While windows attract most of the attention when it comes to energy efficiency, doors can play a major part in what can go wrong -- or right. Doors have a particularly difficult role to fill. Not only do they need to open and close smoothly and easily, but they also have to seal tigh...
Or, given the same geographical and climatic situation, if two people in the house want to use hot water at the same time, those two users might have to share the hot water coming out of the water heater -- and neither is likely to be satisfied with how much they are getting. The k...
PERFORMANCE TABLE of HOUSEWRAPS - permeance ratings or "perm" ratings of types of housewrap materials & plywood & OSB CAN the VAPOR BARRIER or HOUSEWRAP be OMITTED? The purpose of building sheathing paper (such as Typar™, Tyvek™ or "Housewrap") is to prevent drafts and the entry of...
Roll the stain on 2 or 4 planks at once, and work with the grain from one end of the deck boards to the other.Combining the roller with a brush will speed the brush work up, but slow the roller work down. However, back brushing the stain into the grain and plank edges will result...
Seal all the edges, penetrations, and seams. Sheathe the kneewall during framing. Doing things in the right order is key, no matter what material you use, though. Sheathing the kneewalls should happen during framing, before the electricians, HVAC contractors, and other trade...
On a sunny day go into the shed, cover all the windows, and note where the light comes in. These are the obvious locations to seal. The more airtight I can make my shed, the more comfortable it will be in winter and summer; and less expensive to heat or cool. Some of the cracks...
One advantage of using closed cell spray foam insulation is that you can avoid having to put the polystyrene and taping it. Simply offset the studs from the wall, and the foam, when applied, will completely seal the wall and insulate it. The moisture drive in a basement is from the inter...
OSB is generally available as 8x4 sheets which have a square edge. If you look you may find smaller sheets that have interlocking edges for use as flooring (at a higher price!).To prevent differential movement between boards make sure that you have some sort of support along the board ...
you may want to use a pneumatic nailer (recommended!) for framing/roofing and thus would not need to buy as many regular nails as the print out suggests. Additionally, you may want to add insulation, space your studs to 24", use OSB (oriented strand board) instead of plywood, or specif...
When you’re happy with the surface, it’s time to seal the sills to prevent staining and degradation. I allow at least a week of curing time before doing this; otherwise, coating adhesion is poor because the concrete is still releasing moisture. ...