There’s plenty of nice stone outside, we’ll have to be content with that.
Insulating my ancient living room
- Thread starter endecotp
- Start date
(3 months later…)
I have a load of plasterboard coming tomorrow, so I thought I’d better post some photos before this gets hidden forever.
This is the same right-hand window as before, with insulated studwork in place. It doesn’t look as smart as my previous efforts, because I’m re-using the wonky old timber and because I’ve inserted the insulation from behind, which makes it look like it has gaps around the insulation - it really doesn’t, see previous photos.
The frames feel nice and solid since I have secured them to each other half way up. Without that support, the 50mm timber is quite bouncy.
The insulation narrows from 100mm to 50mm at the windows. Some years ago when I was feeling rich I bough a few sheets of aerogel fleece to try in places where there’s not much space available; I’ve used some of that here behind the 50mm wood fibre.
Below the window I’ve built new 100mm studwork, and I’ve used strips of aerogel glued to the back of the studs:
Should be less than 3 months before the next update! I still haven’t shown you the North wall, due to the piles of stuff that are hiding it!
I have a load of plasterboard coming tomorrow, so I thought I’d better post some photos before this gets hidden forever.
The frames feel nice and solid since I have secured them to each other half way up. Without that support, the 50mm timber is quite bouncy.
The insulation narrows from 100mm to 50mm at the windows. Some years ago when I was feeling rich I bough a few sheets of aerogel fleece to try in places where there’s not much space available; I’ve used some of that here behind the 50mm wood fibre.
Below the window I’ve built new 100mm studwork, and I’ve used strips of aerogel glued to the back of the studs:
Should be less than 3 months before the next update! I still haven’t shown you the North wall, due to the piles of stuff that are hiding it!
Time for another update on this glacially-slow project.
Plasterboard fitted, joints and screws filled, and mist-coated around this window.
I’ve only done the filling now to find out whether I can do a good-enough job, or whether I should get a pro to come and skim everything for me at the end of the project. Like most jobs, I eventually produce something that’s OK - but sooo slooowly.
Plasterboard fitted, joints and screws filled, and mist-coated around this window.
I’ve only done the filling now to find out whether I can do a good-enough job, or whether I should get a pro to come and skim everything for me at the end of the project. Like most jobs, I eventually produce something that’s OK - but sooo slooowly.
Good job!
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You are indeed speeding up
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Small area like that you can probably end up with a decent job if you skim it yourself. I do my own, and I'm getting better. However, there is some investment in tools (whisk, trowel, hawk), so unless you can see a future use it's prob better to get someone in.
Symbolic first bit of floor is down:
It’s 75mm PIR with OSB floating over it.
Quite a stressful morning - they are digging up the road and have temporary traffic lights, so I was running around trying to find a huge truck with the insulation somewhere in the traffic jam, and negotiating which cones I could move to make a parking space for it. But at least it was dry & sunny!
Edit: come on, someone fix this rotated imaged bug!
It’s 75mm PIR with OSB floating over it.
Quite a stressful morning - they are digging up the road and have temporary traffic lights, so I was running around trying to find a huge truck with the insulation somewhere in the traffic jam, and negotiating which cones I could move to make a parking space for it. But at least it was dry & sunny!
Edit: come on, someone fix this rotated imaged bug!
OK, I have a question for all you lovely people.
I am very clearly a long long way from doing any final decorating in this room - but there are some decisions about colours and finishes that I need to make sooner rather than later.
The plan is a wooden floor of some sort, probably engineered oak of some shade. Then there will be panelling on the bottom part of the wall - I lifted the old softwood floorboards in chunks that I believe I will be able to fix to the wall. Then the rest of the walls painted.
The decision that I need to make soon is how to finish the paneling. I have two thoughts:
1. Paint the panelling white. I'd then have a light/mid-shade wooden floor, white skirting and paneling, and paint the upper part of the wall in some grey / stone / beige colour, or something.
2. Stain the panelling to a mid/dark brown colour. I'd then have a darker-shade wooden floor, similar panelling, and probably white or a light shade for the upper part of the wall.
In any case the ceiling and the sides of the window reveals will be white.
Factors that I need to keep in mind are:
- It's not a very bright room, except for a few hours in the middle of the day, so I would prefer lighter colours.
- It's an old building, and giving a feeling of age would be appropriate. Actually, dark stained wood panelling is not an authentic look for this period, but it is what people expect.
- I do have some furniture in dark wood.
- If I chose to stain the wall panelling, it should probably try to match the floor. Except they won't match because the floor will be oak and the paneling pine.
I am tending towards having white paneling. I then have the choice of simply painting it with white satin paint, or using something like an Osmo Tints white stain oil. Any thoughts about that?
The reason I am thinking about this now is that I will need to fix paneling below the windows where the radiators will go reasonably soon. While repainting later would not be difficult, changing from paint to wood stain or vice-versa would be a pain.
Thanks for reading!
I am very clearly a long long way from doing any final decorating in this room - but there are some decisions about colours and finishes that I need to make sooner rather than later.
The plan is a wooden floor of some sort, probably engineered oak of some shade. Then there will be panelling on the bottom part of the wall - I lifted the old softwood floorboards in chunks that I believe I will be able to fix to the wall. Then the rest of the walls painted.
The decision that I need to make soon is how to finish the paneling. I have two thoughts:
1. Paint the panelling white. I'd then have a light/mid-shade wooden floor, white skirting and paneling, and paint the upper part of the wall in some grey / stone / beige colour, or something.
2. Stain the panelling to a mid/dark brown colour. I'd then have a darker-shade wooden floor, similar panelling, and probably white or a light shade for the upper part of the wall.
In any case the ceiling and the sides of the window reveals will be white.
Factors that I need to keep in mind are:
- It's not a very bright room, except for a few hours in the middle of the day, so I would prefer lighter colours.
- It's an old building, and giving a feeling of age would be appropriate. Actually, dark stained wood panelling is not an authentic look for this period, but it is what people expect.
- I do have some furniture in dark wood.
- If I chose to stain the wall panelling, it should probably try to match the floor. Except they won't match because the floor will be oak and the paneling pine.
I am tending towards having white paneling. I then have the choice of simply painting it with white satin paint, or using something like an Osmo Tints white stain oil. Any thoughts about that?
The reason I am thinking about this now is that I will need to fix paneling below the windows where the radiators will go reasonably soon. While repainting later would not be difficult, changing from paint to wood stain or vice-versa would be a pain.
Thanks for reading!
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