Insulating Interior Concrete Basement Walls

The short answer is no you generally do not want a vapor barrier on the walls of a finished basement.

Insulating interior concrete basement walls.

How to insulate basement walls. I ve written several articles on insulating basement walls and evolved some of my methods over time. Insulating basement walls in cold climates is a great way to keep your home warmer and drier. Introduction turn your unfinished basement into beautiful functional living space.

To ensure there s no dampness seeping through the walls conduct a simple test using plastic sheeting and duct tape. However special care should be used when insulating concrete or block masonry basement walls. Your only option is to cover the inside of the exterior walls with a continuous layer of insulation as though you were insulating a basement wall. Framing basement walls and ceilings is the core of any basement finishing project.

The most important concern to address before insulating your basement is moisture. Insulating a basement properly is rather challenging in cold climates. In this article i d like to discuss how to insulate basement walls in cold climates. And there is no effective way to fill the voids in an existing concrete block wall.

On the interior the best insulation to place against the concrete or block is rigid foam without any facing such as foil or plastic sheeting. When insulating concrete basement walls a good idea because concrete basement walls are often cold use rigid foam board insulation if the insulation will come into direct contact with the. The place to control vapor migration is on the exterior of the basement wall in the form of waterproofing or damproofing. Any of the following insulation materials are acceptable for this purpose.

Closed cell spray polyurethane foam or either xps eps or polyisocyanurate rigid foam. Basements are a challenge because of high moisture levels and cooler temperatures. Tape a small piece of plastic sheeting to a bare concrete wall with an impermeable duct tape border and wait 48 hours. Basement walls made out of concrete stone concrete bloc and other masonry foundation materials have very minimal insulating properties and cause approximately 20 of heat loss in a home.

Learn how to insulate and frame the walls and ceilings build soffits frame partition walls and frame around obstructions. That is why insulating your basements walls is necessary especially when you live in areas that have very cold climate. Basements provide for a very challenging insulation problem. David caruso springfield pa.