Justin and Matt welcome video director Colin Russell to the podcast round table, where the day’s discussions range from Justin regretting his advice on I-joist roof rafters, the perks and scary downsides of DIY spray foam, sheathing replacement, and what to do with cupped floor boards.

Question 1: DIY Spray Foam Kits, revisited

Chris writes: Hey fellas, I remember from a previous episode you mentioned that the little spray foam insulation kit you can buy from the store may not be a great option for the money. But the convenience of that option is hard to pass up on in certain situations for those little jobs where you don’t want to call in a spray foam pro.

For instance I’m currently running vent baffles up a partial roof/ceiling on the second floor of our house doing the cut and cobble with foam board insulation/fiberglass bat combo. I don’t mind the tedious cutting fitting and air sealing to get everything right. But on a retrofit like this where nothing is consistent there is a lot of little cuts and lots of trips up into the attic and back down into the room, things seem to take forever. Until I think I could’ve cut so much time out of the project with that little spray kit and would’ve got more R’s out of the assembly as well.

But it’s done now so it is what it is. So basically my question is are there better options to those kits? Do some brands seem to be more user friendly or just work better for the guy who just needs to tackle the small job? Or am I just stubborn and should’ve called in the pro despite the size of the job.

• Spray foam for the rest of us
• Spray foam – What do you really know?
• Respirators demystified

Question 2: Matching existing shingles

Harry writes: Hi Guys, I had a roof leak over the eaves of my house in Jupiter, Florida. I could tell because of a visible sag in the roof deck. I tore into it this weekend.

I was irritated to find two layers of shingles complicating my repair. I took the day off work Monday to sister on new rafter tails and replace the sheathing and dry it all in with 30# felt. Hurricane season is ramping up.

The big problem is that the top layer of shingles are a discontinued brand (GAF-Elk Timberline® Prestique® Grande® 40) with an 8 1/4″ exposure instead of the 5 5/8″ exposure of the three tab shingles underneath. The rest of the roof looks good and it’s not nearly time to replace it. But do I have any choice but to start getting quotes for a whole strip and reroof job? If I just did this one section of the hip roof with a similar color architectural shingle how would I tie it in at the hip rafters with the ridge cap shingles on a different spacing?

It’s the side of the house by the garage door so you can see it from the driveway. I’ve got to sell this house eventually so my long term solution needs to look decent. What do you think?

• Replacing a damaged shingle
• Low risk reroof

Question 3: Water damaged floor boards

Hunter writes: Since my wife and I just bought our first home in Annandale, VA (DC suburb) in April, I’ve been listening to all the available podcasts from the beginning. For the record, some of your podcasts got me through the hurried process of repainting an entire first floor before our second child arrived. Others  had me scratching my head and wondering what language was being spoken. But I’ve determined I’m informed enough to be dangerous and yet not still know anything really at all…

More to the point, our dishwasher sprung a leak. I noticed something wrong one day when I went into the kitchen and half-tripped on a cupped floorboard. The drywall in the finished basement below was more just damp, but moist and almost to the point of being soggy. I stopped the leak, but I’m now left with a 2ft x 3ft approximate area of boards in front of my kitchen sink that are still cupped.

Do I have to remove all the boards, or all of the boards and the subfloor now? How will I know what to replace and what is salvageable? Is it possible for me to run a dehumidifier below the affected boards and run fans over the boards to get them to return to their original placement?

• Project House video series – Floor repair
• How to replace a floor board

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Benjamin Moore and OLFA.

This episode of the Fine Homebuilding podcast is brought to you by Benjamin Moore. Everyone can paint. This is true. But not everyone can get the project done right. And Benjamin Moore knows that’s why you’re on the job. You’re more than a paintbrush and a ladder. Your client can buy those things at a hardware store, but they hired you for your skills and expertise. You know every paint job is different and that it takes more than one coat for the best finish. Benjamin Moore believes in doing things the right way. Because everyone can paint, but to do it right, it takes an expert contractor, it takes more than one coat and it takes Benjamin Moore. Paint like no other. 

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