Insulation for the basement walls

Edw22386983
by Edw22386983
I want to insulate my basement walls and need to know what I need to get the project started. Thanks

  8 answers
  • Dianacirce70 Dianacirce70 on Dec 28, 2017

    I would paint a moisture resistant paint on the walls, then frame and use spray foam. You need a moisture barrier or the work can get mold behind it.

  • Joye R. Foster Joye R. Foster on Dec 28, 2017

    Are your walls concrete or finished or studs?

  • Edw22386983 Edw22386983 on Dec 28, 2017

    Concrete walls

  • William William on Dec 28, 2017

    More videos if you click on the link.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKQdo88Ne74

  • Joy30150932 Joy30150932 on Dec 28, 2017

    It all depends on the construction of the walls. Is it concrete or block or is it lumber? You will have to add a frame to the inside the thickness of the insulation you want to install. (2X4=R12 or 2X6=R20) Concrete walls will require a hilti gun to get the nails through the studs and into the concrete. You will also need to install a plastic barrier to keep the moisture out. Go to Utube to get information on the proper installation.

  • John Grimley John Grimley on Dec 29, 2017

    I have actually done one of these conversions on an old house (c1900) where the basement walls were built directly onto soil. I used a product called Celotex for my insulation, it's foam sandwiched between two sheets of foil.

    I had to remove around 6" of soil to give me headroom with the finished product, with this done, I "tanked" the room by completely covering the walls with a bitumen 'paint', making sure to cover every inch of brickwork right down to the soil floor. I gave this three coats, horizontal, vertical, random to ensure I got into every nook & cranny.

    I then covered the floor with a waterproof barrier, bringing the barrier 2 feet up the walls and folding the barrier at all the corners, securing with tape.

    I then laid 4" celotex sheets on the floor & created a 'floating floor' by making a framework, onto which, I placed my sheet floorboards. Each wall was then covered with 2" celotex placed directly onto the bitumen then a stud wall was constructed to allow me to hang my plasterboard (drywall). The stud was created using 3" x2" timbers, top plate, bottom plate & verticals at 16" centres. I fixed the plasterboard horizontally so I could easily add electrics. I marked a line around the room, 3' off the floor & cut out for double boxes on this line before adding my wires. I then added the remaining plasterboard. There was a 2" gap above and below (which I covered with skirting and coving).

    The plasterboard was foil backed & the whole basement is now snug and toasty in the winter & cool in the summer without any additional form of heating/cooling - being completely below ground and totally insulated, it seems to have its own mini climate!

  • Ifixstuff Ifixstuff on Dec 29, 2017

    Similar to John, we also redid our basement up here in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania. It took us an entire summer to finish. Right now it is about five degrees outside and our basement used to be too cold to even enter in the winter, but is now cozy and warm. First we replaced our basement windows with new vinyl windows and got rid of an old metal slider door (it's a walk out basement) and converted the entrance area to a small side window and new single entrance door. Then we painted the cinderblock walls with a waterproof and sealing paint (Drylok). Then we glued two-inch interlocking rigid foam panels to all the walls. Then we spray insulated the top of the wall blocks all around the entire periphery of the basement (it was amazing how much cold air wafts up through the tops of a cinderblock wall!) THEN we built 2 x 4 interior walls on top of the rigid foam and used fiberglass batting insulation (yes this was a bit of overkill but the end results are amazing). The 2 x 4 walls made it easy to install new electric and change around some plumbing. For the floors we installed Dricore sub-flooring. It was very easy to do and made all the difference in the finished area. Then we sheet rocked the walls and ceilings and installed padding and carpet on the floors, and installed a vented propane heater that looks like a wood stove. The area is now so cozy. It is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. And, like John's basement, ours also has its own mini-climate!!

    • Edw22386983 Edw22386983 on Dec 29, 2017

      Thank you for the information and here in New York it is 10 degrees outside and the basement. Feels like 2 Happy New Year to you.

  • Ifixstuff Ifixstuff on Dec 30, 2017

     Is it summer yet?