Thursday, November 20, 2014

Insulation and Wallboard

Fitting and stapling moisture barrier to ceiling
Notes from the upstairs reno...

The bathroom fan is in.  It has a sensor and comes on and off when it needs to remove moisture from the room.  This is a great way to fix the problem of folks forgetting to turn it on and off.

The walls and ceiling are insulated.  This was no small feat, and required lots of custom cutting.  The walls have faced insulation and the ceiling is unfaced, which requires a plastic moisture barrier.

We are ready to put up the rest of the wall board. We are using green board which now also comes in purple and is supposed to be even more moisture resistant in the bathroom.

We are using regular drywall (or white board) in the bedroom.  We will be taping, mudding, and painting both rooms.

Moisture barrier in upstairs bedroom
Just FYI - on drywall, sheetrock and wallboard:

Drywall is compressed gypsum panels, covered with paper facing, that installs directly on wall studs. Read more.  Sheetrock is a brand name for a particular manufacturer's drywall. To make things more exciting, drywall can also be called wallboard.  It comes in white, green, and purple.

To add a level of confusion, we are also using cement board (also called blue board or plaster board) downstairs in the main living area.  It is gray.  We plan to hire a plasterer to come and plaster those walls.

It is cheaper to tape and mud yourself, but in old houses, the walls and ceilings are finished smooth which takes a certain amount of skill (or lots and lots of practice).

We are using the cheaper method upstairs in the bedrooms and plan to have a professional plaster the living room, dining room, hallway and someday maybe even the kitchen.

Wall board on ceiling
Right now we have to get the wallboard or sheet rock up on the walls.

The upstairs ceilings are nine feet high.  It took three of us about four hours to install the moisture barrier, cut and install sheetrock on the bedroom ceiling and the angled wall.  Angles are tricky.

Now we need to go back and buy more to finish the job.  

I can't tell you how nice it is to have walls!  

Blogging Ketchup

I realize that I have left my fans and readers in the lurch.  I hate to leave you hanging, but the truth is that we have been sucked into the dark whole vortex called home renovation.  It can be a very dark, scary place.  A place where there is never enough time, money or progress.

I haven't been blogging because the projects are just too overwhelming.  The progress that we have made has been swallowed by the list of things yet to-do.  I think maybe we took on WAY too much this summer.  The finish line is still hazy, a milestone that we don't dare attach a date to.

The truth is that it is hard to balance work, the house, and life.  And it is not always fun.  The house is sucking up every spare cent and looking for more.. It has chewed up my husband and spit out a stressed snarling beast.  

So now you know why I have been neglecting you. I was trying not to drag you down with me.  We are too far in to do anything but trudge on, for better or worse.

Perhaps what we need right now is a break.  Or a vacation.  Or a winning lottery ticket...  Or just a very long nap with the cat.