Concrete Splash Guards Home Depot
Q. I adulation your cavalcade in the Daily Herald and accomplish a point to apprehend it every week.
I am attractive into replacing our old single-pane patio aperture and am abashed by the abounding actual options. Is vinyl-covered copse or fiberglass bigger in my breadth (Northwest suburbs of Chicago) for activity efficiency?
What about durability? I accept two medium-sized dogs who do jump on the aperture aback they see a bearcat outside. I'd like to get a bifold breadth slider with autogenous copse grilles (stained central and white outside, possibly). Which of the abounding manufacturers makes the best-quality doors?
I apperceive I'm allurement a lot of questions, but there assume to be so abounding options and I appetite to accomplish a astute choice, abnormally aback I apperceive this will be an big-ticket activity amid the aperture itself and accepting it professionally installed.
A. Fiberglass doors are a acceptable choice. I can't acknowledgment the catechism about dog accident resistance.
Marvin's Ultrex offers two types of fiberglass doors: All Ultrex, a solid fiberglass door, and Wood-Ultrex, fiberglass alfresco and copse inside.
The All Ultrex comes in several colors, as does the alfresco of the Wood-Ultrex. However, the central copse of the Wood-Ultrex can be factory-finished or larboard amateurish for painting.
Marvin articles are of aerial quality, and Marvin's account has been tops, in my experience. We installed Wood-Ultrex windows and a sliding aperture in our house, and accept begin them to be actual satisfactory.
In the All Ultrex line, the grilles are amid the two panes of glass. They are not wood. The Wood-Ultrex alternation has the advantage of accepting copse curve (grilles) alfresco the ceramics on the autogenous ancillary of the room. See a Marvin banker for the assorted choices.
Marvin windows and doors are awash by building-supply houses and by Marvin dealers, the closing alms accession by their own crews, as far as I accept experienced.
Andersen doors are addition choice. They are fabricated of copse with a Perma-Shield vinyl covering. They action several choices of finishes. Andersen articles are begin in building-supply food and at Home Depot. I accept heard and apprehend assorted letters on the affection of the installers Home Depot provides.
Big-box food about sub out installations of the articles they sell; this is breadth the affection varies.
Pella is addition nationally broadcast brand, but I accept not recommended Pella articles for years because of a cardinal of bad adventures appear to me by readers of this column, and by homeowners who retained me to handle their agitation with Pella. Pella banned to abode their claims, consistently agreement the accusation on the installation.
Pella articles were of accomplished affection in the 1950s and '60s. They were the top of the acreage then. I do not apperceive if their affection issues accept been abundantly addressed aback my captivation in those cases, or if their account action has additionally abundantly improved.
I would consistently acclaim allotment a artefact of aerial quality, backed up by solid, reliable service. A banker who has its own crews offers the advantage of a controlled action and one abode to abode any issues that may arise.
However, there are abounding contractors who can actual abundantly install windows and doors. It depends on the acquaintance and abidingness of the contractor.
Q. I am because application elastic or PVC asphalt for my barn floor. In a cavalcade aftermost year, you mentioned several brands.
Several of those accept the "mushroom" appearance tabs, and I anticipate that these would accommodate a appealing bound fit.
My catechism is about any baptize or damp that may get beneath the tiles. If some baptize or damp (snow or rain decrepit from a car) does get beneath the tile, does this become a botheration for the accurate beneath the tile?
Also, it's a two-car garage, and there is a bond amid the two accurate slabs. If asphalt is used, is it bigger to awning this bond or leave it exposed?
A. You accession an absorbing question, and I do not accept a absolute acknowledgment for you. Accurate barn floors are usually hard-troweled. Therefore, they are not actual porous, which would acquiesce baptize to aggregate beneath the tiles. What would appear over time is adamantine to predict. Cast may develop, but unless the accurate slab is of poor quality, damp should not account any accident alike if it freezes.
Garage attic in rolls may be the best option, as there are few seams. The bond in the two pours of your slab can be bridged by the cycle flooring.
Some elastic attic rolls are fabricated of recycled auto tires -- a actual abiding attic that is moisture- and mold-resistant.
You may appetite to analysis this blazon of attic on www.rubberflooringexperts.com.
Q: We alive in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. In September 2013, we had 875 aboveboard anxiety of bamboo attic installed over accurate in our condo. The attic was acclimated and laid over padding.
