Interior Concrete Waterproofing: Protect Your Concrete Against Water Damage

Moisture is a major enemy of concrete. It can weaken concrete, make it crack and in general cause deterioration of any concrete structure. Moisture can also cause staining and fungus that is nearly impossible to remove. Interior concrete waterproofing can help prevent moisture damage of this type.

Before you apply any type of interior concrete waterproofing you should first make sure any leakage or drainage problems are corrected. Just because you apply waterproofing doesn?t mean water won?t occur in the area. If landscape drainage problems or leaks aren?t fixed, you?ll still have water pooling on the treated concrete.

Interior concrete waterproofing is a sealing method that can be used on poured concrete, concrete blocks and even on stone foundations. Interior concrete waterproofing can be used on new and old concrete alike. For the best protection you should seal concrete right after the curing stage.

Interior Concrete Waterproofing

The sealant you use should protect against water, water vapor, and radon. To waterproof properly you may have to apply more than one coat of sealant, usually at least two. Read the manufacturer directions carefully before applying your brand of sealer.

Make sure to thoroughly clean and dry all concrete before you apply any interior concrete waterproofing. For existing concrete surfaces such as in a basement, all old paint or adhesive that might have been used on the floor must be removed before it can be waterproofed. The areas to be treated should be as clean as possible and free of any mold or mildew.

If you want to waterproof concrete foundation walls they must be cured for about a month. Sealants will keep cracks, holes or defects in concrete foundation walls from receiving moisture as well. For best water protection, it is usually recommended to seal both sides of the wall, using an exterior coating on the outside.

This article was written by Gregg Hicks of www.air-cleaners-and-purifiers.com www.air-cleaners-and-purifiers.com

www.air-cleaners-and-purifiers.com which provides Internet-based home improvement information and services. Offering homeowners a simple, quick, and free way to access, qualified home improvement remodeling contractors.

All About Roofing

Experts recommend that you repair or replace your roof every ten to thirty years. Since they're the first things exposed to damaging elements of nature (like rain, wind, sun, snow, hail, ice, etc.), it's not surprising that they need a little attention now and then. Of course the climate in which you live will determine how often you repair or replace your roof as well. For example, a roof in a climate that changes from extreme cold temperatures to extreme hot ones year after year after year is prone to problems like brittleness or even crumbling. Roof Styles There are six basic styles of roofs. The most common roofs are gable roofs and you can immediately recognize these types because they're in the triangular shape that we're all familiar with. A flat roof looks just like its name implies. Although there are many variations, most roofs are structured along these two basic styles.

For example, most roofs are sloped (or pitched) and depending upon the climate, a roof may be high pitched or low pitched. High-pitched roofs are found in climates that produce a lot of precipitation. As you might have guessed, precipitation such as snow or rain doesn't stand much of a chance against a high-pitched waterproof and/or thermal resistant roof. In warmer climates, like the southwest, you'll find many buildings and homes with low-pitched roofs. For your protection, your city may mandate a specific roof pitch (measured in degrees). How Roofs Are Born To build a roof from scratch, constructors (more appropriately called, roofers) will more than likely either frame it (put it together) at ground level and then hoist it onto the house, or attach a prefabricated roof onto the house in the same manner. The idea is to build as much of it within easy walking distance before attaching to the top of a home - where roofers later have to climb up and apply additional materials. What Roofs Are Made Of What materials? Well first, roofs begin as 2 x 4s. These act as a roof's frame. Once the frame is built, it's hoisted atop of a house, and then it's covered with plywood, or sheathing. If advisable, your roof's sheathing may be covered with insulating board as well. As a precaution against water damage, vital parts of the roof may even be covered with metal flashing.

Atop of the 2 x 4s, the plywood, and sheathing lies what most of us finally recognize as a roof: it's covering. Coverings range from asphalt to clay tile, and from slate to concrete tile, however most of them are covered with either hot tar or shingles. Shingles are squares of roofing materials overlapped and nailed to the surface beneath it.

When you talk to your contractor about the type of roof you want, you're bound to hear some terminology that you're unfamiliar with. Defining all these new terms is beyond the scope of this article, but you can rest assured that your contractor is well familiar with the lingo and is more than happy to describe your options.

Author Paul White represents FloridaHomeBuild.com. A site designed to help home owners from Florida locate local home contractors with their home improvement projects.

Visit http://www.FloridaHomeBuild.com

Soundproofing Your Fence with Dr. Bob

So you have just purchased your home but when you first looked at it, you didn?t realize just how bad the traffic noise in the backyard really was. Now you are committed to a 30-year mortgage and asks ?What can I do Dr. Bob? Well, I?m glad you asked.

