Home repair: Faux brick siding looks convincing

Q. As a fairly skilled DIY’er and fairly new homeowner (18 months), I appreciate the experience you bring to your column. I hope you can help us with a product recommendation.

Our 2½-story, 1925 Pittsburgh house has Insulbrick siding on the first floor. On three sides, the siding is in good to excellent condition (some parts also being newer), and its appearance is good enough that our next-door neighbor, who has lived there for 50 years, did not realize it was not real brick. However, on the rear of the house, which gets the afternoon sun, the siding is in worse shape. I have patched it in places with scraps of Insulbrick salvaged from a Dumpster and sealed the joints with asphalt roofing compound (the kind that comes in a caulking-type tube), but it is not perfect and will not last forever. I really like the character the brick appearance gives to the house.

Can you recommend an affordable brick-effect siding? Ideally, we would hope to find one available in a Craftsman-compatible style of dark red brick with dark pointing.

A. Insulbrick is an asphalt-based fiberboard with a granular facing that mimics real bricks. It comes in large panels that are normally nailed to a wood sheathing. The problem with it is that, because of its asphalt base, it is an exterior vapor barrier, which can lead to condensation on its back and structural decay of the wood material behind it. Removal of this siding has often revealed carpenter ant infestation because of the moisture accumulating behind it. Mortgage companies have often refused to lend money for houses covered with this material because of these problems.

The deterioration of the siding on the sunny side of your house is caused by the heat of the afternoon sun. Hopefully, it does not mean there is a problem behind it.

You may be able to find a suitable replacement at www.fauxpanels.com.

Q. I read your response to a reader’s question in the Sunday Daily Herald newspaper and had a question.

The reader was asking if using Ecoflex/Enerflex (aluminum-faced bubble rolls) would work in his 100-year-old house installed on inside walls behind drywall. You recommended XPS wall sheathing. Why would you not recommend an ISO Board (PIR) instead? There is more R/inch, and the flammability properties are better than XPS. I read your articles every Sunday, and at times you do mention PIR, but you seem to bounce back and forth between PIR and XPS. I’m wondering why.

A. The reader was asking about an interior installation. Polyisocyanurate rigid insulation outgasses over time, losing its small R-factor advantage over XPS, which does not outgas — a potential health issue for those sensitive to the chemicals. The flammability issue is not a significant advantage because the rigid insulation will be covered with drywall.

We should be far more concerned about natural and man-made fibers in the open in our houses (wool blankets and sweaters, cotton and silk clothing, carpeting, polyester-filled cushions, wood furniture, etc.). For instance, burning silk, wool, wood, polyester and cotton will incapacitate in five to eight minutes and kill in eight to 13 minutes, whereas XPS and polyiso will incapacitate in 17 and 19 minutes and kill in 23 and 22 minutes, respectively (a very small difference).

This is why I have always questioned building codes that require XPS and polyiso be covered with fire-resistant materials but do not regulate natural and man-made fibers, wood furniture and paneling, which represent a far deadlier danger to the occupants and firefighters.

Polyiso is more expensive than XPS, but the price difference has shrunk considerably over time, so this is no longer a major consideration (although for a large job, the small difference may add up). I truly have no bias, and I mention the one I think is most appropriate in each case.

Q. I have a question concerning insulation. We have a ranch-style house built in the late 1970s on a concrete slab. All of our electrical, phone, gas lines, etc., run in the attic because we have no basement.

Last summer we had someone give us an estimate on adding insulation to our attic. He recommended blowing 10 inches of brown cellulose insulation into the attic and then closing up the attic (with proper ventilation, of course). My concern is that since everything runs through the attic, what happens if we need to make repairs or changes with everything buried under 10 inches of insulation? Do you know anything about the brown cellulose insulation, or would you recommend a different type of insulation?

A. Cellulose insulation is made from newsprint and is treated to make it moisture-, fire- and vermin-resistant. It is an environmental product, which does not require a lot of energy to produce when compared to other types of insulations. It is a very efficient insulation that is also an air barrier — an important element of energy conservation.

Any wires that do not have junction boxes can be buried in the insulation without any markings, but junction boxes must be identified with flags that will show above the insulation. Gas lines also should be flagged.

I would not recommend closing off the attic. An insulated and weatherstripped scuttle hole panel should be provided to allow access to check things out periodically.

Q. We just purchased a humidifier, since our home runs with a humidity reading around 30 with cold temperatures in the single numbers. The humidifier we purchased had a chart saying that if the outside temperature is 10 degrees, the home comfort level should be a relative humidity of 30. Do you agree with this recommendation?

A. An interior relative humidity of 30 percent in winter is comfortable. In very cold temperatures, it may result in condensation on window glass. As long as the condensation is minor — a mist as opposed to running water — there should be no concern, but running and puddling water on window sashes and sills may lead to eventual damage. Storm windows are one answer.

Most homes built to energy-efficient standards in the last few decades should not need humidifiers. Normal family activities are usually enough to maintain a healthy relative humidity.

