Insulating Inside the Concrete Block of House Walls

My old farmhouse leaks like a sieve,no insulation,but the new self done paint job will seal a lot of cracks for years to come.Buy more coal,turn up the thermostat,and do the Alfred E. Newman "what me worry?" shuffle.

samhill wrote:I agree with Rob, as long as you have that path of concrete block it will just follow across.

My opinion has always been everything helps, just depends on if it's worth the expense. In our house the block for the walls is smaller than the foundation so air can can circulate up through the block and exit into the attic. That air is going to draw a lot of heat from the block and it's constantly flowing. We've blocked it up in the basement as much as we can with insulation. Didn't get to insulating the top holes yet.

Well I have an idea for my place and some feedback would be helpful. Im thinking of re-coating my basement with dryloc or similar brand. Then styrofoam board, and eventually putting up some stud walls and drywall. I do have minor dampness in the basement. Last thing I wanna worry about in years to come would be mold growth. Any thoughts?

Dryloc=$$$ You can just use plastic sheeting. It goes between the wall and the studs.

Also make sure you get the anti mold drywall, I think they have studs anti mold too.

Richard S. wrote:Dryloc=$$$ You can just use plastic sheeting. It goes between the wall and the studs.

Also make sure you get the anti mold drywall, I think they have studs anti mold too.

Damn right its expensive....Grandpop had an unopened 5 gal container in the pole barn he was looking to get rid of real cheap. Like cheap as in come pick it up you can have it! Love that ole fella! So I figured I would use it up. Never thought of plastic sheeting tho.

anthony7812 wrote:Im thinking of re-coating my basement with dryloc or similar brand.

I've had moderate experience with dryloc. I've seen it fail many times. Especially if there's gonna be moisture soaked block behind it for any length of time. I guess you can get all kinds of chemical reactions going on with mineral saturated rainwater or groundwater sitting in the blocks. I've seen it just bubble up and flake off. Usually put several coats on and even then it hasn't done what it claims to do.

I fiberglassed a pool house inner wall for a guy once. The back wall was up against a bank, somebody else had already put in a french drain for the guy. I don't know how that held up never heard from them again. Used West System epoxy and fiberglass cloth.

Poly sheets will give you a vapor barrier, but if there's any space behind them and you have moisture, you will get mold. I just told the story here of a customer that had their relative finish their basement; poly barrier, stud wall. House is in a high water table area. Black mold got all over the basement,behind the walls, and their new baby got sick as hell. They needed to gut the finished basement, and do it over right.