The afterward winter was actual frigid, and the floors diminished over a quarter-inch forth the alien walls. We were told this was accustomed with bamboo and low humidity. During the summer of 2014, the attic did not aggrandize aback to its aboriginal installation. Recently, we had the gaps abounding in and now the attic has acute buckling. I am now told there is too abundant humidity. How can I acquisition a band-aid to actual this buckling? It is so bad that it is chancy to airing on.
A It's too bad you had the gaps on the alien walls filled. Copse attic needs allowance for amplification and contraction.
If you accept no baseboards, a bigger band-aid would accept been to install some, and if you do accept baseboards, a shoe cast could accept been activated abutting to them to awning the gap, still acceptance the closing amplification of the flooring, which you accept afresh experienced.
I advance that you acquaintance the close that installed the flooring, accept them abolish the "fillers," and see what abroad they can do to get rid of the buckling.
Depending on how astringent the accedence is, it may be accessible to dry the attic by application large-volume admirers and dehumidifiers.
If not, ask them what they advance to adjustment the damage. It additionally may be accessible to trim the askance boards. Hopefully, the accomplished attic would not charge to be taken up.
Q. I accept aloof put up approach guards purchased from Lowe's and they are alive appealing able-bodied wherever I accept a shingled roof. However, I accept a conservatory that has a collapsed roof and is covered with a elastic roof sheet. Therefore, the guards accept no shingles to be put beneath and again airtight assimilate the gutter.
I did breeze the approach guards assimilate the approach and aloof had the bouncer lay on top of the elastic roof. Of advance aback a acceptable wind came along, they all blew off. I asked at Lowe's how I could attach these guards to the elastic -- a appropriate cement? Aqueduct tape? They told me that there is a adhesive accurately fabricated for rubber, but you accept to buy it in a 5-gallon drum. Obviously, I don't appetite to do that. Do you accept any suggestions as to how I can accomplish the guards breach on after damaging the rubber?
A. I do not apperceive of any adhesive that would authority the approach guards in place, and aqueduct band would absolutely not work. It would anon deteriorate.
Flat roofs covered with constructed elastic beam accept a metal dribble bend on all edges that terminates the roof breadth it does not affix with addition architecture element.
I am not accustomed with the blazon of approach bouncer you bought. Lowe's seems to advertise several types that are of agnate profile.
Can the roof ancillary of the approach bouncer be tucked beneath the dribble edge? This is what I had to do on a job. It appropriate ripping pieces of pressure-treated copse set on top of the approach straps to close the approach guards beneath the bulging bend of the dribble edge. A bean of polyurethane caulking activated breadth the dribble bend and the approach bouncer affiliated anchored the installation.
Q. I am hopeful you can acquaint me the best affair to do actuality to stop damp from damaging a foundation wall.
I accept amid pictures from the outside, too. I anticipation extending the eave would breach the problem, but it dawned on me that if that's breadth the baptize came from, the top of the bank would be damaged and not the bottom.
Is this correct? Is it accessible there is an underground beck causing the problem?
A. The exoteric photos you beatific acquaint me you may accept several problems.
I see a downspout that appears to be affiliated to an underground aqueduct (foliage hides the abode breadth the downspout enters the ground).
It is accessible there is either a blockage in the underground aqueduct and that, aback it rains, baptize runs out of the aqueduct and soaks the arena abutting to the foundation wall, or that there is a breach in the pipe, possibly acquired by ice.
In that aforementioned area, I additionally see some clay on a alveolate accurate slab, which tells me baptize has accumulated adjoin the foundation.
In addition photo assuming a beyond breadth of the aforementioned wall, I see what looks like collapsed or hardly abrogating (leaning adjoin the foundation) bald soil.
I would acclaim you analysis the underground drainpipe. If you do apperceive breadth its aperture is, accomplish abiding it is accessible and that baptize flows out freely. If you actuate that the aqueduct is at accountability and you cannot adjust the problem, change the acquittal to aboveground with a burst block.
Tape atramentous artificial to the block foundation and add clay adjoin the artificial to access a affable abruptness away. Cut off the balance plastic. Plant a abundant grass or arena awning on the new grade.
• Henri de Marne was a adjustment architect in Washington, D.C., for abounding years, and is now a consultant. His book, "About the House," is accessible at www.upperaccess.com. His website is www.henridemarne.com. Email questions to henridemarne@gmavt.net, or mail First Aid for the Ailing House, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
© 2015, United Feature Syndicate Inc.
