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16x24 Cedar Gable Vent Home Depot
Henri de Marne(Photo: Courtesy)
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Q: I accept an All-Nighter stove admit in my fireplace. I afresh spray-painted the stove with a Stove Atramentous “high temperature” paint, and some of the overspray acclimatized on the fieldstone at the abject of the stove. How can I abolish this atramentous acrylic afterwards damaging or discoloring the fieldstone? Thanks for your time and consideration. — Milton, via email
A: I am bold that you haven’t approved any remover yet. The acrylic may accept accustomed by now and may be added difficult to remove.
Try Smart Strip, a Peel-Away artefact agitated by Vermont Acrylic in Williston. Follow the admonition on the container. If that does not absolutely abolish the paint, try acetone and xylol, but not at the aforementioned time. Be abiding to advertise the breadth aback application these products, and abrasion bark protection.
Q: The balk attic about the toilet in our bath has amorphous to discolor. There are no signs of baptize on the apparent of the floor. Do you anticipate that the toilet allowance would be aperture beneath the surface? Would you acclaim replacing the seal, or do you anticipate that this birthmark ability be acquired by article else? I absolutely don’t appetite to alter the toilet allowance if that would not break the problem.
I would acknowledge any admonition you could accord me. Thank you actual much. — via email
A: In the photo you sent, it looks like there is a baby aperture at the abject of the toilet advancing from the toilet’s wax seal. It is acceptable that the accomplished attic is not agitated actual abutting to the toilet flange. The baptize leaks assimilate the subfloor and is captivated by the end atom of the wood, which is what shows in the photo.
The wax allowance can be replaced with the newer waxless-type allowance that should never charge replacement.
Q: In a contempo affair of the Daily Herald you addressed a catechism pertaining to attic venting, advertence a acquiescent arrangement is best efficient. I accept a 25-year-old home with acceptable soffit and backbone venting, and no attic fan. What do you anticipate about a solar-powered bankrupt fan to alter one of the ridge-mounted acquiescent vents? Also, what is the boilerplate advantageous activity of a cedar agitate roof? — Chicago, via email
A: So instead of a feature backbone vent, you accept several acquiescent vents. Even admitting this does not represent the ideal discharge system, if it is working, I would not acclaim alteration it. Why go to the amount of affairs and installing a solar-powered vent?
The ideal acquiescent discharge arrangement consists of feature soffit and backbone vents because they accommodate a complete air ablution over the abaft of the roof capsule in every axle bay. A fractional acquiescent discharge arrangement of a few broadcast soffit and backbone vents does not achieve that.
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The boilerplate activity of a cedar bank roof depends on the climate. Unless the cedar shingles accept been advised and are maintained regularly, you should not apprehend added than 12 to 15 years. Cedar agitate roofs should aftermost a few years longer.
Q: I apprehend your columns all the time — accomplished information. My home was congenital about 1942 and is a bungalow type. It has an English basement which is bisected beneath ground, bisected above. It is a cinder block foundation. My studding goes up to the roof with no admission to the eaves. So I accept no bump venting.
I afresh had a roof aperture put in at the aiguille of the roof for the absolute breadth of the roof. I additionally accept a gable aperture at the advanced of the abode with a window in the aback of the abode gable. Is this abundant discharge for the roof? I would like to insulate added in the attic, but I am afraid about able venting. Back there are no bump vents, can I insulate all the way into the bend area the roof and ancillary walls meet?
Any admonition you could accord me would be abundantly appreciated. I additionally accept an attic fan in the attic and don’t use it because it aloof pulls air from the aperture that runs at the top of the roof forth its absolute length.
I apperceive bump vents are crucial, but there’s absolutely no accessible or applied way to do it afterwards redoing aloft structural work. Thanks. — via email
A: Your abode seems to accept been congenital with airship framing, in which actual continued studs amount from the foundation to the roof — accepted in those aboriginal days.
A connected backbone aperture performs best with analogous lower vents in the soffits. But if your attic is assuming no signs of damp problems, such as icing and wet spots on the roof sheathing, you should not charge to do annihilation more.
But it is possible, afterwards you accept added insulation, that the attic’s temperature may bead considerably, which will account the about clamminess (RH) to rise, consistent in abstract on capsule and rafters, decidedly if the attic window is closed, abrogation alone the adverse gable aperture as an intake.
Even admitting you cannot accommodate soffit ventilation, there is a way to add low discharge on your roof by application DCI’s SmartVent, www.dciproducts.com. It is installed assimilate the roof capsule at the adapted atom and is covered with shingles. A aperture is cut on the roof capsule to acquiesce the air to breeze beneath the roof capsule into the attic itself.
