Skip to main content
Home Improvement

Questions tagged [insulation]

Ask Question

Insulation is any material used to slow the transmission of heat or reduce the transmission of sound. Typical materials include fiberglass, foam, blown cellulose, and reflective foil. This should not be confused with weather stripping.

2,100 questions
Newest Active Bountied Unanswered
Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
3 votes
1 answer
284 views

The living room of my '20s house has a cathedral ceiling (a trapezoidal ceiling). Most of it is accessible from the attic and insulated with fiberglass batts. However, on the right side (and a tiny ...
divB's user avatar
  • 1,880
0 votes
0 answers
27 views

I live in New England in a house that was built in 1972. The ductwork is slightly newer (10ish years old). The ducts are leaky at some spots and while the duct gets hot close to the furnace, by the ...
Antariksh's user avatar
  • 1
-3 votes
2 answers
131 views

Outside is 40 F Inside is 70 F No heating, no AC is ON LED lights, one fridge in kitchen, one TV What is heating the home (2500 sqft) inside (on a cloudy day) Two humans no pets. It turns out that ...
DIY75's user avatar
  • 21.2k
1 vote
0 answers
46 views

I live in a 1930s house in the UK, with a suspended wooden floor over a ventilated crawlspace. The floor consists of wooden floorboards, covered with either laminate flooring or carpet - there is ...
JRI's user avatar
  • 153
1 vote
1 answer
62 views

I am about to replace my subfloor due to water damage, animal damage etc. The plan is to add blocking to the rim joist as an edge nailer for the replacement advantech sheets. I was wondering if it is ...
Bueller's user avatar
  • 13
2 votes
1 answer
137 views

I have a question regarding soffits, insulation, and baffles. I bought my first house about a year ago and I unblocked all of the soffits because the baffles were falling apart and most of the ...
JayFou's user avatar
  • 329
0 votes
1 answer
41 views

We have a sunroom with a poorly insulated floor over a vented crawlspace. The original installers used low quality insulation that has since deteriorated. In our Minnesota climate the floor and room ...
edaemon's user avatar
  • 163
0 votes
2 answers
74 views

My house has an approx. 10'x5' covered patio, which previous owners enclosed. I added 1" XPS to the floor and incorporated it into the house. The floor insulation mostly works. However the ...
Leo Brito's user avatar
  • 233
0 votes
0 answers
18 views

The installers are skipping foaming where the wood shims are, and there is still space to cover those areas with foam, is it advisable to have them to again apply more foam. I feel while the shims ...
Debbie's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
0 answers
51 views

I want to strengthen and protect my existing shed. It’s built with a wooden floor, raised on casters (I may be using the wrong term. Pressure treated posts laid on the ground). There’s no DPM or ...
Griff's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
0 answers
52 views

I have a 12x20 crawlspace under a laundry room addition in insulation zone 4. I want to add insulation so that the laundry room is the same temperature as the house. My understanding is that the ...
Ezra's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
0 answers
50 views

On the door frame and door, there are metal flaps that interlock when the door closes. It doesn't look like the door was built with a kerf weatherstrip channel. The house was built in the 60s.
John Ham's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
0 answers
27 views

I live in south Louisiana. My home is elevated (approximately 8 feet) above a concrete slab. I have vinyl flooring over 3/4 inch plywood on 2x12 floor joist and spray open cell insulation under the ...
Terry Hymel's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
1 answer
81 views

Our ground level has a ~15' x 13' room with carpet floor laid directly on concrete slab, with a ½" (12mm) cushy foam pad being the only insulation layer.  It becomes bone-chilling during Illinois ...
Astrogator's user avatar
  • 431
1 vote
1 answer
110 views

Our attic is poorly insulated and we plan to have a professional blow in fiberglass insulation over existing batts, install 6ft vent chutes at all soffit cavities, seal top plates and penetrations in ...
cr0's user avatar
  • 1,996
0 votes
1 answer
53 views

