Exterior Waterproofing

If simple remedies, such as grading surface soil or patching interior walls, fail to cure a wet basement, you must block moisture outside the basement wall. No amount of interior patching will stop penetration caused by the power of substantial subsurface water pressure, nor will it plug leaks through cracks opened when the roots of a tree penetrate.

To waterproof a basement wall from the outside, you must excavate at least part of the foundation of the house, a heavy job you may want to have done. You also may prefer hiring a professional if basement walls must be resurfaced with concrete. But the rest of the job is fairly simple to do yourself.

Some cracks are shallow enough to block by simply excavating the upper part of the basement wall to a depth of about 2 feet and waterproofing with asphalt foundation coating and polyethylene plastic sheeting. If the leak is lower down, there is no alternative to excavating the entire basement wall down to the footing. Once the digging is dine, you should waterproof the wall with concrete and also lay drain tiles, which collect subsurface water and carry it away from the house. The tiles - made like storm-sewer piping, but generally perforated - are available in several materials in various lengths with connectors and elbow fittings. Tiles that are asphalt impregnated and rigid plastic types are the easiest to use.

Weather-stripping Doors

The big leak in most houses are around doors. They lack the twofold edge enclosures of double-hung windows, so an open crack is inevitable. Any of various type of weather stripping can fill the crack, but it can't do so effectively unless the door fits properly. If weather stripping is attached to a binding door, it may make the door impossible to open or close. So the first step in weather-proofing a door is to adjust hinges, and sand or place edges until it opens and closes smoothly, leaving a narrow, uniform space between edge and jamb.

Generally, you can see how the door fits by looking at the edges all around. To find invisible binds, slide thin cardboard between the closed door and the jamb, or rub colored chalk on the door edge - it will rub off on the jamb at binds.

Most often a door sticks because loosened hinge screws made it sag. Tighten the screws. If the screws will not hold, replace them with longer ones or stuff the screw holes with toothpicks. If screw-tightening does not solve the problem, try shifting the door by spacing hinge leaves with thin material or plane off the door edge at the binds. If the entire latch side binds, remove the door and plane the hinge side - so you will have to move the lock - then reset the hinges.

Sealants

Most of the newer and more efficient sealants are usually applied with a caulking gun. The most popular type uses individual cartridges that are thrown away when empty. Getting a smooth flow of sealant - a proper bead - may require practice. So if you are doing the hob for the first time, make a few trial strokes.

While a caulking gun is best for most jobs, some small repairs are more conveniently done in other ways: caulks that are squeezed like toothpaste from a collapsible tube glazing compound that is pressed into cracks with your fingers, ropelike strands that are pushed into place and filler that must be tamped into openings. Whatever you use, thoroughly clean the area around a crack, removing old sealant and chipped paint with a wood chisel or puttyknife. Wipe the crack with turpentine, the use a stiff brush to get rid of remaining dirt. Do not try to caulk when temperatures are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit - the sealant will be too hard to handle easily and it will not stick to the cold surfaces.

Weatherproofing gliding windows

Most new types of wood gliding windows come with weather stripping built in between the frame and the sash. Older types, however, may need sealing. If both sashes move, treat the windows as if it were a double-hung window tuned on its side.

For windows with one gliding sash, treat only the movable part. Install a strip of spring metal in the side channel that receives the movable sash, lining up the nailing flange along the inside edge. Then nail vinyl or rubber gasket along the exterior top bottom and outer edges of the gliding sash. The outer strip will fit snugly against the rail of the inside sash where the window sections meet.

Most metal gliding windows have rubber weather stripping in the tracks of each sash but, like wood gliders, should be sealed where the sashes meet. Attach the gasket with vinyl-to-metal adhesive.

Sealing wood casements.

Many new styles of wood casements have their own built-in-weather-proofing. If yours do not, nail spring metal stripping to the frame. For casements that open outward, the railing flange should be placed along the outside edge of the frame. Reverse the position of the nailing flange for windows that open inward.

You can also install felt or adhesive-backed foam stripping on the inside of the frame, but such material tend to loosen after a few months of frequent opening and closing of the windows.

These same procedures apply to awning-type windows which are really sidewise casements.

Installing Weatherproof Thresholds

Installing weatherproof thresholds are just 3 steps away:

First, shield the floor or carpet around the door with pieces of cardboard secured by masking tape. Try to remove the threshold with a pry bar. If it does not lift up easily, cut through at each end with a backsaw and force up the center piece.

Second, knocking out end pieces. If the new threshold is the same height as one old one, tap out the ends with a mallet and chisel. Otherwise, saw through the door stops to heighten the opening and release the end pieces as well. Clean the still with turpentine.

Third, cut the threshold to fit tightly against both sides of the jamb. Position the threshold so that the flap side of the plastic seal is toward the outdoors. Lift up the plastic flap and insert screws through the holes in the strip underneath.

Weather- stripping to Block the Drafts

The crack around doors and windows are the main cause of air leakage in most homes. In fact, in many houses, window sashes and doors are grooved to interlock with metal flanges around the frames. If a house lacks this sort of built-in weather stripping, chances are it will easily gets the damage.

Actually, there are some simple tests to determine your weather-stripping needs. On a cool, windy day, feel for air door and window cracks. Another method is to hold a tissue next to the crack to see if it flutters. Or, shine a flashlight along door and window edges from the outside at night while someone inside watches to see if light penetrates.

Once you know your trouble spots, you can select the weather-stripping best suited to the job.