Sealing, Painting and Insulating a Crawlspace

Question from Ken —–

Dear Shell,

I have a question about sealing, painting and insulating a crawlspace. We have purchased a 17-year old townhouse. The building inspector we hired made us aware of some minor dampness emanating from the concrete floor and foundation walls in the crawlspace. There was some dampness on the crawlspace walls and floor and a musty odor. There has not been any pooling of water. Fortunately the inspector found no wood rot in the floor sills
or joists above the concrete. We also intend to use the crawlspace for storage. We were advised to seal and insulate the interior crawlspace walls. I would also like to paint the floor with Alkyd paint to facilitate periodic cleaning of the crawlspace floor. A paint store employee told us to first etch the concrete with Muriatic Acid before priming and painting. Is this really necessary? I have previously painted concrete floors and porches with good results without using Muriatic Acid.

I would also like to know the best method to seal the walls. I have heard about two methods, one is to glue poly sheets to the walls and the other is to apply a liquid sealer. Which would you recommend?

We planned on attaching Styrofoam insulation to the walls. Can this be applied to the poly sheet?

Should we also insulate below the sub floor? Again I have heard about different methods involving foil sheeting, Styrofoam and fiberglass. Which is best for this application?

Ken
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Dear Ken,

Crawlspaces become a forgotten area in many homes, as they are normally dark and smelly.

Here is what to do:

1.Consider installing a Humidex crawl space ventilation device to control odours and high humidity levels. You can find out more about the Humidex products and the location of a dealer near you by visiting their website at www.humidex.ca or by calling their toll free number at 1-800-416-9111 (home owners in B.C. or Alberta should call: 1-888-215-9023)

2.Wash the entire area using the Shell Busey Home cleaning formula, rinse well and allow it to dry.

3.Apply Aqua Seal concrete sealer (Available from Cloverdale Paint and Windsor Plywood Stores) to entire floor and concrete walls. Apply by puddling it out onto the floor allowing it to really seep into the concrete and rolling with a heavy nap roller, allow it to dry.

4.Apply 1 1/2″ inch rigid foam insulation to all walls from the underside of the floor joists 24 inches below outside ground grade level, this has an adhesive for this application to make the job nice and easy.

5.Insulate using batt insulation and vapour barrier between joists over top of concrete foundation wall and seal with acoustical caulking. Roxul Insulation is an excellent choice for this area, available at all Building Supply Centers.

6.Apply Reflectix foil insulation to the underside of floor joists Staple to the floor joists and where ever there is a seam, be sure to tape it with the recommended tape for the Reflectix product.

It’s Just That Easy!

Shell

The Latest in Noise Control Solutions for the Home

The emerging popularity for today’s homebuyers is soundproofing in the home, whether it’s relief from noisy neighbors or creating the ultimate home theatre room there are more options than ever in the area of noise control available to homeowners.

In order to best reduce household noise you should invest in noise control that will help block and muffle sounds. In the wall and in the floors sound waves are broken by resilient channels blocked by drywall and muffled by insulation. Fortunately, there are both insulation and drywall products available that are designed to create a more comfortable and quiet environment.

One of my favorite sound proofing drywall products is now available through Dryco Building Supplies. Quiet Rock, hangs and finishes just like standard drywall, while significantly blocking noise from entering adjacent rooms. Quiet Rock has the highest tested-assembly STC ratings of any drywall product. It produces a quiet environment at much lower total costs than other methods.

For soundproofing insulation, check out Roxul Safe and Sound available through most Building Supply Stores. It has been designed specifically for producing a quieter environment and has a number of other benefits as well (fire resistant, water repellent etc.) Pat yourself on the back for thinking about adding this insulation now rather than waiting until the drywall is up and it’s too late.

Home Theatres

Home theaters are quickly becoming one of the most popular room renovations for existing homes, as well as a must have item in new home design.If you are considering adding a home theatre, there are professional installation services available that not only specialize in installing home entertainment systems but can also design better sound control and acoustics. Professional theatres are typically designed in a shape that will maximize sound performance (room shape dimensions 2X3X5) if this cannot be achieved in a home, acoustic treatments can help emulate this shape. Professional installation should also ensure all safety requirements and building codes are met.

Acoustic treatments are used for the most obvious of keeping the sound in the target room (so you are not the noisy neighbour.) Some commonly used acoustic treatments include carpets, blinds, shades, furniture while other items may include wall standards (to eliminate standing waves) that may appear like columns or wall panels that can appear like artwork.

If you would like to find out more about this service feel to contact London CustomWorks. They specialize in designing and installing entertainment systems for new or existing home.

Sound Proofing a Floor

One of the more common questions I get is from condominium homeowners who are replacing carpets with hardwood flooring materials and homeowners who are converting parts of their homes into multi family dwellings. You can achieve improved sound control by completing a few steps before installing your finished flooring material.

Floor Sound Proofing Detail

1. Install R-20 batt mineral fiber friction fit up against the underside of sub floor.
2. Install soundboard, donna conna or homasote sound board.
3. Install acoustical channel by nailing through soundboard.
4. Install 5/8” drywall screwed to the acoustical channel.
5. For added sound control you can add another layer of 5/8” drywall.

Consider using a glued down engineered product as opposed to a floating floor laminate system, which can create a clapping sound. But, let it be known that we have used and believe in cork as a sound-deadening sub straight and you know there is only one cork product.

Special Note: If the noise problem is really bad, you may have to take more drastic action. Many of the high frequency sounds can travel down through the heating duct system and into the suite below. You may want to consider disconnecting the heating system duct work to that room and supplement the heat in that room with an electric wall heater such as Convectair.

Also, many strata bylaws have guidelines in regards to replacing carpets with hardwood flooring type materials. Be sure to get written approval from your strata council before beginning the job. Good Luck.

www.dryco.ca
www.roxul.com
www.convectair.ca
www.Londondrugs.com