Energy efficiency and comfort can be greatly improved by insulating the interior walls of your house or apartment. Putting insulation under drywall is a sensible solution, whether you’re dealing with an older building that doesn’t have enough insulation or you’re just trying to make your living area better.
This method lessens the load on your heating system and helps to maintain a constant interior temperature, making it particularly advantageous in colder climates. An environment that is more energy-efficient can be created inside the walls, and this frequently results in lower utility bills.
Sheathing with insulation from the inside is a simple process, but it does need preparation and the appropriate supplies. Placing insulation up against an interior wall and then covering it with drywall is one typical technique. This makes your home more comfortable and quieter by increasing soundproofing and improving thermal insulation.
We’ll walk you through the process of insulating your walls from the inside out in this post, including how to select the appropriate materials and how to put them in under drywall correctly. Knowing the fundamentals will help guarantee the success of your project, regardless of whether you’re a do-it-yourself enthusiast or intend to hire a professional.
Method | Description |
Using Mineral Wool | Mineral wool is placed between the wall and drywall, providing effective thermal insulation and soundproofing. It"s non-combustible and helps keep the room warm. |
Applying Foam Panels | Foam panels are lightweight, easy to install, and provide good insulation. They are attached directly to the wall, then covered with drywall for a smooth finish. |
Installing Reflective Insulation | Reflective insulation uses a thin foil layer to reflect heat back into the room, improving energy efficiency. It works well in combination with other insulation materials. |
- How to properly insulate the walls inside under plasterboard
- When the wall insulation is required indoors
- What materials can be used inside for insulation under the gypsum board
- List of the best materials
- Foam plastic
- Glass wool
- Izolon
- Basalt wool
- How to sheathe insulation under gypsum board inside the house with your own hands
- Video on the topic
- Insulation of walls inside the premises. Training course // FORUMHOUSE
- HOW TO CORRECTLY INSULATE WALLS FROM THE INSIDE OF THE HOUSE
- Never insulate walls OUTSIDE if there is an air gap
- Why MOISTURE appears behind DRYWALL? How to remove CONDENSATE? Vapor barrier or vapor permeability?
- Penoplex How to insulate an internal wall
- Why you can’t insulate walls from the inside!
- Insulation of walls inside under drywall!
How to properly insulate the walls inside under plasterboard
Navigating pages
Plasterboard is typically used to insulate walls because:
- this material has a thermal conductivity 10 times lower than reinforced concrete – therefore, even simply glued to the wall, it gives a noticeable thermal insulation effect;
- since its gluing requires smooth surfaces, then if there are defects on them, the sheets have to be mounted on special frames, which creates an air gap between the plasterboard and the wall – this also helps to retain heat in the room;
- the space between the plasterboard and the wall is used more rationally if you lay thermal insulation materials between them, which will increase the ability to retain heat in the house many times;
- in the summer, such thermal insulation will not let heat into the room from the heated walls;
- the ideal geometry of the material allows you to simultaneously improve the microclimate and perform another task – to level the surface of the walls, hide defects and communication installations.
All external walls are simultaneously lined with drywall using thermal insulation materials. It is not appropriate to insulate interior partitions.
Maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature all year round and increasing energy efficiency can be achieved with the help of interior wall insulation in a home or apartment. You can minimize energy costs by keeping your space cooler in the summer and reducing heat loss in the winter by sheathing the walls with insulation hidden beneath drywall. When it’s not practical to insulate exteriors of older buildings, this technique comes in handy. The procedure entails selecting the appropriate insulation material with care, installing it correctly, and then covering it with drywall to create a polished, clean look that improves the energy efficiency of your house.
When the wall insulation is required indoors
Installing thermal insulation on the facade from the outside is the most efficient way to insulate walls. However, only private home owners can afford it. Additionally, this method is costly.
Internal thermal insulation is the only option available to residents of apartment buildings for independent wall insulation if the building is not sealed against the outside using heat-insulating materials. This is also a popular and cost-effective option for individual homeowners.
Gypsum cardboard is the material of choice for wall lining because it has several benefits over alternative finishing materials.
- easy and convenient to process;
- has thermal insulation properties;
- allows you to quickly create perfectly even surfaces;
- any type of insulation, even soft, can be placed under such a covering;
- its cost is not high.
What materials can be used inside for insulation under the gypsum board
Prior to anything else, you must select the appropriate brand of drywall as not all of them are appropriate for this use.
Drywall may be:
- wall;
- ceiling;
- fire-resistant;
- moisture-resistant;
- reinforced gypsum fiber;
- moisture-resistant gypsum fiber.
Brands of drywall that are fire-resistant, stronger, and resistant to moisture are appropriate for use as wall insulation. Buying goods from reputable producers ensures the materials are of a high caliber.
The choice of insulation affects both the walls’ ability to retain heat and the cost of the materials. Different densities, thicknesses, hardnesses, and thermal conductivity indicators are used for insulation products.
