Should you insulate between floors? (2023)

What type of insulation should I use between floors?

Fiberglass. Fiberglass insulation is a popular choice for homeowners and builders when it comes to flooring insulation. The main benefits of fiberglass insulation include: Cost-effective – half the price of rigid foam insulation.

Effective ceiling insulation helps to retain heat and absorb sound between separating floors.

Insulate Under Floor: Fiberglass insulation batts or rolls are the most economical and easiest DIY choice for insulating between the floor joist in a crawl space. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends R-11 (3½”) insulation under floors in warm climates and an R-25 (6” to 8”) in cold climates.

Floor & Wall Joist Insulation

EcoFoil Between Joist Insulation is the recommended product for use in between joists in your home or structure. It's designed to be installed in the walls and floors to help keep your building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

If you choose to insulate under your floors, the typical recommendation is: R-25 for cold climates. R-19 for mild climates. R-13 for warmer climates.

The best product for handling impact noise is carpet and a thick pad underlayment. For a big upgrade use our premium soundproof carpet underlayment which utilizes sound barrier bonded to a closed cell foam. Not only will this dramatically reduce footstep noise, it will also block airborne sounds between floors.

Stop airborne sounds between wooden floors with acoustic floor insulation. Suppose you want to stop airborne sounds through a wooden floor; use acoustic floor insulation between the floor and ceiling joists. DFM acoustic insulation between floor joists is the best way of reducing airborne sound between floors.

Acoustic insulation can be used in either walls, floors or ceilings to ensure effective results and the dampening of sound.

Vapor Barrier Blocks All Moisture Issues

Concrete is porous in nature and will soak up any moisture that is in the ground and show up on the top of your concrete. So we recommend vapor barrier for all flooring installation that have a concrete subfloor.

Answer: Ideally a fibrous insulation such as mineral wool or sheep's wool performs best between timber because it will take up thermal movement and cut down air movement around the insulation.

Is it more important to insulate floor or ceiling?

Heat rises to the ceiling. Because a large volume of indoor heat is lost through the ceiling, the attic floor above is considered the most important area in the house to insulate for winter comfort and efficiency.

One way to keep a hardwood floor more temperate is to add insulation in the subfloor. The home improvement site HomeAdvisor says this step will not only make your floor more comfortable, but will also allow for more efficient heating of the home and protect the floor from possible damage by moisture infiltration.

Drywall has a relatively low R-value — about 0.45 at ½” thickness. This is similar to building materials such as siding, concrete, dirt, face brick, particleboard, wood and single-pane glass. However, it is significantly less than materials that are commonly used for insulation.

All building materials offer some degree of R-value, or heat flow resistance, but some are better than others. Drywall, for instance, has an R-value of about R-0.5 for its half-inch thickness. This is minimal when you consider that filling a 4-inch-thick wall cavity with insulation increases the R-value to about R-15.

You may be surprised to find that the cost of upgrading or reinsulating a house can pay for itself after only a few years of reduced electrical bills. The average cost of home insulation is between $3,000 and $10,000 for a 2,000 square foot home or between $1.50 and $5.00 per square foot.

A properly insulated subfloor reduces energy costs and will help keep your home comfortable year round. Most homes built before 1990 have insufficient or missing subfloor insulation. A visual inspection of your crawlspace will quickly determine whether insulation is properly installed.

Typically, an underlay is a layer of material installed between the subfloor and your new hardwood floor. While some flooring materials can be installed directly on top of an existing material there are definite benefits to taking the time to create a flat and seamless foundation.

How much heat is lost through my floor? It may surprise you to know on average 10-20% of heat loss occurs through your floors – this is in addition to losing heat through your ceilings, windows, and doors, not to mention open fireplaces too.

Is It Normal to Hear Every Step My Upstairs Neighbor Takes? Yes, hearing your upstairs neighbors walking throughout the day is quite normal. Regardless of the level of soundproofing you implement, there might always be sounds loud enough to get in. But things can get out of control if you hear even quiet footsteps.

Upstairs versus Downstairs Apartments

Generally, upstairs units are less likely to hear the noise coming from units that are lower, but sound can still travel upwards. What's more, loud noises can easily travel to units that are on the same floor.

How do I stop being a noisy upstairs neighbor?

Generally speaking, you only need to insulate the ground floor. If you're on an upper floor, you don't usually need to insulate your floor space. However, you should consider insulating any floors that are above unheated spaces such as garages, as you could be losing a lot of heat through those.

Spray foam was applied between the floor joists. Spray foam insulation expands as it is applied, filling every gap around joints, plumbing, wiring, ducts and fixtures. Spray foam not only insulates but air seals the floor as well.

No, they don't because insulation is for exterior walls and spaces. There is no need for it inside the structure. Unless you have different air conditioning systems or if you want to reduce sound between floors but there are better products for that.

The attic is arguably the most important area in your home to insulate. This is because air rises when heated. So, if you don't have proper attic insulation, all your heated or conditioned air rises to the attic and gets out during colder months.

If you're starting from scratch and building a home then using insulated concrete forms, which is literally building the insulation into your home's structure, is the way to go for maximum efficiency. However, if you're remodeling an existing home, spray foam is probably the best option for maximum energy efficiency.

1. Improper spacing. To avoid buckling, subfloor panels should be spaced with a 1/8-inch gap at all edges and ends to provide room for naturally occurring expansion.

Thicker is better

The thermal barrier of a home should consist of a continuous layer of insulation on all sides—including the lowest floor, the exterior walls, and the ceiling or roof. Doubling the thickness of insulation will double the insulation's R-value, cutting heat loss in half.

Should you insulate interior floor walls?

Insulating the right interior walls can regulate temperatures from room to room and between floors in your home. This is especially beneficial if your home has rooms used infrequently or closed off for parts of the year. Noise control. Soundproofing interior walls is an additional benefit of interior wall insulation.

If you have or will have an unventilated crawlspace, the best approach is to seal and insulate the foundation walls rather than the floor between the crawlspace and the house.

What Can Go Wrong With Underfloor Insulation? Worst case scenario you trap moisture from spills or interstitial condensation up against the timbers within hydrophobic insulation and in turn risk rotting the floor joists.

If you're worried about hardwood floors being cold on the feet, don't be; they're actually better for keeping your home warm. Hardwood floors help heat move through your home. The bottom line is that wood is a conductor, and the carpet is an insulator.

Hardwood floors are so nice to have in a home—they're good looking, stylish, and they give any room a sense of tradition. While, yes, they do tend to get a bit cold to the touch sometimes, especially in winter, there are many HVAC-related ways to warm them up.

If noise from downstairs neighbors is coming through your floors, your first step should be to add carpeting to help dull the sounds. There's no need to fully carpet the floor, as even a selection of scatter rugs will help. To further reduce sound transmission, add carpet padding to new or existing carpets.

The answer: Glue. Although using a subfloor adhesive (or subfloor glue) is not required by code, it is a standard practice that can help prevent floor squeaks by reducing the chance for movement at the panel-to-joist connection. A quality subfloor adhesive will also increase the overall stiffness of the floor.

Note that the most effective noise-blocking plant-life are large evergreen broadleaf trees and bushes. This is because they provide year-round noise reduction and absorb the most sound. Holly trees and holly shrubs can be a great option. Hollies are glossy, dark-green evergreen trees that are ideal sound barriers.

Then there is impact noise, which comes from vibrations such as footsteps or large appliances. Fiberglass often works best when reducing impact noise, while spray foam works better when dealing with airborne noise.