concrete insulation board


I have an old 1920s home with a brick exterior and plaster interior. My scuttle can barely accept a 32 piece of 3/4 polyiso (1/3 of a 48 sheet). The polyiso is more than strong enough.

I cant find them anywhere. Would putting a 15 or 30 lb felt in between make any difference? If its super dry, humidity controlled, Id use faced as its easier to install. 2 inches of foam on a roof isnt nearly enough in my opinion. Ive written several articles on this situation that will provide some insight (see list below). Foil faced insulation should have a much better flame spread number than just foam board. Am I correct? slab concrete insulation under foam xps fibercement larger :) Good luck. The DIY spray foam kits run about $1.50 sf. There is plastic between the drywall and ceiling joists on most if not all of the ceilings in the house, 6 inches of open face insulation run between ceiling joists, 3-1/2 inches of open face insulation run accross joists and 11 inches of celulose free blow in insulation on top of that. Thank you in advance. It depends on whether or not it means the product will weather UV or block UV. If you use foam then youll have exposed foam which is typically a code/fire violation. The house floor is also un-insulated so we get a lot of moisture in the house after very rainy spells. Then you screw sheetrock to that. Details: Zone 6 climate. Will remove doors and add walls. insulation boards heating underfloor xps electric floor xp pro subfloor floors prowarm premium installation systems theunderfloorheatingstore mat tile direct vinyl However, I have another question which I hope you have seen or can provide some insight to the subject. I am trying to avoid the $500 a month plus cooling bills the previous occupants had. So if I had it sprayed behind and in between studs on the walls and ceiling it would be fine instead of taking down the walls? 4- Can I install torch applied membrane on the insulation, is there any primer?

Cut through the mesh on the front of board to complete the cut. I want to make sure that I do not set myself up for moisture problems down the road. Im also planning to install house wrap before putting on 310 log siding. Hopefully I can come up with a suitable solution. Use spray can foam (Great Stuff or similar) to seal each piece in place. In high winds glue may not hold. Is 1 DOW OK to use if Im adding further insulation between the studs after framing. I was thinking a little air gap would be good ? Should I really seal all foam sheet seams? But experience suggests otherwise! It is also warm.

We have a two-thirds finished basement, and have stripped the finished side down to the studs.

DONT do that! Most builders will place blocking behind the window flanges, 14, or something similar so the windows have a good solid connection. Hi Todd, we just bought a house with a 3224, 10wall metal pole barn garage, uninsulated, it has 16 horz. Anything you do will be better than it currently is :) Good luck. I figure I could seal up the interior well enough to stop any air flow to the exterior using caulk and tape.

