ᐅ Interior Insulation for a Mid-Terrace House: Flooring, Ceiling, and Soundproofing
Created on: 7 Nov 2016 21:33
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Umbauer_1234U
Umbauer_12347 Nov 2016 21:33Good evening,
In an apartment (ground floor, with a total of three floors plus a basement) in a mid-terrace house, I want to insulate the exterior walls. The outer facade is plastered. Adding external insulation is not an option and will not be changed.
Above the apartment is another apartment. The ceiling is a timber beam ceiling. Below the apartment is the unheated basement. A concrete ceiling is installed, on top of which a wooden floor is laid. The exact layer structure is not yet known.
The apartment has exterior walls on both long sides. The apartment door opens into an unheated hallway. The interior walls are about 12 cm (5 inches) thick and plastered. A fine plaster finish has been applied.
The walls need to be redone because the fine plaster is not liked. I want to avoid completely replastering with removal of the old plaster first. Therefore, I am considering gluing drywall panels (e.g. gypsum boards) to the walls. In this process, insulation could be installed as well, but it should have minimal thickness.
The following questions:
1. How can I insulate the exterior walls from the inside? Which insulation material is recommended to keep construction thickness as low as possible?
2. What should be considered regarding vapor permeability?
3. How should the connections to interior walls, ceiling, and floor be executed?
4. Does it even make sense to insulate a single apartment in an existing building? Or is there a risk of damage occurring in neighboring apartments that are not insulated?
5. How should I deal with window reveals, considering that the reveals above are designed as arches?
How should I build up the floor to improve insulation and soundproofing?
How should I insulate the ceiling to also achieve a higher level of sound insulation? The apartment is extremely noisy. The floor of the apartment above does not seem to be decoupled at all, probably planks on the beams without impact sound insulation.
The ceiling height is quite limited at 230 cm (7 feet 7 inches). So, there is not much space available.
Best regards,
Frank
In an apartment (ground floor, with a total of three floors plus a basement) in a mid-terrace house, I want to insulate the exterior walls. The outer facade is plastered. Adding external insulation is not an option and will not be changed.
Above the apartment is another apartment. The ceiling is a timber beam ceiling. Below the apartment is the unheated basement. A concrete ceiling is installed, on top of which a wooden floor is laid. The exact layer structure is not yet known.
The apartment has exterior walls on both long sides. The apartment door opens into an unheated hallway. The interior walls are about 12 cm (5 inches) thick and plastered. A fine plaster finish has been applied.
The walls need to be redone because the fine plaster is not liked. I want to avoid completely replastering with removal of the old plaster first. Therefore, I am considering gluing drywall panels (e.g. gypsum boards) to the walls. In this process, insulation could be installed as well, but it should have minimal thickness.
The following questions:
1. How can I insulate the exterior walls from the inside? Which insulation material is recommended to keep construction thickness as low as possible?
2. What should be considered regarding vapor permeability?
3. How should the connections to interior walls, ceiling, and floor be executed?
4. Does it even make sense to insulate a single apartment in an existing building? Or is there a risk of damage occurring in neighboring apartments that are not insulated?
5. How should I deal with window reveals, considering that the reveals above are designed as arches?
How should I build up the floor to improve insulation and soundproofing?
How should I insulate the ceiling to also achieve a higher level of sound insulation? The apartment is extremely noisy. The floor of the apartment above does not seem to be decoupled at all, probably planks on the beams without impact sound insulation.
The ceiling height is quite limited at 230 cm (7 feet 7 inches). So, there is not much space available.
Best regards,
Frank
Hello "Umbauer_1234"
You are expecting a complete architectural planning service here, without those responding having knowledge of the local conditions.
Just to say: Interior insulation, whether on walls, ceilings, or floors, is a complex subject.
Anyone who starts working on a do-it-yourself basis without calculations of the temperature gradient within the construction layers, and thus without understanding the dew point situation, may be very surprised just a few weeks after completing their work.
The building damage caused by incorrectly applied interior insulation can be extensive! Therefore, I strongly advise against making alterations to the building fabric based on knowledge gained solely from forums, especially in the case of mixed timber construction.
In the worst case, this can even lead to the total loss of the building.
For this reason, any advice on this matter can be a ticking time bomb...
Not every area in construction is suitable for untrained hands!
----------------------
Regards, KlaRa
You are expecting a complete architectural planning service here, without those responding having knowledge of the local conditions.
