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. 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,…
  6. 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…
  7. 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…
  8. 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…
  9. 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…
  10. Why Nominal Sizes Are Never the Real Sizes A 2x4 is 1.5 by 3.5 inches, 3/4 inch plywood is 23/32, and a gauge number means different things in different metals. Where the discrepancies come from and which ones matter.
  11. 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: