Pellet grills and smokers are expensive pieces of equipment, and if you treat them right they’ll return the favor! Here are some quick and easy steps you should take to ensure you’ve prepared your equipment for winter or given it the annual tune-up.

Note: You can smoke food on a pellet grill, and you can grill food on a pellet smoker. Here we’ll use the term “grill or smoker” to be inclusive.

Clean Your Pellet Grill or Smoker

Food and grease attract critters during the cold months and dirty equipment can lead to mold growth, even if it’s outside in the cold. Here are the how-to steps for cleaning your pellet grill or smoker:

• Fire up your grill or smoker to its maximum temperature. (Check your owner’s manual or website for the recommended max temp). Leave the grates in during the cleaning process. The grates are very vulnerable to mold and need to be carefully cleaned before you put everything away for the season. Let it go at that temperature for one hour. This will burn up most of the grease and food bits.
• Let everything cool down.
• When cleaning a pellet-powered cooker, you MUST remove all pellets from the hopper, pot and auger. Pellets are compacted wood particles, and if they get wet, which is inevitable, they will expand. At a minimum, this will cause a mess, but it is possible the bloated pellets could cause long-term damage to your equipment. A shop vacuum is a great tool to suck up any missed pellets. Don’t cut corners here, get all those pellets out!
• Brush, wipe off and wipe down the remaining soot. Wire brushes are very popular but it is possible a bristle could come off and get in your food and that can be dangerous. Because of that risk, nylon brushes are becoming more popular and is what I use exclusively now. After brushing the grates, walls and any other exposed area of any remaining chunks of food or grease, wipe off the inside with paper towels to get the small particles of soot the brush didn’t scrape off.
• Use a good spray cleaner multiple times during the year, and especially now that you’re preparing for the off-season. At this point, all that should be left inside your grill or smoker is some fine soot or a little grease. The spray cleaner will take care of that. Spray down any remaining dirty parts, including the grates and wipe them down one more time with paper towels. Citrus cleaning products do a great job cutting through the grease and leave your equipment smelling fresh and clean. Put a Cover on Your Pellet Grill or Smoker

Cover Your Pellet Grill or Smoker

I know this seems obvious but you would be surprised how many people spend hundreds of dollars or more on a nice pellet grill, smoker or pizza oven and then leave it out in the elements. For most outdoor cooking equipment, covers made specifically for each model are available. A quality model-specific cover should be in the $50 range and deluxe covers can cost as much as $100 or more.

I recommend buying a model-specific cover over a generic one because it will fit better. If your model doesn’t offer a cover or you want to keep the cost lower, Amazon has many to choose from in the range of $20 to $40. Measure the dimensions of your pellet grill or smoker and purchase a cover to match. To protect your cover from blowing off, secure it to the grill or smoker with the locking strap. If the cover didn’t come with one, purchase a sturdy strap or two to lock down the cover. Properly securing the cover is important because you won’t be paying much attention to this equipment for a few months, so if your cover blows off you might not even notice.

Unplug Your Pellet Grill or Smoker

Yep, I’ve made this mistake, too. I left my pellet grill plugged in and when I went to use it in the spring the electronic computer part called the control board no longer worked. I called customer service to troubleshoot and they told me leaving it plugged in all winter likely caused the problem. I have a higher-end model, and it cost me $99 to replace the control board. Thankfully that’s all it took to get my pellet grill working again. Even on lower-end models, a replacement control board will cost $40 or more.

Disconnect Everything From Your Pellet Grill or Smoker

If your power cord, meat probes or anything else unplugs, disconnect and store them. Put whatever you disconnected in a sealable plastic bag and leave them on the shelf under your cooker. That way you’ll know right where they are when you need them again in the spring.

Store Your Pellet Grill or Smoker in a Safe Location

The common theme here is that you should keep your equipment dry. Ideally, store the cleaned grill or smoker in a garage or shed to keep it out of the wind and snow. If that’s not an option and you have to leave it outside, store it under the overhang of your roof or somewhere else where rain or melting snow isn’t likely to run down and pool up on the cover or around the legs. If your overhang isn’t large enough to keep the equipment safe from rain, ice and snow, look for another location that can provide overhead protection.

