Installing a Brick or Paver WalkwayWritten by Mark Donovan
The key to installing a Brick or Paver Walkway is to first properly prepare area where bricks/pavers are to be installed. The area should be dug out at least a foot down, removing all topsoil and clay soil.Once area has been dug down, 3/4" gravel stone should be laid in and tamped down tightly. Then sand, or stone dust should be spread over gravel. Again sand/stone dust should be tamped down. Stone dust is preferred. Now that you have a stable base, place a 1" pipe or ledger board length of walkway on either side of walkway. Then using a flatedge, e.g. a 2"x4" slide it over two lengths of pipe/ledger board. In doing this you will create a level surface area to lay bricks/pavers. Now place on level sand/stone dust strips of plastic brick borders. Install a run on both sides of prepared area. These strips will act as your walkway border and help to maintain integrity and shape of walkway. You can get these plastic strip borders at most Home Improvement stores such as Home Depot or Lowes. The strips should be anchored down with 12" galvinized nails. You should sink these nails into ground and through strips every foot. Once this is done, you can then begin to lay bricks/pavers. There are many patterns you can lay. I particularly like Herring Bone pattern. The key to laying bricks/pavers is to ensure that they interlock with each other. Always stagger adjacent rows of bricks by 1/2 of a brick to interlock them. This will again help maintain integrity of walkway.
| | Secrets of the ScrewWritten by Tim Tulethyme
I often see friends and fellow home-improvers using screws in their DIY efforts, and it never ceases to amaze me how hard some of these people find it to make a simple screw do what it's designed for. lets take a look at why. Of two basic types of screw (Phillips cross head and older 'traditional' slot head) Phillips is gaining ground rapidly, due mainly to fact that extra cross-slot means you can apply more force and thus drive it into denser materials. You need both types of screwdriver in your toolbox, because believe you me, nothing ruins a screwdriver faster than using it on wrong type of screw! But what type of screw to use? Let's focus on common plywood for a moment - a material we often use at www.homeimprovementor.com because of its cheapness and versatility. You use number 8 screws for plywood up to 5/8th of an inch thick. Between 1/2 an inch and 3/8ths of an inch, you need a number 6. above that, try a number 4.To join 2 pieces of wood with a screw, follow these easy steps. Firstly, make a mark where you plan to do screwing. Position pieces together and fasten with a clamp or your mighty left hand. Depending on job, you may be able to use your body weight thru your knee to hold bits in place. If neither of these methods are practicable, and you intend to sit several screws, use first one as an effective 'clamp' by tightening it firm before you start other screws.
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