DIY Life

Cedar Siding for the Home

Western Red Cedar siding is the type most commonly used. It's a natural product, known for its beauty and durability. For energy efficiency, rigid foam sheathing may be applied prior to installing the siding. If this option is taken, kiln-dried cedar siding should be used, because of its stability.

• Use a 5 gallon bucket rather than a roller tray. There's less chance of spilling or putting your foot in it. It also allows you to mix more than one gallon together for larger jobs, guaranteeing an overall identical shade. Hang a roller screen in the bucket. They're cheap.
  
• Use the edge of a screwdriver blade to scrape off a tiny path of ceiling texture at the ceiling/wall junction. This will give you a crisp line when you cut in the top of the wall or the edge of the ceiling.
• Sanding chair rail or crown molding? Use sanding sponges rather than sandpaper. Conform to the curve!
• When you're rolling paint, be sure to hold the pole so that the open side of the roller (not the side where the handle connects to the roller) is, on the wet paint side of the wall. This will minimize "roller marks" and can cut your labor by 30%!
• Make sure to use high-quality blue painter's tape, not masking tape. Or, you'll be sorry.
• Wear safety glasses when rolling the ceiling. Splatter happens.
• When buying white paint for the ceiling, seek out the special paint that contains a disappearing dye. This will prevent missing a spot which you only notice after the paint has dried. Who wants to drag out the painting gear all over again?
  

The key part of basement remodeling happens before you ever even touch a tool. I'm talking about design, of course. What you intend to use your basement for will move your design ideas in the right direction. A great method is to brainstorm with your spouse and kids with notebook and pencil in hand.

Plan, plan, and plan some more

Throw out the ideas willy-nilly and discuss them. You'll be surprised at what you find! Once you've got all your "wants" nailed down, take a look at your budget and identify your "needs." There's bound to be some chaff there somewhere.

Are you going to use the basement as a home office? Then plan on Internet, phone, and fax connections. Will it be a game room, family room, or something along that line? You'll probably want to install plumbing for a wet bar as well as cable or satellite TV connections.

One of the first things you need to assure yourself of is whether your entire basement space, walls and floors, are properly sealed against moisture. This is the perfect time to take care of it -- before it can become a problem.

With thanks to Kelly Smith (DIY Life's Perpetual Remodeling Syndrome expert), I'm going to do a follow-up to his excellent post on floor tile, but change directions a bit, vertically to be exact. Let's look at the procedure for installing tile on a wall; in this case it was for a dorm bathroom, with the usual sinks, showers, etc. I had already done the rough electrical and plumbing and put in the sheet rock, concrete backer board, and bead board, so now the fun began. I frankly enjoyed myself because it was a lot less physically demanding than the aforementioned projects and I got to use my brain to do the necessary layout that would ensure a nice looking result.

But first, the gallery! It will help as an initial guide and you should refer to it at the parts of the project that require a bit of thought and planning.

Gallery: Tiles and tribulations -- hanging wall tile (really, it's kind of fun)