May 14, 2025

Free lunch and 20% off Rodda Paint during the event! Lunch is at noon!

Come in for lunch on Wednesday, May 14th, and stay to learn about Rodda Paint’s Industry-Leading Paint Products and meet our Rodda Sales Representative at Western Building Center Eureka.

*20% Off Sale on all in-stock Rodda Paint – Ask your Western Building Center Representative for details. Cannot be combined with other offers. No Returns or cash value associated with this offer. Certain exclusions may apply.

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Western Building Center is a part of Do it Best Corp, a home improvement and building materials buying co-op. This allows us greater purchasing power, thus lowering our prices and enabling us pass the savings on to our customers on many essential tools, hardware, and materials. Not only that, our Do it Best connection allows us to offer great deals, exclusive products, and special services you won’t find anywhere else. Here’s a few worth mentioning:

Exclusive Channellock® Products

Do it Best partnered with Channellock®, producer of Channellock® locking pliers, to produce a line of private-label products exclusively available at Do it Best members like us. These include their popular wet/dry shop vacs, toolboxes and tool carriers, hand tools (staplers, clamps, measuring tapes, and long-handle tools), and accessories (work lights, power strips, gloves, tool belts, and power tool bases).

Channellock Videos

WBC Monthly Specials

We get most of our monthly special products from Do it Best – that’s why we can offer such low prices! They’re deeply discounted and are limited to stock on hand, so get your deals today!

The post Do it Best, WBC and You appeared first on Western Building Center.

And when you’re ready to dive in and actually start work, here’s a more in-depth guide on surface prep and finish application, and chinking for a new or restored log home:

Is it time to put some TLC into your old (or new) log home? Read LogHome.com‘s articles on log home maintenance, then head down to your local WBC for help. We carry a whole line of log home maintenance supplies from Messmer’s Wood Finishes to Sashco caulks and chinking to high-quality Makita tools to take care of your log home.

The post Keep Up with Your Montana Log Home Maintenance appeared first on Western Building Center.

Check out Do it Best’s new You can Build it! Pinterest Board below for ideas on DIY projects, ranging from furniture to screen doors to stairs:

You can Build it! from Do it Best.

If you want to find some of the materials used in the projects above, check out the items below on DoitBest.com:

• Paint Sprayers
• Materials
• Doors and Windows
• UFP
• Gunk
• Wagner

For a list of larger home remodeling projects (kitchens, closets, wall decor, skylights, and more), check out the Houzz article below:

Ready to start your next DIY project? Come by your local WBC for some friendly help and an estimate.

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However, as with many things, the choice of cordless power tools for sale can be bewildering. 12 volt, 18 volt, consumer, professional – it looks like just too much. To narrow down your search to what’s right for you, here’s a handy guide on how to choose cordless power tools from WBC.

How to Choose Cordless Power Tools – Battery Voltage

To start off, let’s narrow down battery voltage. The old 14.4V models are going out, as the latest 12V tools are already powerful enough. 24V and 36V are great for heavy-duty pro tools but are more expensive and less popular for average use.

Therefore, for most of us, 12V or 18V batteries will do – they’re the most popular and widely available cordless tools. 20V is actually closer to 18V – 20V is mostly a marketing term for how the tool runs at full tilt with no load, with the real power being closer to 18V.

As for which voltage is best for your job, it depends on what you’re doing. If you’re a heavy-duty pro, you might want to look at powerhouse tools up to 24V and 36V. On the other hand, if you’re just a weekender driving a few screws here and there and cutting a few 2x4s, 12V might be enough. If you’re in the latter class and need beefier tools a few weekends a year, you still might want to go corded for those tools – no use having a powerful 18V tool that sits on the charger most of the time.

Perhaps the best compromise (particularly for most pros and serious DIYers) is the 18V tools. They’re heavier than 12V but lighter and less expensive than 36V and versatile enough to handle everything from light-duty tools like flashlights to power-hungry ones like hammer drills or recip saws. These advantages are why they’re already one of the most popular types of power tools and one with a vast array of tools offered by manufacturers.

For the type of battery, drop nickel-cadmium (NiCd) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and do lithium-ion (Li-ion) ones instead – the only advantage nickel batteries have is cheap prices. Li-ion ones are lighter, offer more runtime, and are pushed more by the manufacturers, so nickel battery tools are becoming scarcer, while the Li-ion tools selection is expanding constantly.

Stick to One Manufacturer and Battery Type

When you do make the plunge and buy new cordless tools, or if you find yourself in need of new ones, choose carefully. Make sure you invest in a tool platform that you can afford to expand on. Don’t spend a ton on one tool and find yourself needing to switch manufacturers to round out your tool collection – it’s better to have a toolset that uses comparable batteries, and they’re not cross-compatible between manufacturers. If you go Craftsman then you’re stuck with them unless you start over with another company.

If you already have a bunch of NiCd tools, it’s best to stick with that manufacturer if their chargers are backward compatible and can charge both NiCd and lithium-ion. Bosch took battery technology a step further with their wireless charging systems and remained backward compatible with their current li-ion lineup.

