Topic 3 – Renovating Exterior Walls, Roof, Interior Finishes
Renovating Exterior Wall and Roof Finishes
Procedures to follow:
- The first thing to check before the finishes are installed is the substrate (support surface). Any damaged substrates must be repaired or replaced before new finishes are installed.
- Next, install any required flashings or barriers following NBC and local building codes.
- Install the new finish according to code and specs.
- Where new finishes meet the old, it is not always possible to join in the middle of a wall or roof without a visible transition. If so, a good practice is to remove the existing finish back to a point where the joining of new to old can be done less noticeably. This works well for walls at an intersection of two walls or for a roof, at a valley or ridge.
- If the wall or roof is large and the renovation is to a small portion, you may have to tie into the old material. Only the material affected by the renovation is removed and the old and new materials are integrated with no distinctive intersection line between them.
- If the colors of the new and old materials do not match, they may need to be stained or painted to provide a uniform look.
Renovating Interior Floor Finishes
There are different methods used for the installation of floor finishes, depending on
the product being used. Three common floor finishes are: tile, hardwood, and laminate.
Tile Floor
There are many types of tiles installed in a variety of methods. Some use a mortar
base to hold them in place, others use adhesive glue. For tile held with mortar, a chisel and hammer are used, starting at one side and chiseling underneath the tile making sure to remove all the old mortar. If removal of a large area is needed, larger mechanical tools like a mini jackhammer are available. For tiles with a glue type adhesive, a heat gun will help melt the glue enough to release the tile. A scraper can also be used to remove this tile.
When the renovated area has been cleaned of debris and the substrates have been repaired and levelled or a new substrate installed, the new tile can be installed. The new tile needs to be installed in the same manner as the old, to maintain consistency in the look of the floor when finished. The grout lines between tiles will need to be matched as well.
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring can be installed two ways: first by nailing it into place and second to glue
into place. They are treated the same way when removing or filling a section. To remove
a board, first protect the surrounding floor from any damage. Then with a circular saw set to the proper depth, cut several passes down the length of the board. The board can then be removed carefully in smaller pieces without damaging the boards beside it. Remove any nails carefully to preserve the adjacent boards. Once the board is removed, the floor is cleaned of any remaining dust or debris.
Before any new pieces of flooring are installed, they need to be prepped to match the existing boards by staining or painting the same colour. When installing several pieces in a row, the last piece needs to be modified to fit into the last space. This can be done by cutting off the bottom of the grooved side and grooved end of the board.
The board is inserted using a rubber mallet to hammer into place and secured with glue. A weight may be placed on top to keep the piece pressed tight until the glue is set. Glue alone is used to hold the piece if the flooring is prefinished. Face nails (set and filled) may also be used if the flooring will be sanded and finished afterwards.
Laminate flooring
Laminate flooring is a versatile, easy to install wood floor covering that has become very popular. This floor covering is installed by simply locking together boards with tongue and grooved edges. No need for nails or adhesive to hold them in place. The entire floor basically floats, allowing for expansion or contraction with environmental changes. If replacement of a board is needed, the flooring can be taken apart from where it was finished back to the damaged board. The board can be replaced and the rest of the floor reinstalled. With some types of laminate floors, it is possible to remove a single board in the same way as done for solid hardwood. As laminate is pre-finished, the board would be glued. This option would be determined by the manufacturer’s specifications.
Renovating Interior Wall Finishes
Repairing Drywall
Drywall repairs can be done quite easily with minimal tools and material. When existing
drywall with painted finish is damaged, the damaged area can be patched with new drywall. Joints are then taped and mudded to seal and cover. The final coat of mud/compound is feathering into the existing wall to create a seamless transition.
Where wallpaper has been used, the wallpaper can be removed and the area then fixed in the same manner as a painted wall. If removal of the paper has damaged the surface of the drywall, then sections or even the entire wall may have to be skim coated with dry wall mud and sanded to give a uniform look once finished.
Repairing Paneling
Wall paneling can be used in a variety of ways for a wall finish. Usually, the full height is used to cover the whole wall. Another way covers only a portion of the wall creating a more decorated (dadoed) wall. In either case the paneling will have a pattern which gives it its look. To repair a damaged panel, replace at a joint in the pattern to be more unnoticeable. Solid backing needs to be installed if the joint occurs where no backing is provided.
Repairing Lath and Plaster
In older houses, lath and plaster may have been used prior to dry wall. If the plaster has been damaged, the first step is to remove any loose plaster from the lath and fill it with a coat of dry wall mud. If a large area is to be filled, old practices would have filled the entire area with a first coat of plaster. Drywall can also be used making sure the drywall is slightly thinner than the original plaster to allow for the fill coat. Once drywall has filled the area, a base coat can be applied to any large cracks or voids that remain.
After the base has dried a mesh tape is placed over the joints between the new drywall and old plaster. This will prevent any cracks from forming in the future. A second coat of mud is placed over the tape joint and feathered out. Once dry the entire area can be covered with a finish coat and sanded smoothly, ready for painting.
Renovating Ceiling Finishes
If the ceiling is painted drywall, the same process is used as with walls. When a ceiling has been finished with stipple texture over drywall, it may be possible to scrape off and replace the stipple finish. For a damaged or discoloured ceiling tile, the tile can be replaced or re-painted depending on the condition.
Review Questions
- Before installing new siding, what must be checked first?
- What other materials must be installed before the new siding can be started?
- How are exterior finishes best transitioned on a smaller wall or roof so that the transition is less noticeable?
- If new and old products do not match each other in colour, what can be done?
- What are some methods of removing floor tile?
- Why should flooring be installed in the same manner as the existing when replacing only a portion?
- How can a piece of hardwood be removed?
- What is done to the new piece of hardwood before it can be installed?
- What two ways can a damaged piece of laminate be replaced?
- How is a wall prepped for paint if wallpaper has damaged the wall surface when removed?
- Where can a repair be made in paneling where it won’t be noticed once finished?
- Why is drywall used to fill in large areas where plaster has been removed from lathe?
Answers
- Check for damaged substrates.
- Flashing and barriers.
- It is good practice to remove the existing material to an intersection of two walls or at a valley or ridge on a roof.
- Paint or stain to produce a uniform look.
- Using a hammer and chisel to chip tile off, mechanical tool, or heat gun and scraper.
- To maintain consistency in the look of the floor.
- Protect the surrounding flooring, make several cuts down the board with a circular saw, carefully chisel or pry out pieces not damaging surrounding pieces.
- The bottom of the grooved side and end must be cut off.
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- Remove flooring to point of damaged piece and replace
- Cut damaged piece out and replace in same way as hardwood flooring (depending on the manufacturer)
- The surface can be skim coated with mud to give a uniform surface for a new finish.
- At a joint in the pattern.
- To speed up the process of filling large voids in lathe and plaster wall repairs.
