Q - I am planning to convert my brick garage into a bedroom. I want to insulate the walls and finish them with solid wood paneling. How should I insulate to prevent shrinking and damage to the wood paneling? M.L.
A - Real wood paneling gives the most attractive appearance and the wood itself provides some additional insulation value. Natural wood consists of millions of tiny insulating air cells, but it is also very permeable to water vapor and susceptible to shrinking and swelling.To use wood paneling, it is easiest to first frame the walls with 2x4 studs and insulate with fiberglass batts. This provides about R-13 to R-14 insulation level. For more insulation, you can use 2x6 studs, but you will lose more interior room area.
For the highest insulation levels, use rigid foam insulation board instead of fiberglass batts. For fire safety, you must cover the foam insulation with 1/2-inch gypsum board before adding the wood paneling.
When you use real wood paneling, proper treatment and conditioning help to avoid problems. First, it is very important to apply a good sealer to waterproof the brick walls. This not only protects the paneling and insulation from water leaks but also from water vapor penetrating the walls from the outside during the summer.
When using fiberglass batts with a vapor barrier attached, staple it to the studs with it facing the room. For unfaced batts, staple polyethylene film vapor barrier to the studs covering the insulation. Although it is easiest to install batt insulation with the vapor barrier already attached, the polyethylene film provides a better vapor barrier and seal.
Before you put up the paneling, stack it in the room for a week or two. Put separators between each two layers for better air circulation. This conditions the wood paneling to the same moisture content as the room, and minimizes shrinking after installation. If you have just done plastering, wait a couple of extra days for the humidity level to stabilize.
The knotty grades of paneling have a higher moisture content than the clear grades. If you absolutely don't have the time to pre-condition the wood paneling, select a paneling pattern with narrower width pieces. Each individual piece shrinks less after installation.
You can write to me for UTILITY BILLS UPDATE No. 138 showing a solid wood paneling pattern selector guide and installation/finishing instructions. Write to James Dulley, The Deseret News, 6906 Royal Green Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244. Please include $1 and a self-addressed business-size envelope.
Q - My water bills are getting high. Will putting a brick in my toilet tank really cut my water costs and will it still flush well? J.L.
A - The reason for putting a brick in the bottom of a toilet tank is to replace some of the water volume with the brick. When the toilet is flushed, less water is used.
It is better to stand up the brick on end than to lay it flat. Often, toilet tanks don't completely empty during a flush. Therefore, the brick is always totally submerged in the water and it won't have any effect on the amount of water used per flush.
A better method is to use one of the several types of do-it-yourself water dams designed just for toilet tanks. Some are adjustable so you can vary the amount of water to get an adequate flush. They are fairly inexpensive and can be purchased at most home center and hardware stores.