How To Insulate Exterior Concrete Walls

Three basic types of thermal insulation are available rigid board batt or blanket and spray on.

How to insulate exterior concrete walls.

The contractor applies a layer of adhesive over the surface of the concrete blocks and then installs a. Tight joints between the insulation boards maximize the thermal performance and reduce air leakage. That is why insulating your basements walls is necessary especially when you live in areas that have very cold climate. Thermalwall ph rigid eps insulation board for insulating the exterior walls of homes.

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. For the sections of the house designed for fiber cement lap siding kb home secured a housewrap to the exterior face of the cmu walls with an industrial spray adhesive then bridged all joints with a compatible flashing tape to create an effective air moisture barrier behind the siding. That s because in the past insulating concrete block homes meant adding interior wall insulation by building another wall against the concrete and insulating between the studs. The board insulation may be attached with an adhesive or mechanical fasteners.

Interior installation using the rigid board batt or spray on methods is the least expensive method. In some cases the joints between boards are set into an expandable bead of sealant or caulked or taped to act as an air barrier. Before you can install these panels you ll have to do some demolition. Remove all the trim from the exterior walls window and door casings baseboards crown molding you name it and rip the drywall and studs off the block walls.

Adding 2 inch thick insofast panels will bring your walls to r 13 30 percent more than the iecc minimum. Because it isolates the concrete s thermal mass from the inside space however it is the least desirable from the standpoint of energy conservation. Today there is no need to lose out on valuable interior space as you can use external wall insulation to insulate your concrete block house. The advantages are plenty here panels are between 4 5 inches and 8 inches thick the exterior insulation is continuous and they can be attached with 6 inch 10 screws from 4 to 6 inches long.