Here's a way to replace damaged ceramic tile. Remove the grout with a grout saw. Crack the tile with a hammer and cold chisel. Remove adhesive with an old chisel or putty knife. Apply latex tile adhesive to the new tiles and press firmly into place. Force grout into the joints removing the excess and avoid contact for 24 hours.

Here's a new technique to protect your house from water damage during high winds. Once the plywood roof sheathing has been attached, an adhesive bituminous membrane is applied across the panel joints to keep the rain out if the roof covering is lost in a storm. This seals the joints of the plywood so water doesn't run between the joints and into your house.

Loss of the roof causes the greatest amount of damage during hurricanes. Construction techniques have been developed for securing roofs during high winds. Use metal clips to tie the rafters to the top plate. Improve the attachment of the roof sheathing by spacing nails closer together. Seal the sheathing joints with an adhesive membrane (to prevent water penetration.)

Re-roofing is an opportunity to retrofit your home to prevent wind and water damage. After removing the old roof covering, improve the connection of the sheathing to the framing by adding more nails or screws. Check local building codes for spacing. (It can vary from 4 to 8 inches on center.) Seal the sheathing seams with a self-adhesive membrane. Finish with a new roof cover.

Here's how to get professional results when you're using a caulking gun. Caulking guns aren't expensive, so don't skimp here. Once you've loaded there are several ways to open the tip, depending on what you're doing. For quick jobs like adhesive application, just cut straight across. Cut at a 45 degree angle to slow the flow down, or cut off the point to get even more control for real precision jobs.

For a designer look in your bathroom, try using cultured marble. It's easy to work with because it's made of real marble dust mixed with plastic resins. It's lighter in weight than real marble and less expensive too. To cut, use a rotary saw with a masonry blade, and smooth the edges with sandpaper. Use a panel adhesive to attach the sheets to the wall and brace them firmly overnight. Remember to use safety glasses and a respirator when working with cultured marble.

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Drywall has been the wall finishing material of choice for most of a century because it s so easy to install and finish. Another of its virtues is that when it s damaged, it s easy to repair. For scratches or small dents, a quick swipe of joint compound with a 3- or 4-inch putty knife and a bit of sanding before priming and painting will do fine. For small holes up to 3 inches, self-adhesive plastic mesh tape and then a coat or two of patching compound will work. For medium-sized holes between 4 and 6 inches, try a drywall bandage. Check to make sure there s no electrical wiring in the area first, then use a keyhole saw to cut the hole into a neat square or rectangle. Transfer that shape onto a piece of new drywall, add 2-inch margins and cut out the larger patch piece. Trim off the back and gypsum in the 2-inch margin but leave the face paper uncut. Spread patching compound around the outside edges of the hole and press the bandage into it, feathering the edges. Let it dry. Then sand and re-coat with compound. Finally, sand again, prime and paint. For really big holes, you can use the tie and twist bracing method. Cut a piece of drywall or a length of 2x4 a few inches larger than the hole. Drill two small holes in the center and loop a 2-foot string through it like a button. Tie the ends around the middle of a stick. Apply adhesive to the back edges of the hole inside the wall. Adhere the patch piece and twist the stick from your side of the wall until it holds tight. Then, fill the remaining space with drywall patch pieces and mesh tape. Finish with compound as usual, cutting the string and pulling it out just before it dries. For super-large holes bigger than a foot wide, cut the drywall back to the two nearest studs and expose them halfway. Cut a new panel of drywall to fit and attach it as you normally would with drywall screws, joint compound and tape. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. While many people consider laying tile a do-it-yourself project for money-saving reasons, there are many factors that can make or break the job. Once you ve determined the type of tile you need, think about how it will be installed. The substrate, or what tile is installed on top of, is just as important as the tile itself. A flexing floor or a wall that s uneven can lead to broken tiles and failed grout. Water-resistant backer board, not drywall, should be used under the tile that will get wet. Whether it s backer board, plywood or concrete, the substrate needs to be sound, clean and dimensionally stable. Surfaces need to be level or plumb and true to plane, as the pros say that means no bumps. Any cracks or voids can compromise even the best tile job. The only way to be sure the tile sticks fast is to use a notched trowel to apply adhesive to the substrate. The space between the tiles should be uniform, so use spacers if your tiles don t come on mesh sheets. The larger the tile, the larger the space should be between them. Some do-it-yourselfers will make the mistake of pushing tiles too close together to reduce grout lines. Without enough surface area, grout won t bond well and can fail prematurely, leaving room for leaks and water damage. It s also very important to let the adhesive cure fully. Follow the manufacturer s instructions and stay off the installation the required amount of time before you grout the tile. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Bob and Howard Brickman, the homeowner, move to the upper floor of the new addition. When completed, the new roof will match the line of the existing home's roof exactly. I-joists will be used for the rafters. The whole deck of the upper floor was put down using Georgia-Pacific DryPly. This plywood product is made of Southern yellow pine, is very strong and functional, and water-repellant. DryPly is designed to stay dry even when exposed to the elements for up to 30 days. It is ideal for use as floor decking because it is strong and stable. It can be used as a single-layer of underlayment for finish flooring, which saves time and materials for the builders. There are no unsupported edges with this tongue-and-groove plywood, so it is completely stable as a subfloor. Bob talks with Richard Brickman, Brickman's son, about working with the DryPly. The wood weighs about 75 pounds per sheet. The Brickmans use the same foam adhesive that was used to affix the exterior furring strips. This Pur-Stick polyurethane foam adhesive is applied wherever plywood meets the structure. This adhesive increases the stiffness of the structure without damaging the integrity of the EPS board. Bob talks with Peter Conlon from Todal Products about the adhesive, which is gun dispensed for a precise application. Pur-Stick does comes out like a shaving cream and chemically grabs the moisture out of the air, causing it to thicken and increase in strength. The foam should be allowed to sit for five to seven minutes before setting the board or trim. The set time can be reduced by spraying the foam with water on which speeds the absorption rate. The Brickmans use the adhesive to attach the DryPly to the framing, allowing the necessary space between panels for expansion and contraction. The Brickmans use hot-dipped, galvanized nails to secure the plywood because they have a rough texture that helps them grip better. The nailing pattern is every six inches along the edges of the board and eight inches along the intermediate joists. The gable end of the roof is clerestory construction with two shed roofs coming together. The vertical line of the gable will be a wall of glass.

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Wallpaper can be a beautiful and a long-lasting d cor solution, but when it s time to remove it you need patience, perseverance and a little know-how. There are different techniques for removing every kind of wallpaper, but the tools and preparation are much the same. First and foremost, realize that this is a wet and messy process. Removing or re-covering everything in the room with plastic and masking off trim and windows will eliminate a lot of cleanup hassles. Start at a top corner of the wall and try peeling off any loose areas of the outer layer. Once you ve peeled off everything you can, run a perforation tool over the rest. Mix your removal solution according to the manufacturer s instructions and spray it on with a spray bottle or garden sprayer. Wallpaper remover is an enzyme designed to dissolve the adhesive. Let it sit 5 minutes or so before you start scraping with a putty knife. To avoid damaging the plaster or drywall as you scrape, use only the knife s flat edge and not the corners. You may need to spray again a few times to get it all. Buying or renting a wallpaper steamer can make tough jobs much easier. Use this tool carefully because soaking the drywall or plaster will damage it. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com