Foam over T&G - How much dirt in the house?
We are contemplating a new roof and wonder about the amount of dirt that penetrates the ceiling. Ours is a flat model with one existing roof and there seem to be two options - a vacuum system or brooms. Any experiences worth recounting?
Thanks
Dan
danmc @mac.com
We had a new roof put in about a year ago, and we got plastic sheets to hang up under the ceiling, to trap any dirt.
Worked well, but it was cumbersome to tape it all into place, and I don't know if it actually was worth the effort compared to just vacuuming afterwards.
/Silvia
We didnt put anything down, and got a light coat of dust. It was pretty dark dust though, so if you have light colored furniture it might be worth it to cover it up. But not worth losing too much sleep over.
Under a tar roof we removed, we once found a tapered mound of dirt, ten feet across. This was right on top of the tongue-and-groove roof boards. The dirt was there to eliminate a pond over the master bedroom. Dirt doesn't get throught the tarpaper. Most dirt problems go back to removal of a tar roof. If grit and dirt is left on the wood, it can work its way through the gaps in the roof boards. A tar roof tear-off is a dirty process. The dust-choked air is able to move back and forth through the gaps in the wood. If the wood is left clean, you will have no residual dirt problem. The wood was left dirty on my Eichler. If someone walked around on the roof, I would find lines of grit and dirt on the countertops. If you have a tar roof removed, make sure they clean the wood carefully, or you'll be cleaning up after them forever.
We too used plastic tarps taped to the ceiling and it worked very well.
In the couple spots we did not tape, we had lots of dirt and grit to clean up
We stripped the T&G roof down to wood and Foamed (very happy).
I for one think the time spent with tarps and painters tape was well spent and would strongly suggest you do this.
Good Luck.
Gerald
Sound transmission is a problem if a foam roof is applied right to the wood. We have not done that for 20 years. Foam is hard, and sounds hollow in a heavy rain with no sound deadening materials present.
When you clean and staple an old tar roof, it make a great base for sprayed foam. If it is removed, you pay for labor and disposal...plus the labor and materials for new fibre board, foam board and/or 90lb. roll roofing.
There is seldom a good reason to remove the remaining tarpaper when a roof structure is prepared for a foam roof. Eichlers have absolutely the best wood in home construction. Eichler redwood endures while other homes the same age are rotting. Eichler ceilings breathe. Moisture cannot be trapped in a tongue and groove ceiling.
