Mortar Desk

Mortar Desk

Sizes, gauges and mixes, checked before you buy.

home improvement and building material specifications — lumber, steel gauge, fixings, concrete, roofing and finishes.

  1. Concrete Mix Ratio vs Mortar Type: Differences in Strength, Composition & Uses “Concrete mix ratio vs mortar type” sounds like a simple shelf comparison. It is not. Concrete and mortar share cement, but they are formulated for different…
  2. Fasteners for Pressure Treated Lumber: Code-Approved Options Guide If you are buying fasteners for pressure-treated lumber, the first question is not screw length or head style. It is chemistry. Modern treated wood is often…
  3. How Deep Should Fence Posts Be: Depths by Height, Frost Line, and Soil Type If you want the short answer to how deep should fence posts be, start here: bury at least one-third of the post’s total length and dig a little deeper so the…
  4. How to Read a Lumber Grade Stamp: Guide to Species, Grades, and Moisture Codes If you’ve ever stood in the lumber aisle staring at a blurry black stamp near the end of a 2x4, you were already looking at the fastest technical check most…
  5. How to Read a Quote From a Trade Allowances, provisional sums, supply-only and prime cost items — the line items that make two quotes for the same job differ by thousands.
  6. Minimum Roof Slope for Asphalt Shingles: IRC Code, Low-Slope Rules & Manufacturer Limits If you are trying to answer one buying question quickly, here it is: the minimum roof slope for asphalt shingles is 2:12 under the published 2015 IRC excerpt,…
  7. Nominal vs actual lumber sizes: A Practical Guide If you have ever bought a “2x4” and then measured something closer to 1-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches, you have run into one of the oldest naming conventions in…
  8. OSB vs Plywood Subfloor Sheathing: Span Ratings, Moisture, Cost & Code Comparison If you are comparing osb vs plywood subfloor sheathing, the best opening question is not “Which one is stronger?” It is: What does the panel stamp allow, how…
  9. Paint Coverage Per Gallon and Sheen: Rates by Finish, Factors & Estimation Guide A gallon of paint is not a promise that one can will cover one fixed amount of wall. It is a per-coat spread rate under favorable conditions, and the amount…
  10. Sanded vs Unsanded Grout Joint Width: Thresholds, Standards & Recommendations If you are standing in the tile aisle trying to decode the sanded vs. unsanded grout joint-width rule, the shortest accurate answer is this: for cementitious…
  11. Why You Order More Than You Measured Cuts, breakage, pattern repeat and dye lots — the waste factors that decide how much material to buy, and when running short costs more than over-ordering.
  12. When a Spec Says 'Or Equal' Substitution is normal and sometimes necessary. How to tell whether a named product was chosen for performance, compatibility or habit — and which substitutions void a warranty.
  13. Wood Moisture Content Rot Threshold: Safe Levels for Framing, Flooring & Exteriors If you’re trying to find the wood moisture content rot threshold, the most useful answer is not a single number. In practice, three ranges matter most: