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Show I FIRST-AID to the AILING HOUSE ty ROGER ft. WHITMAN Roger B. Whitman WNU Features. INSULATING ROOF Last fall one of my correspond rats insulated his roof. His first step was to line the under side of the roof between the rafters with tar paper, and then' to put in four inches of rock wool. Before the winter was over, he found that the rock wool was dripping with moisture. mois-ture. He asks how this can be prevented. pre-vented. He seemed to think that the rock wool had the property of absorbing moisture; but this is not the case. The trouble came from the penetration of water vapor in the house air. Passing through the rock wool the water vapor came into contact with the tar paper, which of course, was chilled by the roofing boards. Condensation took place, and as the water that formed could not pass through, it was absorbed by the rock wool. He could prevent this by protecting the rock wool with something through which the water vapor could not pass. For this he could use hard and glossy tar paper, nailed to the exposed edges of the rafters. There would then be no condensation, for this layer of tar paper would be protected against outside .temperature by the thickness thick-ness of the rock wool. As a matter of fact, pads of rock wool and similar simi-lar materials can be had enclosed in envelopes of tar paper. Had my correspondent protected his roof with these instead of the loose rock wool that he used, his trouble would have been avoided. Stained Ceiling Question: After the last heavy rains the ceiling around the brick chimney showed brown stains. Where do the stains come from? Answer: The stains may be caused by leakage through the flashings flash-ings where the chimney passes through the roof. If the flashings prove to be in poor condition, you can close 'the leaks with a heavy coat of plastic roofing cement. Another An-other possible reason for the leaks may be a failure of the mortar between be-tween the chimney bricks. If so, the bricks could be repointed. STARCH FOR WALLS Question: I want to paint my ceilings ceil-ings an off-white. Then I would like to starch each year and wash off. How would I go about it in detail? Answer: The formula .is as follows: fol-lows: Soften the lumps of a cup of laundry starch with cool water and add boiling water with constant stir ring until the starch is cooked and stiff. After cooling, add cold water to make a thin liquid, stir in one quart of buttermilk, and strain through cheese-cloth. Apply with a whitewash brush. Brush marks can be taken out by patting with a short bristle brush before the starch dries. Damp House Air Question: We began building our house last September, and had to move in December 1. Some furniture furni-ture was put in the attic and the rest in the basement until the main floor rooms were ready about Christmas Christ-mas time. Many of the roofing boards are mildewed and also bocks, furniture, and household things that stand oil the north side of the attic. Who is to blame; the contractor or the roofer? Have the roofing boards been weakened by the mold? Answer: No one is to blame, except ex-cept yourselves for having moved into the house before the concrete and plaster had dried out. With your heater going, water from these parts should be drying out very rapidly. But even so, the house air may not be thoroughly dry until some time next winter. I greatly doubt if the mildewing has gone far enough to damage the roofing boards. Paint for Fireplace Question: We have an all-brick fireplace in our living room that I should like to paint. What kind of paint should I use? Answer: You can use a cement base paint, which is intended for masonry. It is a powder to be mixed with water, and it can be had in colors as well as in white. Ask for it at a mason material yard. I am presuming the brick never has been painted. |
