[dudeman]

i dont know if this belongs here or in the construction section...

i have a cutout in my flooring to allow the heating/AC duct bend to fit.
this was pre-existing when i bought the house.
after a redo of the room it sticks out from the bottom of the wall and would make the baseboard trim not fitup nicely.

can anyone suggest a way to cover this up?

 

[joecaption]

Sure looks like that used to be a plaster wall and someone drywalled it with out shimming the wall out and before drywalling. A plaster and lath wall is much thicker then just 1/2 drywall.
Also looks like someone left the bottom part of the old baseboard in place, that should have been at least cut even with the flooring.
While that wall was open did you add fire blocking at the bottom and top of the wall?

 

[dudeman]

Sure looks like that used to be a plaster wall and someone drywalled it with out shimming the wall out and before drywalling. A plaster and lath wall is much thicker then just 1/2 drywall.
Also looks like someone left the bottom part of the old baseboard in place, that should have been at least cut even with the flooring.
While that wall was open did you add fire blocking at the bottom and top of the wall?

it did have plaster walls, i did shim out the wall to the thickness of the lathe that was behind it to get to where the wall was before i pulled the plaster down. plaster wall with the lathe was 3/4" thick.
it had rug, i pulled it up and thats what i was left with.
after i put my drywall up i thought i had enough room to where the trim would cover it but i dont.

now im screwed and i cant think of a descent way to cover it up and make it look like it belongs there.

 

[joecaption]

I'm not there to see the whole big picture, so bare with me on making a guess how I would do it.
#1 I'd remove what's left of the old baseboard or cut it even with the flooring.
If you drive in a wood chisle held at an angle it will dow one of to things, split along it's length or allow you to pry it up to come out.

#2, I'd clean out the gap in the hardwood floor with a screwdriver and a vacuum cleaner.
Add some wood glue and use a tool like this to slide it back together.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...1DA43DCA90F7A335ACEAF5CD61A15FBBBBC12&first=1

#3 I'd shim out the wall more with strips of whatever thickness is needed to get the wall out more. I'd use strips of plywood instead of solid wood because soild will split.
I'd use a piece ripped to 6" width to be installed horizontal at the bottom, and and another one at the top. (the top one can be narrower if your not installing crown moulding.)
Then just add the middle ones right where the studs are.

 

[dudeman]

I'm not there to see the whole big picture, so bare with me on making a guess how I would do it.
#1 I'd remove what's left of the old baseboard or cut it even with the flooring.

there is no baseboard, thats my floor and the ugly thing, is some type of insulation paper wrapped around my a/c heater duct.
to shim that wall out to clear that, i would have to shim it out at least 2 inches and i would have to take down my drywall.
trying to avoid all that.

 

[joecaption]

Why would you have to take it down? Just go over it.
From the pictures it looks like even if you redid the duct it still would not come out to the flooring.

 

[dudeman]

adding more drywall on top would make the wall to thick for the door framing, the light switch and the outlet thats also on that wall...

geez man this sucks. my wife is gonna kill me if i have to tear this down and redo it.

 

[wrongdave]

You're probably going to need to get a little creative here with some type of bump-out (or maybe it's called a bump-in). You'll need to consider what will fit better in the specific spot in that specific room. It may be just a short bump-out for the baseboard, you may want to run it up a foot, several feet, or all the way up the wall. Even though it's just a small spot at the base of the wall, sometimes it looks better just to run a bump-out all the way up. You could even get artsy with it an put in a little recessed something in the bump-out.

 

[jagans]

THATS ASBESTOS on those ducts BOOBIE, AND IT LOOKS VERY FRIABLE TO ME.

You need to get that stuff out of your home, poste haste. Check my other posts on AB.

 

[hyunelan2]

I'm having a hard time visualizing how big this gap is. Have a picture with a tape measure, for scale? I wouldn't go and rip the whole thing out to start over. Like wrongdave said above, there are probably dozens of creative ways to box it or use some sort of decorative molding & base combination to cover the gap - assuming it's not too gigantic.

 

[langless28]

yes do you know if that is asbestos insulation on the ducting?

 

[jagans]

Did you read post 9? Is everybody on this thread asleep?

Yes That is Asbestos Paper on the ductwork. Judging by the floorbaoards this house was built in the early 20th century, or late 19th. Many homes then had huge furnaces in the basement fired by coal. We called them Octopuses Most were converted to oil from coal. They had metal ductwork that worked by convection, it was wrapped with with asbestos paper. What I am seeing is extremely Friable, and must be addressed, assuming the poster is sane.

So far, nobody on this post seems so. How you trim this is secondary.

