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Drip Cap

Drip cap is an L-shaped flashing that goes over windows and doors after they’re installed (but before siding is installed) to prevent moisture from seeping in from above. One leg of the “L” goes over the window or door brick mold, while the other lies behind the siding that will go above.

Some windows and doors that have uni-body or molded frames have their own form of built-in drip cap and don’t require any additional flashing.

Drip cap is inexpensive, goes on easily and can save you—and your window—a world of moisture trouble further down the road.

Plus, check out these 101 Saturday morning home improvement projects to get your house in tip-top shape!

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Paver Base

When you look out over your patio, what you see (hopefully) are nice solid patio stones or pavers laid in a neat pattern. But there’s a lot that goes on below; exactly what goes on varies from region to region and builder to builder—but here are the basics of adding paver base as part of a home improvement project.

Once the area has been dug out and flattened, the paver base is installed. This paver base normally consists of a 3- to 6-inch layer of aggregate material—often limestone— containing crushed rock that ranges in size from about 3/4 inch down to dust-sized particles.

When this material is compacted, the materials nest into one another forming a surface that’s, well, as hard as a rock. In some areas of the county, this paver base is referred to as “Class 5”; in other areas it may be called “crusher rock,” “road bed gravel,” “ABC” or some other name.

It’s important to get the paver base flat since the next step is to install and level an inch of coarse sand, then lay the pavers. In areas that need to withstand vehicle traffic, a heavy-duty geotextile or other fabric is often laid down before the paver base is installed.

Step-by-step tutorial on building a paver, brick or stone patio.

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Particleboard

Particleboard is a manufactured wood product composed of sawdust, wood chips or wood shavings mixed with a resin. This concoction is layered, compressed, subjected to heat and cut to shape, resulting in a sheet material that can be used for a variety of things.

It’s often used as shelving or as an underlayment for carpet. Plastic laminate may be applied to both sides to create a product that can be used to create everything from furniture to cabinets to wall paneling. Head into IKEA and you’ll find acres of particleboard.

There are a few things particleboard is NOT. It’s not medium density fiberboard (MDF)—a material with greater density and weight composed of more uniform particles. It’s NOT oriented strand board (OSB), a material composed of large wood chips and strands that’s structurally equivalent to plywood.

It does NOT have great nail or screw holding ability, nor is it all that water resistant; water can quickly cause the material to swell and lose structural integrity. But if you need something flat and cheap for use in a dry place, particleboard will do you proud.

Learn how to make a plastic laminate tabletop with a particleboard substrate.

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