Basement framing and remodeling is always on of the top search terms on my home improvement site. It’s no wonder why; you might as well use the extra space as a family room, game room, or man cave. Also, it adds to the home equity. In these times of economic depression, homeowners are choosing to invest in their current residence rather than trade up.

The Advantages of Metal Stud Framing

So when it comes to framing a basement, you have the choice of wood or galvanized steel studs. I prefer metal framing. There are several reasons for this. Notably:

• Metal studs and track are lighter, so getting them downstairs is easier.
• The studs have keyways cut in them from the factory, making it easier to run Romex and PEX plumbing or PVC.
• Metal is straight, whereas wood tends to warp, making hanging the drywall easier. And my regular readers know that I’m all about easier.
• If you decide to get creative, it’s a piece of cake to frame arched doorways or case openings.

Let’s Look at Residential Wood Framing

Basements have been known to be moist which leads to things like rot in wood. Also, since basements are below grade, they stand a good chance of having a termite problem. The solution to this is to use Bluwood studs.

Bluwood is a bit more expensive than plain pine but it’s worth it. It really is blue in color. That is from being treated with boron. And the boron is what gives it the magical properties.

Many people use pressure treated wood. This also a good choice, but be aware that it’s important to use the right fasteners (drywall nails or screws) because the modern chemicals will degrade untreated metal. They may have taken toxic chemicals like arsenic out of pressure treated wood, but the new chemicals are caustic to metal.

Whichever way you go when you frame your basement, be sure to update your homeowners insurance policy to reflect the changes.

I know, a lot of folks are going to “quit smoking” or “lose weight” again. This time, why not give it a rest and plan some DIY New Year’s resolutions? I won’t have any problem making that list since I’ve always got home improvements on my plate. And then there’s the honey-do’s.

I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one. How about you? Hopefully, Santa will bring you some cool new Christmas present tools. I don’t think that’s on my horizon but who knows? Here’s a few DIY projects I’ve been brainstorming:

• Build a wood walkway to my front door. Something like a short boardwalk. See; there’s a concrete sidewalk next to my attached garage that leads to the front door, but it’s a bit low and catches standing water when it rains hard. It’s not so bad that I need to install a French drain, but it certainly is an irritation.
• Install a laminate floor in the entry way closet. That’s all that’s left of my whole home reflooring project and I’ve kind of put it on the back burner.
• Finish my walk-in pantry. There’s a door from the kitchen to the garage/woodworking shop and I stole a bit of space there last year and built a pantry for more storage space. It’s part of my perpetual remodeling syndrome. What’s left? Installing a prehung door and finishing the floor.

Plenty of time to do all that; I just have to expense it. That’s the joy and grief of being a freelance writer - I get to schedule my own time, but the cash flow is not as consistent to a 9 to 5 gig. Some days chicken; some days feathers.

So what’s on your list? Add your comment to this post and we’ll see what’s popular.

Life is certainly not what it used to be when I was growing up. Back then, (not too long ago) I lived in a small town in the rain forest of Panama called Las Cumbres. A little kid couldn’t ask for a better place to grow up but as you might imagine, it was a sheltered existence.

Later, we moved into the capital, Panama City, in a neighborhood called Bella Vista. No, not Rio Abajo! It was a bit more sophisticated, but still sheltered compared to life for kids today. Mid-60s, no HD TV, no Internet, no MySpace. And definitely no Viagra or any other kind of male enhancement. Those days are gone forever.

Anyone Can Now a Superman Like Tiger Woods Now

When Viagra first came out, I just thought, “Dang, I wish I had a few hundred shares in Pfizer.” Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. That was soon followed by Cialis and a host of other penis enlargement drugs. A lot of these claim to be herbal, some organic, some both. Anything’s better than the powdered rhinoceros horn that the Chinese swear by.

It’s not just those kind of drug and herbal remedies that are on the market developed to help men in those “special moments”. For example, a physical device has been engineered, and is now being marketed, that uses magnets to  improve the blood flow without having to swallow something that might have side effects that are painful or embarassing.

Everyone’s heard the TV or radio ad that gives the warning for a certain condition that “lasts more than 2 hours.” Oy vey! It’s enough to make you cringe. Or smile. Your choice.

What’s so Special about Magnets?

Magnetic fields are interesting things. You can see the effects but you can’t see the thing itself. I used to work with a guy that had a magnetic seat cover on his office chair to help his bad back. Maybe I should get one. This marathon training combined with sitting in front of a keyboard is killing me.

That never happened when I was a carpenter. All that physical work kept me as flexible as a pretzel. It must be time to start my stretching routine again.

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I recently installed a laminate floor in a small room; a closet, to be precise. It was much the same as floor installation in larger rooms except that it is a bit clumsier. Maybe that’s just me.

If you are considering a home remodeling project like this and don’t have time or the inclination to tackle it yourself, I recommend HomeEstimateDepot.com for free pre-screened quotes.

The first thing to do is remove the baseboards. Next, the prior flooring material. Usually, that’s wall to wall carpeting and carpet pad; it was in my case. Next, pry up the tack strips.

Level the Floor

Now a lot of installers will skimp on this step, but as I always say, “If you want to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, you have to start with a silk sow.” The last bit of prep work is to make sure the subfloor is flat. I don’t particularly care if it’s level but it has to be flat with no dips or humps. A self-leveling compound will work wonders on a concrete slab that has dips.

A plywood or OSB subfloor might need bracing from below.

Click the pictures for a larger view.

In my case, I had to also take a floor scraper to the slab to remove splatters of wall texturing compound that were left over from initial construction. They didn’t much matter with carpeting, but would have ruined the job with laminate, even with premium QuietWalk brand underlayment.

Undercut the Door Jambs or Trim

This is to allow enough room for the underlayment and planks. Again, some installers don’t run the underlayment to the wall, but the important thing to remember is that the planks form a floating floor, not the underlayment.

Now it’s just a question of measuring the space and installing the underlayment and the planks. Sadly for me, the closet was just 2″ longer then a plank, so I had to cut about a foot off the first one and make up the difference with another chunk. Then I just started the next run with the drop-off.

Finally, I installed the baseboards. Job well done! Now I just need to add some more closet shelving. Want to read more laminate floor installation tips?

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Well, Thanksgiving is over, December has arrived, and Christmas in right there in the headlights. This has really been a super-fast year, and I don’t even know what happened to November. Zoom, whoosh, it’s outa here.

So we’ve had a bit of a cold, rainy spell here in South Texas this week. I’ve had to fire up the central heat for the first time. It made me think about when I was stationed up in Maine. Northern Aroostook County, it was. Since I grew up in Panama (South or Central America, your choice), the cold was a bit perplexing to me.

The heat in the barracks was delivered by radiators, supplied with heat from a hot water boiler system. I don’t know if it was gas or oil-fired.

We used to put pans of water on top of the radiators to humidify the room. I never did get used to the whole no-humidity thing. Every metal thing you touched delivered a static electricity shock. Kind of like that glaucoma test air-puff contraption — you know it’s coming but it makes you jump anyhow.

At home here, we still have plenty of humidity, so that’s not an issue. And it’s just as well, because we have a central forced air furnace, thus, no radiators on which to place pans. And praise God, no static electricity. Now if I could just do something about that glaucoma machine.

But back to the festive season that is upon us; have you decided what Christmas gifts you’re going to send me ;-?

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