Fifth Saturday - Insulation and sheet rock

I'm not scratching. That's a good thing. A very good thing.

The fifth Women Build class at Lowe's covered insulation and sheet rock. We were advised by e-mail to wear a long-sleeved T-shirt to class because insulation is made of fiberglass and, if it comes in contact with skin, can cause some serious itch-age.

Everyone was glad for the suggestion not only because of the irritating material we were dealing with and because it was COLD Saturday morning! We were also told to dust baby powder on our skin to help shield it. I didn't do that. I'm not even a fan of sunscreen ... which is why I'll probably look 60 when I'm 40.

The one, brief period I touched the insulation (I held a tape measurer over it) I pulled the sleeve of my shirt over my fingers. It worked.

Gary rolled out the bale of insulation and instructed us to put it up, which was extremely easy. You measure it to fit, cut it with a boxer cutter and pat it in. Then we folded over the paper flaps on either side and using a staple gun, secured the insulation to the studs.

But there is one very important detail you can't miss: the paper side of insulation faces the interior of the house. Otherwise, insulation is worthless. Under a microscope, Gary said, insulation looks like a bunch of tiny cups threaded together. The cups trap and hold air, which helps warm and cool a house.

Sheet rock was nearly as simple. For our small wall, we cut two rectangles: one for the top of the wall and one for the bottom. Sheet rock is always "laid down;" never "stood up." Let me rephrase that. Sheet rock SHOULD always be laid down. Sometimes it isn't. The reason sheet rock is laid horizontally along a wall is so joints always meet on a stud. If it's laid vertically, that won't always happen and later on, the wall or ceiling could buckle.

Gary said he has worked on houses in a certain upscale, gated community in Aiken where contractors have laid sheet rock vertically.

When nailing in sheet rock, you always want to "dimple" the nail. This means driving it in far enough to make a dent. When joint compound mud is later wiped over it, the area will be smooth as the mud will fill the indentation.

The women volunteers will not be taping and mudding over sheet rock at the Women Build site. The work will be hired out. Many breathed a sigh of relief when they heard. They tell me that taping and mudding is frustrating work. I'll have to take their word for it. I'm the youngest of the group, have never owned by own home and have never remodeled or built. From what I gather, most of the other women have. They were mumbling under their breath that Gary made it all look so easy.

Please join us Monday, Oct. 15 at O'Charley's from 6-9 p.m. on Whiskey Road for Celebrity Waiter Night benefitting Habitat's Women Build. Meals are $25, the cost of which will be split between O'Charley's and Habitat. But 100% of your tips will go to Habitat. Be sure to look for me there.

I just remembered I have scheduled a canoe ride with a ranger at Aiken State Park for Saturday, Oct. 21 for a first person narrative story, which conflicts with the last Lowe's class! The next ride isn't offered until November and I'm sure construction of the house will be underway then. I would rather miss the last class at Lowe's than a building day. Please be looking for teasers in the newspaper of when my next blog will be.