Hello all. So I have a comparable question though I believe I may be a bit more savvy in my method. I am raising my primary garden veggie bed and attempting to re-start a 12 x 13 ft vegetable garden and am considering dumping several --6 to 8 inches of wood mulch (or more!) on it in the next few weeks with the idea that a lot will break down over the winter and be ready for some top-dressed compost around new veggies in the spring. I have HEAVY clay soil here and have fought this yard for 4 summers with very little luck. My veggies are average at best over the last few years; I've brought in YARDS of sand; composted horse manure; real topsoil; mushroom compost and surround the veggies with my vermicast each spring. Today, I just finished putting a limestone rock border around the area and it could likely handle approximately 14-18 inches of mulch. My clay soil (soil is probably a misnomer and I hate to even call it that) EATS all amendments I add and I am at my wits end. With 6 or 7 months of time for an obviously heavy amount of free mulch from the city, I can likely get at least a foot on there. How much do you think it will break down in 6 months? Hopefully I won't get walnut mulch again which happened at a different house. At this point in the year I'll get some greens left which will get a bit of thermophilic composting going on so I'm expecting a bit of heat, but I think I'm ok with a foot of wood mulch. I'm going to remove the asparagus I have planted there prior and I'll be able to start 'fresh' with a new spot in the spring. I can (and may have to) remove a few inches in the spring if need be which I'm willing to do. I SO want to drop two feet on there and then 'skim' it in the spring. This clay is a beast and I'm trying to prepare for next year. I am a seasoned gardener and I'm getting schooled by this awful soil and I can't afford thousands of dollars in compost over the next several years. I dump hundreds of dollars each year into this spot and am underwhelming my wife's expectations. The raised piece is my last hope. Thoughts?

At the risk of obfuscating communicative efficacy of this electronic missive Talk about self provocating! :-) Tile, directly on plywood, can peel off and cracks easier Short answer-- I disagree. Longer answer-- If done properly, it's actually a much stronger installation. However, the person doing the installation must be VERY familiar with the procedures for installing over plywood. I wouldn't even trust most pros. All it takes is one shortcut or missed spec, and it can cause the floor to fail. something so small as the species of the plywood is all it would take. So, for all intents and purposes, you're better off with the CBUs and membranes available today. It is best to use concrete backer board - but it is very thick (3/8" ?) There are two thicknesses of cement board (CBU)-- 1/4" and 1/2". So long as you have a 3/4" subfloor (for ceramic, or 1 1/8" in two layers for stone), you can use 1/4" CBU. The 1/2" is for walls. Another alternative that I've found is hardy backer board (gypsom board) -- half as thick as concrete backer board but very rigid and works well with mortar. Completely wrong. First, as I just stated above, cement boards also come in 1/4" version. Even with Hardi, it should be 1/2" version used on walls. Secondly, it is NOT a gypsum core product. It's a cement/ fiber board. The only gypsum core product approved as a tile backer is Denshield, and for that very reason, I don't like using it. is the gypsom board rigid enough for floor use? Perhaps... but I wouldn't test it with natural stone. Assuming you're again talking about Hardi, it's MORE than strong enough. Keep in mind (and this is why I said setting tile directly over double layer plywood is a stronger installation)-- ALL CBU's, whether they be gypsum core, cement/ fiberboard, or cement board, are there as nothing more than a bonding surface. The subfloor gives you all the strength. Try putting a piece of even 1/2" CBU across a pair of 2x4's set 16" apart, and step on it-- you'll see what I mean. It has practically no structural strength at all. Now do the same thing with a piece of 1/2" plywood. You'll see a HUGE difference. The only strength the CBU needs to have is strength of bond. I have used gypsom board for the backsplash behind the sink and stove as well. For any place other than wet areas (those areas where direct constant water spray is imminent), sheetrock is sufficient to tile over, even using the heavier stone tiles. OKAY!! What else have you learned? :-)

National Electrical Code 314.17 (B) Metalic & (C) Nonmetallic Boxes and Conduit Bodies. […] Where nonmetallicsheathed cable or multiconductor Type UF cable is used, the sheath shall extend not less than 6 mm (1/4 in.) inside the box and beyond any cable clamp. In all instances, all permitted wiring methods shall be secured to the boxes. 334.30 Securing and Supporting. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be supported and secured by staples, cable ties, straps, hangers, or similar fittings designed and installed so as not to damage the cable, at intervals not exceeding 1.4 m (4 1/2 ft) and within 300 mm (12 in.) of every outlet box, junction box, cabinet, or fitting. Flat cables shall not be stapled on edge. Sections of cable protected from physical damage by raceway shall not be required to be secured within the raceway. (B) Unsupported Cables. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be permitted to be unsupported where the cable: (1) Is fished between access points through concealed spaces in finished buildings. 300.4 Protection Against Physical Damage. Where subject to physical damage, conductors shall be protected. (A) Cables and Raceways Through Wood Members Cables and Raceways Through Wood Members. (1) Bored Holes. In both exposed and concealed locations, where a cableor raceway-type wiring method is installed through bored holes in joists, rafters, or wood members, holes shall be bored so that the edge of the hole is not less than 32 mm (1 1/4 in.) from the nearest edge of the wood member. Where this distance cannot be maintained, the cable or raceway shall be protected from penetration by screws or nails by a steel plates(s) or bushing(s), at least 1.6 mm (1/16 in.) thick, and of appropriate length and width installed to cover the area of the wiring. Exception No.1: Steel plates shall not be required to protect rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, rigid nonmetallic conduit, or electrical metallic tubing. Exception No.2: A listed and marked steel plate less than 1.6 mm (1/16 in.) thick that provides equal or better protection against nail or screw penetration shall be permitted. (2) Notches in Wood. Where there is no objection because of weakening the building structure, in both exposed and concealed locations, cables or raceways shall be permitted to be laid in notches in wood studs, joists, rafters, or other wood members where the cable or raceway at those points is protected against nails or screws by a steel plate at least 1.6 mm (1/16 in.) thick, and of appropriate length and width, installed to cover the area of the wiring. The steel plate shall be installed before the building finish is applied. Exception No.1: Steel plates shall not be required to protect rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, rigid nonmetallic conduit, or electrical metallic tubing. Exception No.2: A listed and marked steel plate less than 1.6 mm (1/16 in.) thick that provides equal or better protection against nail or screw penetration shall be permitted.

I plan to use Forte in my kitchen with my existing maple cabinets. Has anyone use Forte with maple? i am hoping the gray and gold in forte will come out. Any suggestion/ opinion?