Always be sure to have the following safety items available for your protection: safety glasses, gloves, and a proper dust mask or respirator.

Wallboard Joint Compound

This can be purchased pre-mixed in a thick slurry. Usually a 5-gallon can holds enough to finish the seams of approximately fifteen 4' x 12' panels if you vary the consistency of the layers. You may want to thin the compound a little before you start taping with it, but don't make it too thin. When it has the right consistency it will stick nicely to your knife and spread easily. As you work with it, you will notice that it will begin to stiffen after a little while, so you may need to stir in more water occasionally. You can experiment with how much water to use, but a good start would be about two or three tablespoons of water to a pan full of joint compound.

Basic Technique for Applying Joint Compound

It takes practice to learn the right consistency for each layer or how to use the broadknife with finesse. The best way to learn how to load the knife with compound, and how to spread and feather it would be to watch someone else do it, either in person or on video. This article will only touch on the basics to give you an idea about what to expect during this process.

Scoop a 5-inch drywall taping broadknife sideways into the compound and load only half the width of the blade. Center the blade over the joint so that the compound is on the leading edge and spread a smooth, thin layer of joint compound along the length of the seam, angling it toward the tape, closer and closer to the plasterboard, as you steadily drag it along the seam, forcing the compound into the depression created by the tapered edges of the plasterboard. The seam should be as flat as you can make it. Use just enough joint compound under the tape to hold it well. Make sure there are no humps, bumps or skips in the compound because if the layer is inconsistent or too thin, the tape will not stay put. Even tiny skips can cause blistering or bubbling problems that can show up later.

After applying first layer of joint compound, let it dry completely following the instructions on the compound that you have purchased. Lightly sand it down with fine sandpaper to get rid of any bumps or ridges before applying the next layer. Don't sand so hard that you dig into the tape or the surrounding drywall. Brush away any loose crumbs and apply the next layer of compound with next larger knife, usually 8-inches.

Feather the second layer of joint compound, extending the edges out to about 6-8 inches beyond the center of the tape or fastener head. Let it dry and sand lightly again. Brush away any loose crumbs and apply the third layer of compound with next larger knife, usually 10- or 12-inchess.

The third coat is wider than the second one and takes the feathered edges out to 12 inches. Let it dry and then sand it. Since this is your last chance to get the sanding correct, be very careful to make it smooth.

Embedding the Tape

Center one end of the tape over one end of the joint and press it into the wet joint compound. If the tape is not centered, your efforts are wasted. While guiding the tape with one hand, run the blade of a 5-inch broadknife along the joint to force the tape against the wet compound. When you reach the other end of the joint, press the knife tightly into both tape and wallboard and use it as a straight-edge for tearing off the excess tape. Repeat this procedure with all the seams. Let dry thoroughly before adding second and third coats of joint compound to the joints.

Taping the Inside Corners

Run the knife along one side of the corner joint, angling the loaded edge of the knife into the corner to create a slightly thicker layer of compound right at the seam. Repeat with the other side and do not worry if you scrape off a bit of compound from the first side.

Fold the tape along its lengthwise pre-creased mid-line and press it lightly into the wet compound using your fingers to force the crease into the corner seam from one end to the other along the joint. Glide the 5-inch knife lightly over the surface of the tape, first along one side of the crease and then along the other side. Press just lightly enough to make the tape stick to the compound. Repeat this process using more pressure to squeeze out the excess compound along the seam. Finally, coat the tape lightly with some of the excess compound and glide the knife over one last time on both sides to leave a thin layer of compound on top of the tape.

Hiding Fastener Heads

Hold the blade almost flush against the plasterboard and draw the knife with the compound across a fastener head and the dimple surrounding it. Then scrape off the excess with a stroke that is at right angles (perpendicular) to the first. Repeat on all other fastener heads. Apply second and third coats in the same manner after each coat has thoroughly dried and shrunk a bit. After the 3rd coat, the dimple should not be visible when dry.

Covering a Corner Bead

Load about 2/3 of the width of a 5-inch broadknife with joint compound and lap the blade about two inches over the outside of the corner. Apply the compound by gliding the knife along one face of the bead. Repeat on the other face. Then scrape off the excess compound from your knife and smooth the joint by alternately running the knife down the two faces. Repeat with the second and third layers and be sure to feather the layers.