I want to replace my ~30-year old wooden cladding from my facade with PVC cladding. This is on a wall facing my balcony. I already have bought some Durasid panels. I'm in the Netherlands, if it's of ...
Designalog's user avatar
  • 183
1 vote
0 answers
36 views

I have to reinsulate my basement after getting some foundation repair done, and there are now these steel reinforcement straps on the foundation wall. It's usually a livable space but it was stripped ...
GodinLG's user avatar
  • 21
0 votes
0 answers
29 views

I’m building an addition. It’s a shed roof style. The tall wall is 16’ high and will be bumped out. Meaning the first 10 feet will be thicker by 3.25” than the top 6’. This is achieved by adding 2.5” ...
Alejandro Arango's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
94 views

I'm in the early stages of finishing off a basement where the back wall is just a bit more than half above grade. That side is concrete poured wall to just above grade and then 2x6 finished wall (...
Sycamore Farm's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
1 answer
155 views

I recently had foam insulation (closed cell) installed in my attic. The foam fully sealed the ceiling (roof of house) and all vents. The floor of the attic has very old blown-in insulation covered by ...
Richard's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
0 answers
81 views

While researching insulation options, I came across a method where spray foam could be blown into small holes made in drywall between the studs, or it could be done from the exterior side. Existing ...
Nicole's user avatar
  • 397
1 vote
1 answer
93 views

Originally had wood paneling, it was installed on top of 1 inch foam board (r5), behind the foam board is a plastic barrier and then 2x4 frame, and then behind that, top half of block wall which is ...
Jake's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
1 answer
89 views

I've recently stripped my basement walls of drywall and old pink batt that was rotting and molded do to being pressed against the concrete. We replaced all the rotten boards and removed the the pink ...
Damion Ripley's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
1 answer
71 views

Our apartment in a 1930s building has very drafty windows and steel wall framing. The windows are aluminum double hung with their own compact aluminum frames which sit in an opening that is separately ...
TravelRobb's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
2 answers
118 views

Dayton OH for code purposes (climate zone 5). I have been preparing to blow in fiberglass insulation to my attic (had likely-asbestos-containing vermiculite abated) by installing soffit vents, using ...
Help-ful-less's user avatar
  • 1,108
0 votes
1 answer
90 views

I have contractors working on my basement and they are using XPS foam against the cinder block wall and then framing (2x4) against it to keep the foam in place. Is this OK? All of the videos I've seen ...
SofaKng's user avatar
  • 493
2 votes
2 answers
325 views

I'm finishing my basement and the plan is to use XPS foam glued to the walls and then frame out against it. However, the walls are a bit taller than 8 feet so it leaves a few inches without the foam: ...
SofaKng's user avatar
  • 493
1 vote
2 answers
174 views

My home has portions of my roof that are vaulted ceilings, and the rafters are finished with drywall on the underside about halfway up the roof line, then it transitions to attic space. Those rafters ...
Mike's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
1 answer
68 views

I have a 120 year old farm house. On the second floor, it still has the original plaster walls and ceilings. An attic space exists above the ceilings and behind walls on two sides of the house. ...
Indy-Guy's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
167 views

We are building a barn which will have the roof extend 10' beyond the walls on all sides. The walls will have 4" of rigid foam insulation. The trusses stop flush with the top plates, and have no ...
AJP's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
0 answers
35 views

My house is a older 1980s split level so when you walk in you either go up stairs or downstairs. My ductwork goes from one side of the basement ceiling to the other and there is a bulkhead covering it....
Qiuzman's user avatar
  • 713
0 votes
0 answers
127 views

Here are two pictures showing the situation: This shows how much clearance is there, just below the collar ties The picture is taken along the longitudinal axis of the attic (a rectangle) This shows ...
MiniMe's user avatar
  • 3,789
1 vote
1 answer
86 views

I am working on plans to build a 16x16 shed that I may convert to a small ADU at some point. It will be 6-14" off the ground (slightly sloped underneath) on 4x6 skids secured to concrete pillars,...
xj884x4's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
1 answer
123 views

