Pro Follow Articles
Every Pro-Follow is the result of shadowing an expert, general contractor on an actual job site. The years of experience in the field and tips they share are an invaluable resource for tackling home improvement projects, and some of our best Pro-Follows include How to Build a Deck and How to Build a Shed.

Welcome back to our latest Pro-Follow series focused on how to refinish hardwood floors. Refinishing a hardwood floor is a great way to bring new life to a floor that is showing too much wear and tear or if the finish is no longer protecting the floor. It’s also a necessary part of extending an existing hardwood floor like we showcase here.All of our Pro-Follow articles are the result of shadowing expert, professional contractors on actual job sites. There’s no better way to learn about home improvement than straight from...
If you read my most recent Pro-Follow, you know that I’m working with a new-to-OPC hardwood flooring contractor named Danny Riter. Danny is the owner of Signature Hardwood Floors Inc., and he and his crew are in the process of refinishing an existing hardwood floor and extending it throughout the kitchen. You can read more about laying the new floor and weaving it in with the old here:Refinishing a Hardwood Floor, Part 1What’s even more exciting than the new floor is seeing Danny and his crew refinish the existing hardwood...

I’m excited to kick-off another Pro-Follow and to introduce you to a new pro named Danny Riter. Danny is a hardwood flooring contractor and owner of Signature Hardwood Floors Inc. Danny brings more than 20 years of experience in the industry, and he’s very knowledgable. I hope to bring you more Pro-Follows with Danny in the days to come. For this project, the homeowners have brought Danny in to replace a tile kitchen floor and refinish the existing hardwood floors to match. If your interested in learning more about installing...

I’m back with another Pro-Follow update, and today’s article focuses on waterproofing a leaky deck ledger board. A few years ago, Fred and Kim had their small deck replaced with a much larger one. It’s a beautiful deck. Unfortunately, the contractor did not properly flash the ledger board, and Fred discovered a leak in the basement. If you’re a regular reader, you know that Fred and Kim have hired Joe Bianco to remodel the basement, and part of that remodel is to permanently address the leaky ledger board.When...

This is a comprehensive guide with detailed instructions for installing a ceramic or porcelain tile floor. Below you’ll find tutorials for every step of the process, with expert knowledge and tips from professional tile contractors. Read on for links to the individual articles and recommended tools for laying tile. We hope you enjoy the series!This series covers everything for installing a ceramic or porcelain tile floor, including leveling the floor, installing underlayment, marking guides, laying tile and grouting joints. Just...

Tile Subfloor, Thickness, Deflection Installing Electric Radiant Heat Pouring Self Leveling Mortar Leveling (Flattening) the Subfloor Installing Cement Board (CBU) Installing Schluter DITRA Marking Guidelines for Tile How to Lay Tile How to Grout Tile JointsGrouting tile joints is last step for installing a tile floor, and what better way to learn than from two seasoned, professional tile installers. Jim and Rich are the guys from Diamond Tile located here in Maryland, and each of them have over 27 years of experience laying tile....

Tile Subfloor, Thickness, Deflection Installing Electric Radiant Heat Pouring Self Leveling Mortar Leveling (Flattening) the Subfloor Installing Cement Board (CBU) Installing Schluter DITRA Marking Guidelines for Tile How to Lay Tile How to Grout Tile JointsIf you’re just joining us, we’ve been working through a series of articles all about installing a tile floor, and I’ve partnered Jim and Rich from Diamond Tile here in Maryland. Jim and Rich are expert tile contractors, and at this point the floor has been “leveled”,...

Tile Subfloor, Thickness, Deflection Installing Electric Radiant Heat Pouring Self Leveling Mortar Leveling (Flattening) the Subfloor Installing Cement Board (CBU) Installing Schluter DITRA Marking Guidelines for Tile How to Lay Tile How to Grout Tile JointsWelcome back to another Pro-Follow. I’ve been working with Jim and Rich from Diamond Tile as they tile Fred & Kim’s basement floor, and it’s been great to see how professional tile contractors tackle this job. The guys have finished installing DITRA, and...
Tile Subfloor, Thickness, Deflection Installing Electric Radiant Heat Pouring Self Leveling Mortar Leveling (Flattening) the Subfloor Installing Cement Board (CBU) Installing Schluter DITRA Marking Guidelines for Tile How to Lay Tile How to Grout Tile JointsCement board replaces the old plaster and lathe underlayment for tile. It’s a lot easier to work with preformed cement board rather than laying a bed of mortar on the job site, and it still carries the same great qualities. Cement board is moisture and mold resistant,...

Tile Subfloor, Thickness, Deflection Installing Electric Radiant Heat Pouring Self Leveling Mortar Leveling (Flattening) the Subfloor Installing Cement Board (CBU) Installing Schluter DITRA Marking Guidelines for Tile How to Lay Tile How to Grout Tile JointsThere’s a lot of information (and mis-information) online about what constitutes a suitable subfloor for tile, and it’s tough to find a clear answer. The difficulty is that tile can be installed over a number of substrates, and each requires specific preparations...



















