing

The next step to building a closet is the framing. Prior to this step you will want to buy a pre-hung door so that you know what the rough in dimensions are.

You are then going to cut a frame to fit in between the header and the footer every 16 inches on center. Remember, frames closer than 16" are ok, but frames further apart than 16" are not. I have used my extensive solid modeling skills to build the mock-up that you see below (glad to see that that almost $300,000 engineering education is not going to waste). Notice how the corners are double framed. Also notice, that the header to footer frames that the door will fit in-between are 3" wider than the rough in measurement. This is for good reason and I will show you why in the next post about framing the door.

Below: With footers

How to Build a Closet - Header and Footer

After you have marked out the closet on the ceiling and transferred the measurements to the floor using a plumb bob, it is time to start the framing.

You will want to lay out the framing on your ceiling and floor first. Screw the 2x4 frames into the ceiling and flooring joists and into each other. Above I have illustrated how to frame the top of the closet, this is called the header. The bottom of the closet will be framed in the same way except for the opening left for the door. This is called the footer. Below is a picture of my header installed. Since I am using an existing alcove to build my closet my framing is a little easier. My project is more of a how to build a coat closet.

Narrowly Avoiding Disaster

The Nor'easter that has blown through here over the last few days has caused quite a bit of flooding damage. Living on the water makes you really pay attention to the tides and storm surges. As of yesterday our high tides were about 4-5 feet over normal. This lead the normally peaceful cove that we live on to overflow its banks, washing all sort of debris up on the road. Luckily the water did not get anywhere near our home, the last time that happened was during a hurricane back in the '30s. Here are a few pictures I snapped as my wife and son and I took a walk last night to survey the damage.

The cove as it normally looks, nice and peaceful.

Check out the knocked down trees straight ahead and the fence to the left.

My Favorite Tools - Arrow ET200 Electric Nail Gun

Another one of my favorite tools is the Arrow Nail Master ET200. This is an electric nail gun and I think it is one of the most powerful and readily available electric nail guns on the market. I have put up 1000s of feet of trim with this baby and it still works like the day I bought it. I was looking for a cost-effective alternative to buying a compressor and pneumatic gun for light duty. I found this at Lowes for $60 and decided that since it could handle brads up to 1 1/4" I would give it a try. When I went to look at all of the electric nail guns I found that at Lowes, this one was the most powerful that didn't cost close to $300. That was almost a year ago. Since then I have used it to hang crown molding in every room, install wainscoting in the nursery and trim out a wine bar in the cellar. It has a nice rubber guard on the nose that keeps it from marring the trim and two safety switches. I was surprised with the amount of power that this little electric nailer has. I have had no problem using it to join pieces of maple and oak along with standard pine molding. The specs are below.

14 AMPS DELIVERS POWER WHEN YOU NEED IT
• NO AIR COMPRESSOR NEEDED
• NON-SLIP CUSHIONED GRIP
• SOLID STATE CIRCUITRY
• ERGONOMIC DESIGN, HIGH IMPACT PLASTIC
• TWO SAFETY LOCKS: TRIGGER & SURFACE
• HARDENED CARBON STEEL WORKING PARTS
• JAM-PROOF NAIL DELIVERY SYSTEM
• ANGLED CHANNEL, GETS IN TIGHT CORNERS
• INCLUDES NON-MARRING SURFACE BUMPER
• USES 4 SIZES OF BN1800 SERIES BRAD NAILS

Don't Shoot Yourself in the Foot

A study just out by the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that somewhere around 37,000 people went to the hospital this past year due to shooting themselves with a nail gun....not cool.

Non-professionals (aka DIYers) accounted for approximately 14,000 of those visits. Now even though that is only 40 percent the number of injuries stood at 4000 a year a little over a decade ago.

75% of the injuries were to the hands, fingers, and arms.

This leads me to plead with everyone to be careful. I worked as a furniture maker for about a year so I have seen some nasty accidents, (think 5/8" drill bit through the hand), and those are professionals.

Remember, nail guns are guns, they shoot things, they are usually loaded, and they also have trigger guards, use them. If you need to buy a nail gun, learn how to use it. I have an electric nail gun that I purchases at Lowes about a year ago. Mine has two safety switches. It has a switch on the nose and also a thumb safety at the top of the grip. I never put it down without both safeties on.

One last thing, if you really need to use a nail gun, have your wife or girlfriend do it. 95% of the injuries were suffered by men.

