How To Insulate Concrete Basement Floor

The basement walls and floors of older homes are generally uninsulated.

How to insulate concrete basement floor.

Address uneven floors prior to installing any floor system the low spots should be fixed with concrete patch or floor leveler. Insulating the concrete floor in your basement will save you money on your heating bill keep your basement warmer and help keep the rest of your house warmer. If the concrete floor is dry and reasonably level insulate directly on top with a rigid foam insulation that is impervious to moisture air leakage and radon gas. Dave feldman is building a new house near boston massachusetts that will have a walkout basement with a tile floor.

Step 2 checking the floor. If you re planning on finishing a basement or portion of your home that has a concrete floor then it may be a good idea to insulate it before installing basement flooring. While you can apply insulation over the concrete slab that requires adding wood subflooring and other components that add to the cost and complexity of the project. Use a strong concrete sealer to seal the cement basement floor.

Xps rigid foam and seal the seams with spray foam and tape followed by two layers of 1 2 in. Be sure that the floor of your basement has no water issues. Insulating a concrete floor can save you money on your heating bill making an attached garage or basement warmer and by extension the rest of your house. An uninsulated or under insulated basement floor is a major source of heat loss in the home.

Plywood with staggered seams. Installing basement floor insulation on top of the concrete floor is a good idea if you decide to finish off the basement. Three key benefits of insulating the concrete floors in the basement are heat loss prevention moisture prevention and a higher level of comfort. Feldman plans to insulate the basement walls with closed cell spray polyurethane foam.

Once the basement is prepped choose an insulation to reduce heat loss and moisture transfer from the slab. If there are water leaks or plumbing problems deal with them before you begin to do any insulating work. The old adage an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure really means something in a basement. I would like to insulate the slab and install glue down cork tile flooring.

Installing insulation prior to the pouring of a concrete slab floor improves the energy efficiency of the floor and makes it more comfortable. If you live in a cold climate then you re no stranger to cold concrete floors in the winter. My plan is to lay down a layer of 1 in. His goal is to have the floor comfortably warm in this climate zone 5 locale even in the dead of winter.