Hmm, fabric or concrete?

Planning to redo the interior of your home? This is the paperback reference book to consult if you want to compare construction and decorating materials. This book describes just about every imaginable substance that can be used in a home improvement project, including woods and wood composites, papers, fabrics, concrete and ceramics.

The book is well-organized and easy to follow, with a two-page spread devoted to a photograph of each material, some quick background and then a description of its properties, how it can be used and maintained, a short description of its safety and environmental friendliness, its availability in the marketplace and -- most important -- a cost ranking and specifications for how each substance is sold.

An extra bonus? Home remodelers might just glean some nifty ideas on ways to incorporate some unusual materials -- slumped glass for a bathroom screen or medium-density fiberboard for a curved baseboard -- in their projects.

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Robin Greene Hagey