Feathering a Joint

Load joint compound onto the full width of an 8-inch knife and spread the second layer of compound over the first. Then, holding the knife slightly off-center so that it laps the joint unevenly, slide it down the joint again. This time bear down on the knife edge that is farthest from the joint to feather the compound on that side. Repeat with the other side. Apply the 3rd layer with a 12-inch knife.

Feathering an Inside Corner

Load joint compound onto the full width of a 5-inch knife and spread the second layer to one side of the corner. Scrape off any compound that laps onto the second side then slide the knife down the first side again, bearing down on the knife edge that is farthest from the joint to feather the compound on that side. Repeat with the other side.

Cleaning up

Before resealing a partially used container of joint compound, wipe off the interior sides and smooth the surface of the compound. If you aren't going to be using it for several days, you can pour 1/2 inch of water onto the surface to keep it from drying out in the can, and then just pour it off when you re-open the container.

After all the layers are done on all the joints and fastener heads just let everything dry completely before painting or papering the walls. With normal heat, this is about 8 to 12 hours, depending on humidity, but follow instructions on product container. Keep the room temperature above 50 degrees. A household fan or two set around the job can speed things up...and you are done!

About the Author

Mark Dunne is a successful freelance writer providing advice on your a number of topics like
Concrete Articles and Drywall Plaster if you have time drop by his site for some tips and information. http://www.diystuff.com

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Many people choose to re-decorate in the lead up to Christmas. With so many guests arriving at your home having a nose around each room, you want to make sure the place is looking its best. What's more, with a turkey to roast and a Christmas meal to cook for the entire family, you need to make sure your kitchen is suitably prepared for such an occasion. If your kitchen worktops have seen better days or perhaps you simply don't have enough workspace to create your festive feast, now may be a great time for that long overdue revamp, ready for the Christmas celebrations.

The beauty with installing new kitchen worktops is that there is such a huge selection to meet all budgets and kitchen styles so you don't need to spend a fortune or rip out your entire kitchen to fit them in. Your main decision will be your budget. Once you know how much you have to spend, you can then look to the finer details, such as colour and style.

One of the most popular choices for kitchen worktops is Wood. Available in oak, beech, cherry, maple and teak, there are a wide range of styles to choose from under the one umbrella. These worktops are a great way to add warmth and character to your kitchen, especially in rooms with a country, rustic style. Wooden worktops are hard-wearing and therefore long-lasting. They are durable, easy to look after and great for withstanding spills and general kitchen wear. If you have found a style you love but aren't keen on the colour, they can even be stained to match the colour of your kitchen.

Another popular option for kitchen worktops is Granite. This is a great way to introduce a little more luxury in to your kitchen style. The natural material is available is a rainbow of colours from more neutral shades of browns, whites and greys to more vibrant shades of reds, blues, greens and black. You can also choose between matte and a high gloss finish.

Similar to wooden kitchen worktops, granite is also very low maintenance and is easy to look after. Spills can be cleared simply with a cloth and a little detergent, making it water resistant, heat-proof and also scratch resistant. However, because of the stylish exterior, Granite can be quite expensive and not necessarily a suitable finish for all kitchens.

For a cheaper option, try laminate worktops. They can be fitted without the professionals, hence a lower budget option and are ideal for budding DIY fans. The beauty about laminate is the wide range of finishes and colours available. You have the choice of creating almost any look for your kitchen, without paying the prices of using the original materials. For example, you may choose to have a granite effect worktop and while it won't be the real McCoy, you can feel smug at having paid a fraction on the cost for a similar effect.

Laminate kitchen worktops are very easy to care for, however if you invest in a lighter shade, be aware that the material can stain so you need to clean up any spills immediately. Avoid placing any hot saucepans or plates directly on the worktop as they are likely to leave a heat stain. The thicker the laminate you chose, the greater their resilience.

With so many options to choose from, there's no excuse for your kitchen not to play host to the largest turkey this Christmas. Just make sure you choose your kitchen worktops carefully and if you are expecting the surfaces to see some heavy action this month, make sure you avoid surfaces that scratch and stain easily.

