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Exposed Floors Insulation

Are the floors becoming too cold for your feet? If you feel uncomfortable on your feet it may be as a result of cold floors. Poorly sealed or unsealed floors allow air to leak through several sections such as the framing, knee walls, and band joists. This would give way to many problems such as frozen pipes, chilled duct runs which in turn prevents proper functioning of the HVAC system and above all cold floors. You would need help from an experienced Toronto HVAC team in this case.

When embarking on a home insulation project in homes with post foundations, the floors over your garage, balcony, and porch and in cantilevered bays are the various locations that you should emphasize on insulating. Generally, these floors are casually insulated with fiberglass batts then covered with plywood. If the batts aren’t thick enough to fill in the cavity between the joists, they may fall away. Improperly sealed floors like these, leak through a lot of air reducing the R-value of the floor assembly and it feels cold all winter and frozen pipes will also be an inevitable possibility. The R-value of a completely sealed floor is higher and provides a comfortable feeling on your feet than that which has no insulation at all.

Insulate Exposed Floors With Spray Foam Insulation

As mentioned earlier, insulating under your floors using fiberglass could be a headache. If the batts are not thick enough, they normally drop below thus creating air spaces. Now, these air spaces are what we are sealing. When air spaces are created, moisture penetrates which damages wood and in addition creating a conducive environment for rodents and termites. These pests will now have a habitat and will invade your home and create more problems.

The most highly recommended type of insulation on your exposed hardwood flooring is Spray Foam Insulation. Spray foam extends even into the tiniest and hard to reach surfaces, creating a super seal to the floor above. With spray foam insulation, you will no longer have to worry about damp or cold floors throughout even in the most severe winters.

 Garage And Bonus-Room Floors

There are two most important benefits that would lead you into proper and careful insulation and air sealing of a bonus room over a garage. One is to prevent carbon monoxide and other toxic gases from leaking into the living area. But even after proper air sealing, a CO detector is still important to install. Secondly, when the insulation is airtight, the R-value increases which consequently improves the home’s energy performance. This will ensure you spend less on energy.

It is always advisable to avoid ductwork and plumbing on floors above a garage. However, if there is no way to avoid this, emphasize on deep floor joists like trusses to provide enough room for insulation under the ducts. The floor should then be insulated with a thick layer of foam. To keep plumbing pipes from freezing, make the pipes and the subfloor as close as possible without any insulation supplies between them. Then install a thick layer of rigid foam directly under the pipes to extend the full width of the joists.

Don’t waste the porches. Make your floors warm and toasty and then make use of every inch of space available to your advantage.