|
Posted by aemeijers on June 21, 2009, 12:19 pm
Dioclese wrote:
>> "Dioclese" <NONE> wrote in message
>>>> In a fully-insulated home in N. California SF Bay Area (very temperate
>>>> climes) is it common to seal the back side as well as the front of
>>>> kickboard
>>>> molding? The owner is insisting that the back side be sealed also with
>>>> organic varnish or polyurethane.
>>>> Recommendations?
>>>> Thanks.
>>> Do you mean a molding as in "baseboard"?
>>> If you don't have carpet, you can seal the bottom with silicon caulk
>>> after its nailed up. The top can always be caulked.
>>> Believe the idea behind using varnish or polyurethane is to keep wet rot
>>> down if you spill something, and the spill affects the back of the
>>> baseboard. The sheetrock doesn't touch the floor behind the baseboard.
>>> This creates a cavity just waiting for a spill to happen, and hold that
>>> spill for a long time until it finally dissipates. This also affects the
>>> sole plate if its not PT.
>>> --
>>> Dave
>> HUH ??? That's quite a spill if it rots out the floor and baseboard..You
>> would have to spill alot repeatedly in the SAME spot for several years for
>> that to happen....
>
> This is common in bathrooms, especially in older homes. May be throughout
> the house if a flood occurs, but never goes beyond baseboard height.
> Similar in a water heater closet with a water heater burst. A leaky
> built-in dishwasher can do similar behind the dishwasher. A leaky sink
> faucet at its base can do the same. Commonly, its due to a very slight gap
> between the baseboard and floor. There is no baseboard in the last 2 items
> mentioned though. Water accumulates between the baseboard and sole plate.
> The backside of the baseboard wicks the water and may transfer some of it to
> the sheetrock. If the house has a subfloor with plywood covering, its
> common for that plywood to take on that water as well. If the floor is
> covered with carpet, water rot may attack the underlayment.
That is why I keep plastic trays/washtubs/whatever in the cabinets under
all my sinks. Convenient for holding the cabinet junk so you can pull it
out and actually see it, but also acts as a catch basin when (not if) a
container starts leaking, or if the sink feed or trap starts leaking.
You can usually smell it before it overflows.
--
aem sends...
| 
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap