What is the best way to insulate the walls and floor in a basement?

Answer 1

Corning has new product out that works well with concrete and basement walls. First determine whether you have any cracks or foundations problems and have those repaired before you start covering up your walls. If you do not then you are just asking for major and very costly problems later. Second. Paint a "made for concrete" water sealing paint to keep the moisture out of the basment.
The Corning product comes in snap together panels about 1 1/2 inch thick, ready to paint on one side. They fit tight up against the wall and each other. A very easy project. A

After the walls are done, pay attention to the floor,again paint to seal (hopefully you do not need a sump pump to keep the basement dry). Put your money into the padding, either under a carpet or under faux wood and then you can put in something nice but not as deep as a shag carpet.

Remember to check for pre-existing black mold problems and deal with promptly and correctly (10% bleach in a gallon of water) Seal with KILZ paint. The mold can make you very ill.

Answer 2

I'd advise either the 1.5" - 3" foam for the walls and floor. Do the most you can get away with. You screw the plywood to the floor with concrete screws/washers with the foam underneath. All joints of the foam are taped. Then you can go over this with carpet. Or you can go for the more expensive dricore plywood but without the insulation. The walls will just have foam cut to go behind the studs or between them. The ceiling of the basement will use non-faced insulation but insulation is not really needed on the ceiling.

Answer 3

If you add wallboard to the walls of the basement as you have in the rest of the house, that will be enough insulation.. And..as for the floors, not much you can do except add a large carpet.. the carpet will also act as an insulator from the coolness of the floor.. particularly during the winter months.

Answer 4

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot either online or in person and ask.

Then see what's on sale, best price for the best deal.

I did this by glueing strips of wood (special glue with a gun thing) to the cement block.
Then I put styrofoam - cheapest from H. Depot, in between, then put another wooden strip and so on.
Then after about 3/4 days to dry completely, I got the cheapest wall paneling with a light color (no basement windows).
You need the corner strips (again H.Depot sells these) so they look nice, and I added the cheapest baseboard.

It was not expensive so I bought cheap carpeting for the floor and just put it down with no padding.

I never did the ceiling, but put crepe paper for a party decoration on the ceiling, and it's still there!!!!!

You can do it if you get the right friends, and aren't afraid to make mistakes. It gives you a good feeling when it's done!!!

Answer 5

where you live makes a difference, basic info, foam is great if you can do it your self, here you cant get the equipment. fiberglass is good and cheap but does take at least 4 inches of space. foam board is good and takes less room. you will need to fur out as instructed previously using wood of appropriate size for your insulation. insulation in the floor is not relay necessary but can be done if you want. most basements will eventually get wet from outside or in so i say don't but its your house. use a vapor barrier on the walls but not the ceiling (with or without insulation). shim up the floor assuming you make a wood floor over the concrete. leaving room under for air flow. rock the walls and enjoy.

Answer 6

Attach 1x4's to the walls on 16"centers nd along the floor and ceiling. Then glue some 1/2" or 3/4" styrofoam insulauion in between the boards. Cut it to fit real tight. Then hang Sheetrock , or paneling. That will help the walls. I guess like someone else suggested , a good thick wall to wall carpet over a good thick pad for the floor. Oh, and pray for no floods.

Answer 7

You can buy sheets of foam in different thicknesses. I would first put that down, then plyboard over that, then carpet. That will help the floors.
As for the walls, You can also use the thin foam sheets and cover with drywall. If you are using the basement for a rec room or just a place to hang out... try covering the walls with carpet. Carpet scraps can be obtained very cheaply ...maybe even free from the carpet dealers, and you can make a design in the walls with the different carpet colors and textures.
Good luck with your project.

Answer 8

use Red Guard on the floor before you put down anything. you paint it on and it is a moisture barrier. we used laminate for below grade.on the floor. It looks like a wood floor. the cement walls we painted with a water proofing paint. then we used fiberglass insulation made for basements. over that. We used a special dry wall that does not allow mold to grow. I think it was called DensArmor. We used ceiling tiles that were also mold proof. and a special system to hang them that is not a drop ceiling. It mounts right againts the ceiling boards. Doesn't look like a basement anymore. We got all our suppies at Home Depot or Menards.

Answer 9

theres a spray foam insulation that works great. easy too all you do is rent the machine at like home depot, buy the foam and spray it in. it expands and fills up every inch. youd have to make a raised floor up off of the concert. ask before you try and spray the floor with it, im not sure if it will work that way. i know its great for the walls.

Answer 10

is the basement underground if it is, the dirt has it insulated, you can fir out the walls and use foam type insulation. inside walls doesnt need insulating unless youre doing it for sound.