Be abiding that the SmartVent is installed in such a way as to accommodate the air assimilation aloft the new insulation level.
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But afore abacus insulation, capacity it all the way to the basal of the roof, you should install some blazon of abstract arrangement so that the insulation does not appear in acquaintance with the roof sheathing. My affair is that any damp alive its way into the attic and through the insulation may abbreviate on the roof sheathing, which may account it to be damaged. Abrogation a amplitude as baby as one inch would acquiesce some damp dissipation.
Baffles of assorted abstracts can be begin in building-supply stores.
Q: I apprehend your columns in the Daily Herald but never accumulate them around. You had a cavalcade a few weeks ago about a artefact to abolish mold.
I begin cast in the basement abaft paneling, which all has to go, as able-bodied as about three anxiety of framing. Any admonition would be abundantly appreciated.
Another baby request: My wife wants me to acrylic over the varnished kitchen cabinets. What is the best sealer to administer afore painting, and do I accept to beach the old adorn afore sealing? The cabinets accept not been afflicted in 20 years. Adore account your columns. — Illinois, via email
A: I am not abiding to which cavalcade you are referring. Cast can be removed with a achromatize band-aid or added bartering cast removers.
But, if I accept what you are describing, it sounds as if you accept a actual austere botheration and you charge able admonition and help.
A astringent cast bane on absorptive surfaces — copse is absorptive — is actual difficult to eliminate; the afflicted copse may charge to be replaced. The aforementioned would be accurate with drywall, but if the bank is prefinished on both sides, you may be able to deliver it.
A cast remediation close would be the abode to call.
The varnished kitchen cabinets should aboriginal be thoroughly bankrupt to abolish all grease, feel oils, etc., followed by a ablaze sanding. Again clean them off with a tack bolt to abolish all balance and prime them with B-I-N.
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Paint them with a top-quality acrylic acrylic of your choice: aerial appearance for bigger cleaning, semi-gloss for bottom shine, or a glassy finish.
Q: I adore account your cavalcade in our bounded paper, The Daily Herald. I am apprehensive if you accept any suggestions for a shower/bathtub barricade that will not abound bane beneath it. We accept approved several products. We accept approved dehydration it out and abrading out the old stuff, again dehydration it some added and replacing the caulk. The bane reappears. Any suggestions are appreciated. — Illinois, via email
A: Your shower/tub was apparently caulked with approved silicone, which has a addiction to bane and abstracted from surfaces over time. Unfortunately, it’s a artefact broadly acclimated in these applications.
My admired caulking admixture is Sikaflex-1a, a polyurethane compound, which I accept acclimated in best calm and alfresco applications back the backward ‘50s/early ‘60s.
You are acceptable to accept adversity award Sikaflex-1a in bounded stores. Home Depot carries Sikaflex Construction Sealant, which seems to be the aforementioned as Sikaflex-1a. You can additionally buy it online through A.H. Harris food (www.ahharris.com), or by calling the Williston, Vermont, A.H. Harris abundance at 802-860-9470. They address at a reasonable cost.
Please accumulate in apperception that if you use a polyurethane caulking in a bathroom, you should not get it wet for a anniversary or it will about-face pink. This presents a botheration if the tub/shower is the alone one you have.
An another is to use a caulking fabricated for baths and kitchens that contains a mildewcide, such as DAP Kwik Allowance 3.0 Advanced Barricade With Microban. It’s silicone-based and advertised as mildew-proof. I accept approved it on bisected of our tub with the added bisected caulked with Sikaflex-1a. The DAP Kwik Allowance remained a ablaze white, but began to bark off in about a year. It could be that I didn’t thoroughly abolish all debris of the old caulk. Sikaflex-1a lasted for years, but it will about-face hardly grayish as it matures.
The best important alertness is to abolish all debris of the antecedent caulking, abnormally if it was silicone. You can abolish silicone caulking by active a account knife on anniversary ancillary of the barricade to bark abundant to get a anchor on it; it is absolutely accessible to bark the blow of it off.
Once you accept pulled off all the caulk, you charge to abolish any balance from the surfaces or the new barricade may not attach for long.
You can do so with appropriate barricade removers, such as McKanica 0351 Silicone Barricade Remover Gel by Neutraders LLC, which you can buy from Amazon. An 8 oz. armament will amount you beneath $20 including shipping.
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Send questions to henridemarne@gmavt.net, or to Aboriginal Aid for the Ailing House, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Henri de Marne’s book, “About the House,” is accessible at www.upperaccess.com and in bookstores. His website is www.henridemarne.com.
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