Heating cables make basement floors toasty
Q: How should I heat the basement I’m finishing? I was thinking of electric baseboard heaters because they’re cheap, but will they make the space comfortable?
A: Technically speaking, the cost of each unit of heat from electricity is the same no matter what you run the power through — baseboard heaters, an electric furnace or infloor heating. Conversion of electrical energy to heat is always 100 per cent. That said, in practice there’s an efficiency advantage to infloor heating. Two advantages, actually.
Warm floors mean warm feet, and warm feet mean you feel more comfortable at a room temperature that’s two to four degrees cooler. That’s advantage No. 1.
The second advantage of infloor heating is that it’s so easy to create different heating zones, each with timer-controlled thermostats. Set each room for the temperature you want at the time you want it and you’ll never be overheating any part of your basement. That saves money.
The only problem with infloor heating is installation cost. It’ll be much more costly than baseboard heaters. You could look at it like the necessary price of a very inviting basement, or you could install infloor heating and baseboard heaters together. Put the infloor heating cables where you’ll need them most, such as the bathroom or in front of the couch, relying on the baseboard heaters to do the bulk of the heating overall.
The best infloor heating system I’ve seen so far is DITRA-HEAT. It includes a dimpled plastic sheet that’s secured to the floor with thinset tile adhesive. Heating cables pop into place between the dimples wherever you need them, then ceramic or porcelain tiles go down over top.
Installed according to guidelines, DITRA-HEAT comes with a 10-year warranty. If anything goes bad, the whole installation will be replaced without cost.
Q: What’s the best way to finish a wooden top in my commercial bar? I need something that’s tough and lets the wood grain show through.
A: When it comes to wood finishes for your bar, there are two general types, each with pros and cons. Varnish and urethane type finishes form a film on the surface of the wood. While they offer lots of protection, you really can’t repair them when they get scratched or worn. All you can do is strip, sand and redo the whole thing.
The other type of finish has very little surface film, but protects the wood from the pores up. Oils and wipe-on polyurethanes fit into this category. These finishes can still provide good protection, but they’re easily renewed. When scratches or wear show up, just wipe on more coats and let them dry. Sometimes you might need to do a light sanding before recoating, but recoating alone is usually fine if you do it soon enough.
The best wipe-on finish I know of for your situation is something called Wipe-On Poly. You can get it at all the big box stores. It dries quickly enough that you can coat it one night and have the bar top usable the next day for lunch.
It does take four or five coats to offer meaningful protection on bare wood, but the results look really great if you sand the first few coats when it’s wet and fresh. Adding an additional maintenance coat every so often at night, after you’ve closed up, will keep the bar looking more or less new all the time.
If you want that “sealed under glass” look for your bar top, then hand-buffed urethane is the only way to go. But if you’d like something that’s maintainable and more about the wood and less about the gloss, then Wipe-On poly is the stuff to use.
Q How can I stop rain from leaking behind my eavestrough? The water comes off the roof but doesn’t go into the trough. I’m 88, and not as good on a ladder as I used to be. Who could I get to help?
A The problem of rain getting behind eavestroughs is more common than most people realize, and it’s bad for the roof.
One solution is to install a strip of sheet metal that tucks under the shingles and extends down over the back of the eavestrough. Think of it like a long, narrow shingle. I find that strips of metal cut off a piece of factory-painted aluminum fascia work well for this repair.
Using a utility knife guided by a straight edge, score the metal, then bend it back and forth to break off what you need. Make this strip wide enough to do the job, then slip it into place.
Any handy person who does outdoor repairs could help you with this. Watch a video and see how at SteveMaxwell.ca/eavestrough-leaks.
Q How can I stop mildew from forming on the underside of my open veranda roof? My home is six years old, there’s plenty of air circulation, and I’ve even used mould-resistant paint.
A I don’t think there’s anything more you can do to increase air circulation from what I’ve seen in the photos you sent, but perhaps a different method of cleaning would help.
The only product I know of that offers residual protection is something called Concrobium Mold Control. I’ve used it ever since it came out more than 10 years ago, and it works quite well. It’s nontoxic and contains no bleach. It works by crushing mould spores mechanically as it dries.
Killing mould doesn’t necessarily get rid of stains, though, so you might consider one of the new oxygen-based cleaners on the market. Mold Stain Eraser has worked better for me than anything else in my tests. Regular washing will help prevent mould regrowth, too. The more dust and cobwebs you can remove, the less there is for mould to feed on.
Q How can I make the upper level of my cottage cooler in summer? We’ve got a sleeping loft up there with open rafters and roof boards that look great. Trouble is, the space is way too hot to use at this time of year.
A There are two things you can do that will make all the difference: insulate and ventilate. My preferred method for insulating a cottage roof like yours is to add a layer of foam insulation with roof sheathing on top, before reshingling. You could insulate with batts between rafters and cover it with drywall, but that’s often more disruptive. Drywall would also ruin that great look of an open-rafter roof. Two inches of extruded polystyrene foam atop the roof does wonders to help keep a cottage loft cool.
No matter how much insulation you have in the roof, you’ll still need to ventilate your loft if you want it cool enough to use. This is where openable skylights make all the difference.
The kind made narrow enough to fit between rafters are the easiest to install, but a wider design lets in more light and air. I prefer these, even though they’re more trouble to install.
If you open the skylights and have lower windows open, too, you’ll feel a breeze running through the entire cottage. The whole place will feel more comfortable — not just the loft.