You can construct a soundproof or a sound-control fence. Now will this fence block 100% of the traffic noise? I?m afraid not, but will it make your backyard life tolerable? You bet it will.

There are some things that you need to know about building an effect sound control fence that will make it more effective. First and foremost, you new sound control fence needs to be 8 ft above the noise source. Now you need to check with your city or township to see if they have height ordinances regarding fences. If they will only allow a 6? high fence, you can always build an earthen berm to increase the height of the backyard where the fence will be erected.

Now lets talk about the fence itself. I recommend building a cedar or redwood slatted fence as high as possible, (8ft being the minimum height above the noise source). The term ?Above the noise source? means simply this, if the noise is coming from an automobile muffler, then the fence technically needs to be 8? above the cars tailpipe. This should be simple enough. If you fence isn?t exactly 8? above the noise source will it not be effective? Of course it will, but at the 8? level you will get the best sound blocking.

Let?s talk about constructing your fence. The new redwood or cedar fence will have at least 4? X 4? posts mounted in concrete footings and sunk at least 2 ft into the ground. You will want as stable a foundation as possible for your new sound control fence as you will be adding heavy sound blocking agents to it. Once the posts are set and the concrete has cured, you will then add the fence cross members. These are generally 2? X 4? beams that connect the posts together and offer extra support for the fence slats. Now once the fence framing is complete, you will then be ready for the soundproofing membrane to be installed. You will have already called the professionals at Soundproofing America and ordered a product called ?mass loaded vinyl?. Mass loaded vinyl is a loaded vinyl soundproofing barrier that comes in rolls that are 35?x 4? or 30? x 4 ??. Once you have your rolls of mass loaded vinyl and the acoustical caulk and tape that go with the MLV, you are ready to install the soundproof membrane for your new fence.

Your first step is to stretch the MLV along the frame of the fence, you want to make sure the that the MLV extends all the way down to the ground so that the sound does not leak though the bottom of your fence. Once the MLV is stretched across the fence frame, you will staple or nail the MLV to the frame. I recommend that you overlap the MLV by at least ?? and that you will liberally caulk between the overlap with acoustical caulk. You will also want to caulk the outer perimeter of the MLV membrane with the acoustical caulk. The next step is to tape the caulked Seams only with a PVC seam sealer tape along with the acoustical caulk.

As soon as the MLV membrane is secured to the fence framing and all the seams and perimeter have been caulked and taped, it is time to slat the fence. You will use 8? dog eared slats and but the slats as close together as possible, it is also a good idea to caulk the seams of the slats themselves, but this is absolutely not essential.

I would also recommend slats to the other side of the fence in an effort to protect the MLV membrane from the elements. This is a common practice, but once again is not essentials for good sound blockage.

One final note, some of my customers use a combination of both mass loaded vinyl and America mat closed cell foam as the septum for their sound control fences. By adding the closed cell foam you are adding sound absorption to your fence as well as the best in sound blockage. If you use both of these weather proof products, you will want to leave at least a 1/8? gap between the slats on the side of the fence that faces the noise source. In other words if you are using both America mat and MLV you will need to slat both sides of the fence and leave the gaps on the side facing the traffic for example. These septum fences work great for loud and obnoxious neighbors as well. I hope this give your new hope for having a nice quiet backyard.

This is Dr. Bob?..Out!!!!

Dr. Bob is the Senior Technical Advisor at Soundproofing America Inc, the leading authority in Soundproofing and Acoustical treatment technology.

Dr. Bob O.
Soundproofing America, Inc.
Senior Technical Director
Soundproofing Expert to The New York Times, The San Francisco Herald Examiner, The San Diego Union Tribune, and the Charlotte Observer
Ph (877) 530-0139 Toll free Fax (347) 721-9079
E-mail: Dr.bob@soundproofingamerica.com
http://www.soundproofingamerica.com

Discovering Fiberglass Roofing Panels for your Roofing Needs

Roofs are an integral part of the house. The design of a roof tells a lot about the structure. They can be stylish, grand, historical, modern, versatile and so much more. When designing a house, building or any structure, the roof cant be taken for granted, they must be complimenting the whole design and yet, will be very durable and resistant to natures elements. That is why; designers take into consideration a lot of things like the weather, the winds, the location of the structure and much more, all of them makes an influence on the design of the roof and what kind of roofing materials to use. There are many forms wherein roofs are designed and constructed. They could either be flat, pitched, vaulted, domed or combinations of those types. As stated, these designs are influenced by considerations regarding technical, regional and aesthetic factors.

