Featured Products

How to Easily Install a Fence Post Near or Next to Your House With a Post Hole Digger Tool

A post anchor provides an easy way to install fence posts without leaving piles of dirt or requiring a lot of space. You finally gave in and brought home that puppy your kids have been talking about for months—but now that little ball of fur needs room to run…outside of the house. That backyard fence you’ve been meaning to install is suddenly a priority this summer. The great news is that it’s a fairly straightforward process even for a beginner weekend DIYer, with one exception: that tricky spot where the fence meets the house. Whether you’re installing a backyard fence to...

Read more...

Choosing Decorative Metal Brackets for Wood Beams: Weather Resistant Pergola Hardware Ideas

Decorative metal brackets can take your pergola from plain to stylish. The pergola is the crowning feature of many backyard gardens. It gives your yard presence and a naturally beautiful area to relax and socialize in. On a summer day, it may even be your favorite thing about your home. Recently, while at a regular client’s house doing some deck work, I noticed that the connectors and ties on his pergola were stainless steel. The hardware looked unsightly, standing out like a sore thumb compared to his wood deck accented in black iron. He had been worried about using weak decorative...

Read more...

How to Easily Install a Fence Post Without Cement Using Wood Post Anchors, Gravel, or a Hydraulic Driver

Wood post anchors are some of the easiest ways to install a fence post, and offer other benefits, like protection from water and weed eaters. Last week I met up with a nice couple who were looking to have a fence installed. Their home was part of a new subdivision just outside of town that boasted beautiful houses with immaculate yards. Their main request was that I didn’t use cement plugs for the posts because they wanted to be able to easily remove the fence if they decided to go with a different style in the future. Thankfully, there are...

Read more...

Decorative Hardware for Wood Gates to Add Durable Curb Appeal to Your Home

Adding decorative hardware to your gate is an easy way to spruce up your yard. The other day I got home from the store in a rush to get dinner started. I wanted to surprise my wife with her favorite meal but, in a mad flurry, I ended up slamming the gate behind me a bit too hard. After a deep breath and a few choice words, I turned around to find that the hinges had completely detached from the fence. Needless to say, my wife wasn’t very happy, but we finally agreed it was probably time for a gate...

Read more...

Using Wood Post Anchors, Gravel, and Copper Naphthenate to Keep Your Fence Posts from Rotting

Fence post anchors are an easy way to protect your fence posts from water that might rot them. Remember that beautiful fence you installed a few years ago? It took a whole weekend, but every time you look at it, you’re filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment. So, when you notice that the carefully-installed wooden posts are starting to show signs of rotting, you can’t help but be upset. There are few things more frustrating than spending time and energy on a project only to see it disintegrate, especially if you could have prevented it. Fortunately, there are several...

Read more...

Selecting the Right Fastener for Your ACQ Pressure Treated Lumber Project

Pressure-treated lumber can be corrosive to metals, so you’ll want to choose specially-designed fasteners. It is starting to warm up outside and you’ve finally decided to get to work on some yard projects, maybe replacing that gate that was damaged last year, or building some raised beds in your garden. But when you’re loading up your lumber you notice the tag “Pressure Treated” or “ACQ”. What exactly does that mean? Pressure-treated lumber undergoes a chemical process that may cause the accelerated corrosion of metals that come in contact with the wood (like screws and other fasteners). Once the fasteners have corroded,...

Read more...

Choosing Hardware That Won’t Rust for Hurricane-Prone Areas

When you live in a hurricane-prone area, make sure you use hardware that won’t rust such as powder-coated, hot-dipped galvanized or stainless steel fasteners for your building projects. You’ve been hunkered down for the last two days while the wind and rain ripped past your house, but it’s time to head outside to view the damage. A few shutters are swinging, part of your fence came down, and your mailbox went AWOL. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed in a weekend, right? Then you find the pergola you worked so hard to build a few years ago. It’s still upright,...

Read more...