We've got an old (1920s built) stone foundation and lots of airflow coming in through the rim joist areas in our basement. My goal is to make it less drafty without impairing the long-term integrity ...
Sam Zipper's user avatar
  • 103
0 votes
1 answer
93 views

Can I double or even triple layer 1.5" for a better cost and slightly better R value than a single 2.5"? I live in Minnesota where the recommended R value for basements is R15. I have a ...
user497178's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
1 answer
117 views

Two story house built around 1920. Southwestern Pennsylvania. Central air with gas furnace, attic ridge vent, block foundation. Balloon framing with full attic and full basement. Attic and basement ...
giuseppe's user avatar
  • 101
0 votes
1 answer
123 views

Garage Insulation Recommendation Portable AC 14k BTU w/Dual Hose Looking for budget based ideas to insulate a garage where the ceiling of the garage is the roof of the home. There is a truss that goes ...
Darkseid's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
1 answer
79 views

There is a huge gap between the two roofs that allows critters to get up there and easily push up the soffit to gain entrance under the flat roof into living space. I want to block that access. ...
user2362518's user avatar
  • 1
4 votes
4 answers
996 views

I had to take down some decorative panels and there was no drywall behind them so I'm seeing 50+ year old R-7 Fiberglass insulation. I don't have the funds to redo all of my exterior walls but this ...
Liminal Everheart's user avatar
  • 79
0 votes
1 answer
244 views

The existing basement insulation has ripped/fallen down over the years (built in '90). It was originally affixed with what looks like large plastic discs and maybe one of those powder guns? Either way,...
d3dz7n's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
0 answers
35 views

I live in an old Victorian house converted into flats. Upstairs/downstairs neighbors are separated with lime lath ceiling, joists, and floorboards, and sometimes carpets. I live downstairs (own my ...
Aleksandr 's user avatar
  • 3
0 votes
1 answer
105 views

Plumbers had to cut into my exterior wall during a repipe. Here you can see the cutouts (I think the black plastic sheeting is a temporary measure to try to keep rodents out of the wall until the wall ...
Kevin's user avatar
  • 1,481
2 votes
2 answers
116 views

My garage is somewhat insulated. What I mean by that is that walls and roof are insulated with paper backed batts while the garage door and the concrete slab are “as is”. The garage door is somewhat ...
Lukgb's user avatar
  • 21
0 votes
1 answer
44 views

I'm planning to glue the thermal insulation made of Neopor using CERESIT CT 84 polyurethane foam for thermal insulation. The surface I'll be gluing to is about 50% concrete and 50% brick masonry. I'm ...
Fortran's user avatar
  • 101
0 votes
0 answers
48 views

My house (Zone 5a) has a 2'x5' floating bump-out for a direct vent gas fireplace whose floor gets extremely cold in the winter. It runs parallel to the floor joists and ties into the end joist with ...
Simon B's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
0 answers
34 views

I have a 1930s house in Canada (Ottawa). I have removed the old insulation from the basement walls and found what looks like to be the old coal dump in the wall. It resembles a box in the wall that is ...
Mike Patriquin's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
92 views

I have half of a 100 year old twin in SE Pennsylvania. The house isn’t too big and I’d like to turn the attic into living space. It is a walk up and about 800sf. The roof is pitched quite steep but ...
John's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
0 answers
56 views

My floor joists are resting on a ledger "beam"(2 sistered 2x6s" bolted to the inside of the foundation stem wall. I have installed a vapor barrier and sealed it to the stem wall and was ...
iguana1guana's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
2 answers
140 views

I am considering using rockwool batts on the inside of an unframed concrete wall. If so, what attachment method should I use? All the plastic pin methods, or screws and washers I have found seem to be ...
iguana1guana's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
3 answers
93 views

I am currently doing my research on my bathroom remodel. We are removing a shower stall and installing a bathtub with the modular shower surround. What type of vapor barrier or waterproofing do I need ...
Shane Christie's user avatar
  • 11

1
2 3 4 5
…
42