We sealed up the gaps in our floorboards with #Oakum last year. It's holding up just fine! I also used it on some old windows at work and it's easy to install, then remove, then install again!

Filling Floor Gaps With Oakum: Update 2-1/2 Years Later

March 18, 2024

"Two and a half years ago, I filled the gaps in our original wood floors with oakum. You can read more about that process here [link below].

"This is a niche solution to a common problem with homes built in the 1700s and 1800s with original wood floors and gaps between those floorboards. Our house was built in the 1780s and later added onto in the 1800s.

"It’s time for an update on how that oakum has held up!

"First of all, what is oakum?

"Historically speaking, oakum is a combination of natural fibers like #hemp or #jute and tar or oil that was used to caulk wooden ships to make them watertight.

"Oakum was often repurposed from old ship rigging. '#PickingOakum' was a terrible job where someone had to unwind the #rope fibers so they could be repurposed into #caulking.

"Oakum is still used today for several uses related to plumbing, wooden ship caulking, log home caulking, etc. Today, oakum is manufactured in a factory.

"Brown oakum is made from natural fibers (could be a combination of jute, hemp, and/or burlap), oil, and often bentonite.

"White oakum is made from jute, #Bentonite, and water.

"Bentonite is a clay that expands when it encounters water."

Read more:
https://aprettyhappyhome.com/2024/03/18/filling-floor-gaps-with-oakum/

How the author did it:
https://aprettyhappyhome.com/2021/05/10/fill-floor-gaps-with-oakum/

#SolarPunkSunday #NaturalMaterials #SyntheticAlternatives #Insulation #FloorGaps #DIY

I love caulking but hate it at the same time, period.

It's equally messy and stinky, as it is extremely satisfying and protective (in terms of water resistance and other kinds of nuisances)

Despite this, it is still one house maintenance thing I love to do when it goes right, but it seems like it's a material that's designed to effectively become blocked up, jammed up, and be infuriating to apply.

I think my main gripe is with 100% silicone clear caulking. Somehow it's the worst of the bunch in terms of application...

#housemaintenance #caulking

Man lernt ja nie aus.
#Ships #Caulking #Oakum

https://youtube.com/shorts/2tycEXfrmro?si=rdcw2IePl9Sk46Y7

I've decided to patch more holes in my kitchen myself.

"Why?"

I don't like it when workers come into my apartment.

"You know how to do it?"

Yes, I've owned two houses. I know how to put down caulk.

"You don't just squirt it in there?"

Hell no!  Some of the gaps are large enough that they need a backer rod.

"A what now?"

Leave it to people who know what they are doing, and careful with that axe, Eugene.

"What axe? And my name is not Eugene."

Never mind.

"But you're not supposed to do this work yourself."

Sometimes I wonder if the landlord will have any clue. If they do, it'll go like this.

LL: "Hey! You caulked our kitchen!"

Me: "No, one of your workers did it."

LL: "Pfft! This shows much more craftsmanship than what our workers can do."

Me: " 😏 "

LL: "Er... that's not the defense I thought it would be.  "

#DIY #caulking #BackerRod #CarefulWithThatAxeEugene #PinkFloyd #craftsmanship #apartment #landlord

"Thinking Inside the Box":
a fascinating article on the #medieval #chest in which the City of #Antwerp kept important #manuscripts ...
sources of the #wood felled in 1301-17...
the ships from which the wood was #recycled ...
the width of the bottom plank, similar to those in recently #excavated #cog #ships...
the #moss used for #caulking...
& the customised wooden boxes inside for safekeeping of #documents & #seals

https://brill.com/view/journals/ijwc/aop/article-10.1163-27723194-bja10008/article-10.1163-27723194-bja10008.xml

#dendrochronology #archive #medievodons @medievodons

Caulking Season is Upon Us. 🎉

https://genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/caulk.html

"Professionals and amateurs alike treat caulking as if it were some kind of magic salve, able to heal all wounds. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Caulking is squeezable chemistry, which must be analyzed and quantified.
...
"A few caulk chemistries may stick to wet or cold surfaces, others will cure into a floating rubber snake that slithers away under pressure."

#caulking #diy
via @novalis
https://honk.novalis.org/u/novalis/h/v2MBhjNwRDBTwlZ878