Floor Insulation

When talking about insulating a home, most people think about attics and walls. But insulating the floors over the basement or an unconditioned crawlspace can improve your home's comfort and improve energy efficiency. Sealing up the gaps and spaces where air can infiltrate into the main floor living areas can also prevent moisture and mold from building up.

High-Performance Floor Insulation Improves Comfort & More

If your home feels cold and drafty, deficient floor insulation is one place to look. Wisconsin Home Improvement's home performance audit will help identify overlooked and under-insulated areas in your home, from top to bottom, including floor areas that separate conditioned spaces from those that are not heated or cooled.

Underfloor insulation can improve the cozy feeling of rooms that might feel drafty or damp. By placing a radiant barrier between the main level and basement or crawlspace level, our certified and trained team also can keep moisture and mold from seeping up into main living areas.

Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect when you have well insulated floors:

• Warmer floors in your living spaces

• An overall cozier feeling home

• Increased home energy efficiency

• Greater utility bill savings

How Much is Enough Floor Insulation?

Most floors can hold quite a bit of insulation between supporting joists. Insulation board is one option for adding insulation to floor areas. For new construction, R-49 is required to meet energy efficiency codes, but most retrofit options will add the equivalent insulation of R-19 to maximize comfort.

What Kind of Insulation Is Best?

Wisconsin Home Improvement has several options to recommend for floor insulation. Dow Thermax™ rigid foam insulating panels, which have an aluminum foil facing on both sides and are available in different thicknesses and R-values, is one great choice. Owens Corning fiberglass batts, which can be fitted between joists, are another excellent option. If the underfloor floor area is adjacent to a crawlspace, an Icynene spray foam insulation application provides both added comfort and a barrier for moisture.

Where in the Floor Will I Need to Insulate?

Insulation should be applied to floor areas that are adjacent to heated areas. Most times, insulation is placed between floor joists, around any ductwork and air returns, plumbing, wiring and other components that are attached to the floor structure. In places where the floor connects with the foundation walls, we typically use fiberglass batts or spray foam Icynene insulation.

Improve Floor Insulation with Wisconsin Home Improvement

It’s not always easy to tell when your floors are under-insulated. During a home performance audit, Wisconsin Home Improvement will determine how well insulated the floors in your home are. If upgrading your floor insulation is necessary, our Pearl certified experts will install new insulation using high-performance materials like fiberglass batts or spray foam.

If you're considering adding insulation to your floors to increase comfort or eliminate moisture problems, Wisconsin Home improvement can help! Contact our experienced insulation team to learn more!