Insulating Concrete Walls With Foam Board
Polystyrene foam boards commonly called foamboard are a clean lightweight convenient way to insulate bare concrete walls.
Insulating concrete walls with foam board. The correct method of using rigid foam is to run continuous 4 foot by 8 foot sheets of the foam across the concrete basement wall making the rigid foam the de facto wall. It comes in standard size 4 8 sheets and smaller sizes in many different thicknesses from 1 4 inch to 2 inches. Todd poured concrete walls are not perfectly flat. There is almost no mess and the foam isn t itchy like fiberglass.
0 56 in x 4 ft x 8 ft 1 unfaced polystyrene foam board insulation item 511270 model 100000050497. After that thin furring strips are installed on top of the foam to provide a firm base for the drywall screws and drywall but can you run rigid foam between the studs just as you would do with fiberglass rolls or spray foam. Helix is mixed in with the concrete as a replacement for rebar to increase its strength and durability. Or is the foam board still insulating enough to stop moisture from forming in the voids.
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 insulating board also works for insulating uninsulated spaces and for shallow frost protected foundations. Applications for helix include but are not limited to. When gluing the foam board on the concrete walls there will be voids behind the foam board where it doesn t contour exactly to the wall.
0 56 in x 4 ft x 8 ft. Some types of thicker foam board insulation are available but they may need to be special ordered. Follow with a 2x4 frame wall and. After the adhesive cures add extension boxes to the outlets and switches and spray foam into every gap top bottom and around each box.
Interior insulation refers to insulation applied to the interior side of the concrete masonry as shown in figure 1. For a basement remodeling project consider insulating basement walls with foam board. Structural foundations footings slabs walls shotcrete and precast. Use a premade kit for this type of project.
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. Is this a concern for moisture or mold in the void. Attach the tongue and groove insulation boards to the concrete wall with adhesive.