Eco-Experts: Learn About Insulation Options, Rust-Proofing and Composting Dog Waste
(Page 2 of 3)
July/August 2003
By Natural Home Staff
Whatever insulation you choose, it must not be "breathable" if you want it to do its job. Insulation works by trapping air between the inside and outside of your house. If air were allowed to freely pass through the walls, the interior temperature would soon match the temperature of the outside air. What's more, when warm, moist air from inside your home leaks out, water vapor will condense inside your walls. This can lead to a host of water-related problems, including deteriorated insulation and mold. The best way to avoid this is to install a vapor barrier on the wall&s warm side. Polyethylene sheeting is typically used with unfaced batts, but if you&re concerned about potential outgassing, you can use paper-faced batts.
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Joe Hurst-Wajszczuk has been actively involved in home improvement, both as a writer and carpenter, for more than a decade. He edited Ask the Family Handyman (Readers Digest, 1999) and revised Wiring a House (Taunton Press, 2002).
Safe rust-proofing
I am restoring a 1940s home with steel casement windows. I want to remove the existing paint inside some of the windows and leave the steel surfaces unpainted. I need to use something to prevent rust. Any ideas?
—Gayle Comstock, via e-mail
Check out Fuhr International Specialty Paint & Wood Coatings, a Winigan, Missouri, business that handles nontoxic sealers. For your project, the company recommends DTM #1055, a low-VOC, water-based direct-to-metal coating formulated for use on metal surfaces. Available in gloss, semi-gloss, and satin finishes, it can be used as a primer and a finish product.
Water-based metal sealers have lower levels of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) than their solvent-based counterparts. They can cause metal surfaces to rust, however, so Fuhr has added a flash rust inhibitor to hold off the oxidation process.
Contact Fuhr International, (800) 558-7437, to order and obtain a full product data and specification sheet.
Beth Scott is a member of Associates III, a Denver-based custom interior design firm that provides research, design, and specifications for architectural fixed finishes as well as design and procurement of furnishings.
Pooper-scoopers and composter
What is the best eco-friendly way to dispose of dog waste? We have three large dogs and are trying to find an alternative to just throwing it in the garbage.
—Gia States, via e-mail