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Found 116 results for the keyword ‘Moisture’

  • Water oozing up through floor tiles.

    Stephanie saw a show where we were tracking down what was causing water to ooze up through floor tiles laid on a basement floor. She wanted to share her very strange experience with water oozing up through floor tiles on the main floor of the house. She finally discovered that the clothes dryer ...
  • Insulating an above grade block wall from the inside

    This article deals with a block wall above grade.  For a below grade block wall see Basement Perimeter Drainage and Leaking Foundations.   Bryan is faced with a totally un-insulated cinder block wall with 1x2 strapping and a plaster covering.  He is thinking about stripping it back to the block...
  • Weather Restrictions: Masonry based weather proofing coatings (parging)

    Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Masonry     Product: Masonry based weatherproofing coatings Temperature Limitations: Use above +7 C (+45 F) Rain Limitations: No rain until hardened -- about 8 hours Wind Limitations:  High wind c...
  • Weather Restrictions: Bituminous foundation moisture control coating

    Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Concrete     Product: Bituminous foundation moisture control coating Temperature Limitations: Water based products must be used above freezing -- Solvent based materials minimum -17 C (+1 F) Rain L...
  • Modern Lime Wash for the Heritage look.

    Lime was the primary ingredient in most stains in the old days -- it was called a 'lime wash'. It can be used to stain all porous materials including masonry, concrete, and stucco without causing any of the moisture problems that modern finishes may cause. Given the need to use traditional mater...
  • Hardwood Floors, nailing and shrinkage

    Holly in Wasi Lake, Ontario wants to know why her 1x10 pine tongue-and-groove floors are shrinking and leaving such large cracks. If you look at traditional hardwood floors you will notice that each board is rather narrow. In fact it is difficult to locate hardwood floors that are wider than 4 i...
  • Protecting wood from moisture in concrete

    Concrete will allow water or water vapour to move through it quite easily, so any wood in contact with concrete must either be pressure treated wood, or you should have a plastic separator between the wood and the concrete. A simple slip of polyethylene plastic is all it takes to prevent rot at t...
  • WHAT IS AN AIR-TO-AIR HEAT EXCHANGER, HRV and ERV?

    Air-change ventilation systems exist that take stale air out and bring fresh air in so as to not rely on cold air drafts for the entry of fresh air to the house. They are simply a box with two fans. In a few of the warm spots of Canada these are legitimate systems on their own. In most of Canada ...
  • What is the difference between a vapour barrier and an air barrier?

    It's become very important to understand the difference between a vapor barrier and an air barrier. If we completely seal a polyethylene sheet on the warm side of the insulation, we call it a combined air/vapor barrier. But it's possible to put the vapor barrier on the warm side of the insulati...
  • Insulating a Cathedral Ceiling - OVERVIEW

    Hello Jon, I have a cathedral ceiling with a shingled roof. If I insulate the roof air tight, will the shingles lift and curl as they do on poorly ventilated roofs? The other thought is leaving an 1 1/2 inch space between the roof deck and the insulation  and installing a ridge vent, which give...