for Cold Climate Housing and much more

Found 66 results for the keyword ‘Damage’

  • WHAT FACTORS CAN MAKE BASEMENT PROBLEMS WORSE?

    Any of the following five factors can make matters worse:-- Thermally conductive soils: Dense soils that hold water fairly well, in contact with the basement wall are asking for trouble. Clay soils are even worse in that they allow migration upward of water through capillary action, the prim...
  • WHAT FACTORS CAN MAKE BETTER BASEMENTS?

    The three fundamental cures for basement problems are: removing the water from the outside, using granular back fill or a drainage layer against the foundation wall and insulating on the outside of the basement. Any one could stop or prevent a problem, all three of them together is the bes...
  • HOW CAN I STOP FROST HEAVING FROM MOVING WING WALLS AND POSTS?

    Wing walls, posts, and concrete steps are common candidates for ad-freezing, even if they go below the frost line. They usually do not have proper granular back-fill around them, they have no weeping tiles under them, and they receive little or no heat from the basement. They are overlooked...
  • Replacing plastic laminate on a counter

    A viewer asked the question, can I replace the plastic surface on my kitchen counter?If there are curves and bends, like a round front edge or a continuous splashback, either forget it, or cut off the curves. With home workshop equipment you won't manage to mold the new plastic laminate to th...
  • Plugging staple holes in floors with toothpicks?

    George from Hamilton, Ontario suggests using round toothpicks to plug the holes left by staples after pulling up a carpet.It does plug them easily and permanently, but if you are going to stain the floor, the end grain of the toothpick will take on a lot more stain than the rest of the floor, mak...
  • White buildup under crawlspace

    I got Dino from North York, Ontario on the phone to talk about his crawlspace. He has a split level home and below the upper split is a crawlspace with a concrete floor. He never seemed to have a problem until he decided to finish this space and use it for storage. He put vinyl tiles on th...
  • A look at a bad roofing job and how to hire a roofing contractor.

    Annie has three roofs on her house, a shingled roof in the front part followed by an asphalt and gravel flat roof and then an elastomeric membrane flat roof over her back porch. They all seem to leak. The asphalt roof is only six years old, installed by someone who advertised in the local paper...
  • MYTH: VAPOUR BARRIERS CAUSE INSIDE CONDENSATION PROBLEMS.

    False. Vapour barriers, together with air barriers, prevent moisture from escaping into the walls. In this sense vapour barriers make you more aware of the quantity of moisture you have generated in your house. Condensation problems are caused by generating too much moisture and/or having too ...
  • Weather Restrictions: Acrylic Sealer for Asphalt Driveways

    Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Asphalt     Product: Acrylic sealer for Asphalt Driveways Temperature Limitations: Above +10 C (+50 F) and below +30 C (+85 F) Rain Limitations: No rain for 24 hours Wind Limitations:  n/a Humidi...
  • Weather Restrictions: Asphalt Emulsion Sealer for Asphalt Driveways

    Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Asphalt     Product: Asphalt emulsion sealer for Asphalt Driveways Temperature Limitations: Above +10 C (+50 F) and below +38 C (+100 F) Rain Limitations: No rain for 24 hours Wind Limitations:  n...