Best Insulation Between Floors

Children shouting loud music or even a noisy washing machine can create disturbances to the rest of the household.

Best insulation between floors.

During energy audits we get into a lot of building shell discussions should i insulate my basement or should i insulate my interior walls to pick two completely random questions that i totally haven t written about. At first blush it makes some kind of sense. Acoustically insulating the ground floor. Properly insulating your floor will not only warm your feet it will also help you to save money.

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. If you have already installed loft insulation and wall insulation and are keen to save even more on your heating bills then the next insulation job is your floor. The main reason to insulate between floors is to reduce the noise transfer between floors. The question of whether you should insulate between floors is remarkably similar to that of insulating interior walls.

For most heritage properties the most effective and appropriate way to insulate a suspended floor and improve its airtightness is to retrofit insulation beneath the floorboards between the supporting joists figure 2. It is moisture and mold susceptible though. This strategy has the advantage of keeping piping and ductwork within the conditioned volume of the house so these building components don t require insulation for energy efficiency or protection against freezing. Fiberglass insulation is usually the best option though handling fiberglass can be dangerous and it is not the most eco friendly option in some cases.

Acoustic insulation in the mid floor. Owens corning has a 23 x39 roll of pink unfaced insulation that fits between trusses joists or studs adds 6 1 4 thick of insulation with an r 19 value and an nrc rating of 1 05. Insulating your ground floor is a great way to keep your property warm. As much as 15 of the heat in a room can be lost through uninsulated ground floors.

Acoustic insulation is very effective at reducing airborne noise. Putting insulation between the ground and first floor should in theory stop sound vibration and heat from moving between levels in your property. It will improve the sound absorption between floors and walls if it isn t compressed. Insulating the ground floor is the best way to stop impact noise from vibrating across the floor of the house.

Generally speaking you only need to insulate the ground floor. Gaps between the insulation and the floor can. Insulating under floorboards on the ground floor could save you about 40 a year and you can seal the gaps between floors and skirting boards to reduce draughts.