How To Insulate Concrete Block Walls: Ultimate & Best Ways Of Insulating Concrete Block Walls

Ultimate & Best Ways Of Insulating Concrete Block Walls

Concrete block walls are porous in nature, which in turn, means that they allow the outside air to come in, as well as the openness inside the blocks themselves. In order to combat this airflow, the best way is to insulate the concrete block walls. There are many ways of insulating concrete block walls, mentioned below, and you have to decide the best method that will best suit you & your home.

Way 1: Spray Foam Insulation

Spray foam insulation is one of the best options when it comes to insulating concrete block walls before you put the drywall into place as well as the studs have been squeezed out nearly a quarter of an inch to a half-inch. This is highly suggested so when the concrete walls are sprayed, the foam insulation can come behind the stud in order to avoid any thermal bridging. Thermal bridging is the portion of a building that has an outstandingly higher heat transfer as compared to the adjoining materials, which in turn will result in an overall reduction in thermal insulation. If you don't care about the walls looking like they have been sprayed and just want the insulation to stop thermal bridging in your basement, then in those cases the drywall is not required.

Way 2: Polystyrene Bead Cavity Wall Insulation

This type of insulation is usually used when the concrete walls are open at the top, due to the reason that the beads run into the open space of the blocks from the top. So, there could be the beads already present in your concrete walls from the time when your home was built. However, this insulation material can cause one problem. Due to the fact that it consists of loose polystyrene beads, if in case there is a need to cut into the blocks for any reason, all of the beads would come running out.

Way 3: Foam Board For Concrete Wall Insulation

Applying foam board insulation to the walls doesn't have the same performance as is the case with spray foam applied to the wall, however, some homeowners would like to apply foam board on the exterior of the block before they put on their exterior finish. On the bottom of the foam board, spread foam board adhesive with the help of either a utility knife or caulk gun. It is as easy as you put the panel in place on the block wall. Make sure to use caulk on the seams so that there are not any air leaks. If in case the seams around the foam board are not perfectly sealed, there will still be air movement into your home. In such a situation, there could be condensation problems, due to the fact that two different temperatures meet in the wall. This will make the mold and mildew grow on the wall. The seams can be sealed with the help of tape or caulk in order to help reduce that air movement.

Way 4: Loose-Fill Masonry Insulation

Loose-Fill Masonry insulation is the same as filling your concrete block walls using a sand-like material. This insulation material is used just as soon as the top of the concrete block wall space is open, as well as the mixture is poured into the open space in the blocks. Just like the polystyrene beads, if there is a need to cut into the blocks for any reason, the powdery insulation would run out. One of the issues with this material is that it is difficult to make sure that the open spaces are filled as you are pouring from the top. If there is something in the way that will cause resistance, then the material will not be able to make its way all throughout the block spaces, still allowing for airflow.

Way 5: Injection Foam Insulation

Injection foam insulation is another best option when it comes to filling concrete blocks, just like spray foam, that will create an air blockade in the concrete block walls. This method is usually performed for existing concrete block walls. Holes are drilled in the center of the wall into the spaces left open by gathering together the cores in the concrete blocks. The advantage of using the injection foam is that it will fill all of those spaces, and even the cracks left open when the walls were sealed together. When you are putting together these walls, then you are sealing the long sides of the block, leaving openings in the center and shorter ends. These openings will help allow for air movement, that is why injection foam is one of the best options to insulate concrete block walls. The foam fills all of the nooks as well as crannies, pushing into the cores, and building an air seal that will stop any air movement.