Using Your Grill or Smoker Again in the Spring

When it’s time to fire up your pellet grill or smoker again, it’s a good idea to run it at a high temperature with no food for an hour to be completely sure all parts are food safe. Then you’ll be ready to start grilling and smoking again.

The industry responded with luxury vinyl tiles, engineered in layers and closely resembling hardwood, stone and other natural materials. They became popular in Europe and Asia in the ’80s and subsequently in North America.

The original luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) and luxury vinyl planks (LVP) were vinyl all the way through. Around 2010, manufacturers began reinforcing the core with plastic composite to produce rigid core flooring. That core typically consists of wood plastic composite (WPC) or stone plastic composite (SPC). The latter is the type you increasingly find in modern LVT and LVP products.

WPC is a type of high-density fiberboard. Although sealed by layers of vinyl, it can be as vulnerable to moisture as wood. But an SPC core contains no wood.

What Is SPC Flooring?

SPC flooring is luxury vinyl plank or tile flooring with a stone-plastic composite core. Also known as rigid core or engineered vinyl flooring, it’s manufactured in four or five layers, depending on whether the backing is foam or cork. The backing is often added for comfort and insulation.

Manufacturers produce the SPC core, typically from 3.2- to 7 millimeters thick, by combining limestone powder, polyvinyl chloride and stabilizers. SPC is thinner than typical WPC because stone is denser than wood. Owing to the limestone core, SPC floors are durable, with typical warranty periods running 25 years or so.

Pros and Cons of SPC Flooring

In general, SPC flooring shares the benefits and drawbacks of rigid core flooring.

Pros

• Easy to install: SPC flooring boards snap together like laminate boards and float above the subfloor. No glue or nails required.
• Durable: A wear layer protects the design layer, resisting scratches and damage from ultraviolet light.
• Comfortable: Most SPC flooring planks and tiles feature an underlayment cushion for comfortable walking and some heat and sound insulation.
• Lots of design choices: Designs mimic various types of hardwood and stone flooring, as well as geometric patterns reminiscent of old-style linoleum and vinyl sheet flooring.

Cons

• Undeniably imitation: No matter how realistic the design layer, SPC flooring still looks like vinyl. That’s not a huge issue for geometric design patterns or even faux stone, but a wood pattern will never look like real wood.
• Colors fade: Despite the UV protective coating, SPC flooring fades over time in direct sunlight.
• Not scratch-proof: The wear layer is scratch-resistant, not scratch-proof. Heavy foot and pet traffic eventually makes it look worn.
• Can’t be restored: Once your SPC floor loses its luster, you can’t refinish it. The only option is replacement.

SPC flooring also has multiple pluses and one big minus compared to WPC. On the plus side:

• More stable: Because it doesn’t contain wood, SPC flooring won’t expand and contract with changing temperature and moisture conditions.
• More impact resistant: SPC flooring is denser and resists impact more than WPC.
• Less expensive: SPC is generally more affordable.

On the minus side, SPC features a thinner core layer than WPC. It feels less comfortable to walk on, and doesn’t provide as much thermal and sound insulation. These problems can be remedied by installing an underlayment first.

How Much Does SPC Flooring Cost?

It’s less expensive than real hardwood or stone tile, especially if you install it yourself. The national average for rigid core flooring, including SPC and WPC options, is around $4 per square foot (psf). Compare that to hardwood, which costs from $3 to $10 psf, and stone tile, which runs $5 to $10 psf — not including installation.

SPC could be considered a type of laminate, because the planks are constructed the same way with different materials, and installation is similar. Laminates tend to cost from $1.50 to $3.50 psf, so they can be cheaper than SPC. Laminate flooring is not as durable, long-lasting or comfortable, however. The cost for professional installation is similar to laminate, about $3 to $8 psf.

