Evening star., 1938-10-08
By DOROTHY DUCAS AND ELIZA
BETH GORDON.


yF YOU'VE been keeping up with
the news in the building field
probably you'll jump as If struct
i if somebody mentions the wore
moisture" For all the discussion o1
insulation and its attendant saving
of heat loss, which was such con-
venient banner around which to rally
like one big, happy family, has be-
come hot and heavy argument about
vapor barriers, moisture seals and the
like.
1t seems people have finally dis
covered that it is important, in in
stalling insulation of any type, to
make sure that the humidity, so care
fully encouraged inside the house in
winter, doesn't condense and touch
the insulative material, deteriorate it
or make it sag to the bottom of the
wall.
Just what is the best way to keep
out the old bug-a-hoo is the bone of
contention. We won't take sides;
we'll just keep on reporting to you
the various new methods which come
on the market. Today there is one
which is attached to an insulating
sheathing. 1t consists of an asphalt
coating, with building paper reinforce
ment. on a fiber board insulation.
When this is used inside your walls,
1t is said. you don't need any more
asphalt-impregnated building paper
or building felt.
The surface application of asphalt,
which stops the passage of vapor,
bonds the building paper to the board
on both its sides. This, combined
with the insulative properties of the
ing material which serves at least
four purposes The board itself isn't
new, just the vapor- battling attributes,
and you can get it in other guises-
as an insulating plaster base, an in
sulating interior finish, and so forth.
nON'T you like linoleum which
curves up at the sides of the room
to make cove against the wall, in
stead of tucking into the corner of
the right angle of wall and floor?
It's handsome and it's utilitarian, for
it makes cleaning so much easier.
But it is no longer a difficult problem
when it comes to installation. All
you do is get some of the new plastic
cove stick material and lay it in the
angle between wall and floor before
putting the linoleum over it.
The new cove stick does not need
mailing or pasting in place. 1t merely
is cut with linoleum knife to fit the
size of your room, and the linoleum
Is spread over it. 1t costs about the
same as wooden cove sticks, and 1t
conforms to any irregular surfaces as
1t is hard to make wood do.
X X
ONCE upon time we thought the
wet cellar problem was a seasonal
one, appearing regularly in the spring
along with the first crocus, and, in
deed, our mail indicated that the rains
of April had something to do with
the number of queries we had be-
ginning, What can do to keep my
cellar dry?"
But now it's autumn, and we've
had fairly dry August. and still
the inquiries come in. Probably be-
cause with the first chill winds we
are all prepared to go down in the
basement playroom for weekend
amusement Damp walls and floors
spoil the fun.
If you are troubled this way, in
vestigate waterproofing system we've
been hearing about which is COM
plete wall and floor treatment, not
or under boilers or furnaces. 1t con-
sists of a cement plaster made with
, waterproof compound mixed in,
which is applied in two coats to
walls which have first been treated
with a bond coating. Besides these,
there are crack and floorline seal
ers and special plugs to fill holes
through which water is either seep-
ing or flowing 1t sounds like an
exhaustive attack on the water-in
basement enemy, and each of the diff
ferent materials used has its specific
purpose.
This waterproofing bonds to con-
crete and masonry without clipping,
and works to combat pressure and
seepage. 1t can be used above or
below grade, inside and outside. The
grayish color of the material can be
covered with white coat especially