Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Questions about Polystyrening my Crawlspace Walls
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TryAgain
12-14-08, 03:35 AM
I mentioned in a previous post to this forum that if I have any questions about insulating my crawlspace, I'd put them in another post and just yesterday, I replied to someone else's thread that I've purchased cellulose for my attic and blue styrofoam for my crawlspace.
So, now that I've decided what to do, I have a few questions and I hope some of our more knowledgable or experienced brethren will be kind enough to answer;
1) I seem to be getting mixed signals as to where the top edge of my foam board should fall. Should I cut it at the bottom of the sill plate or the joists, or should I size it to go up to the floor, basically jigsawing it around the joists?
2) My local building supply house (non-box) suggested a LiquidNail® branded product that is dispensed with a caulking gun and formulated for foamboard, as an adhesive. Is there a better product or is it just as good as any? And, if I'm to cover the sill plate, should I glue the foam to the wood or stick with just putting it against the concrete?
Now for the biggie...
3) My 55+ year old foundation that was most likely hand-poured and site-mixed by the brothers who built this house has spalled in a few places, especially along the back wall.
Structurally, everything is sound and there's not been any significant deterioration over the six years that I've been here, but because we have an occasional earthquake and regular house-rattling explosions courtesy of a local facility, it appears that some additional dust may have dropped-off at some time.
I found the old thread (under my previous username), where I discussed this problem and received fine-tuning of my prescription, but I've yet to do anything about it.
Are there any opinions about whether I should reface the spalled areas before I hide it under the blue foam, or would most people go along with my instinct and just leave well enough alone?
Again, structurally everything is fine. I live in the desert and moisture isn't really a problem. If I were to reface the spalled areas of my foundation, it'd mostly be for cosmetic reasons and to provide a smooth surface. Theoretically, I guess if I were to glue to the concrete and if someone were to pull off the foam in the less-than-perfect areas, they might get a few very small chunks coming off with it, but there'd still be plenty of solid foundation and any residue would most likely be from places that I might not have been thorough enough with my whisk broom.
BTW: In my mind, the downside of refacing is that it'd add time to the job and I'm hoping to get the top and bottom insulated over the holidays.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated;
Thanks in advance, though I think that maybe some follow-ups might be in order.
So, now that I've decided what to do, I have a few questions and I hope some of our more knowledgable or experienced brethren will be kind enough to answer;
1) I seem to be getting mixed signals as to where the top edge of my foam board should fall. Should I cut it at the bottom of the sill plate or the joists, or should I size it to go up to the floor, basically jigsawing it around the joists?
2) My local building supply house (non-box) suggested a LiquidNail® branded product that is dispensed with a caulking gun and formulated for foamboard, as an adhesive. Is there a better product or is it just as good as any? And, if I'm to cover the sill plate, should I glue the foam to the wood or stick with just putting it against the concrete?
Now for the biggie...
3) My 55+ year old foundation that was most likely hand-poured and site-mixed by the brothers who built this house has spalled in a few places, especially along the back wall.
Structurally, everything is sound and there's not been any significant deterioration over the six years that I've been here, but because we have an occasional earthquake and regular house-rattling explosions courtesy of a local facility, it appears that some additional dust may have dropped-off at some time.
I found the old thread (under my previous username), where I discussed this problem and received fine-tuning of my prescription, but I've yet to do anything about it.
Are there any opinions about whether I should reface the spalled areas before I hide it under the blue foam, or would most people go along with my instinct and just leave well enough alone?
Again, structurally everything is fine. I live in the desert and moisture isn't really a problem. If I were to reface the spalled areas of my foundation, it'd mostly be for cosmetic reasons and to provide a smooth surface. Theoretically, I guess if I were to glue to the concrete and if someone were to pull off the foam in the less-than-perfect areas, they might get a few very small chunks coming off with it, but there'd still be plenty of solid foundation and any residue would most likely be from places that I might not have been thorough enough with my whisk broom.
BTW: In my mind, the downside of refacing is that it'd add time to the job and I'm hoping to get the top and bottom insulated over the holidays.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated;
Thanks in advance, though I think that maybe some follow-ups might be in order.