Premium tool companies like Makita sell their tools without batteries (“bare tools”) so you can buy new tools without paying for expensive batteries each time. After all, if you’re going to be the only one to use your tools most of the time, why keep more than 2-4 batteries?

Get Your Hands On It

Just because a tool gets good ratings online or in a magazine doesn’t mean that it’s a good fit for you. Drop by your local WBC and try out as many power tools as you can. Handle the tool as if you were using it: twist it with your wrist, squeeze the grip, and feel the trigger pull. Check the tool’s balance, and weight (with battery) and see what else it features: belt clips, LED placement, and battery style (either flat bottom so the tool stands upright or cartridge style that requires the tool lay on its side) are all possible. Comfort trumps almost everything. If a tool is cumbersome, then it will just sit on your bench.

Wrapping Up

The advantages of new brushless tools coming out appeal to pros, who have to get the greatest performance from each job. The average DIYer, however, probably won’t notice the difference for small projects.

Perhaps the best way to start your collection is combo kits. Kits are less expensive than buying tools one at a time and can give a great jumpstart by providing the most commonly used tools out of the gate.

Build a Charging Station for Cordless Tools

If you have a bunch of cordless tools already, or if you’re planning on expanding your collection, you might want to consider: how am I going to keep all these tools, chargers, batteries, and accessories and keep it charged?

One solution is Popular Mechanics’ cordless tool charging station. It allows several batteries to charge at once and keeps frequently used tools within easy reach. It can be built of simple 1×4 and 1×6 lumber and birch plywood, as well as a few bells and whistles to make it fun: armored 4-foot-long fluorescent work light, slanted charger shelf, swiveling casters, and shallow accessory drawer.

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Step 1: Declutter

Do you have 50 pairs of shoes? How about all those doodles left over from grade school? Outgrown clothing, old towels, or so-so books stuffing the closet? If just too much stuff is your problem, declutter. Take the old batteries or the 10-year-old magazines on a hobby you quit 5 years ago to the dump, get those library books back, have a yard sal,e or put stuff up on Craigslist or eBay, and donate whatever won’t sell to Goodwill. Get the family involved!

Step 2: Organize

Now that you’ve cleaned out the clutter, it’s time to organize the stuff you really need. Install shelves in the closet, put your papers in the file cabinet or baskets, and get those books back on the shelves.

Check out the following video from Do it Best on their shelving solutions:

Step 3: Clean

Then it’s time to clean up the freed-up space – wash the windows, scrub the cabinets, mop the floor.

Whew! It might take some time, but now you’re freed up for a busy summer!

Houzz Spring Cleaning Tips

The Houzz article below links to a ton of room-by-room helpful articles on home organization and declutter:

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Solid Hardwoods and Softwoods

• Sand and/or refinish
• Comes in a variety of colors, finishes, and species
• Different levels of durability available per your needs
• Easy to clean and hypoallergenic
• Reduces drafts and thus lowers energy bills

Engineered Woods

• Allows for installation throughout the house, including the basement concrete slab
• Many colors, finishes, and species
• Costs less than solid hardwoods
• Easier installation
• Can be used with radiant heat

How to Install Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Laminates

• Scratch-resistant and durable
• Click-together installation
• Easy to clean and stain-resistant
• Can install over most existing floors
• Better UV light protection

Stone, Ceramic, Porcelain Tile

• Waterproof type applications
• Consistent color with natural stone tile
• Relatively easy to repair damaged pieces
• Straightforward installation

Vinyl

• Attractive with a variety of colors and realistic-looking patterns
• Sound dampening
• Water-resistant
• More shock absorbent

Do-It-Yourself: Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

Carpet

• Solid soundproofing even cushioning falls
• Good insulation while being comfortable
• Much flexibility in styles and piles
• Consider for uneven subfloors and walls

How to Pick Flooring: Considerations

• Is it below grade, on grade, or above grade?
• Will the flooring suffer from ground moisture like basements or water spillage and humidity like kitchens and bathrooms?
• Planning radiant heat?
• Does it get a lot of direct sun?
• Then what?

Make a drawing with detailed measurements including all aspects of the floor traffic. Calculate your room’s square footage. See the calculator below. With an irregularly shaped floor area, divide the area into smaller squares and rectangles, calculating the square footage of each. Then add the square footage of each area together for the total square footage.

Then add 10% more, allowing for mistakes and for future repairs. And don’t forget to coordinate accessories and moldings…from quarter rounds to wall base, as well as underlayment and maintenance products.

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There are several different standards for estimates, whether you get them from your builder, subcontractors, or directly from your local building supplier. Two of the most popular are Fixed-Price estimates and Time and Materials estimates.

Fixed-price vs. Time and Materials Construction Estimates

Fixed-price proposals, in essence, state that so much work will be done for so much money: “Three layers of roofing will be removed and replaced with 1,000 square feet of new IKO composition roofing, including starter flashing, ridge vents and underlayment for $5,000 plus tax.”

