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slowtornado
Belle Plaine, KS
November 28, 2007
11:20 PM Post #4241615
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We are planning to insulate the floors under the house. I'm sure we need more than just insulation. Some of it is faced, some not. I'm not sure what the R-value is. Should it also be covered w/plywood?
The plan is to warm the floors from the bottom so these horrible wall to wall carpets can rot somewhere else.
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BackyardZoo
Poquoson, VA
(Zone 7b)
November 30, 2007
11:35 AM Post #4246567
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Most times insulation under the house is not covered with plywood as a vapor barrier. The vapor barrier is instead, sheet plastic laid down on the ground in the crawl space. The idea being to keep ground moisture down on the ground instead of in your insulation. This is a good idea, regardless.
What you might consider instead of plywood is some foam insulation board. This would be put against the floor between the joists and above the insulation. The foam board is a) cheaper than plywood (usually) b) more insulating and c) more of a vapor barrier. Since some of your insulation is not faced, it would help.
FYI: insulation facing as a vapor barrier goes to the 'warm' side of the house - ie in this case, up against the floor, not facing the ground. So plywood on the joists 'boxing in' the insulation would only keep moisture from inside the house trapped in the insulation. Foam board against the floor would keep the moisture in the house to begin with where it can circulate as it's supposed to instead of condensing in one spot - whether that's in your carpets, your subfloors, or your insulation.
If you're REALLY intent on keeping your carpets warm & dried out, you might look at under-floor heating elements. Most times it gets installed under harder floors like tile or wood, but I believe there are some approved for under carpets. Then you have the possibility of your carpets drying out TOO much, but then everything's a trade-off. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
December 19, 2007
5:58 PM Post #4311258
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The 4X8 ft sheets of 2 inch thick styrofoam are quite useful to hang from floor joists. They can perform a double duty of containing the insulation in between the joists giving the user a significant amount of insulation. These boards have a waterproof surface on 1 or both sides. They prevent 99% of the ground moisture from passing upward into a home. To say the least they are worth the near $20/board cost or $1.50/ sq ft cost. It is interesting how few new homes being today have this newer technology implemented. It is invaluable. I lived in a home with rotting subfloors because of ground water collecting and evaporating up through the home. Even the cement garage floor was crumbling due to all the water that had been moving up for 20 years. This was a rental. I mentioned to the landlord that the whole house was close to being rotten from the ground upward about 12 inches. |
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