How To Install SPC Flooring

Luxury vinyl flooring with an SPC core comes in planks or tiles that snap together to form a floating floor. Unlike earlier versions, most require no glue. They’re easy to assemble, even easier than laminate planks, because you can cut them by scoring with a knife and snapping. You only need a saw for cutting curves and notches.

SPC flooring can be installed over many other types of flooring, including hardwood, vinyl and some types of tile. The subfloor must be flat, however, so some preparation might be required first. An underlayment is also recommended if the product you install doesn’t have one. Finally, you’ll need to install baseboards to hold the flooring down.

What Is a Dado Joint?

A dado joint connects the end of one piece of wood to the side of another, creating a right angle.

You start by cutting a slot across the grain of the one board. This dado slot has a bottom and two sides, or “shoulders.” The space between the shoulders should match the thickness of the wood you’re inserting, creating a physical connection that can be easily reinforced with glue.

Dado joints are commonly used in bookshelves, drawer dividers and any other project where the material will be supported by dadoes on both sides.

Is There a Difference Between Rabbet and Dado Joints?

Yes. Dado joints should not be confused with rabbets.

A dado falls within the center of the material, consisting of a slot with a bottom and two shoulders. When viewed from the side, a dado looks like a capital ‘U.’ A rabbet, on the other hand, is cut into the end of the material. It has a bottom and one side, leaving the other side open. A rabbet’s profile resembles a capital ‘L’ cut into the wood.

However, there’s one variation of dado joint known as a “rabbet dado” or “rabbet and dado” joint. In this version, the dado is cut at a width that’s less than the thickness of the material to be joined. Then a rabbet is cut into the second material so the end can be inserted into the dado.

Types of Dado Joints

A quick note on terminology: Dado joints are typically cut across the grain of the receiving piece. If a cut goes along the grain, many woodworkers refer to it as a channel or groove (as in “tongue and groove”). In practice, many woodworkers simply refer to all of the above as a “dado” joint. As always, terminology varies by region and even from woodworker to woodworker.

There are two main types of dado joints:.

• Through dado joints pass from one end of the board to the other, creating a U shaped slot all the way through. Through dado joints are great if you want simple construction and don’t mind a visible joint on both ends.
• Stopped dado joints don’t clear the far edge of the board, resulting in a dead end. The board that slides into the dado can be kept whole or have a notch the thickness of the dado cut into its end. That way, it will extend past the stop to fall flush with the end of the joined material. Stopped dado joints hide the wood grain on the far end.

Dado Joint Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• Simple to make: Especially when using a dado insert on a table saw or a router.
• Strong when properly supported: There’s a reason these joints are so common, and it’s because they provide a high level of strength for relatively little effort.

Disadvantages

• Not as strong as other joints: Although dado joints are strong when properly supported, they don’t have the strength of a mortise-and-tenon or tongue-and-groove joint. Sufficient torque on the far end of the inserted material will make the the joint come loose.

Dado Joint Tools

While it’s possible to cut a dado joint by hand (usually with a dado plane), it’s far more common to make the cut with a table saw or router and clean it up with hand tools.

Table saw

Perhaps the most commonly-used tool to make dado joints is a table saw with a dado set. For those unfamiliar, a dado set is like a blade sandwich, with a stack of chippers sandwiched between two saw blades. The number of chippers determines the thickness of the dado.

Router

But not all table saws accept dado sets, and not every woodworker owns a table saw. The other most common way to make a dado is with a router. Use a jig or a straight-edge clamped to your work piece and select an appropriately-sized router bit.

Pro tip: Use a router and straight edge to cut a wide dado. It can be easy to fall out of parallel when resetting the straightedge to make multiple passes, resulting in a tapered cut. Instead, set up two straightedges to establish clean, parallel edges of the dado. If there’s any additional material remaining in the center, simply remove it with a freehand router pass.

Clean-up tools

No matter how you make the initial pass on the dado, it’s common to smooth and level the opening with a combination of chisels, planes and files or sandpaper. 

