So you like the look and durability of corrugated metal roofing, well if you think you're up to the challenge of roofing, then keep reading. It's not really that hard, and you don't need very many tools. A tool list includes; a good cordless drill, a driver bit, a small drill bit, and a set of good tin snips.

• First you need 2x4s spaced on 2' centers on top of your rafters to fasten your metal to. In the pictures shown I am building a small lean-to type roof to cover a heat pump.

• Safety is a huge issue when doing metal roofing though, the metal has sharp edges, so wear leather gloves when handling, falling from a roof can seriously injure or kill you, so wear a fall protection harness and slip resistant shoes.

• If you're doing a large roof you should probably predrill your holes in the metal to make sure your lines of screws are straight, so measure to the center of your 2x4s, then make sure your stack of metal is aligned before measuring on the metal and marking beside each rib, then drill completely through the stack of metal on your marks, and like magic your screws will all be in a straight line.

• When you're screwing the metal down, you need to make sure the rubber washers under the screw head are smashed sufficiently, but not so much that the rubber rolls out from under the screw head.

• When you are on the roof, you need to be careful that when you are on the metal to only step on top of the 2x4s otherwise the metal will bend and kink, permanently!

• Other than that it's not so bad, also if you are wanting to cut a piece of metal lengthwise it's very easy to snap a line then score the metal with a utility knife, then bend and snap it.

Are you looking for a simple way to cover a drab wood or concrete floor without the hassle of paying a professional to lay carpet? Then look no further. Precut carpet tiles are easy to install yourself without any special tools. All you need is; a utility knife, a tape measure, a straight-edge of some sort, and some carpet tape.

• First you need to scrape any dirt or sheet rock mud off the concrete floor

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• Then you need to sweep or shopvac the floor, Followed with a good mopping to remove all dust.

• Then apply double sided carpet tape around the perimeter and in the pattern shown above.

• Grab your first carpet tile and start in a corner, by squaring the tile to both walls, being careful to make sure the arrows on the back of the tile are all facing the same direction. Then press it down on the tape after you have positioned it correctly.

• Continue laying tiles, making sure to press them snugly against each other.

• The seams will disappear eventually, or you can help by using your shoe in a slight twisting motion, as if squashing a bug.

• Happy carpetting

Laying ceramic tile

Laying ceramic tile may seem like a daunting task better left to the experts, but in reality if you have a few basic tools and know a few tips it's really quite easy.

• Get some basic tools; Drill and paddle mixer for mixing thinset, a trowel with 1/4” ridges, tile cutter, tile saw, and commonly forgotten but often needed – knee pads.
  

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• In the project shown, I'm putting the tile at a 45 degree angle to the room. Since the room is rectangular, I made marks to square off the room, in this case the room was 102”X 112” so I marked an area 102”x 102”then I cut a 2x4 to fit diagonally from one corner to my mark on the floor and screwed it to the concrete floor. This makes a straight edge to put your tile up against.

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• Then I laid out a few tiles on the floor to make sure I had my pattern right before applying the Thinset.

• Then I mixed up the Thinset mortar using a five gallon bucket, a drill and a paddle mixer. Put a few inches of water in the bucket before putting the powdered Thinset in, (this practically eliminates all lumps in your mix) I usually mix about 1/3 of a five gallon bucket if I'm working by myself, so it doesn't get hard before I can use it. You want to mix it to a fairly thick consistency, thick enough that it doesn't drip off your trowel but not so thick that it's hard to spread.

• Then using the side of the trowel with the ridges, spread the mortar over the area to be tiled, only spreading about 4 sq feet at a time so it doesn't harden before you can put tile down. When you use the trowel you need to make sure that the trowel is actually contacting the floor every time, otherwise the mortar bed won't be consistent and your tile won't be even.

• Lay your tile down on the mortar pressing down gently, and insert spacers to maintain consistent spacing in between the tiles.

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• When you need to cut tile you can use several types of tools, for cuts all the way across a tile you can use a tile cutter, it has a carbide wheel that scores the finished side of a tile and then snaps it, leaving a clean edge. Or you can use a tile saw, that has a motor with a 6” carbide saw blade, this works well for cutting notches in tile but has a tendency to chip out tile on long cuts.

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• After you have laid all the tile you can on one side of the 2x4, wait for the mortar to harden, usually overnight, you can remove the board and continue your tile the other direction knowing that it is 100% straight. Happy tiling.

• Grout techniques to come soon!