Once agreed upon, the price remains fixed unless work is added, subtracted, or changed. For instance, upgrading to a higher-grade product would increase the cost of the material and labor. Similarly, if there isn’t a plywood sub-roof, installing plywood under the roofing would be an added cost. Those costs would be documented in a change order, which shows the change in cost to the contract price.

In contrast, time and materials contracts (AKA T&M or “cost plus” or “estimate of cost” contracts) detail all the tasks associated with the project by line item, as well as general costs (also known as general conditions) such as supervision, cleanup, materials handling and a portable restroom; markup and tax; and sometimes costs like general liability insurance as separate line items.

In our above example, it would be a spreadsheet with the number of hours and hourly rate, cost of the roofing, flashing, ridge vents, and underlayment separated and spelled out, plus markup and general conditions all as separate, distinct line items. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages.

Fixed-price proposals Pros and Cons

Fixed-price proposals have the advantage of a definite price that won’t be exceeded unless there is a change order, and it is usually based on a definite schedule with milestones and regular payments. Western Building Center’s blueprint take-offs, or Estimates of Material, are fixed-price (as WBC sells materials, not counting labor costs). They are often used as guidelines for bank financing because prices of lumber and other materials constantly change in the market. So, to get a more precise figure, visit any local WBC store and discuss your project and timing. Our professionals will then try to nail down your quote–not counting labor costs, of course. However, your local WBC experts can refer the homeowner-builder or DIYer to the best subcontractors in the area. Most local contractors have long-standing relationships with WBC as their primary building supplier. Their estimates will most likely be more precise.

However, since fixed-cost estimates are a risk to some extent to the builder, they often justifiably add padding to the cost. If materials and the job itself are not defined with absolute clarity upfront with a detailed scope of work, the change orders can add up and get expensive really quickly. Finally, any changes must be defined in change orders, which can be time-consuming.

T&M proposals Pros and Cons

On the other hand, T&M contracts do not usually build padding in. Everything is billed for just the actual hours, materials and subcontractor work it takes to build the project. The advantage here is that the homeowner does not pay more than what the contractor needs to complete the work well. Often, contractors regularly give clients a percent-complete document to show the estimate versus actual items billed and a running total for the project to monitor cost. It also benefits the contractor—they are paid for what it actually takes to build a project, regardless of unknowns. It can be difficult to estimate the time to carry out a task on a remodel or build an extensive custom home.

However, since T&M contracts do not have a firm not-to-be-exceeded amount, they can lead to cost overruns, especially if costs are not tracked intensively. The greater detail can be overwhelming to homeowners who aren’t sure how to read them or simply don’t want that much detail, and it often requires more paperwork.

Considerations

Depending on the type of estimate and company policy, estimates might be free, paid, or not started until the contractor is hired. Whichever type of estimate you agree on, it comes down to both client and contractor doing their due diligence to make sure everything possible is accounted for and unforeseen costs are built-in or have some mechanism to be solved. And keep in mind the building rule of thumb—“It always takes longer than you think”. Plan in advance and get professional advice (from your architect, your builder, or your local WBC store expert) on which of the kaleidoscope of materials and methods to use. Be particularly sure of finish materials you’ll actually touch and see, like siding and countertops (as opposed to dimensional 2×4 lumber for the wall structure). Keep in mind that unexpected things (especially in a remodel) always turn up. You never know whether you’ll encounter a rotten joist while replacing the wall. So plan accordingly.

WBC’s in-house estimators have estimated everything from huge custom homes to sheds. Our estimates include complete material take-offs by locals who know what you need for snow load, insulation, and the hundred other unique things for your area. Your estimate includes scheduled delivery, great warranties, better quality lumber grades, time savings with post-sales support, a detailed material list, and millwork and framing diagrams. And your local WBC store is there to help with each step. WBC offers specials and rebates, lower overall costs, and savings with 30-day term accounts. Check out our Builder Services page for more information.

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Are you thinking of building a home or renovating your old one this spring? Why not make or makeover your deck with use Trex, the original premier composite decking?

Unlike wood, Trex won’t warp, split, rot, or splinter and won’t need heavy-duty power washing. It’s also better than PVC–it’s 95% recycled, and doesn’t fade, discolor or shrink. Finally, it comes in a stunning array of both rich and earth-tone colors that last for decades.

Trex isn’t just decking boards, either–it’s a whole line of outdoor living products. Trex Elevations provides a solid steel foundation for your deck. Trex Railing, Lighting, Trim and Spiral Stairs are perfect complements to their decking.

All this fits perfectly into the current outdoor living trends: Extending the comforts of the indoors outside with kitchens, fire pits, cushions, storage, lighting and decorative railing, “outside the box” designs such as curves, multi-level decks, cantilevers, pergolas and even walls, the tropical look (tiki torches, cabanas and waterfalls, deck boards with warm colors and streaking like tropical hardwoods) and above all, high performance with low maintenance.

Want to see what can be done with Trex? See the Mondavi Home collection video below, then check out Trex’s Inspiration page and their Houzz profile:

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