Guides
9 guides on the parts of a job the arithmetic does not cover — what the published figure assumes, and where jobs go wrong. Each one links to the calculator for its numbers.
Concrete & Masonry
- How to pour a concrete slab A slab is a timed operation. The temperature you can place at, the wait before you touch the surface, and the days of curing are all published numbers. Published
- Why concrete slabs crack Every slab cracks. Joint spacing, groove depth and sawing time decide whether the crack lands where you put it — with the ready-mix industry's own figures. Published
Landscaping
- How to lay pavers Published base depths for the same patio run from 4 to 14 inches. The number is set by your soil and your frost, not by preference — with the source tables. Published
- Pavers vs a concrete slab for a patio The 8,000 psi pavers are sold on is a corrected lab figure — and it is not the specification for the large-format units most new patios use. Published
- Why pavers sink The bag of paver sand and the paving industry's own bulletin disagree about the bedding layer by a factor of two. That gap is where sunken patios start. Published
Interior
- How to install laminate flooring The expansion gap, the stagger and the longest run you can lay without a transition are all set by your floor's own instructions — and the big three disagree. Published
- How to read a paint can label for coverage A gallon is 231 cubic inches, so "400 sq ft per gallon" is a thickness in disguise. What the coverage figure assumes, and which numbers the law requires. Published
- Laminate vs vinyl plank for a basement Both are sold as waterproof, and both publish a moisture ceiling for the slab underneath. Those two ceilings are not the same number — and that decides it. Published
- What the numbers on a laminate flooring box mean AC class, the two-digit class of use, the mm figure and the date code — what each number on a laminate carton was measured against, and which ones matter. Published