You could always do what one distillery did in their aging house. They put in a chiller unit to recover the alcohol that escaped the barrels and was present in the sir in the aging house. Of course, this disturbed the equilibrium and even more alcohol evaporated. The barrels showed higher losses during aging (called the 'angels share'). They did recover the alcohol they lost, but decided it was upsetting the aging process and affecting flavor. Talk to your local AHJ, but they are unlikely to have any real requirements for a wine cellar beyond lighting and structural safety. Cool, dark, damp, and stable are the desired environment.

I just realized that we will be installing a preformed niche or recessed shelf in one of the shower walls. Won't that compromise the vapor barrier? Is there a way to handle that. I did install the poly in horizontal strips but I'm not sure I can easily place another strip behind the shelf and won't that inhibit water from traveling down as it will run into the shelf? What about screwing grab bars, etc, into the tile, won't those also compromise the barrier? I was kind of wondering how the staples and hardie backer screws would affect the barrier too since they puncture the plastic as well, we had a hard time keeping the staples from tearing when it was a big sheet, that's why we went to strips and overlapped them. After reading some more posts, it sounds like I do not need to install a water proofing barrier since I have the vapor barrier in behind the board. It also sounds like I need to use a penetrating grout sealer, not a topical on walls and floors and that Aqua Mix will work AND is low VOC. So now my questions are: 1) how to insert a wall shelf with vapor barrier and hardie already in 2) can items be screwed through the wall into the barrier without causing problems? 3) is it ok to use a steam mop on the sealed caulk floors? 4) is Aqua Mix Seal and Finish the same thing as the Gold version? 5) is the Aqua stuff for sealing both wall and floor grout on both ceramic and slate floors? 6) do I need ANYTHING else to seal or finish the walls or floors? Thank you so much!!!! Now I have to go paint and install wood floors or we will never be done with this. kj

Here is my response to a similar question on one of the other boards. I reasearched this a lot, and though I'm not in a cold climate, most of the recommendations would hold for your situation: I had a similar situation. Some genius had put 3 inches of blown fiberglass in the attic (over the knob and tube wiring!) and that's it. The room was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Here is what I did: - r13 on the floor between the soffits and the back of the kneewall - this was over conditioned space down below (I didn't cover it, but I could have if needed for storage)- rafter vents at the soffit-end of the insulation keep the soffits open - r13 kraft faced insulation on the back of the kneewalls (2x4 wall construction) - 2" isocyanate foam insulation (r14)with reflective surface on the angled portion of the ceiling, leaving 1.5" air space up to the unfinished part of the attic. My rafters were true 2"x6", so I didn't need the fancy channeled insulation. This insulation is R7 per inch, so I got R14 on the slanted portion. - R38 faced insulation in ceiling of the finished space, with eyebrow roof vents to keep air moving through there. - seal up all penetrations (electrical boxes, pipes, etc) with caulk or spray foam) The principles you need to follow are that you should insulate any of the unconditioned space where air from the outside is flowing. Any vapor barrier (e.g. the kraft facing)should face the INTERIOR - don't put insulation then vapor barrier, because then any moisture from the interior will reach the cooler air of the unconditioned space and condense, leading to mold. If you use the foam insulation, you have to cover it with a fire rated material (e.g. sheetrock). You could also consider using the new reflective sheets on the bottom of the roof sheathing - I didn't do this, but apparently it has a huge impact on heat gain. The impact - the upstairs is comfortable all year. It has no dedicated heat or AC, but never gets below 65 during the winter or above 72-73 in the summer. If it gets stuffy on the hottest days, I open a couple of windows to get a cross breeze. Hope that helps.

I have never crackled a big project, just some craft items. I used titebond liquid hide glue in a brown bottle with red top and it did not have to be thined or anything. The thicker you put it on, the bigger the crackle. Most important step of all is to put top coat of paint on fairly thick, pulling the brush over the glue only one time! If you brush back over it--it will not crackle well. (Good news is that after it all dries, if you missed a spot , you can usually "patch" it by repeating the steps in that area. I suggest you practice several times before you attempt to do you cabinets. Try a wooden picture frame or a wood plaque for example. This will help you learn the best way to brush it on, and whether you prefer large or small "crackle". Good luck on you project, hope it turns out just the way you want it.