In
reality, all the main parts (walls, roof, and floor) of your house need
insulation because of heat loss. The big one is the havoc it can cause onto
your energy bills. More distressing is the fact that you have these expenses to
pay every year. Floor insulation is one major project, if you haven’t made it
insulated as yet.
Having
acquired a new house with floors that are not yet insulated can be a difficult
problem if it has solid floors. In older houses, there is a space underneath
“suspended floors”, a very good agent in heat loss.
These
days, the ground floors are generally done in solid concrete slabs, or
suspended in timber floorboards on joists.
The
solid floor is more difficult to work on than a timber floor and it definitely
costs more. Solid floors can have their payback in 8 to 10 years. Timber floors
can be had in 3 to 5 years. (This is the recouping of your investment-expense
on the insulation work.)
Those
with concrete floors (a fashion in the 30s) have lesser problems. Concrete
insulation can be installed right away. It consists of a layer of solid
insulation placed directly on the floor. Today’s modern houses have slabs of
polystyrene insulation below the concrete floor. This reduces heat loss.
Methods
Some
of the methods of insulating your floors include draught-proofing. This uses a
sealant (or caulking) to fill the gaps in the floorboards and the skirting
boards and the floor of your house.
Another
method is to add an insulating layer under the carpet floor covering. Some use
fiberboard underlay and boards of polyfoam.
An
underfloor insulation is another solution. You can have it easily done if you
have access that lets you into a crawlspace below the floorboards. Otherwise,
you need to take up the floorboards which will need netting or wooden battens
to hold the insulation wool in place under the floorboards.
Insulation
Fiberglass
insulation can be had in rolls or in batt forms and they are available with or
without Kraft paper facing. They are easier to transport and can be cut into
the desired lengths, good for covering large areas.
For
faster installation, the batts are in pre-cut lengths. Every package has more square
feet than those in rolls which are ideal for framed cavities. The faced
insulation with the Kraft paper (acting as vapor barriers) will control the
moisture transmission between walls and floors.
These
high-performing all-purpose insulation materials bring with it the benefits of
improved air quality, fire resistance, sound proofing, and very good thermal
performances.
Installing
You
need to calculate how much you need before doing any installation work. Measure
the floor joists you need to insulate. You include measuring the width between
the floor joists so you have the correct insulation.
The
insulation should have continuous contact with the subfloor above it. If there
will be any gaps between the floor and the insulation, the air movements will
reduce its effectiveness because it helps the escape of hear. Floor insulation is
easy to install but care should be taken like anything else.
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