The Way to Insulate Existing Floors

Unwanted air to get into your home is allowed by an uninsulated floor. This cold atmosphere brings down the temperature of your home, leading to wasted energy and higher heating costs during the winter. Improve the energy efficiency score of your home with the addition of insulation to your floor. Oftentimes, you can bring insulation up to recommended levels in just a couple hours without the hassle and cost of removing your existing floor finishes.

Insulate an Existing Wood-framed Floor

Put on a dust mask and safety goggles to protect yourself when managing insulation.

Find the trap door or access panel which allows you to enter the crawl space below your home, or simply put in your basement if you have one. Inspect your floor framing and assess the depth of the existing insulation, if any.

Multiply the total inches of insulation by 3.2 to gauge the present R-value of your floor. If you have two inches of insulation, your floor has an R-value of 6.4. Most homes need at least R-13, though houses in cold areas can benefit from more insulation.

Calculate how much insulation to include. Assuming you currently have two inches of fiberglass, you’ll want to include at least two more inches to achieve R-13. If you would like to accomplish a greater R-value, gauge how many inches you want to grow achieve that number if each inch adds R-3.2 to the ground.

Cut your insulation to size using a utility knife. Put it in the space between your existing floor joists, relying on friction to hold it in position. Insert wire insulation hangers as needed to ensure a secure hold.

Insulate Existing Concrete Floors

Cover the whole floor using a vapor barrier, for example 6 millimeter polyethylene sheeting. Overlap the seams of this vapor barrier by 6 inches and fasten the seams with tape. Secure the edges of the plastic to the slab using structure caulk.

Measure 16 inches from the surface of a single wall. Mark this dimension on the ground with chalk, then continue to make marks every 16 inches throughout the period of the ground.

Put a length of 2-by-2-inch lumber on every one of the marks you made to make timber sleepers, or furring strips. Use concrete screws to maintain the sleepers in place.

Cut rigid foam insulation to fit snugly between each table. Score and snap the foam by means of a utility knife. Insert two layers of rigid foam to achieve the highest potential R-value at the tiniest amount of space.

Cover the whole surface with sheets of 3/4-inch plywood, then lining up the edges of each sheet onto the center of their sleepers. Stagger the joints between rows of plywood to improve floor stability. Nails the plywood to the sleepers using 6d nails every 12 inches.

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