Q. I am improving the appearance of my interior basement after repairing and replacing the drainage pipes from the roof downspouts on the exterior. My house is about 60 years old, and the basement walls and floor were painted by previous owners. I want to repaint both the walls and the floor. The walls and floor are both staying dry, with no seepage.

I am planning on scraping and wire-brushing the walls, which have some loose paint and loose mortar. Is there any special treatment that I can apply before I paint? What type of paint would you recommend?

The floor has some loose, flaky paint that I will also scrape and wire-brush. Some parts are nothing but dry, dusty old paint. I have no idea what to do with this condition. Other parts still have intact paint but need to be repainted with the rest of the floor. Again, is there any special pretreatment, and what paint would you recommend?

A. Painting concrete block or cinder-block foundations is never a good idea. Regular paint is likely to peel if there is any moisture behind it, and applying a waterproof paint can result in the buildup of water within the cores of the blocks, with disastrous consequences in the living spaces above and in the attic.

The fact there is loose paint and mortar on the walls is an indication that there is, or has been, a moisture problem. Therefore, it is preferable that you use non-waterproofing paint that can peel if the problem persists. You’ll have to paint it again, but you’ll be avoiding a far worse scenario.

As for the floor, prepare it thoroughly, as should be done for all painting jobs, and use a concrete deck paint. Moisture coming through the concrete is likely to repeat what you are faced with now.

Q. In the last few years, I’ve noticed your regular comments and advice on which types and brands of roofing shingles are good quality and which are not. But I haven’t been clipping out and saving those columns. Now it looks like we’ll need a roofing replacement job on our 1890s house. (Pieces of the asphalt shingles, about 20 to 25 years old, are starting to come off in high winds.) Is your advice about roofing replacement options and shingle brands summarized in your book? Or is it collated somewhere else? Any suggestions?

A. I have not discussed shingle types in my book because it is a losing proposition. All manufacturers have had their problems at one time or another. One contractor will tell me that he switched to this brand because he hasn’t had any problems with it, whereas he had with other brands, while another contractor will report a totally different story. The brand that has generated the worst comments is IKO, which has a history of early failure. Yet I have been told that the company’s new fiberglass shingles are much better.

Sorry, but you are pretty much on your own.

Q. We put an addition on our house that consists of a garage on top of a family room. The garage has a concrete floor that is supported by steel trusses. This worked well for years, but cracks began to appear in the concrete, which should have been expected. We painted the floor with epoxy paint. That worked for a few years, but eventually big enough cracks formed and water leaked through to the family room and stained the ceiling. We hired a concrete repair expert who widened the cracks and put in a latex paint as sealer, then applied a concrete mixture in the cracks. That worked for a couple of years, but cracks continue to form.

I have laid down a flexible garage floor cover that catches any water and directs it out of the garage door. The cracks are still there and continue to be a concern. We are considering spraying Flex Seal liquid rubber sealant coating (as seen on TV) on the cracks, or even over the entire floor. What do you think of this idea, and do you have any better solutions?

A. I suggest that you discuss your situation with Jamieson PMSI, 261 Southwest Cutoff, Route 20, Worcester, Mass.; its phone numbers are (800) 249-2722 and (508) 767-1000. With all the repairs you have attempted, you need better advice than what I can give you.

Paving Maintenance Supply Inc. (PMSI) is a national franchise. For the company’s other locations nationwide, see www.pmsi-usa.net.

Q. My son purchased a new home in central Vermont five years ago and is experiencing an excess of cold air infiltration through his recessed lighting fixtures. The house has a cathedral ceiling above the kitchen, living room and dining room. There are eight light fixtures in the ceiling that leak continuously. It appears that the lights are not installed correctly. We would like to fix this problem without removing the Sheetrock and creating the associated mess. Your comments on the following ideas and any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Ÿ Fill the pots with insulation, then install pendant lights connected to the existing wiring.

Ÿ Fill the pots with insulation and install track lighting.

Of course, we would prefer to stop the air leakage and preserve the recessed lighting as is.

A. Recessed lighting fixtures in a cathedral ceiling are often a source of cold air and of convective paths for warm, moist air that leads to condensation in the usually closed or poorly ventilated space above the ceiling. They are always a bad idea in cold regions. Their depth precludes any insulation above them, or insulation so reduced in thickness as to be ineffective, unless it is closed-cell polyurethane sprayed onto the roof sheathing above the recessed cans. Their installation may not be incorrect; it’s the nature of the beast.

I suggest that you get rid of them, repair the insulation and what I hope is an effective vapor retarder, and hang surface fixtures or pendant ones. Your electrician may be able to find escutcheons large enough to make it unnecessary to repair the drywall, but these will need to be caulked to stop convection and keep out cold air.

Ÿ Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via email at henridemarne@gmavt.net. His book, “About the House,” is available at www.upperaccess.com and in bookstores.

© 2011, United Feature Syndicate Inc.