Just to say: Interior insulation, whether on walls, ceilings, or floors, is a complex subject.
Anyone who starts working on a do-it-yourself basis without calculations of the temperature gradient within the construction layers, and thus without understanding the dew point situation, may be very surprised just a few weeks after completing their work.
The building damage caused by incorrectly applied interior insulation can be extensive! Therefore, I strongly advise against making alterations to the building fabric based on knowledge gained solely from forums, especially in the case of mixed timber construction.
In the worst case, this can even lead to the total loss of the building.
For this reason, any advice on this matter can be a ticking time bomb...
Not every area in construction is suitable for untrained hands!
----------------------
Regards, KlaRa
Hello Umbauer1234
I am also very skeptical about the proposed project.
Without a professional, it won’t work. You will probably need to completely gut and rebuild.
Of course, you could also just stick some polystyrene foam and drywall to the walls. Fill everything with filler, and for a while, you will have a nicely insulated apartment. But you will get severe damage to the walls. After that, gutting will be necessary.
Steven
But after
I am also very skeptical about the proposed project.
Without a professional, it won’t work. You will probably need to completely gut and rebuild.
Of course, you could also just stick some polystyrene foam and drywall to the walls. Fill everything with filler, and for a while, you will have a nicely insulated apartment. But you will get severe damage to the walls. After that, gutting will be necessary.
Steven
But after
U
Umbauer_123410 Nov 2016 19:47Hello KlaRa,
hello Steven,
Thank you very much for your responses. Basically, you confirm my "gut feeling": it’s better to leave it as it is. With a reasonable amount of effort, such a "block" in the middle of a house cannot be properly insulated.
I have to redo the walls anyway. The old plaster cannot remain as it is. And my first thought was: if I stick a drywall panel on, I might as well use one with insulation. But it’s not that simple.
So I will just stick regular drywall panels to the substrate. Removing all the plaster and replastering is a huge amount of work.
When simply sticking panels, there probably isn’t anything special to consider, right?
Best regards
Frank
hello Steven,
Thank you very much for your responses. Basically, you confirm my "gut feeling": it’s better to leave it as it is. With a reasonable amount of effort, such a "block" in the middle of a house cannot be properly insulated.
I have to redo the walls anyway. The old plaster cannot remain as it is. And my first thought was: if I stick a drywall panel on, I might as well use one with insulation. But it’s not that simple.
So I will just stick regular drywall panels to the substrate. Removing all the plaster and replastering is a huge amount of work.
When simply sticking panels, there probably isn’t anything special to consider, right?
Best regards
Frank
G
garfunkel10 Nov 2016 19:58Is the plaster really in such bad condition?
I would simply apply a new finishing plaster, paint over it once or twice, and that would be fine.
That has always been enough so far, and I can’t really imagine that it wouldn’t work for you.
Could you take some pictures?
I would simply apply a new finishing plaster, paint over it once or twice, and that would be fine.
That has always been enough so far, and I can’t really imagine that it wouldn’t work for you.
Could you take some pictures?
U
Umbauer_123411 Nov 2016 17:56Hello garfunkel,
perhaps some background information.
So, I have two tasks: On one hand, rewiring the electrical system, which will involve quite a bit of chasing (cutting channels) into the walls. Installing wiring in surface-mounted conduits near the skirting boards is not an option. For me, the electrical wiring belongs inside the walls. On the other hand, I want to get rid of the textured plaster. Removing and replastering is too labor-intensive for me. That’s why I am considering bonding drywall panels to the walls.
The plaster has a pronounced texture and is painted. A skim coat probably wouldn’t help here. I suspect the top plaster layer would need to be completely removed.
Best regards,
Frank
perhaps some background information.
- Basically, the plaster is fine – however, I don’t like textured plaster inside the apartment.
- The electrical system will be completely renewed, so the walls will be opened up anyway.
So, I have two tasks: On one hand, rewiring the electrical system, which will involve quite a bit of chasing (cutting channels) into the walls. Installing wiring in surface-mounted conduits near the skirting boards is not an option. For me, the electrical wiring belongs inside the walls. On the other hand, I want to get rid of the textured plaster. Removing and replastering is too labor-intensive for me. That’s why I am considering bonding drywall panels to the walls.
The plaster has a pronounced texture and is painted. A skim coat probably wouldn’t help here. I suspect the top plaster layer would need to be completely removed.
Best regards,
Frank
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