How To Insulate Basement Walls Properly And Make It Livable

How To Insulate Basement Walls Properly And Make It Livable

Save Money And Start Turning Your Westchester, Putnam, Or Dutchess County Basement Into A Livable Space

You can insulate your basement walls properly in 11 basic steps. Fair warning, you may have to frame your basement walls before adding insulation.

From choosing insulation to putting up a vapor barrier you can find out how to insulate basement walls right here.

It’s Like An Igloo Down Here

“Igloos are actually quite warm if you build them right.”

Matt rolls his eyes as Melissa corrects him. “Well, they’re still cold though, just warmer than the outside. Anyway, it’s cold down here and we can’t let it stay that way if we’re going to turn it into a living space.”

Matt knows they’re going to have to add insulation to the walls. “Guess we’re going to hire a basement finishing contractor,” Melissa sighs, pulling out her phone.

“Whoa, what? C’mon, I can add insulation to the walls! It can’t be that hard,” Matt protests.

“Let’s find out then. Here, I’m going to look up how to insulate basement walls properly and, based on that, we can decide whether you can DIY it or if we need to hire a pro,” Melissa counteroffers. Matt grumbles an agreement as Melissa starts searching Google.

Here are the 11 basic steps to insulating basement walls that Melissa finds.

How To Insulate Basement Walls Properly In 11 Steps

1. Choose the level of insulation (R-value)
2. Attach interlocking rigid foam styrofoam to wall
3. Seal joints
4. Frame walls with pressure-treated lumber
5. Run electrical, plumbing, etc
6. Cut insulation .25 inches lower than your ceiling
7. Apply adhesive to the wall
8. Stick insulation to it
9. Seal seams with duct tape
10. Seal gaps between ceiling and floor with caulk or foam filler
11. Put up a vapor barrier

“See? I can totally do this, it just looks like a lot because there are 11 steps,” Matt points out. “Mmmmm, I’m still not convinced yet. Having it laid out like this makes it look easy-ish, but it might not be,” Melissa fires back.

She scrolls down to see more details for insulating basement walls.

Steps 1-5

R-value tells you how well insulation works to keep heat where it is. The higher the R-value the better it will perform and for New York, this number is quite high: R13 – R15.

The styrofoam helps seal against air and some moisture, though you’ll want to seal your basement against moisture before doing any of this (you can learn how right now). Sealing the joints between the styrofoam boards helps them be more airtight.

The framing is necessary because the type of insulation most contractors use needs a wall covering it. This way it meets building and fire codes. “Yep, and we need to use pressure-treated lumber so it lasts longer,” Matt chimes in.

If you want a comfier basement then you’ll want the essentials: electricity and plumbing.

Melissa looks at Matt, who seems to be losing confidence a bit. She keeps scrolling to see the rest of the steps on how to insulate basement walls.

Steps 6-11

Cutting the insulation makes sure it fits. Don’t worry, one of the following steps helps fill in the gaps so you’re not improperly insulating.

As for applying the insulation to the walls, it’s the glue-and-stick method. Put the glue on the wall and stick the insulation to it. Then, seal the seams between the insulation with duct tape and the floor/ceiling gaps with caulk or foam filler.

“Then we put in the vapor barrier,” Matt says excitedly.

The vapor barrier keeps moisture away from the insulation so it doesn’t rot or mold.

Will Matt DIY Or Will They Hire Someone?

“What do you think Matt?” Melissa asks. Matt frowns and rubs his chin thoughtfully for a minute. “I think I can do it myself,” he says slowly, “but it would take a lot more time and energy than I want to put in. We can afford to hire someone, so let’s go that route.”

Now the couple is one step closer to finishing their basement. After the drywall is up, Matt just may learn the rest of the steps on how to finish a basement.

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