Materials

Follow shingles' journey from a roof through an asphalt-recycling facility

How to choose between stronger and more expensive epoxy and traditional cement-based groutby Tom Meehan

These premium products offer time-tested longevity, so your choice depends on price, appearance, and installation requirementsby Harrison McCampbell

With acid-based stains, you can add an attractive, low-maintenance finish to ordinary concrete floorsby Shellie Rigsby

by David Crosby

From mixes and molds to finishes and installation details, a master craftsman shows how basic ingredients can yield elegant resultsby Buddy Rhodes

Comfortable quarters for a family of five on a postage-stamp lot in Houston, but for only $70 per square footby Carlos Ulloa

A commercial retaining wall system finds a niche in the residential marketby Fernando Pagés Ruiz

This excerpt from Fu-Tung Cheng's breakthrough book, Concrete Countertops, describes some of the limitless color possibilitiesby Fu-Tung Cheng

A level may be a mason's best friend, but to cover up an unsightly set of concrete steps, an experienced eye takes overby Vladimir Popovac

Laying new shingles over old might avoid the cost of a tearoff, but you still have to replace the vents and flashingsby Stephen Hazlett

by John Carroll

Get evenly spaced courses and consistent mortar joints by using the proper layout, mortar consistency and troweling techniquesby John Carroll

Unlike a plywood or backerboard substrate, a modified mud job might be more reliable over the long haulby Tom Meehan

Up in the air about using asphalt, wood, slate, tile or metal to keep out the rain? There are lots of choices, and they all have advantagesby Jefferson Kolle

Solid, durable and attractive, an uncommon countertop can be cast from common materialsby Thomas Hughes

Tips on ordering, placing, screeding, floating and finishingby Carl Hagstrom