 

[Maintenance 6]

jagans is correct about the asbestos paper on those old ducts. That is probably one of the more dangerous varieties of asbestos and should be addressed. Unfortunately, during your remodelling process, you likely disturbed a good bit of this stuff. I would try to get rid of what is exposed and at least damp wipe all of the surfaces to collect any dust. Read this thread.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f17/asbestos-wrap-hvac-vents-168528/

To close up the gap, you could possibly use a wall base register. Line it inside with some black plastic since it isn't going to be used. Just a thought.

http://www.installerstore.com/Wood-Baseboard-Register-by-Zoroufy.html

 

[dudeman]

Asbestos... great...

the house was build in the 50's

so not that i have the drywall up, is that ok or should i remove the drywall and take it all off or just remove the little bit that is exposed?

 

[wrongdave]

Asbestos... great...

the house was build in the 50's

so not that i have the drywall up, is that ok or should i remove the drywall and take it all off or just remove the little bit that is exposed?

To avoid rehashing another asbestos fight, I'd suggest reading the asbestos super thread on here
http://www.diychatroom.com/f45/asbestos-77212/

Asbestos is a tricky subject, there is a lot of overreaction to it, but there are also some valid concerns about it. They used to put asbestos in everything, so every old house has some. Most of it doesn't concern me all that much, but I'll admit I would be concerned with asbestos on my ducts. But a hasty DIY removal could cause more harm than good.

 

[dudeman]

To avoid rehashing another asbestos fight, I'd suggest reading the asbestos super thread on here
http://www.diychatroom.com/f45/asbestos-77212/

Asbestos is a tricky subject, there is a lot of overreaction to it, but there are also some valid concerns about it. They used to put asbestos in everything, so every old house has some. Most of it doesn't concern me all that much, but I'll admit I would be concerned with asbestos on my ducts. But a hasty DIY removal could cause more harm than good.

ok i skimmed over that thread and it doesnt tell me if, i leave what is on the duct alone and its covered with drywall is that ok or not.

i understand i need to remove the loose stuff. what about the stuff thats not loose on the duct?

 

[Maintenance 6]

1. If it's intact, leave it alone. 2. If it can be encapsulated without disturbance, do that. 3. If it's friable (easily reduced to powder by hand pressure), loose and falling off, then it needs to be removed. All of the above are U.S. EPA recommended ways of dealing with asbestos. I would NOT remove the drywall and re-expose what is already covered. I would remove what you can see, since it falls into the class of sentence #3. Keep it wetted down while you remove it. Wear disposable gloves. Damp wipe everything. Bag it all., gloves, rags, everything that may be contaminated. And wear an N95 rated respirator. Disposal........ now that presents a different problem.

 

[wrongdave]

i understand i need to remove the loose stuff. what about the stuff thats not loose on the duct?

This is where you're going to get a lot of opinions. I personally would not normally be concerned with asbestos inside a wall, however, since yours is on your ducts, that's a little trickier. I would look at the construction of the ducts to see what the chances are that the asbestos on the outside could get inside the duct (through joints or other openings). Also, someone recently posted some ducts that were lined on the outside AND on the inside with a suspected asbestos material. That's pretty scary.

I don't think your decision is limited to that one area. You need to make a decision about all your ducts like that. There have been some other posts on this topic, but I don't thing you're going to find anything conclusive because there are too many differing opinions (even though some folks like to state opinion as though it is fact).

 

[jagans]

Well, Here is why I would get rid of it.

1. In my state, when you sell a home, you are required by law to state whether there is any known dangerous substances present. Not sure what the law is in your state, but selling this house with that stuff hidden, and not divulging it is a crime in my state.

2. You usually cant even see the stuff that kills you. The photo that I posted in a previous post on this matter was taken with an electron microscope. I think Maintenence Man posted one too. These fibers are extremely small, and become airborne very easily, like dust.

3. Having that stuff in the wall would be like having a poisonous snake in the house for me. Why the hell would anyone want to live like that?

It is pretty darn clear to me that somebody must have seen this stuff and basically ignored it, or were too ignorant to know what they had, because they dry-walled right over it. Well now you know, so get it out. If your mate or one of your kids comes down with mesothelioma down the road, you are going to be one sorry ass individual, my friend.

There are no differing opinions coming from me, and I have been to several seminars put on by Johns Manville, I was raised in a town very near Manville, NJ and Manville had a sign when you entered the town "Welcome to Asbestos City" so I know Asbestos, damn near everything was made with it where I lived. Pipe, Siding, Roofing Materials, Duct wrap, even roof shingles contained it.

If what you had was transite, or a product wherein the AB was bound up in a cementitous slurry, I would not be all that concerned, and I would say encapsulate, but What you have is very friable, and as dangerous as it gets. GET IT ALL OUT.

 

[wrongdave]

Johns Manville, I was raised in a town very near Manville, NJ and Manville had a sign when you entered the town "Welcome to Asbestos City" so I know Asbestos, damn near everything was made with it where I lived.

There was a Manville plant on Lake Michigan near where I live. Beaches and dunes areas in the area now have warning signs about asbestos that still washes ashore. This is in Illinois Beach State Park, which also has a now closed and in the process of being deconstructed Nuclear Power plant right in the middle of it.
Nice beaches though. :thumbsup: