ᐅ Insulating the wall plate – what to do with high moisture levels?
Created on: 23 Mar 2026 21:54
B
BieberbauB
Bieberbau23 Mar 2026 21:54Hello,
How can a 1920s barrel vault ceiling with steel beams be insulated to allow vapor diffusion? I prefer natural materials (wood fiber, cellulose blown insulation) since disposal already seems challenging.
On the ground floor, there is a wooden beam floor with planks and old loose fill insulation above. The floor on the ground floor should remain or be restored to this condition. A small area in the hallway needs to have mortar.
Above the vaulted cellar, I found real parquet flooring under the carpet. I’m not sure what condition it is in underneath.
The house is only partially basemented, uninsulated on three sides facing the street and garden, and probably stands on a strip foundation. The indoor humidity is 70%. Next to it is a brick vaulted cellar on soil with 90% humidity.
The walls are made of flint concrete and were replastered 16 years ago with lime-cement plaster and a lime wash because the old plaster had efflorescence and had fallen off.
I am open to suggestions for drying measures.
For the regular cellar rooms, I am initially considering a horizontal damp-proof course using injection methods as a DIY project (concern: having a contaminant-laden cellar in 20 years as happened in the past with asbestos or lead paints), and later, where possible, exterior insulation.
How can a 1920s barrel vault ceiling with steel beams be insulated to allow vapor diffusion? I prefer natural materials (wood fiber, cellulose blown insulation) since disposal already seems challenging.
On the ground floor, there is a wooden beam floor with planks and old loose fill insulation above. The floor on the ground floor should remain or be restored to this condition. A small area in the hallway needs to have mortar.
Above the vaulted cellar, I found real parquet flooring under the carpet. I’m not sure what condition it is in underneath.
The house is only partially basemented, uninsulated on three sides facing the street and garden, and probably stands on a strip foundation. The indoor humidity is 70%. Next to it is a brick vaulted cellar on soil with 90% humidity.
The walls are made of flint concrete and were replastered 16 years ago with lime-cement plaster and a lime wash because the old plaster had efflorescence and had fallen off.
I am open to suggestions for drying measures.
For the regular cellar rooms, I am initially considering a horizontal damp-proof course using injection methods as a DIY project (concern: having a contaminant-laden cellar in 20 years as happened in the past with asbestos or lead paints), and later, where possible, exterior insulation.