Plastic Vapor Barrier Basement Walls

A vapor barrier is also helpful to keeping a basement insulated and warm.

Plastic vapor barrier basement walls.

The construction of the wall for instance is vital to the use of a vapor barrier. The main concerns are condensation and drying potential. In winter the dew point of the interior air is typically about 50 f assuming an air temperature of 70 f and a relative humidity of 50. When the mold grows it will spread to everything around it studs drywall etc.

You should then use fiberglass insulation that has a vapor barrier between the studs with the vapor barrier facing in toward the living space. The humid air is indoors. If you have a framed wall that is adjacent to a concrete foundation wall where the vapor barrier is next to the drywall in front of the studs the fiberglass insulation gets wet and becomes a breeding ground for mold. If water vapor diffuses or infiltrates into the wall cavity and finds the cool surface moisture problems can occur.

Basement vapor barriers and best methods for insulating basement walls vapor barrier in your basement walls basement wall vapor barrier system in use crawlseal to waterproof your walls how to install a basement vapor barrierfixing moldy basements vapor barriers can be a bad ideahow should i finish an existing basement continue reading. 1 on the interior wall between the heated and unheated portion of the basement i would not use with a vapor barrier. Plastic on the outer surface of a wall in cold weather could cause problems. Basement remodeling ideas from tv.

Polyurethane sheeting is a typical vapor barrier that contractors use to prevent moisture from penetrating the walls of a basement. Building codes usually require a vapor barrier 4 mil plastic sheeting on exterior basement walls if the framing is attached to masonry or concrete surfaces or if the wood framing butts up against the outer basement walls. The standard installation of a plastic vapor barrier is between the studs and the drywall but there are some exceptions to this.