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Found 96 results for the search ‘Basement walls’

• Article

  Will insulating a floor make it warmer?

  Lee from Portugal Cove, Newfoundland is trying to warm up his floor without warming up his basement. "The floor above the basement is plywood covered with hardwood or vinyl flooring. It is very cold during winter and our 10 month old spends most of his days crawling around on a cold floor. Wil...
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  How to insulate a cold room

  Mary from Kingston, Ontario writes:I would like to build a small cold room but the space that can be allotted to this is only approximately 42 in. wide by 48 in. deep. Is this feasible? One of the walls will be an outside, north-facing cement block wall, the others will abut on the interior....
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  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...
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  Getting the bathroom exhaust fan out through the wall.

  Annia asked about getting rid of some mould in her basement bathroom. I have often discussed mould and mould clean-up and in every case I point out that you must have an exhaust fan in the bathroom. So today I thought I would talk about just how you get the exhaust fan duct through the base...
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  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...
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  How do I keep a shallow Sump drain from freezing outdoors?

  Michael writes from St. Lazare, Quebec : We recently found a nasty surprise with our new house. The land has a high water table and as a result we have sump pump in the basement. The plumbing for this pump was hidden in the walls and ceiling of the basement. When our inspector inspected the home,...
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  Insulating a foundation with embedded floor joists

    Certain parts of Canada, particularly in the Winnipeg region, have a traditional construction technique that presents serious challenges when you want to insulate a basement -- the ends of the joists are actually embedded in the concrete foundation wall.  Chris, from Winnipeg, asked for some f...
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  Peeling paint on a foundation wall.

  Michele in Hamilton, Ontario needs to repaint her cinder block walls on the outside of the basement. But a close look at a photo that she sent us showed a lot of deep holes or pock marks in the blocks. Not only the paint was peeling off, but the block itself was breaking off.  This is a sign o...
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  OVERVIEW:Improper exhaust fans can pollute your home -- could even kill you

  More and more people are asking for powerful kitchen range hoods or bathroom exhaust fans. The logic appears simple, increase the power of the exhaust fan and get rid of pollutants quicker. In more and more modern homes which have been weather-stripped and sealed against cold air leaks and heat l...
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  Hot Links for WebTogether Broadcast October 18, 2017

    Here are some useful hotlinks for things discussed on October 18, 2017 WebTogether Consumer Broadcast.  For details on upcoming broadcasts click here.   Changing direction with hardwood flooring – the slip tongue https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.slip-tongue-65mmx10mmx47-inch.1000718394.htm...
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  Removing odours: cigarettes - mould - animals - cleaning up after fire or flood = Disaster Restoration

  hether you are trying to get rid of smoke odours caused by fire or cigarettes, mold infestation, incrusted pet odours, the aftermath of a contagious disease (used to sterilize ambulances) or just preparing an apartment for rent that smells bad - read on. THE CHANGING SCIENCE This article was fi...
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  Improving a wood chimney to stop backdrafting

    Rick from New Brunswick is having problems with his wood stove backdrafting and he wants to know if it will help to box in the chimney on the outside of the house. Backdrafting or difficult starting with wood burning appliances is often a problem and there are several entries in this database ...
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  Weather Restrictions: Elastomeric Liquid Waterproofing Coatings

  Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Concrete     Product: Elastomeric Liquid Waterproofing Coatings Temperature Limitations: Use above +10 C (+50 F)  and below +32 C (+90 F) Rain Limitations: No rain for 24 hours Wind Limitations:  ...
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  Tips for working with Steel Studs

  For extensive videos on working with steel studs, follow this link to the Learning Curve. John from Barry, Ontario was asking about using steel studs for a basement renovation. As you might expect, there are pros and cons for any building material. Steel studs are often less expensive than wood...
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  Weather Restrictions: Adhesive for foam insulation

  Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Adhesives     Product: Adhesive for foam insulation Temperature Limitations: Check the package: one manufacturer says above -30 C (-22 F) while another says above +15 C (+60 F). Rain Limitations: A...
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  Are insulated concrete forms a good way to build?

  Insulated Concrete Forms, or ICF construction, is a growing and viable way to build houses. Initially sold just to make insulated foundations, whole homes are now being built out of concrete because of these techniques. ICF actually stands for the whole field of pouring concrete into forms ...
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  Just how do you install a central vac through old walls?

  Most portable vacuum cleaners have fairly poor filters. Sure most of the real "dirt" gets caught in the bag, but much of the very fine stuff just blows out the back end. A central vac has the same problem, but because it is placed in one place, it can have a much stronger motor to allow it to d...
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  How to find where leaks enter the wall.

  A caller from Ontario has a leak that keep's coming in through the wall despite the efforts of two contractors. It is often very difficult to find the place where water gets into the wall, when it is not something obvious like a crack in the caulking around a window. You need to make a careful i...
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  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...
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  RIGID BOARD: EXTRUDED POLYSTYRENE

  Example: Styrofoam products by Dow (by the way, Styrofoam is a Dow Chemical brand name and not a generic term for foam insulation). Colour: Blue (Dow) or Pink (Celfort) Thermal Resistance: RSI - .035/mm R - 5.0/in. Very high. Cost: high Capacity to dry out if wet: Won't get wet Fire Resistan...