About the Author

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in Home Improvements.
Find out more about Kitchen Worktops and the different styles available when you come to makeover your kitchen.

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These days the best place to buy anything at a great price is online. A good example is EBay. This site sells millions of items each day at a discount price; when compared to prices at a retail store. Plus, it is easy to shop online and quite convenient when you consider that the items will be delivered to your front door. Also now with secure websites (that guarantee purchases) or with the ease and security of a credit card purchase, the time of being scared to buy something on the internet is long past. People buy everything online, so I thought, why not kitchen cabinets?

The first thing I did was some research. I found that there are basically two different types of kitchen cabinets. Assembled and un-assembled (the industry term is "RTA"- meaning ready to assemble). The prices on these types of cabinets varied greatly and I concluded that it is a much better to purchase the RTA kitchen cabinets and assemble them myself. Note- I also found that these RTA kitchen cabinets are easy to assemble and of good quality. (Stay away from any RTA kitchen cabinets that are made of particle board).

Now with the type of cabinet out of the way, I decided on some further research into who is selling these RTA products. What I found was amazing. There are hundreds of sites selling this type of product. After some more fact finding I realized that the best sites were almost at the top of any first page of a search engine. (I used search engines like MSN, Google, and Lycos). The reason I said "almost at the top" was because I was almost tricked into clicking on the very top listing. I then realized (after a little more research) that the top three listings of a search engine are paid listings. (This is how these search engines make money). Yes, it is unfair because the truly best websites that deserves to come up first on a search-- are not at the very top. Instead, look below the top and you will see the non-paid searches. These will stand out from the paid searches. (The real websites are usually about three or four down from the top)

Why is this important? It is very important because the real searches are more of what you are actually looking for; as opposed to the paid searches that are not as good of a website. Not as good meaning that these sites do not have better pricing or value, instead they have PAID to be at the top, so their sites are not the best web address for your particular product. And in this case the product is RTA kitchen cabinets.

This is where I found the door buster deals on kitchen cabinets. The best RTA sites are at the top of the non paid searches. I found some spectacular deals that made me feel like I was shopping on Black Friday once again! These door buster deals were never ending. The kitchen cabinets are about thirty percent less than all retail stores and were of better quality -- when compared to the lesser RTA kitchen cabinet sites. I saved over a thousand dollars on my kitchen and then decided to use the savings on RTA bathroom vanities. Yes, the good RTA sites have bathroom vanities as well. And the savings were just as good.

About the Author

Find out where the experts go to get all of their kitchen cabinets and accessories. Learn how to save thousand on kitchen cabinets by buying them where contractors and builders shop.

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While there are many components that make up the average home theater system most people often overlook the importance of their televisions to the overall video and movie watching experience. As with all things in life, bigger, when it comes to televisions for your home theater, is not always better. There are many things that must be considered when selecting the best possible television for your home theater and size is only one of many.

Mass retailers show televisions in a manner that suits their purpose, which is a sale. This doesn't mean that their methods for displaying their televisions paints those sets in a proper light for your home viewing experience. Not so long ago, a 20-inch viewing window for your television was considered huge. It was a luxury saved for those who were extremely wealthy. The truth of the matter is that if you do not sit a proper distance from your television the quality of the picture will look horrible if your set is too large.

There are good rules of thumb to consider when purchasing a television set for your room, at least where size is concerned. The rule is that you will want no more than 4" of diagonal screen inches on your television for every foot away from the set you will be when watching cable television. The rule goes up to 5 inches per foot for satellite television or DVDs, and 6 inches per foot if you are viewing high definition television.

Of course with every rule there are exceptions. For this rule general exceptions would be two story great rooms or cathedral ceilings that might actually call for a larger television and basements or dropped ceilings that might actual be better suited for smaller televisions. You really must consider all of these things when selecting the television that will best suit your needs when it comes to your home theater and your theater set up.

Of course there is more than size to consider when it comes to the television you ultimately choose for your home theater and taste as well as space will each play important roles in the television you should choose. One important consideration is price. When you walk into the store and see all the wonderful new televisions that promise endless hours of movie watching bliss at a very hefty price tag to match. You need to be able to weed through without getting distracted by the latest and greatest of bells and whistles in order to find the set that will meet all of your movie watching needs and fall within your budget.