--Clint--

How to Build a Closet

When it comes time to sell your house one of the first things that buyers look at and sort by when searching is the amount of bedrooms and bathrooms the home has. A room cannot be listed as a bedroom unless it has a built in closet. Because of this you may want to add a closet to increase the value and marketability of your home along with having more storage for your clothes.

Measuring for the Closet

You will need a minimum of 24” of depth for hanging clothes. If coats will be hung in the closet you will want to plan for 28” of depth. You will also need 48” of length for each person using the closet. These are the inside dimensions, you will need to add 4.5” for each wall you will be building, this will allow 3.5” for the stud and another 1/2” on each side for the drywall.

I had a small niche in my master bathroom wo I will not be framing the walls. I will be framing just the opening for a door.

Marking out the Closet

If you have the space it is time to start marking out the closet area. Start laying out the space on the ceiling. First mark the ceiling where the sidewalls will be by measuring 48 inches along the back wall. Use a square to draw these marks out perpendicular to the wall 24”. Connect the end points of these two lines creating a line parallel to the back wall for the front of the closet. Use a plumb bob to transfer the ceiling lines to the floor. This will ensure that your walls will be plumb when you drywall.

Next time I will discuss framing the closet.

Welcome Wikihow Users

Wow! I have seen an incredible spike in traffic over the past 24 hours. Thank you to everyone coming over from Wikihow. As I write this over 22,000 people have read my featured article on how to tile a shower. Of course, it is a brief article explaining how I completed it. You will want to do a little more research before you attempt a project like this yourself.

I read and learned as much as possible before my shower renovation. Below is a list of a couple resources that I found extremely helpful:

John Bridge's Ceramic Tile Forum
Do it Yourself Tile Page
Home Improvement Tips

If you are like me and you are more of a visual learner than I suggest purchasing the "Tiling Made Easy" videos. They are the best instructional DVDs I have found on the subject. Not only are they concise, well put together, and 0.6% of the cost of having a professional tile your bathroom, but they have a money back guarantee. There is nothing to lose. You can check out a sample of the videos at the folowing URL:

Tile Made Easy Videos

As you can see I do my best to respond to all visitors' questions and comments posted and encourage active participation.

Don't forget to hit the big orange subscribe button on the right there as I will be posting about many more projects in the near future.

Thanks once again for your support,

Clint Miller

Next Up: How to Build a Closet

Artistic Tiling With Natural Slate

Artistic Tiling with Natural Slate
By Joey Lewitin

Every slate tile in the world is unique, due to the naturally occurring chaos which creeps into its appearance during formation. This gives the material a certain amount of power, and makes every installation a one of a kind experience.

When putting natural slate into a floor, countertop, or backsplash, it is important to lay the tiles out first, to get a sense of the overall picture that will be formed in the final installation. Each tile is a unique portrait that will have to be coordinated with all of the others, to develop a montage which is complimentary and fits the overall ambience you are trying to achieve.

Like laying out a giant puzzle, where you determine what the outcome will be, you should rearrange the tiles several times to get a feel for your different options. If you are lucky, your contractor will have had the foresight to order a couple of extra tiles. This will allow you to choose the absolute best, discarding any which you don’t like, or which don’t fit in with the overall scheme the rest of them create.

Often slate tiles which come from the same box will have come from the same quarry, and may have even been cut from the same original slab. If this occurs, you can lay them out sequentially, and try to recreate the original appearance of the stone as it lay within the mountain.

Other times the tiles within a box will be erratic, each one having different colors and patterns. In this case, it is important to balance the various stones, light against dark, subdued against wild, to create an effect which has a strong center.

When laying out slate it is also important to dampen the tiles. This will give you an idea of what they will look like once the stone has been sealed. The moisture from the water seeps into the stones pores, much like a sealer eventually will, bringing out a variety of colors and contrasts which were invisible before.

Once you have decided on the layout of your tiles, it is often helpful to label them with small numbers on the back or sides, to help with laying them out. Markings should be done in pencil, so that any stray markings or exposed edges can easily be washed clean. You should also be certain to make a note of how the sequence is supposed to be laid out, whether vertically, horizontally, backward, or forward.

It is helpful to have a contractor or installer that has an artistic eye when dealing with natural stone. When choosing to hire someone, you should try and get a look at their portfolio to see some of the work they have created. Since stone is such a unique medium, it is also often helpful to give your own feedback on installations, and to try and incorporate your own vision into the project.

For natural slate tile and slab materials for your next project, just visit http://pebblez.com/stone/index.html