Insulate your old farmhouse's concrete walls to ensure cozy warmth inside.
Old farmhouses can be charming. Perhaps they raise memories of simpler times, of Christmas Day at Grandmother's house. But one thing old farmhouses may lack is sufficient insulation. That charming old home could prove cold and drafty in winter, hot and musty in summer. Add concrete walls that transfer temperatures easily, and that old farmhouse could quickly have you questioning your pleasant memories. To make your old farmhouse inviting and comfortable indoors, create wood frames to which wall insulation can be attached. Watch your memories grow fond again.
Instructions
Furring Strips and Rigid Insulation
1. Measure the concrete wall, marking at both top and bottom of the wall every 16 to 24 inches (which is the standard width of stud walls) as you measure. Place a 2-by-4 board against the marks and draw down the wall to create parallel lines.
2. Unroll a length of polyethylene (plastic) to use as a vapor barrier. Cut according to wall length measurements, but add 2 inches to the height measured. Spread construction adhesive along the very top of the wall and between the vertical marks created previously, pressing plastic into place against the wall as you work your way across. Tape any seams created with duct tape to prevent air from penetrating the plastic.
3. Squirt construction adhesive onto the widest side of a 2-by-4 stud, which will be glued to the wall to serve as a "furring strip" to which insulation can be attached. Lay the glued side flat against the wall, aligned with a previously marked line. Pull the bottom of the plastic previously installed under the bottom of the stud, so the furring strip you are attaching actually sits on top of the plastic. Use masonry screws or a power-actuated nail gun to secure the furring strip against the masonry wall, securing at the top and bottom and every 2 feet in between. Continue putting up a furring strip for each line until complete.
4. Cut a sheet of rigid insulation, using a utility knife to create a strip the same width as the spacing between your furring strips and as tall as the floor-to-ceiling height. Apply construction adhesive to one side of the insulation; turn and press into place between the furring strips and against the wall. Complete each space similarly.
5. Trim any excess plastic showing on the bottom, after installing the furring strips and rigid insulation. Cover wall with your desired wall covering, attaching along the top and bottom as well as to the furring strips.
Stud Wall Frame with Rolled Insulation
6. Fiberglass is one insulation option.
Build a stud wall to attach to the concrete wall as a frame for insulation. Mark a treated 2-by-4 board every 16 inches across the wide side (this will be your bottom plate.) Attach regular 2-by-4 studs to the bottom plate, perpendicular to the bottom plate and in line with the marks created. Nail through the bottom plate into the stud to secure. Place a regular 2-by-4 across the free end of the studs and nail in place through the 2-by-4 into the stud ends again (this creates your top plate.)
7. Unroll a length of polyethylene to use as a vapor barrier. Cut according to wall length measurements, but add 6 inches to the height measured. Spread construction adhesive along the very top of the wall and every 16 inches across the wall. Press the plastic into place against the wall as you work your way across. Tape any seams created with duct tape to prevent air from penetrating the plastic.
8. Spread construction adhesive against the outer edges of both the top and bottom plates, where they will contact the floor and ceiling. Pull the extra length of plastic at the bottom of the concrete wall out, and lift the stud wall into place so it sits on the plastic and snug to the concrete wall. Secure the stud wall, using a power-actuated nail gun or masonry screws, to both the floor and ceiling, every 12 inches. Repeat process for each stud wall required.
9. Unroll fiberglass insulation and measure to cut sections as long as the wall height. Place these pieces, paper side facing you and fiberglass side against the concrete wall, inside the stud sections. Use a staple gun to attach the paper backing to the studs. Continue until all spaces are insulated.
10. Trim any plastic showing under stud wall after wall and insulation are in place. Install your choice of wall covering to the stud wall, nailing wherever a stud is present.
Tags: concrete wall, construction adhesive, against wall, bottom plate, every inches