For this particular trip I recommend walking in with money in hand (the limit you have set) and that you leave the credit card at home. You should also carefully consider whether or not you will want an extended warranty as that will raise the base price of your television and isn't reflected in the 'sticker' price. If you bring your credit card you will be tempted to overspend rather than sticking with your original budget.

Other than price you really need to carefully consider the type of television you'd like to have for your home theater. Keep in mind that you can buy larger versions of older technology for the same price you'd pay for smaller screen sizes when it comes to LCD televisions. You should also consider the size of the television you really need for this portion too. Most of us do not sit more than 12 feet from our televisions, which means you may not need quite as much television as you may have previously thought you would need. The most important thing when choosing a television is to remember that this is an investment that most of us do not make terribly often. For that reason you should expect to drop a considerable chunk of change on this particular investment in your home theater system.

About the Author

More Infomation at musical instrument

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Spray foam insulation is one of the newest forms of residential and commercial insulation. It is often hailed as the most effective and greenest insulator on the market, greatly reducing energy losses and saving homeowner's money.

Spray foam may save a lot of energy from being lost, but when one takes into consideration the life-cycle from manufacturing to installation, is it really the most eco-friendly option to insulating your home?

This material is made up of a polymer (such as polyurethane or modified urethane) and a highly reactive foaming agent. The two components are kept separate until they reach the nozzle of the spraying machine when they quickly react creating a material that can expand up to 100 times its original size.

Ideally the spray is applied directly in between wall studs as the last step before installing the drywall. In the case of retrofitting, the insulation can be applied through holes and then it expands to fill even the smallest nooks and crannies making an air-tight seal and thus eliminating the escape of air, energy, and money.

There are two types of foam insulators: open-cell (isocyanurate) and closed-cell (polyurethane). Open-cell types allow for the infiltration of vapor, while the closed-cell provides superior insulation and serves as a vapor barrier.

Both types have high R-values. R-value is the measurement of thermal resistance used in the construction industry today. The higher the R value (numberical value) a material has, the more effective the material is as an insulator. Foam insulation has a much higher R-value than most insulators. In fact, it has twice the R-value per inch than traditional fiberglass batt insulation.

What makes it environmentally friendly? First and foremost, it fills every imaginable space trapping the heat, cool air, or moisture from escaping through cracks. It also cuts down on wasted energy by 20-40%. So by using insulating your home with this energy-efficient material, you are using less energy to begin with.

Also, some brands of foam are made from agricultural based materials and use high levels of reusable materials. While the amount of energy saved in your home and business is remarkable and very environmentally friendly, when you consider the whole process of manufacturing to installation there are some non-green practices involved.

Many spray insulators often use HCFCs or HFCs as blowing agents. Both are strong greenhouse gases, and HCFCs are believed to deplete ozone. Also, the installation requires handling of hazardous chemicals that pose a concern to the environment if there happened to be a spill during production or transport. People attempting to reduce the use of fossil fuels might be disappointed to learn that spray foam insulators are made from petrochemicals.

Is spray foam the greenest option? There are other insulators including traditional fiberglass batt, loose fill cellulose, and reflective insulators. Fiberglass batt is frowned upon by environmentalists as it is made from petrochemicals and uses HCFC's as blowing agent which has ozone depletion potential. These environmental cons are not unique, but fiberglass does not initially save as much energy.

The makeup of cellulose is environmentally preferable being made up of 80% recycled newspaper and contains no petrochemicals. However, it also does not insulate the home as well. Reflective insulators are also eco-friendly in their makeup, however, it is only highly effective in warm climates. In colder climates it must be combined with other insulators.

Spray foam has some environmental concerns during production and transport; however it causes property owners to use far less energy to heat or cool their building. So is it the greenest insulator option? Each user must make that judgment call for themselves but experts suggest that overall, spray foam is the most effective and environmentally friendly insulator.

About the Author

As compared to other insulation alternatives, polyurethane spray foam is the most environment friendly. Visit Apex Foam to learn how spray foam insulation can make your home green. www.apexfoam.com.

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