Ask the Remodeler: What is causing the hardwood flooring to separate?
Q. My hardwood flooring have been down for about 20 years. This earlier summertime we had mildew and mildew less than the dwelling. We had a business come spray the flooring joists and replace the insulation. They closed off the vents. We had new ductwork done. They informed us what kind of dehumidifier to acquire and to leave it on all the time. We have. Could any of the function we experienced accomplished have brought about the flooring to different? In a person position there is a 1-inch hole! Thank you in advance for your tips.
J.B.
A. I would say that the dehumidifier is producing the flooring to dry out, which would generate gaps. This sounds like a challenging one: You want to retain the crawl area beneath the floor dry ample to avoid mold, but not so dry that the wooden flooring dries out far too a great deal. My initially thought is that the dehumidifier should be hooked up to a humidistat, and my second is that managing a dehumidifier all the time looks abnormal. A humidistat will regulate the amount of dry air/humidity and maintain issues in balance. A consultation with an HVAC corporation would aid.
Q. The wood siding on my 60-calendar year-aged house is in very good form for the most portion, so I was cheered by your recent remark that wooden makes a “good seal.” (”Question the Remodeler: April showers loom. Enable your gutters do their position,” Deal with, March 20). You also explained blown-in cellulose insulation would do a great deal toward vitality effectiveness. I have been thinking of this, but you ended up responding to a author worried that the interior lath walls may possibly buckle throughout the insulating process. Really should I stress about this sort of a possibility? And how disruptive would the course of action be or else? Would I need to change parts of clapboard, for case in point?
M.J., Lowell
A. A pair of things here: A dwelling that is only 60 many years outdated should really have some insulation in the partitions, despite the fact that it is likely previous and almost nothing like today’s merchandise. It is also challenging to say how substantially has settled and irrespective of whether there are voids in the walls and ceilings. The greatest way to start off, as I have pointed out to several readers, is with a expert vitality audit from Mass Preserve or one more services supplier. These aren’t pricey and will give you the advice you have to have as to exactly where you could want insulation. A 60-12 months-old residence will not have lath and plaster walls it will be wallboard or maybe wire lath, both of which maintain up perfectly when insulation is blown in. A experienced insulator will be capable to eliminate and reinstall two rows of clapboards for every ground to insulate as necessary from the outside.
Mark Philben is the task progress supervisor at Charlie Allen Renovations in Cambridge. Send out your concerns to [email protected]. Issues are subject to editing. Subscribe to the Globe’s totally free true estate e-newsletter — our weekly digest on obtaining, advertising, and design and style — at webpages.e-mail.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp. Adhere to us on Fb, Instagram, and Twitter @globehomes.
