Go Back  DoItYourself.com Community Forums > Interior Improvement Center > Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers
Reload this Page >

Need to insulate interior walls or exterior only should be sufficient?

Need to insulate interior walls or exterior only should be sufficient?


  #1  
Old 12-17-17, 06:12 AM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 1,040
Received 4 Upvotes on 4 Posts
Need to insulate interior walls or exterior only should be sufficient?

I have a house with basically zero insulation in any of the walls.
Since it's old and the walls are thin paneling over horizontal wood strips (as opposed to drywall over studs 16" apart), the job of insulating it is more labor intensive so I'm trying to determine if I only need to do the walls that face the outside or if I need to do the interior walls (walls facing another room) as well?
 
  #2  
Old 12-17-17, 06:17 AM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
Normally the only reason to insulate an interior wall is for sound deadening. Be sure to caulk or foam any cracks prior to insulating the exterior walls.
 
  #3  
Old 12-17-17, 06:34 AM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 1,040
Received 4 Upvotes on 4 Posts
one of the walls has a door that goes to a basement stairwell.
The stairwell I guess is about 3' wide and is along an exterior wall.
So in that instance we have uninsulated exterior wall -> 3' cold air -> uninsulated interior wall -> room.
Should that interior wall be insulated?

I guess the question, regardless of amount of air (in the above example 3') would be whether to insulated the interior wall if the exterior wall in the next room over is also uninsulated
or
the only time an interior wall doesn't need to be insulated is if the exterior wall is insulated?
 
  #4  
Old 12-17-17, 06:41 AM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
It would be better to insulate that exterior wall, insulating that interior wall might help a little but would be no substitute for insulating the exterior walls properly.
 
  #5  
Old 12-17-17, 06:07 PM
F
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wet side of Washington state.
Posts: 16,321
Received 38 Upvotes on 30 Posts
Any wall that has an unconditioned space on one side and a conditioned space on the other side needs to be insulated. Conditioned space means heated or cooled.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: