DIY Life

Installing corner bead is one of the last things you do after hanging drywall, and one of the first things you do before you begin to tape and float (also known as drywall finishing). The purpose for using corner bead is two-fold; first, it gives wall's external corners a nice straight vertical line, and second, it provides a bit of protection from bumps.

Types of corner bead

Corner bead is manufactured out of two different materials. Both are widely available. The older, more traditional corner bead is made of light-gauge, galvanized steel.

Why galvanized? As you might expect, it's to inhibit rust. It stands a good chance of rusting in the long run, and the drywall compound (or mud) is water based. Without a galvanized coating, it would start rusting right out of the starting gate.

Are you replacing some rotten wood trim or about to trim out that new shed? Wait! You now have choices. Wood trim is great, but it requires routine maintenance to protect it from the elements. There are new materials on the market. You might want to take a look.

• Fiber cement: The most recognizable brand name is Hardi and they have a huge market share. This stock comes already primed so that step is eliminated. You'll need a special circular saw blade to cut it. Although they claim you can nail it like wood, in my experience it laughs at finish nails. Pre-drill holes for best results.
• Composite trim: This material is a blend of plastic resins and wood fiber. Not only is it weather resistant, it's cheaper than wood and holds paint better.
• PVC plastic trim: Yes, PVC isn't just for pipes. You'll pay more for this option than you would for wood, but it will outlive you.
  

Give these modern building materials a shot. You'll be glad you did when your neighbor is once again replacing rotten fascia board while you're lounging by the pool.

The popularity of pirates right now cannot be overestimated. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has made being a pirate cooler than a slushie on a hot summer day. If your children are fortunate enough to have a wooden play system in the backyard, here is an easy DIY project to turn it into their own pirate ship or defensive fort.

Treasures to be "acquired" for the project:

1 piece of 1/2" PVC pipe; 1 piece 3/4" PVC pipe; 1 piece 1" PVC pipe; 1- 3/4" floor flange PVC; 1- 3/4" male adapter PVC; 2- 3/4" caps PVC; 1- 3/4" tee PVC; 1- 3/4"x1/2" coupling PVC; 1- 3/4"x1" coupling PVC; 1"x2" coupling PVC; primer for PVC glue; PVC glue; plastic spray paint (C'mon, who wants a white telescope?); 1- 1/4"x1" hex bolt galvanized or stainless steel; 3- 1/4" washers galvanized or stainless steel; 1- 1/4" nylon lock nut galvanized or stainless steel

PVC pipe. It's affordable, easy to work with, durable. Not, it's not very pretty, but let me say again: it's affordable! PVC is sort of a wonder-plastic and can be used creatively in many a DIY project. (That is, if you're willing to overlook the fact that it's highly toxic and, therefore, not exactly a green choice.) Like this one, for example: build a bike rack using PVC pipe. I found this one on Instructables, offered up for public consumption by user "imarunner2."

This is a nice 'n' easy little project. If you have a halfway decent saw, you can make this. You will need a length of three-quarter-inch PVC pipe and a bunch of connecting joints -- six t-joints and six elbow joints. All the pieces are glued together using PVC cement. One Instructables reader tried it out and found himself out-of-pocket by a mere $5. Peanuts!

Interested in bigger, more elaborate models? Take a look at some of the pics people have uploaded to Flickr. You've got your king-size garage versions, and then you've got your mondo versions, too. That last one must've been a fun weekend project. Not.

Liking the DIY-with-PVC concept? Check out Gary's post on a DIY vehicle shelter made from PVC pipes.

What do you do when you have one too many toys to fit in the garage? You could put the canoe on saw horses behind the garage and the Harley could go on the porch, but that would just reinforce those rumors saying someone heard that you might be a red neck.

There are a lot of ways to build quick shelter cheaply if you are just interested in keeping something dry. Although PVC pipe isn't as cheap as it used to be, it still delivers a fairly good value as a building material. That is why I really like these plans for a PVC pipe mini garage from pvcplans.com . I checked out the PDF file instructions provided on the site and they give a clearly understandable description of the project.

If you want to build a PVC framed storage cover for use in windy conditions, you may wish to adapt the above plan to allow a cross buck to go diagonally across each panel segment. I would also recommend considering rigid plastic sheeting as roof material in areas which might experience snow load. Be sure to stake or sand bag the entire bottom edge so your shelter doesn't blow away like a tumble weed.

For a cornucopia of ideas about some excellent things you can build, take a look at our DIYLife build it yourself file. It's growing bigger every week! You can find leads on interesting projects such as how to Build Your Own Coffin, from M.E.Williams or building a humidor with Francesca Clarke . Please feel free to tell us about projects you are building!

Green flooring reduces damage to the environment and avoids the toxins that other flooring might expose you to. Building green is increasing in popularity and DIY'ers are among the pioneers in this area.

Here are 6 earth friendly flooring materials. The article Green Floors: Six materials to have underfoot outlines these flooring materials and offers important facts to consider when choosing a flooring product.

Here's an easy to build passive solar pool heater that really gets the job done. My father built one of these and installed it all in one day. You can make it as large as you want but remember that it will be installed next to your pool so you don't want to get too carried away. You can install it laying flat or upright and you can design your own configurations. All you need for it to work is full day exposure to the sun.

You'll want to have the passive collector placed on a hard surface which is painted flat black to get maximum value from the sun. A simple wood platform about 12 inches off the ground works great, or a concrete pad can make the project look especially professional. In areas where there is a high concentration of swimming pools an industrious person can even keep pretty busy building and installing these passive heaters for client pool owners. Additionally, similar solar collectors are being used to preheat water for in home use but that requires special engineering and a consultation with local building inspectors.