Replacement probably wouldn’t have been necessary had I chosen rigid core flooring, and I wouldn’t have worked so hard to install it. The floor would have look great and been more comfortable to walk on, too.

Rigid core flooring is synthetic, but it comes in a huge number of patterns. I probably could have found one that resembled the narrow-slat oak I actually chose.

Working at the time as a professional hardwood flooring installer and refinisher, I favored real hardwood. That was then and this is now. Today I wouldn’t hesitate choosing rigid core flooring for my kitchen because it’s waterproof and luxurious, which is probably why they also call it luxury vinyl flooring.

You do have to get past its plastic-like appearance, but manufacturers are making it easier by improving the finish.

What Is Rigid Core Flooring?

Rigid core flooring is a type of vinyl plank flooring constructed in four or five layers, depending on the product. Most luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring sold these days is rigid core flooring. Because the core is an engineered composite, it’s also known as engineered vinyl plank (EVP) flooring.

The top wear layer (the one you walk on) features a scratch-resistant coating. A water-resistant topcoat beneath that protects the vinyl design layer underneath, which can mimic stone, ceramic tile or wood. The next layer is a rigid composite core of crushed limestone or wood fibers combined with plastic resin. Most products have a water-resistant cork underlayment as a final layer that provides extra cushion and insulation.

Pros and Cons of Rigid Core Flooring

Rigid core flooring is 100 percent waterproof and would have easily stood up to the water leak in my kitchen. It’s a great choice for below-grade installations like basements, where other types of flooring would warp or separate from the subfloor. Like most products, it comes with number of advantages and some drawbacks.

Pros

• Design flexibility: It comes in lots of patterns, including imitation stone and hardwood. The color range is equally varied.
• Sound and thermal insulation: Products with a cork underlayment act like carpeting, attenuating the noise of footsteps and preventing heat loss through the floor.
• Long warranty periods: These generally last 20 to 25 years.
• Easy to install: Homeowners can save money by installing it themselves.
• Can be installed almost anywhere: Rigid core flooring holds up well in moist, high-traffic areas like laundry rooms, entryways and basements. Some brands can even work outdoors.

Cons

• Can be uncomfortable: Brands that lack the cork underlayment layer can be as rigid as hardwood.
• Not as long-lasting as some other materials: Though warranties run for up to 25 years, it won’t outlast hardwood or ceramic tile.
• Somewhat fragile: The surface coating is scratch-resistant, not scratch-proof. Heavy foot traffic, pet nails and spills all take their toll and can make the floor look worn.
• Color fades: Vinyl flooring must be protected from direct sunlight to prevent the color from fading and washing out.

How Much Does Rigid Core Flooring Cost?

It ranges from $1.70 to $8 per square foot (psf), depending on brand, with a national average of about $4 psf. That’s less than engineered hardwood flooring ($3 to $10 psf) and stone tile ($5 to $10 psf), but more expensive than laminate, ceramic tile or carpet.

The real savings come when you forgo professional installation, which costs from $4 to $7.50 psf, and do the job yourself. This is more feasible with rigid core flooring than most other types of flooring except perhaps laminate.

Of note: Today, rigid core flooring is virtually synonymous with LVP or luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring, because the rigid core replaces the flexible core in older versions.

How To Install Rigid Core Flooring

If you’ve ever installed laminate flooring, you know all there is to know about installing rigid core flooring. The planks have snap-together tongues and grooves. Because the floor isn’t attached to the subfloor, you can assemble the planks like a jigsaw puzzle.

To cut a plank, simply score it with a knife and break it across a straight edge. You might need a power saw to cut a notch or fit the flooring around a curve.

Rigid core flooring with a backing needs no underlayment, but you may want to install one anyway for extra insulation and cushioning. It’s also important to lay it on a flat surface. Installing it on a concrete subfloor may require some leveling first. This type of floating floor needs baseboards to hold it down, so factor that into your DIY installation plan.