How to install Ceiling Insulation in a Basement or Crawlspace & why you should. R30, R21, R19, R13.

hey what's up everybody this is cls all-in-one in today's video i will show you how to insulate a ceiling in a basement or crawl space area insulating this area is not always required but it can increase your home's efficiency and possibly lower your energy bills it also helps with regulating the temperature on the main level and keeps the floors warmer in colder climates and if you have a heated basement it will help prevent heat loss that would normally just rise up through the floor with ease making the basement colder and it also works good for sound proofing it can either eliminate or quiet down a lot of noise they can normally be heard from the upper levels insulation is available in many different sizes and r values and comes either faced or unfaced and comes in rolls or bats and the higher the r value is means the greater the insulating effectiveness is to determine what insulation you should use and how much you will need to measure the floor joists and the ceiling square footage in my basement the distance between each joist is 15 inches and these measure at nine and a half inches tall in my ceiling area wall to wall measures at roughly 16 foot by 23 foot which is 368 square feet but i also have a staircase that takes up around 45 square feet so the total area that i will need insulation for is around 323 square feet so the insulation i will be using measures at 15 inches wide by 10 inches thick and each roll is 22 feet long which is 27 square feet so i will need 12 rolls for my basement ceiling optionally you can also use bat insulation which comes in four foot long strips and can be easier to work with and you could also use a lesser r-value insulation such as r19 which is six and one-quarters of an inch thick and still provides decent insulating properties for my basement i will be using an unfaced insulation because i have a basement along with a concrete floor so there's no need for any type of vapor barrier but if you are insulating in a crawl space with a dirt floor faced insulation can optionally be used which will provide a vapor barrier but the face of the insulation should be installed towards facing the upper level floor which will help prevent any moisture from condensation or leaks being trapped in the insulation when insulating around the rim joist it's best to use a foam board that's at least two inches thick and seal the edges with a foam spray because these areas are prone for condensation problems due to this generally being the thinnest part of the wall so basically you just need to measure the rim joist areas then cut the foam to the correct size then place it into position then seal the edges with a foam spray and i do have a full video about this process that will be available in the description down below and here's a quick look at the foam board installation on the rim joist so i would recommend to install some foam board insulation on any rim joist board that is exposed to an outside wall because this adds extra protection to the thin areas and the wall structure now let's get started with the r30 insulation so here's a couple things i would recommend a pair of disposable coveralls a n95 mask a utility knife tape measure straight edge eye protection and some insulation supports may be needed as well so whether you're using bats or rolls you'll want to cut open the packages a few minutes before installing and let the insulation expand to its full size this insulation is 10 inches thick so it will expand quite a bit to cut unfaced or faced insulation i use a sturdy straight edge such as a four foot level then firmly press down on the insulation with a straight edge then start making cuts with my utility knife using multiple passes to make it all the way through and to make this job easier it's best to make sure you have a sharp blade or a new blade before making any cuts and you can also just cut the insulation as you install it which i will demonstrate here in a few now i will start pressing the insulation in between the floor joists and up against the subfloor on the upper level and since this is the same width as the joist spacing it is able to friction fit in between with ease and again if you're using a faced insulation the face of the insulation should face up and against the upper level subfloor when insulating you want to make sure not to leave any gaps unless specified otherwise right here i have a gap in between my rim joist foam board and my r30 insulation so i will need to adjust my insulation and pull it tight against the foam board for a better seal now depending on what type of insulation you are using you may need supports to hold the insulation in place which should be up and against the subfloor up above insulation supports such as these come in a variety of sizes and are super easy to use they work just by using tension and in most cases don't require any special tools but you may need a pair of metal shears to cut the supports to size in between the joist areas that may not have the standard on center spacing and optionally you can also use a strapping material such as this they can be stapled to the floor joist to hold the insulation in place now with this r30 insulation i am using it actually fills the entire joist pocket and stays in place just fine with a friction fit and i will be installing drywall under the insulation as well but if i was not installing drywall i would go ahead and use supports to secure the insulation so this insulation is 10 inches thick and the ford joist is nine and a half inches tall so i did have to compress it about one half of an inch to make it fit and i would like to mention when you compress the insulation it does lose r value so you want to avoid compressing it any more than needed so right here i'm pulling the insulation through some of the electrical work now for the most part there should be no gaps in the insulation but in some areas that may output an extreme amount of heat such as an older recessed lighting fixture a gap of at least three inches should be maintained from any such hazard so right here i'm just about to the end of this stretch and i have around 16 inches left so i just need to measure out on a piece of insulation then firmly press down with my straight edge then make my cut with the utility knife taking multiple passes until i'm all the way through then i can place my cut piece in position and here is an up close look at the seam where the two pieces meet and you can see that it's nice and tight standard fiberglass insulation can be used around heater ducting but they do recommend first to seal all the seams with a foil tape so there's no air leaks then use a foil back insulation to wrap the ducting then standard insulation can be applied around the ducting when installing insulation around water lines the insulation should be below the water lines to help keep the lines warmer especially in colder climates and now i'm at the end of another row and i will go ahead and just eyeball where the cut needs to be then start slicing the insulation making multiple passes until i'm all the way through but making a cut like this may be a little challenging especially with this thick of insulation so it may be easier to just make your cuts on the ground after installing all the insulation you can then optionally add some extra sound proofing using specially made metal furring strips or just some one by twos which mount perpendicular to the floor joists and create a pocket that sound can dissipate through making a basement or lower floor quieter so this extra soundproofing is a nice optional step but from my basement i was dealing with some height restrictions so i decided to pass on this step okay it's now time for me to go hopefully this video will help you out with insulating your basement or crawl space ceiling if you like this video if you could hit that like button and please subscribe and have yourself a great day and i'll see you next time

Channel: C.L.S. All-IN-ONE

Views: 432,799

Keywords: insulation, insulate, foam board, rim joist, ceiling, basement, crawspace, foundation

Id: pjmsgqDAK2A

Length: 8min 52sec (532 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 26 2022