Tools & Home Improvement Specs Explained

Plain explanations of tools & home improvement specs on Wiki Shopping, such as sizes and ratings, and what each one changes when you choose a product.

Bar chart of the highest gloss reading allowed at 60 degrees for each MPI gloss level. Flat is up to 5 units, velvet 10, eggshell 25, satin 35, semi-gloss 70 and gloss 85.

Interior Paint Sheens: Flat to Gloss

Flat paint hides flaws but stains most easily, eggshell and satin suit most walls, and semi-gloss or gloss suit trim, doors and cabinets you clean often.

Bar chart of water softeners on Wiki Shopping by system type. Salt-based is the largest group with 23 softeners, followed by salt-free with 11, portable or RV with 8 and dual tank with 8.

Water Softener Sizing and Grain Capacity

Size a water softener by multiplying people by daily water use per person and hardness in grains per gallon, then pick a capacity that lasts several days.

Bar chart of bathroom sinks on Wiki Shopping by type. Vessel sinks lead with 42, followed by console sinks with 16, vanity sink tops with 11 and pedestal sinks with 2.

Bathroom Sink Types: Undermount, Drop-In, Vessel

Drop-in sinks rest on the counter by their rim and are the simplest to install, undermount sinks hang below for easy cleaning, and vessel sinks sit on top.

Bar chart of bidet products on Wiki Shopping by type. Bidet faucets lead with 156, followed by handheld sprayers with 152, bidet seats with 131, attachments with 88 and portable bidets with 33.

Bidet Seat Basics: Seat vs Attachment, How to Measure

A bidet seat replaces your toilet seat and can add heat and warm water, an attachment fits under the seat you have, and three measurements decide the fit.

Bar chart of the ENERGY STAR minimum high-speed airflow by ceiling fan size. A 44-inch fan needs at least 2,640 CFM, a 52-inch fan 3,687 CFM, a 60-inch fan 4,909 CFM and a 72-inch fan 7,069 CFM.

Ceiling Fan Sizes: What Size Fan, CFM and Motors

Match blade span to floor area, about 44 inches for a small bedroom up to 84 inches for a great room, then compare airflow (CFM) and efficiency (CFM per watt).

Bar chart of power saws on Wiki Shopping by type. Table saws are the largest group with 215, followed by miter saws with 181 and jigsaws with 162.

Circular Saw vs Miter Saw vs Table Saw: Saw Types

A circular saw is the portable all-rounder, a miter saw makes accurate repeat crosscuts, and a table saw rips long boards and sheets fed into the blade.

Bar chart of door hardware and locks on Wiki Shopping by type. Latches and bolts lead with 23 listings, followed by door knobs with 18 and lock replacement parts with 9.

Door Lock Grades: ANSI Grade 1, 2, 3 and Backset

ANSI/BHMA grades run from 1 (highest) to 3 and come from the standard's lab tests, while backset is the distance from the door edge to the lock hole's center.

Bar chart of copper wire size against amp rating from the Cerrowire chart. 14 AWG is rated 15 amps, 12 AWG 20 amps, 10 AWG 30 amps, 8 AWG 40 amps and 6 AWG 55 amps.

Electrical Wire Sizes: 12/2 vs 14/2, 20 Amp and THHN

A 20 amp household circuit takes 12 AWG copper wire and a 15 amp circuit takes 14 AWG; in 12/2 the 12 is the gauge and the 2 is the number of insulated wires.

Bar chart of the voltage lost in a 100 foot extension cord carrying 13 amps. 14 AWG loses about 6.8 volts, 12 AWG about 4.3 volts and 10 AWG about 2.7 volts.

Extension Cord Gauge: 12 vs 14 vs 16 AWG Explained

A lower AWG number means thicker wire; Southwire rates its 16 gauge cord at 13 amps and its 14 and 12 gauge cords at 15, and long runs need thicker wire.

Bar chart of rated laser level accuracy converted to inches of error at 100 feet. A cross line laser is rated about 0.42 inch, a 3-plane 360 laser about 0.38 inch, and a high precision 360 laser and a rotary laser 0.25 inch.

Line vs Rotary Laser Levels: Types and Accuracy

A line laser projects fixed lines for indoor layout, a 360 laser wraps them around the room, and a rotary laser spins one beam for long outdoor distances.

Bar chart of welders on Wiki Shopping by welding process. TIG is the largest group with 30 welders, followed by multi-process with 25, MIG with 12 and stick with 7.

MIG vs TIG vs Stick Welders: Types and Sizes

MIG is the easiest process to learn, TIG gives the most control on thin metal, and stick handles rusty metal and wind; size by thickness and duty cycle.

Bar chart of the 252 toilets on Wiki Shopping that state a flush volume. 1.2 to 1.4 gallons per flush is the largest group with 161 toilets, followed by 1.5 to 1.6 with 67 and under 1.2 with 24.

Toilet Sizes: Elongated vs Round, Height and Rough-In

Elongated bowls are about two inches longer than round ones, chair height means a 17 to 19 inch seat, and the rough-in must match your floor drain.

Bar chart of ENERGY STAR daily energy limits for water coolers. Hot and cold storage units may use up to 0.80 kWh per day for high capacity and 0.68 for low capacity, on-demand hot units 0.18 and cold-only units 0.16.

Water Dispenser Types: Top vs Bottom Load and Power

Top-load coolers are simple and cheap, bottom-load coolers spare you the lift, and point-of-use units plumb in; hot water tanks drive most power use.