The Gate receives donation
Felix Coward, president of Kinston Chapter of Adkin High School Alumni and Friends, Inc., recently presented a check for $3,000 to Wanda Hall, director of The Gate.
Supporting The Gate’s programs is one of the chapter’s community involvement objectives. This contribution from Chapter members, their families and friends helped fund a trip to Washington, D.C., June 20-23. Fourteen youth visited Arlington Cemetery, Iwo Jima Monument, Dr. Martin Luther King Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian Institution and other sites. One of the most memorable events was witnessing the awarding of scholarships to college-bound students by First Baptist Church of North Brentwood, Md.
Kinston chapter members Carolyn and Felix Coward accompanied the group.
Home Solutions: Fill the cracks
Gaps, cracks and holes in your home can result in serious loss of heat through the winter, so fill them in as a home improvement project. Hardware stores have high-quality caulk for less than $3, a foam sealant pack for less than $5 and weather stripping packages for less than $2 each. Experts say the average home can have combined cracks and gaps amounting to 16 square feet of space.
Two types of expanding foam sealant — polyurethane products and latex-based products — fill gaps and holes that are too large to pack with caulking. Polyurethane cures to a rigid but porous texture, and can be sculpted to a suitable shape. Latex cures to a spongy non-sculptable texture, but while setting up still can be tooled, shaped or molded, giving lots of texturing options.
Both types stick to almost anything, including wood, aluminum, masonry, galvanized steel, plastic, rubber, drywall, glass and, based on experience, skin. Be careful where you put it.
Foam acts as a form-fitting barrier to the elements, and has no nutritional value so it doesn’t attract insects or rodents. It doesn’t support the growth of mold or fungus in damp conditions, and it doesn’t have an offensive odor as you’re using it, or after it has cured.
Many brands are free of volatile organic compounds that pollute the environment. Read the label.
Foam efficiently seals air leaks that compromise the energy-efficiency of your home. It sets up quickly, fills large voids, deadens sound, is airtight and water resistant and conforms to any shape as it expands.
Foam can (and should) be painted after fully cured to protect it from UV light, which causes discoloration and deterioration.
If you haven’t used expanding foam before, go with a low-expansion variety. (Check the label.) High-expansion expands 200-300 percent over a couple of hours, so use an extremely subtle touch. If you overdo it, unsightly glops of uncured foam will spill out of crevices, so squirt in 35 to 50 percent of what you think you need.
It cleans up with acetone but not easily, so take care with applying expansion foam. Wear gloves and eye protection when applying expansion foam. You’ll be glad you did.
Resource: University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension
Trudy W. Pickett is extension family and consumer agent at the Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Office, 1791 N.C. 11/55. Reach her at 252-527-2191 or trudy_pickett@ncsu.edu.