Since time immemorial, man have found and used different materials to use as materials for the roofs of their houses. Some of the early roofing materials used where leaves, rocks, wood, stones then as time and man progresses more and more have been discovered. Roofing materials made out of asphalt, cement, wood, and synthetic materials like fiberglass and other innovative materials. These new roofing materials have proven to be durable, reliable and lightweight. They can be manufactured in any shape and in any color making them a good alternative if not the outright choice.

Fiberglass has gained quite a following in the past few decades, because of their malleability they can be formed into anything with relative ease. They can also be very tough and durable yet be lightweight and easy to handle. With those characteristics, fiberglass is a good material to be used for roofing. Fiberglass first was introduced in 1938, as the name implies, fiberglass is made from very fine fibers of glass. This revolutionary product then has long been developed and provided with fresh innovations to form other types of roofing panels, which caters to different needs. The flexibility and versatility of fiberglass roofing panel materials makes it a very popular choice.

Fiberglass roofing panels can be shaped as corrugated roofing panels, shingles roofing panels, tapered roofing panels and so much more. Being synthetically produced somewhat, they are easy to manipulate to form shapes, used as composite material, provided different colors and other designs and textures that the manufacturers or public desire. It doesnt matter what type or form the design of your roof is, a fiberglass roofing panel will provide your roof with a tough and durable membrane, as well as provide it with great looking cover and protection.

Fiberglass roofing panels provide great waterproof sealing for the roof, especially when installed properly. Many fiberglass roofing panels producers provide longer warranties when their authorized roof installers do the project. Aside from their easy to install, durable and lightweight factors, Most fiberglass roofing panels are affordable than the alternative roofing panels, fiberglass roofing panels are about 65 to 70 percent cheaper than the others but gives the same great look and durability with an average of 25 to 30 years.

There are a plethora of choices when it comes to fiberglass roofing panels, each providing their pros and cons, but like any other building project, it is best to discuss this with your architect or contractor. Try to learn more and discuss this with people knowledgeable with all the factors that may influence the look and the lifespan of your roof. More and more new and innovative types, shapes and forms of fiberglass roofing panel are coming out so its best to keep yourself updated.

Online entrepreneur Sara Jenkins, is dedicated to helping others and their needs to succeed in life by offering free payroll tips everyday. To learn more about her free roofing tips, and to sign up for her FREE Roofing articles and FREE bonus how-to books and resources, visit www.RoofingUp.com.

Other Roofing Products VS Metal Roofing Products

While most people know only roofing panels made of metal, in reality, there are many metal kinds of roofing products being produced. They are in demand these days for their affordability and industrial usefulness. Several types of these metal roofing products have been used years ago but are now in style again.

Here are some other product materials being used in roofing, which can be compared to metal:

1. Asphalt shingles are used for up to the whole surface of a roof in the United States. They are used to evaluate factors such as wind resistance, fire, tear strength, and other performance gauge. They come in standard or designer varieties.

The standard type is light-textured with a flat surface while designer types are heavily textured. Metal does not have these characteristics. It is actually up to your decision how well you will like this kind of roofing product material once you try using it.

2. Wood shingles and shakes are also used in metal roofing. They are commonly made from redwood, cedar, southern pine and other woods. Handmade wood shingles have rougher looking appearance compared to machine-sawn types.

They are not used these days as some building codes prohibit them due to susceptibility of catching fire. Most of them have class C ratings in construction materials. In comparison, class A products are applied with a fire-resistant coating. You can definitely choose metal over wood, as they are more fire retardant.

3. Tiles are also used and are a very durable product material. The Spanish round-topped and mission tiles are used widely on Florida and nearby places. There are also flat styles to get an impression of English and French look.

There can be various colors and finishes. Tiles are heavy, if you want to replace your roof with tiles, make sure the load can be supported by the structure. Heavy means too much load and roofing products must be lightweight and can be transported easily. It may not be advisable to use.

A roof can be fitted with metal roofing from small to big structures. Architecture and builders can use different roofing products to achieve the desired effect. As with the client's preference, they can modify appearance, aesthetic, and performance or various materials.

These roofing materials may come in copper, steel, aluminum and other steels. Most of them are made of recycled materials and coated or treated to prevent corrosion or rusting.

For tips on installing metal roofing, visit http://www.metalroofing101.com