Hello,
We are renovating the kitchen and need to replace the plastic on the external wall, this is what it looks like today:
http://i.imgur.com/IPeG6aU.jpg
The house was built in the 70s and consists of wooden beams, the house is clad in brick. Since it was built with plastic, we assumed plastic was necessary, so we have already purchased age-resistant plastic from Bygg Max, which is supposed to last at least 50 years.
However, an acquaintance was very convinced that plastic is crap and should be removed, as it only results in mold, instead one should use wind barrier paper. At the same time, I can't see any mold in the wall even though the house has already stood with plastic since the 70s? Could it be that the cladding depends on the type of house you have?
1. What material should I choose for this house?
2. They say at Bygg Max that their plastic lasts for 50 years? Does that mean you have to break open all the walls in the house every 50 years to replace the plastic? Our house is from the 70s, if so, it's no more than 4 years until we have to break open all our walls if the plastic they used lasts just as long!?
We are renovating the kitchen and need to replace the plastic on the external wall, this is what it looks like today:
http://i.imgur.com/IPeG6aU.jpg
The house was built in the 70s and consists of wooden beams, the house is clad in brick. Since it was built with plastic, we assumed plastic was necessary, so we have already purchased age-resistant plastic from Bygg Max, which is supposed to last at least 50 years.
However, an acquaintance was very convinced that plastic is crap and should be removed, as it only results in mold, instead one should use wind barrier paper. At the same time, I can't see any mold in the wall even though the house has already stood with plastic since the 70s? Could it be that the cladding depends on the type of house you have?
1. What material should I choose for this house?
2. They say at Bygg Max that their plastic lasts for 50 years? Does that mean you have to break open all the walls in the house every 50 years to replace the plastic? Our house is from the 70s, if so, it's no more than 4 years until we have to break open all our walls if the plastic they used lasts just as long!?
You’ve seen a bit of that 45-year-old plastic now when you've been tearing in the exterior walls... How did it look? Did it fall apart into shreds and dust as soon as you touched it? If so, it's clearly done and is either no longer serving its function or soon won't be. Otherwise, I completely agree with Pumba. If there was plastic in the walls before, then it was calculated in your house's construction that plastic is the right implementation. And now you've seen that everything looks healthy and good, even after 45 years, so it's just to realize that plastic in the walls has been very beneficial for your house. Don't change a winning concept!snowjim said:
But otherwise, regarding changing the plastic, YES, a house that is 50 years old has reached its technical lifespan.
This is when major ROT (Renovation, Reconstruction, and Maintenance) projects are relevant, such as replacing all water pipes, sewer stacks, replacing the entire electrical system, changing/upgrading heating and ventilation, re-insulating to today's standards, new windows, etc. So replacing all the plastic could also be considered sensible to do around now.
This is roughly what is meant by a house having a technical lifespan of about 50 years. After a maximum of 50 years, everything is "finished" and either needs to be replaced/renovated or the house is torn down and a new one is built.
This is when major ROT (Renovation, Reconstruction, and Maintenance) projects are relevant, such as replacing all water pipes, sewer stacks, replacing the entire electrical system, changing/upgrading heating and ventilation, re-insulating to today's standards, new windows, etc. So replacing all the plastic could also be considered sensible to do around now.
This is roughly what is meant by a house having a technical lifespan of about 50 years. After a maximum of 50 years, everything is "finished" and either needs to be replaced/renovated or the house is torn down and a new one is built.
Strangely enough, the plastic looks good after all these years; if it weren't for the tearing due to the demolition, it could have remained in place.
What I can see, though, is that the insulation is a bit black in certain spots, but I guess it's dirt that's been drawn in with the air rather than moisture since it feels completely dry there.
http://i.imgur.com/dQLos8T.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BXTtuda.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6sSZnsP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6sSZnsP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IJuR15A.jpg
By the way, when putting up the new plastic, is it enough to staple it with a staple gun? Or do you also need to tape it? Perhaps you need to double fold the plastic around the edges to make it tighter?
What I can see, though, is that the insulation is a bit black in certain spots, but I guess it's dirt that's been drawn in with the air rather than moisture since it feels completely dry there.
http://i.imgur.com/dQLos8T.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BXTtuda.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6sSZnsP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6sSZnsP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IJuR15A.jpg
By the way, when putting up the new plastic, is it enough to staple it with a staple gun? Or do you also need to tape it? Perhaps you need to double fold the plastic around the edges to make it tighter?
Member
· Etelä Pohjanmaa
· 2 467 posts
The dark spots are probably caused by moisture that has leaked through the plastic somewhere, all the wood is completely healthy and that is probably nothing to worry about. You can see that a little moisture has leaked through at the electrical connections, which is obvious since you have to make a hole in the plastic somewhere. I think it looks very good for being almost fifty years old. Replace the plastic and keep going with the same; there's no need to replace something that works.
The plastic degrades from sunlight and becomes brittle and crumbles. Not much sunlight directly inside a closed wall, so I would guess it lasts 500 years instead of 50.
The plastic degrades from sunlight and becomes brittle and crumbles. Not much sunlight directly inside a closed wall, so I would guess it lasts 500 years instead of 50.
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Thank you, I have now set up the plastic. For various reasons, I had to let the plastic go in a bit on the side walls and floor. Everything was sealed with special tape for this purpose. In the ceiling, the plastic is open just like previous installations. I hope this is an okay solution?