home-made vents for latex cement skirting




Last summer I took a week off work in hopes of completing a few projects, one of which was to build the section of latex cement skirting that would run right along the front walk.
As it turned out, it was a terrible week, and the finished skirting, which involved some experimenting, was a big disappointment.
For one thing, I used fewer of the pvc studs described in an earlier post (http://papercreteparadise.blogspot.com/2009/05/latex-cement-skirting-for-mobile-home.html), so the nylon flyscreen was even more prone to stretching and sagging under the weight of the first coat of latex cement. Secondly, I ran out of the little washerless screws I'd been using to attach the flyscreen to the studs, and substituted sheetrock screws I had laying about. I used small pieces of cardboard as washers. This was certainly less expensive, but my little cardboard washers are visible under the latex cement. Third, and most important, I attached vents I'd made from papercrete, which looked terrible.
So this section of latex-cement skirting did not have the clean, "professional" look of the first section I'd done. Sad, because it's more visible.
Anyway, replacing those vents as a way to improve the look of the skirting has long been on my list of things I've wanted to do but just could not find the time. Today, despite my desire to work on the gazebo, I decided to make the vents.
They are simple enough to make using scrap plywood, hardware cloth, and flyscreen. The wooden frames are painted with latex cement, and the hardware cloth is spray painted black. The hardware cloth and screen are stapled to the frame. I only attached one vent to the skirting before the sun set, but it's a big improvement. I don't have a photo yet of the attached vent. But below is the ugly papercrete one I replaced.

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