Be nice. Todd I appriciate your help on this. You can certainly install another layer over the old after its inspected. The XPS will be attached to the studs through the OSB. My plan is to put some 24 as rafter ties in. Depending on the thickness you can use just nails to re-install the siding or youll need to use a foam product that accommodates strapping (like DOW Wallmate). However, I havent seen much trouble with XPS or Polyiso insulationnot sure bugs would want to eat that! 2. My attic can reach 135 deg. That seems to be a lot of work. insulation lightguard extruded xps thermal roof polystyrene clear membrane panels industrial protected b2b slope I have a pole barn in central Michigan that I would like to heat. Thanks, Ryan. ToddI am interested in mechanically fastening and gluing xps boards to a metal wall. However, its not as simple as that. Hi Todd, I recently purchased a home built in 1965.the previous owners have been numerous plywood panels laying on top of loose insulation. Im reading some postings about potential moisture issues with Polyiso and some off-gassing. I am thinking aboutblue or pink foam board. Should I explore options? If you insulate below the slab then some folks dont actually insulate above. Insulating basement walls in cold climates is a great way to keep your home warmer and drier. Then wall sheathing, then Tyvek (or Typar), then the foam board. One of the best ways I see people do this is building a hay bale wall around the base. If I put extension jam under the window flange, how do I seal it properly? Frank I think Id install a layer of foil faced polyiso OVER the metal studs then attach the drywall. The afternoons and evenings are brutal. From what Ive read, if one applies thin insulation (<=1") in climates like yours (or mine, in VT), then it encourages moisture to form at the interface between that and the siding or sheathing beneath it. My Gatlinburg condominium has 8 block walls with zero insulation. He said he doesnt know how to flash them with foam. I have already cut 1 polystyrene sheathing to fit in between the 26 joist for ceiling. Hi. I am planning on using foam board for a slightly different approach. 1. Then we blow that cavity completely full of cellulose of fiberglass. Harry Part of it depends on what kind of doors they are, how they are made, how you will attach it, etc. Does it really help? Can I remove the batt fiberglass & put foam board between the studs like you did with the rim joists? Next summer? We do not have access from the inside without tearing out sheetrock. Do you have access to both sides of the wall? My concerns with the project is what will make code vs. what is recommended. Anna Are you doing this in an unfinished attic? Yes, the top of wall up to the sill plate should also be insulated. I have hot and humid (Florida). Just found your web site, like the look of it and some of the projects you have done in your shop, hope to retire this fall and work in my garage/shop as I improve it. Will this help or hinder in any way? By the way half my 2 car garage is under the deck and the other half under the kitchen. I think you can successfully install foam board between the studs and seal the panels all around with spray foam like Great Stuff. sheathing proguard arcat consist continuous As you know Maryland is hot and humid in summer and cold and wet in the winter. Well the best foam is going to be a closed cell foam. Thanks Mel. If not, do you have any suggestions? The ceiling is lath and plaster with 24 joists. I do not recommend having fiberglass in contact with concrete or block. Would this setup cause moisture problems? My concerns are with fire hazard, building code, and general effectiveness. That is a fantastic idea Todd thank you so much! The topic of whether to tape or not tape is debatable by industry experts. Both missed the insulation problem and our condo wasted thousands on these experts. Read this: http://www.homeconstructionimprovement.com/how-to-insulate-basement-walls/ The answer is in there.what youre proposing is not sufficient. Todd just had a contractor stop by and give me a quote on the closed cell spray insulation. 1. A vapor barrier alone is not going to help. NO muss no fuss for about $100 per room to add a little R value (I know it is very little, but perhaps better than nothing? You said you end up using spray foam in cathedral ceilings to get your r-value, do you use another insulation with that? Best of luck, glad I could help. I will cover this with Hardy cement board and trim it with wood for esthetics. It will be a two story with a furnished walkout basement (built on a hill facing the water). My question is about the concrete slab floor. All the informations are well said and helpful. The R-30 rolls would measure about 9.5 inches wide (when stacked vertically). Lastly, is it ok to insulate an area (under stairs) that i will not be drywalling? Are drop ceilings a better idea to encourage air flow? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Yes it can be glued in place. Todd, I have an aluminum frame sliding glass door going out of my back bedroom that I intend to remove wall off and put a window there next summer. Baby steps. I will probably have some kind of tray or bucket to put ice on to help keep the kegs cold and so possble water will end up dripping on whatever foamboard I use under the floor of the cabinet. having the stairs 24 already in place,I was thinking if installing and trying to squeeze rigid form behind the 24 and then install frames of rigid foam and seal them like you suggested, would installing XPS rigid boards would help at all? Obviously, its a large task to get behind them.

There was a family room in the cellar when I first bought the house. While properly and securely supporting PermaBASE CI, the board can be cut with a traditional hand saw. Have you heard of this happening when drywalling over foam board? Hi Todd, I am very confused and concerned. Your website is fantastic!! 1. (we have to have 26 on large side walls). Anything less will result in moisture problems. Does this make sense? As closed spray foam installers say batt is really just a thick furnace filter, walls have convection, and even if the R values appear the same Solid (spray) foam is warmer in use. Is this necessary for the walls above grade/shared walls?

Since insulation cannot be redone at this time, I was thinking of stapling foil faced kraft paper over our drywalled ceilings in hopes of reflecting some of the hot air back down. Now I have a plan. I removed the plaster and lathe from the interior and want to fir it out 1-1/2, using blue board between the studs. 4. xps foamed superhot (Google Tumbleweed Cyprus to get an idea.) Good luck. What product do I use to get some kind of wall insulation ? Can I use foam board behind the knee walls and fill the stud cavity with fiberglass insulation? In order to keep it RV classified/moveable, I have an 86 max width to work with, so Im wondering if a combination of exterior Polyiso boards and sprayed insulation on the interiro 2x4 framing will keep me warm. The EPS products are one of the culprits in the synthetic stucco debacle.

You may want to consider insulating it with just foam board to really eliminate the problem all together. The walls and ceiling of the shed are not insulated so cold air seeps through the plywood and tile floor leaving the floor of my house super cold in the winter time. Using it as an RV really means youll also need to cover the foam so that theres not a flame spread problem. You have quite a few options but each one in my opinion needs to start with a closed cell foam product. I am replacing my peeling wood siding with vinyl on a 60 year old 1500 sqft ranch house in Wisconsin this summer. As far as the slab goes youll want to install foam board insulation on the outside of your slab/walls, down at least 4 to 6 feet. Kim Foam board insulation can be used anywhere fiberglass can be used. DO NOT agree to have your basement insulated as you stated above. 2. thermal insulation sandwich waterproof concrete eps panel building payment I live in Nashville, Tn. Ideally you let it run continuous over the framing. I would have to put 20 2x10s in. Ventilation is essential to a properly functioning attic. I also hear they are getting harder and harder to acquire do to VOC laws. 5 windows/ doors. That really isnt going to increase the R value. Do you actually try to get the insulation behind these items, or do you just get as tight as possible to them? If youre confident that the basement is dry then installing studs up tight to it is not a concern. I would consider tearing out the interior drywall (if truly necessary) and inserting the foam boards between the studs, and replacing the drywall, as I could do that room by room. Would like to add 2 inches of foil faced ISO on the bottom of the rafters, then blow in cellulose in the space above the ISO, below the baffle. Closed cell spray foam works wonderfully, definitely most expensive option. Sounds like a very interesting house design!

