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Old 01-17-2011, 06:58 PM
 
61 posts, read 156,601 times
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Just bought a house in Falls Church, VA in April and now having some issues with cold downstairs and hot upstairs (cape cod). I realize heat rises, etc. but when I walk in the kitchen, I can feel cold air coming from bottom of baseboard, where the counter meets the floor. There is some space there about 1/4 of inch and this is where the cold air is coming from. No basement/house has crawl space that is insulated.

Any suggestions on how to fix, who to recommend? How much to repair? Not really sure on what to do. Thanks. Maybe weatherstripping along the openings..but not sure if this would be enough. Thanks again. Probably nothing home owners insurance would cover?
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Old 01-17-2011, 07:28 PM
 
Location: Denver
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1) Insurance will not cover it.

2) Insulation will cover it.
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Old 01-17-2011, 07:31 PM
 
Location: Jacksonville, FL
11,086 posts, read 10,644,681 times
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1/4 inch is a bit too wide to caulk and make it look nice. However, from your description I'd say you could probably cover the gap with some quarter-round molding. Go buy a can of Great Stuff foam first, and run a small bead of it inside the opening. This stuff expands like you won't believe, so a little bit will do the job. Then buy a stick of quarter-round, cut it to length, and nail it in front of the gap.
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Old 01-17-2011, 08:20 PM
 
61 posts, read 156,601 times
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Thanks for the advice...I double checked the opening and varies from about 1/4 to almost 1/2 in some places...is the Great Stuff foam still appropriate to use? Thanks again.
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Old 01-17-2011, 08:30 PM
 
Location: West Michigan
12,082 posts, read 38,752,925 times
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Get the kind for use around window frames. It expands very well, but won't force things to move while curing like the regular expanding foam will. It still seals as well. Yes it will fill a 1/2" gap easily.
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Old 01-17-2011, 08:36 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bydand View Post
Get the kind for use around window frames. It expands very well, but won't force things to move while curing like the regular expanding foam will. It still seals as well. Yes it will fill a 1/2" gap easily.
Exactly. It comes in the blue can: GREAT STUFFâ„¢ Window & Door | Draft Stopper for Windows and Doors

A little bit of this stuff goes a long way so scope out all the different areas in the house you may want to use it.
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Old 01-17-2011, 08:36 PM
 
61 posts, read 156,601 times
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Thanks again.
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Old 01-18-2011, 04:55 AM
 
Location: Jacksonville, FL
11,086 posts, read 10,644,681 times
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Another trick I picked up somewhere. The tube will clog up after using it (poor design, imo) and is almost impossible to clean. However, if you spray a shot of brake cleaner down the tube it will dissolve the foam in about a second.
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Old 01-18-2011, 07:01 AM
 
Location: West Michigan
12,082 posts, read 38,752,925 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimRom View Post
Another trick I picked up somewhere. The tube will clog up after using it (poor design, imo) and is almost impossible to clean. However, if you spray a shot of brake cleaner down the tube it will dissolve the foam in about a second.
Nice to know! Thanks for the tip.
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