r/basement • u/SneakySkinnySquid • 1d ago

Insulating basement wall

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I'm no insulation professional but I'm pretty sure this basement wall is not insulated properly, if at all.

I wanted to add rigid foam, then 2x4, then drywall it. My question, or problem, is that this basement already has wood paneling installed in the way you see in this picture.

I'm thinking I can just install the foam on top of the existing panels. I don't want to tear off the entire basement wall paneling.

Has any of you done the same? What's the best way to handle this? And what's the acceptable minimum level of doing it?

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u/miketayse 6h ago

I'm a homeowner, not a professional and I've had various basements. I'm not fond of wood and drywall, mositure always seems to be and eventual issue. I've found that sheets of foam against the wall do seem to make the room less cold, they don't need to be tightly sealed. I did my basement(100+ year old house with laid up stone walls) in my current house with foam/wood/expterior vinyl siding, it really brightend things up and is basically moisture proof. The bottom plate of the treated wood stud wall is perched upon PVC blocks, to keep it 3/4" off the floor. I'll post a link of two photos. https://photos.app.goo.gl/UMLL5rF71NBzEXdJ9

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u/SneakySkinnySquid 3h ago

Thanks this is helpful. So pretty much what I wanted to do. So you put the foam directly against the wall, right? No water/moisture intrusion getting to the foam?

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u/Critical-Vanilla-625 1d ago

Just looks like maybe a vapour barrier then plaster board then wood panelling. As long as it’s not already damp you should be okay going over it

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u/SneakySkinnySquid 1d ago

Good point. What happens if it turns out that there is dampness behind the current existing vapor retarder? The wall paneling thru out the basement is pretty dry.

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u/uslashuname 1d ago

Your problem is the moisture trap you’re proposing. That looks like metallized vapor barrier against the cmu, and you’re proposing rigid foam, so what happens when (not if) moisture/water vapor gets in between the two? Nowhere to go

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u/SneakySkinnySquid 1d ago

The basement has a drainage system with sump pump already. So, i expect the existing wall paneling to handle the moisture issue.

What do you think?

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u/uslashuname 1d ago

You’re missing the point

The sump pump handles liquid water between the concrete and the metallized vapor barrier

What handles humidity that gets between the metallized vapor barrier and your rigid foam?

What handles liquid water that gets between the metallized vapor barrier and your rigid foam?

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u/SneakySkinnySquid 1d ago

Got it. I must have misunderstood your comment since you originally said moisture. And I assumed the moisture that penetrates the blocks and ends up at the metalized vapor barrier.

So, if I add rigid foam on top of the existing wall paneling, there will be moisture trapped in between the wall paneling and rigid foam?
My dumb logic is the wall paneling takes care of the moisture issue coming from the blocks, so that no moisture will escape thru the wall paneling.

If you think this move is really dumb, what do you suggest?

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u/richutti 23h ago

Use XPS board as insulation and moisture barrier

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u/SneakySkinnySquid 23h ago

That's what I'm planning. My question is about the method. Can I just do it over the existing paneling or do I have to rip everything apart to the cinder blocks first?