Built around 1900. Polyiso is typically used with a foil facing and it has an R value of 7.0 to 8.0 per inch of thickness. The floor is painted two coats SW concrete paint. John Youve got the idea.

Im just saying that if you use this approach you risk a very serious problem. Its reasonably priced, light weight and easy to use.

Tina Glad I can point you in the right direction. My gut is telling me to get the 3/4 installed and sealed now, basically because it would be so easy to get it into the attic and especially just using not very long drywall nails to attach it. Gambrel roof. The lower walls will be poured 8 inch reenforced concrete. You really should check into the local building code and see if there are any energy code requirements as you might need an even higher R value. If i sister some 2x10s as you suggest do they have to go all the way from the wall up to the ridge? In the past water has seeped in thru the joint (cove?)

This would at least eliminate the need to frame a new wall. Have the wall spray foamed after you remove the drywall. Is this your experience? Peter Thanks for sharingvery interesting. In the process of removing and cleaning with vinegar. Then I read that shingle color is more important than attic ventilation. Gary That solution will help. Hey Todd, Im buying 6 48 EPS panels from a guy for $20 each. 2. Im trying to avoid ripping out the plaster and lathe. Just be sure to seal the joints well. Also, in hot climate, it could reduce the life of shingles. You can install it several ways. This will bring me to a 6 9/16 jam for the new windows. The exterior has 1 XPS covered with vinyl siding. Will this work? Thank you again. It would be a huge fire hazard and frankly 1/2 of foam isnt going to do much of anything. The real danger is whether fire would ignite it, youve presumably already got a proper fire wall/ceiling assembly. 1. The insulation looks to be in the 4 6 depth range, and thin in several areas.There are 18 recessed lights all over the place, and the cans are therefore sticking up over the loose insulation. I cant find much information on it but I think if I attach the foam board to the runners, this would give me 3/4 air gap/vapor barrier between the metal siding and the foam, the R factor for 3/4 is 3.2. I am a contractor preparing to renovate a 1965 house with homasote sheathing. If you use 1 its really risky. The attic has a gable vent on either end; one with an exhaust fan. I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. eric. Below my condo is a parking garage the tiled areas of floor are generally cold.

My second question is can I use polyso as the board between the shell instead of xps because it has a higher r value. Evelyn Youve got me stumped. When completed, my basement will have a finished area (that will serve as a kids play room & home gym)and an unfinished area (that will be a utility closet and tool area). You just need to be careful with where there vapor barriers are when its warm on the outside and cool inside (air conditioning). Noit really needs to be XPS foam when in contact with basement walls. If I tear off the roof and lower boards, could I take out the batts and install something higher r value per inch? Youve in essence created a double vapor barrier that wants to trap water in the stud wall. Cold lower floor wooden floors on concrete slab. Would you recommend faced or unfaced fiberglass insulation? The basement walls are studded out without a vapor barrier. What a fabulous website! I have three questions (1) can I use Polystyrene / Polyisocyanurate Insulated sheathing (1/2 inch or 1 inch) to on block (2) have French drain & sump-pump, it gets busy when rains, any special suggestions (3) do I have to put framing and insulation, and drywall??? Then I would stud it out from there and cover with T & G pine and steel in some places. With no poly vapor barrier, is this installation correct? Yes, metal tranmits cold very well, so thats why I was wondering about having the foam actually touch the metal or not. I was thinking of polyiso because you get the most R-value for a limited space and we live in the Philly area so it does get cold. Thats some serious weight. I would recommend removing the plaster and cover over the brick. I scrolled through all the above stories first but cant seem to find one that fits my situation. The best place to find it is a contractor supply depot. or get some insulation between the block wall and pipes? I have a question about Blue Board insulation in a party wall. I am looking for ideas to insulate a cathedral ceiling. What would be the best way to insulate our vacation home in the Philippines, where average daytime temperatures are usually 25 32 Degrees C? When properly covered from the sun and environment it should last indefinitely. also water pipes are in the garage cieling near the garage and farther from the kitchen floor above. Im in this same boat as you (were), and the options seem limited. The humidity here is high. Ready to answer your product and installation questions. Todd, first of all thank you for your fast response. Im planning on installing sheetrock over the walls later, maybe later something on the roof for looks, and light refraction. I am worried about moisture sandwiched between the insulation and the fiber board sheeting from the inside moisture trying to escape. Easy to do? Glue by itself would only be as good ad the paint and I dont think it is cost effective to sand blast. Concrete Block Wall that is drained from the inside (yes inside) of the house using weepers around the perimeter of the basement with Delta MS attached to the wall (up to ground level) which extends over the weepers under the basement floor. My bedroom is on the north east corner of the house and I have about 20 cold spots on the ceiling along north and east walls with water. reinforced can i put blue board over drywall in the garage ceiling to help insult it, without putting another layer of drywall over it. Steve Im not surprised that the garage wasnt insulated. Kept warm with open heating duct blowing into the cavity between the drywall and kitchen floor above. 3. The roof insulation will be an r-50 (typical blown in insulation). He said he was a contractor and that I needed to seal the concrete before I put up any insulation. Hi Im looking to insulation my crawl space because my wood floors are cold in winter. Noise is best handled with independent framing. They cannot seal out water that might flow through hairline cracks. Blown in insulation is cheap and you could even do it yourself. What about the walls that are completely above grade? Jeol Not a bad idea if you cant afford a complete spray foam job. From what Ive read, and correct me if Im wrong, here in Michigan with cold winters, I need enough spray foam to keep the dew point to the outside of the foam or risk condensation inside of my cellulose where it would get trapped. After that you can come up with a plan of attack. Kim Your proposed method will work just fine, and yes you should use a house wrap. Also I thought to cover over the rafters with 1/2in foam board to make it all air tight, and then install my drywall,thanks. Do I get a reflective bonus without the dust on the foil from the second or third board down during the summer? Chris Foam will work well there as well. So if you put insulation under it, the heat will be forced up. Are there ways to improve the noise reduction? It can pull air from the utility room through the floor joists. So I was curious what your thoughts were. Likely when the RH is high in the condo and the wall is cool/cold then warm damp air hits the surface and condenses. I have water on the bottom 1 to 3 of every window in the house. I have boiler heat and run two dehumidifiers keeping the house at as close to 40% as possible. So, a little foam actually can do more harm than no foam. Open cell will absorb water like a sponge and soft open cell ISO is used to make sponges. You can glue it all together. I will install blue board between the studs then insulation over top. Do you have soffit vents? Relocating or moving them would be a pretty costly task. Youll need to discuss this with your local building code official. My new questions are- Should I use house wrap over the fiberboard before the furring strips or leave bare? If you install the foam between studs in the same plane as electrical boxes youll need to seal them well. Todd, I am reading the posts and they are great! I have a similar situation as Karen. Hi Todd, I could also choose ABTCo timber creek premium plus .046 thickness rather than the OEM .044 which we chose only because the green was slightly more appealing but the more I research Procanna the more I have doubts I think it is contractor grade, no info available, they wont tell me who makes their panels. As I wrote above this time last year we had big problems with dampness in our concrete construction condo during the winter months starting around early October when it got colder. Im just not sure Ill have the air space needed. First let me address the foam type. The walls are already sealed and has no noticeable moisture issues. faced or unfaced? We will use a good diameter rubber tube seal between the boxes and the exterior walls. Is there any other alternatives? Im certainly not an expert on passive solar homes so the design is something I wouldnt be able to comment on. Any thoughts would be appreciated. With not much room to build a 24 wall frame and insulate along the side of our basement stairs, we have opted for polyiso sheets with foil and plastic face. 2. I plan to cut them into ~16 strips to us in my floor, walls and roof of this tiny cabin Im building. 7/16 plywood isnt really sufficient on a roof in a snowy climate. Very cost effective over the long haul. A dehumidifier keeps the basement dry. Do you think that I should just sister some 28 rafters next to the 2x4s that are currently there, install a ventilated drip-edge and keep the insulation at least an inch from the sheeting and install a ridge vent or is there a better way of doing this? Good luck. That is: 3/8 sheathing grade with a second layer of 3/8 (G1S grade) layed perpendicular to each other, screwed well together, but just resting on the rigid foam board? We purchase all of our building products from two large contractor supply companies and mostly deal with two or three large, well known siding manufactures. This means pushing the windows out a bit further and making deeper extension jambs but the reward will be well worth it. All three are exterior walls but two have the old furring strips and plaster and once has only the brick. Id try to avoid notching the foam. Contractor friend advised foam board over existing drywall, then re-drywall over that. I live in Jacksonville, FL and due to age and water damage, I had to replace the bottom sill plate on my 1940s garage apartment.

I would recommend insulating all of the exterior walls. It allows misture to move back and forth through the board but protects 24s from contact with damp concrete. If youre replacing the siding and windows, then you have an advantage over some homeowners.