It is preferable to purchase insulation in slabs rather than rolls for use under drywall. They save time on trimming because their sizes allow them to be laid in between the battens. The most important thing is to plan ahead, buy insulation with the right dimensions, and install sheathing so that the slabs fit together tightly and without gaps.If you don’t, the cold will seep through the gaps.
List of the best materials
Under plasterboard, walls are insulated using the following materials:
- foam plastic;
- glass wool;
- isolon;
- basalt wool.
Their costs and technical attributes vary. As a result, it’s critical to choose the best material in advance.
Foam plastic
Granular substance made of polystyrene. It is lightweight and has a low density. It is made into slabs with varying thicknesses. It is frequently used because it is inexpensive, simple to install, and available at any hardware store. Among the drawbacks are:
- low sound insulation;
- the material does not “breathe” (additional ventilation is needed);
- it is easily damaged due to its fragility;
- rodents love it (warm air will escape due to the holes that appear and you will have to dismantle the cladding and replace the insulation).
Glass wool
Soft, flexible material that is inexpensive, appealing, and has low heat conductivity. It is also relatively thin, taking up less space. However, it is highly specialized and may be harmful to one’s health when installed.
Itching and burning are caused by glass fibers that get on the skin and mucous membranes. Thus, protective gear including gloves, safety glasses, respirators, and special clothing must be worn when performing installation work. There is little demand for glass wool as a result of these drawbacks.
Izolon
A novel kind of insulation made by using propane to foam polyethylene. Its low density and small weight are caused by the air bubbles in its composition. Its excellent heat retention, high sound insulation, and thin thickness let you save valuable room in the room. A foil vapor barrier layer is used in the production of some of its brands. If it is absent, regular construction foil can be adhered to using adhesive.
Basalt wool
Costlier than glass wool and foam plastic, but offers a lot of benefits. created from molten rock, a natural material. It is resilient to fire, hypoallergenic, long-lasting, and ecologically friendly. consists of numerous thin stone fibers that act as excellent heat insulators thanks to layers of air between them. In circumstances of high humidity, basalt retains its thermal insulation qualities entirely because it does not absorb moisture like other forms of mineral wool. The slabs’ large thickness and exorbitant cost are their only drawbacks.
How to sheathe insulation under gypsum board inside the house with your own hands
It is possible to do independent interior wall insulation beneath drywall. The only things that matter are completing all work steps accurately and adhering to recommendations and technologies.
- Preparation of walls. In order not to have to dismantle the drywall and do repairs again soon, you need to take care in advance that the walls are dry, clean, without areas affected by fungi, cracks and holes. If there are even small mold spots, they must be completely removed, and then the walls must be treated with a special antiseptic, antifungal compound. All cracks and cracks need to be thrown to avoid heat leakage, moisture penetration outside. The applied layer of plaster will be additional protection against dampness, but the antiseptic must also be used. Because in the future insufficient ventilation under a layer of insulation, in the absence of a protective coating, can cause mold formation.
- Fasten of the crate. To create mounts for drywall, a crate of metal profiles or wooden racks is made. The advantages of the metal profile is that over time it is not deformed. Wooden rails have good heat -insulating properties, but are subject to drying out, which can affect the quality of the lining. To create the lathing, metal or wooden slats are attached with flat cutters along the perimeter of the wall, and then vertical strips are installed at a distance of about 60 cm (you need to take into account the width of the insulation boards so that it fits tightly into the space between the slats).
- Installation of insulation. The methods of fastening the insulation depend on the type of material. Foam plastic slabs are attached to the wall with glue and special dowels. All joints between them are additionally sealed with construction tape, and the gaps between the slabs and the ceiling (floor) – with silicone sealant. Mineral wool is attached with a special foam glue, which is applied along the perimeter of the slab and a couple of strips in the middle.
- Finishing the surface of the insulation. To ensure good vapor barrier, it is necessary to apply a protective layer of construction foil or polyethylene film on top of the insulation. Only after this can the finishing be done with plasterboard.
- Installation of plasterboard. Plasterboard sheets are attached to the sheathing with self-tapping screws. Then all the cracks are puttied, cleaned with sandpaper, covered with a special tape or paint and varnish composition on top to prevent cracking at the seams.
The cavities inside a metal profile that is used as a lathing must also be filled with insulating tapes in order to prevent "cold bridges" from forming.
Maintaining a comfortable living environment can be greatly improved by insulating the interior walls of your home or apartment. It keeps the warmth from escaping during the summer and aids in keeping the heat inside during the winter. This easy change can lessen your environmental impact and result in significant savings on your energy bills.
The process of sheathing walls with insulation under drywall is simple, but it does need close attention to detail. Your heating and cooling systems will operate more efficiently overall if the insulation is installed correctly and provides an effective barrier against temperature changes. This additional layer of security also improves your home’s soundproofing, which makes it calmer and quieter.
In the end, if you want to increase your home’s energy efficiency without having to make major exterior renovations, insulating your walls from the inside is a workable solution. You can build a more affordable, weatherproof living area that is both comfortable and resilient to the elements all year long with the correct supplies and methods.