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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-12-23, Page 22Page 2A—Crossroads—Dec. 23, 1985. Here's Haw InsuIcitinii can b a tough chore By Gene Gary Q. I have a two-storey stucco frame house and I'd like to insulate the walls. I feel that I could repair the holes on the inside of the house easier than the out- side. What's your feeling, on that point? Also, what is the best type of insulation for walls: blown -in or foam? What is the danger of moisture get- ting through to the insulation and causing dry rot? A. Insulation of the ceiling area, particularly when you have an attic or crawl space to work in, is possible as a do-it-yourself project. How- ever, insulation of walls is a different problem, as Walls are the toughest. If• they are enclosed on both sides, but hollow, the best thing is usually to have a profession- al contractor inject loose -fill insulation through small, drilled holes. All insulation materials are not alike. The perfor- mance of some depends much more on the way they are installed than on the way they are made. As a profes- sional contractor and his special blowing equipment will probably be most suit- able for doing the walls of an existing home, you will want to discuss the differences be- tween foam and the "blown - in" variety with the con- tractor. To choose a suitable contractor, you can look in the Yellow Pages under "Insulation Contractors — Cold & Heat" or ask your local utility company for a list of recommended names, or consult friends. Get several contractors to "quote" your job (R -values, not inches of material, is the important factor). Be sure that the insulation contract- or you choose is fully ip- IEY KIDS! LEARN TO DRAW WITH DANNY COUGHLAN pyo i / Q 1l f'--- Wren rr- 4, 0,,,,1„... ('- cr- la iii , . _____,..._}..._...„.1.__,,...,...„......., DAA,„, 1. Here's Danny's complete drawing: 7 O• T11. 2. Finish what Danny started. I i 3. Now try it yourself! ii sured. Look for an estab- lished contractor and check on references as well aswith v. the Better Business Bureau. Ask the contractor for a certificate identifying the in- -ulation manufacturer's name and stating the in- stalled R -value of the insul- ation. Most insulation is moisture resistant, so moisture in the insulation is not usually a problem. How- ever, if a structure is in- sulated and does not allow the moisture inside to escape (moisture created from such chores as cooking, laundry, etc.), you might experience condensation problems. Q. A friend of mine tells me there is a big difference between the insulating properties of single -and double -strength glass. He says that double -strength glass is far more efficient in stopping heat loss. 1 find this hard to believe, since we have double - strength glass in all our windows and they seem to admit a lot of cold during the winter. Is he right? A. The resistance of a pane of glass to the passage of heat is due not so much to the glass itself as to the air film on both sides. There is almost no difference in heat transmission between single - and double -strength glass. Scientists have measured the surface' temperature on each side of a pane of glass while raising the air temper- ature on one side 100 degrees above that of the other. With this 100 -degree variation, there was only a 2 -degree difference between the actual temperatures of the two surfaces. Because of its sectional density, glass is not generally regarded as an insulating material: Q. Our Son rode his bicycle in the house and left a trail of rubber across six of our entry hall asphalt tiles. I've tried cleaners and cleansers, to no avail. We're unable to match the tile in the stores. Is there any solution except replacing all -of our entry hall tiles? A. Asphalt tile is often difficult to clean. If the stains haven't penetrated too deeply, they .may be re- moved by careful rubbing with fine steel wool, scrat- chless scouring powder and a little water, followed by rinsing with clear water. If they are too deep, you will have to replace the tile. Q., I intend to install red - cedar paneling (boards) across one end .of my basement. The walls are of concrete blocks and the width of the basement is 26 feet. I'm told that I should allow half an inch at each corner for expansion of the boards or the pressure might other- wise crack the walls 'at the corner. Is this possible? A. Yes. If the boards are of the tongue -and -groove type and you fit each one tightly as you go along, expansion during long periods of damp- ness may cause one of two things to happen. Eithet.the board wall gill buckle or the . blocks may be cracked at one or both corners. Allow at leal;t a half inch at each end of the board wall as has been suggested, and con- ceal -the -openings -by -nailing - molding strips directly to the unpaneled side walls using -masonry nails: These -strips - mask the corner gaps but leave .the boards free to expand in back of them. crossroads Published every Wednesday by' Wenger Bros. Limited as the lifestyle and entertainment section of The Listowel Banner, The Wingham Advance - Times, The Mount Forest Confederate and The Milverton Sun. Members of the Canadian Community. Newspaper Association, Ontario Community Newspaper Associafi n art�c the Ontario Press Council. Controlled distribu- tion in Arthur, Drayton, Harriston, Moorefield, Palmerston, Elmira, St. Jacobs and Wallenstein. Display and Classified advertising deadline = 5':00 p.m. Thursday week prior to -publication -date, The Listowel Banner Advertising and Production Accounting and Billing 188 Wallace Ave. N., P.O. Box 97, Listowel, Ont. N4W 3H2 The Mount Forest Confederate 323-1550. The Milverton Sun 595-8921. ,The Listowel Banner 291-1660. The Wingham Advance Times 357-2320. r t wit's end by Erma Bombeck .\ With the possible excep- tion of Muhammad Ali and Mr. T., few people take com- pliments well . Most of us are incapable of a simple "Thank you". Someone will say, "That's a pretty outfit you're wear- ing," and we'll grab a hand- ful of it and say, "This old rag! It's a thousand years old. I was going to take the buttons off it last week and use it to dust." Or if someone says, "That dessert was wonderful. You must give me the recipe," we counter with, "It would have been better with fresh strawberries, but they were $1.59 a pint. This recipe is no- thing. You just add water to the junk in the box." I have yet to tell anyone how fabulous they looked without their telling me, "I'm fat! I've got to start dieting Monday." I tell myself tii is probab- ly why men find it so hard to give compliments. They just can't seem to make you happy with them. I can count. the tributes my husband has given me on one hand. On the birth of our first child, he punched me in the arm and said, "Way to go, kid." When my first book was published he shook me awake from a sound sleep and announced, "I finished it. And one Christmas, he bought me a refrigerator magnet of a chocolate soda and before I even opened it said, "It look- ed like you but if you hate it I'll take it back." It all started when we were kids. Modesty was a virtue. It was all right to be pretty and smart. It was bad to know that you were pretty add smart. If you were run- ning for school office, it was all right to stand up and say you were the best in the class for the job. It was considered bad taste to vote for yourself. Compliments are just something we're not com- fortable with. There are times I could bite my tongue for not acknowledging them with more grace and ap- preciation. When someone said, "Your husband is quite handsome," I had no reason to say, "It's the price you pay for shallowness." I just didn't know what else to say. And the man who said to me, "You write OK for a woman," got back, "You read pretty good for a man." Why didn't I just take the compliment and run? I honestly don't know what the answer is. The other night I saw the winner of a beauty pageant being inter- viewed. The emcee said, "Congratulations. Were you surprised to be named° the most beautiful and talented girl in the state? " Her eyes met his directly as she responded, "No. I feel the judges made a wise choice. This is something I always knew 1 would win someday. I was born to hold this title and look forward to winning the national com- petition." Somehow, without modes- ty, she seemed less pretty and less talented than she did a few minutes before. Corduroy roads, built by laying logs side by side over buck trails, resulted in bumpy rides for early Can- adians and their mail. At least it was an improvement over previous roads, on which passengers would of- ten be required to push the stage coach out of mud holes. YODER ROOFING CONKLIN PRODUCTS Specialty roof coatings for flat or sloped roofs. Urethane roofing and coatings. Workmanship guaranteed: Free estimates. Paul (519) 3356497 Al (519) 335-6226 P.O. Box 117, Wroxeter, Ontario NOG 2X0 Help Wanted 1. Experienced Body Person 2. Licensed Mechanic If you have these qualrfication4 and would like to join a fast growing dealer- ship with good working conditions, modern shop and equipment and .excel- lent benefit package: Please contact in person: Roy Brocklebank LISTOWEL: CHRYSLER 754 Main Street East Listowel, Ontario xin GORRIE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP Gorrie Community Hall for Sunday, December 29 9:30 a.m. - The Lord's Supper 11:00 a.m. - Family Bible Hour/Sunday School Speaker: Andrew Martin 7:30 p.m. - Praise & Prayer Meeting Speaker: Owen Weber Tues. Dec. 31 - 9:00 p.m. - Watchnight Service at Wingham Bible Chapel 40%07 0 . '10.1k* . o' Ready to serve you: • Appetizer of Happiness • Tossed Merriment • Generous Portions of Joy • Casserole of Sweet Thoughts • Spirits of the Season From the Christmas Kitchen Of - The jtue 113arn ltlotA .l'• iirrnauram 291-1580 OPEN CHRISTMAS DAY - Christmas Smorgasbord from l'2 Noon til 8 p.m. r1 ;,sI�y ;" aa�l►rNI V1.0-Nr3i, �� i c' � CC ay Sale OPEN 8 A.M. RIDAY, DEC 27 l The biggest savings of the year are available at all 75 stores and services at Conestoga Mall. I7R...IDAY . M.-9:30 P. "-?Cit :4.r,, put yourself in our place MALL HOURS: MON.-FRI. 9:30 A.M. TO 9:30 P.M. SATURDAY 8:30 A.M. TO 9:30 P.M.