As the headline states. My husband & I have started renovating our guest room/future nursery. The house was built in the '50s but with tretex on all walls. We have removed all the tretex down to the tongue-and-groove boards on all interior walls as we plan to replace it with gypsum board and install new electrical wiring in the walls. However, we've hit a bit of a snag when it comes to the outer wall—should we keep the tretex or not? After all, it does have a small insulating effect as I understand it. Removing it and adding insulation from the inside is not an option since we don't want to mess with the radiator pipes, etc.
So should we remove the tretex and replace it with just gypsum board? Or should we put renovation gypsum board on top?
So should we remove the tretex and replace it with just gypsum board? Or should we put renovation gypsum board on top?
Do you have exterior insulation?
By the way, what's the framework, is it timber or plank frame, perhaps with wood shavings insulation between two layers of planks?
If it's just 4" timber + treetex, then the treetex probably only provides a barely noticeable insulation, it might be equivalent to about 1" of timber, meaning it contributes perhaps 20% of the wall's total insulation.
If you have timber with board-clad outside, then already there (with the cladding), a few percent less is what the treetex contributes overall.
If it's a plank wall with double 2" and maybe 2" shavings in between, the treetex will contribute even less to the total thermal insulation.
And if you/someone has added insulation with say 45mm or 70mm mineral wool on the outside, the treetex's contribution to thermal insulation starts to disappear completely.
So much for the insulation effect, the treetex can only be said to make any real advantage if the rest of the wall is very poorly insulated.
Then the treetex might contribute a bit of beneficial blockage against drafts, but plasterboards would also do that if the job is done carefully.
Treetex is difficult and tedious to get a surface on, it bulges and isn't smooth, and most things adhere poorly and so on. It can, however, also be part of the charm, but it's entirely individual what one finds charming in that aspect.
The only advantage of treetex I can stand by in all weather is that the acoustics usually become very pleasant in houses with planks or timber and then treetex on the walls. I've always had the best sound from the stereo system in such houses. Concrete houses have been the worst.
Now I have OSB+plaster, which isn’t perfect, but on the other hand, there's an acoustic ceiling installed, which improved things somewhat.
By the way, what's the framework, is it timber or plank frame, perhaps with wood shavings insulation between two layers of planks?
If it's just 4" timber + treetex, then the treetex probably only provides a barely noticeable insulation, it might be equivalent to about 1" of timber, meaning it contributes perhaps 20% of the wall's total insulation.
If you have timber with board-clad outside, then already there (with the cladding), a few percent less is what the treetex contributes overall.
If it's a plank wall with double 2" and maybe 2" shavings in between, the treetex will contribute even less to the total thermal insulation.
And if you/someone has added insulation with say 45mm or 70mm mineral wool on the outside, the treetex's contribution to thermal insulation starts to disappear completely.
So much for the insulation effect, the treetex can only be said to make any real advantage if the rest of the wall is very poorly insulated.
Then the treetex might contribute a bit of beneficial blockage against drafts, but plasterboards would also do that if the job is done carefully.
Treetex is difficult and tedious to get a surface on, it bulges and isn't smooth, and most things adhere poorly and so on. It can, however, also be part of the charm, but it's entirely individual what one finds charming in that aspect.
The only advantage of treetex I can stand by in all weather is that the acoustics usually become very pleasant in houses with planks or timber and then treetex on the walls. I've always had the best sound from the stereo system in such houses. Concrete houses have been the worst.
Now I have OSB+plaster, which isn’t perfect, but on the other hand, there's an acoustic ceiling installed, which improved things somewhat.
Tretex is a really good sound and heat insulating material, much better than gypsum boards which both insulate poorly and let sound through. However, it often isn't very smooth. Apply a layer of white spirit-based paint on the Tretex and then you can wallpaper with fiberglass fabric or non-woven fiberglass on top. If you use water-based paint, the surface can become rough. Tretex is 100 years old and it's still sold. However, I don't think it's used for new constructions anymore. Maybe it will make a comeback since it's made from wood pulp fibers, which is in line with current trends.M MissTatiana said:
Treetex walls are the hi-fi enthusiast's dream. Completely agree with what you're saying, there are no other constructions that provide such accurate reproduction.
Mmmm, electrical wiring surrounded by porous wood fiber...slacker said:
I chose to keep Tretex on all the walls in my house from -49 - It turned out to be perfect for tracking new wiring!
Then chose plasterboard on all the walls.
The alternative would have been electricity surrounded by sawdust that all interior walls are filled with... Mmmm.....BigR said:
Mmmm, electricity surrounded by porous wood fiber...
One thing is certain - This house would probably burn quickly....
Exactly, electricity should only be in concrete houses, yes solid brick frames are also possibly OK.Mmmm, electricity surrounded by porous wood fiber...
In wooden houses, candles are much safer.
Yes, there was probably a hint of irony in the post, basically 100%
As I understand it, both parts are unusual in 1950, especially the timber, but otherwise, most likely they had switched to stud framing for most things.Mikael_L said:
To be really sure about fire safety, my electricity was installed inside the Tretex and boards in the wall insulation....which are cardboard sheets.The alternative would have been electricity surrounded by sawdust that all the interior walls are filled with... Mmmm.....
One thing is for sure - This house would probably burn quickly....
I myself plan to keep the Tretex against the outer wall when I renovate next year, probably plaster on top to get a more workable surface.
Yes, timber framing is almost nonexistent after around 1900-1910, I think you can say. Timber frames erected later are often a moved/reused frame. Then, as you say, by 1950, it had switched quite a bit to stud framing; I lived in a house with plank framing that was built in 1943, so stud framing was probably not common then.BirgitS said:
The techniques have overlapped quite a lot, especially if you don't limit yourself to a single building type.
https://stockholmslansmuseum.se/byg...-del-for-del/stomme/regelverk-eller-losvirke/
https://www.kulturmiljo-vard.se/byggnadsvard/stomme-och-fasad/trahusets-stomme
https://stockholmslansmuseum.se/byg...-del-for-del/stomme/regelverk-eller-losvirke/
https://www.kulturmiljo-vard.se/byggnadsvard/stomme-och-fasad/trahusets-stomme
I remember that it was Justus who wrote that at some point (as the Sth County Museum writes in connection with World War II) a requirement was introduced for stud frames to get cheap state loans (or something similar), which of course led to stud frames becoming very common.useless said:
