The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
First Aid For The Ailing Houses
Textured Siding In many older sections of every town or city may be seen residences that have been covered with "brick" asphalt siding. This is roll material made of asphalt, felted fibers, and an embossed surface covered with ground brick to simulate a masonry facing. Such siding is still available, but its use is diminishing with the years. It is now considered advisable to cover exterior walls with stucco (see section on Recovering Walls), asbestos shingles, or one of the new imitation stone or masonry facing materials.
One popular facing material is made of cork, and in texture, shape, and color closely duplicates various masonry or stone walls. This material is highly weather-resistant, becomes even more realistic with age, and its light weight does not put strain on the wall. In addition, it is an excellent insulation material and will slow heat passage through the walls.
Thin facings of brick and stone, especially made to be applied to an existing wall, are also available at buildingupply dealers.
CAULKING LEAKS
In the case of a house that is newly built, the door frames and window frames are tightly fitted to the walls. In good construction, the joints between frames and walls are closed by flashings, usually sheet metal at the top and building paper along the sides and bottom. Even with flashings, the shrinkage of the wood will open the joints between the frames and walls and expose cracks through which air can pass. Such leaks will often show indoors, for dust carried by air leaking through from the outside will make smudges on the walls alongside of the frames. These leaks should be closed, for they admit a great deal of air.
Other places that require caulking are cracks between the siding and foundation, cracks that sometimes appear at the tops of walls, below the rafter line, and where chimneys or other masonry fits against wood siding.
In some constructions, the joints between the frames and walls are covered with moldings or flat strips, which should be taken off. The joints then exposed can be plugged with tow, forced in to the bottom with a flat-ended stick or a tool like a screwdriver and filled to within % inch of the surface. The space above the tow is then filled with caulking compound, which can be had at a hardware or paint store or from a dealer of mason materials. Caulking compound can be had in several colors or can be tinted to match the surroundings with color-in-oil. It is of the consistency of soft putty but never becomes quite hard. A skin will form on the surface, but the underpart will remain soft enough to take up the movement of the wood and other materials in expanding and contracting.
