Mistakes are costly when dealing with cabinets and countertops theyre typically the most expensive components in the most expensive room. So whether youre building them or just installing them, your job is much easier when you arm yourself with the best information possible. These 17 articles from past issues of Fine Homebuilding magazine were written by builders and represent the hard-won knowledge of professionals who have learned from their mistakes.

Some years ago, my friend Tom installed laminate counters in his sisters new kitchen. Lying on his back, half inside a cabinet, attaching the counters from below, he ran out of screws. Tom asked his sister to run to the truck. "Be sure to get the 2-in. screws," he warned, "Not the 2 1/2-in."

She brought him the screws and left the room. Tom stood up, got his pliers and cut 1/4-in. off one of the screws. He placed the screw tip on the counter, balanced upright, so that it looked like it had penetrated from below. Then he started yelling and cursing. "Damnit, I said get the TWO-INCH screws!" His sister ran back into the kitchen and looked at the "ruined" countertop in horror. Tom let her twist in the wind before he picked up the screw tip and went back to work.

Id think that story was funnier if I hadnt once ruined a countertop myself. In my case, the screws werent too long. I simply got overzealous with the drill, this was before cordless versions with umpteen clutch settings, and drove the screw halfway through the cabinet stretcher, cracking the Formica. As I learned, mistakes are costly when dealing with cabinets and countertops typically the most expensive components in the most expensive room.

Whether youre building cabinets and countertops or installing them, always arm yourself with the best information possible. These 17 articles from past issues of Fine Homebuilding magazine were written by builders and represent the hard-won knowledge of professionals who have learned from their mistakes.

Kevin Ireton, editor, Fine Homebuilding