Insulating Exposed Concrete Walls

Cut 2 by 4 lumber to the height of your concrete wall minus 1 1 2 inches for a header and footer.

Insulating exposed concrete walls.

Prepping for basement insulation. Because it isolates the concrete s thermal mass from the inside space however it is the least desirable from the standpoint of. 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. Any of the following insulation materials are acceptable for this purpose.

The best way to insulate the interior side of a basement wall is with foam insulation that is adhered to or sprayed directly on the concrete. The insulation may be rigid board extruded or expanded polystyrene or polyisocyanurate closed cell spray polyurethane foam cellular glass fibrous batt or fibrous blown in insulation note however that fibrous insulation is susceptible to moisture. 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. The owner likes the modernist look of exterior concrete walls so we are planning to use poured concrete walls on the other elevations as well.

Whether you use batt and roll insulation loose fill insulation or sprayed foam insulation you do not want to leave the insulation exposed. For example if you have a 7 foot wall you ll need 6 foot 10 1 2 inch long studs. You have many options for wall surfaces. Now as you glue the panels to the exposed concrete blocks leave a inch gap at the floor and ceiling and cut holes in the panels to fit around outlets and wall switches.

The most important concern to address before insulating your basement is moisture. Tape a small piece of plastic sheeting to a bare concrete wall with an impermeable duct tape border and wait. After the adhesive cures add extension boxes to the outlets and switches and spray foam into every gap top bottom and around each box. Closed cell spray polyurethane foam or either xps eps or polyisocyanurate rigid foam.

Rigid foam can be adhered to a poured. Interior installation using the rigid board batt or spray on methods is the least expensive method. I am planning on dampproofing the exterior of the retaining sections of wall and framing the interior with 2x6 studding and insulation like a finished basement wall condition. That is why insulating your basements walls is necessary especially when you live in areas that have very cold climate.

To ensure there s no dampness seeping through the walls conduct a simple test using plastic sheeting and duct tape.