Insulating the subfloors in your home will reduce drafts and help you save each year on energy costs.
Floors on the ground level can become uncomfortably chilly during winter months if the areas below them, such as basements or crawl spaces, are not adequately warm. Often, any insulation under these floors may be insufficient or not correctly installed, leading to heat being drawn out of the floor surfaces. Additionally, drafts can exacerbate the cooling effect on these floors.
As warm air rises and exits through higher points in your home, it naturally pulls in colder air from lower areas, such as gaps near ground-level windows and doors, from beneath the flooring, and directly from outside. Since cold air is denser than warm air, it settles on the floor, making the floor’s surface cold to the touch.
Reed’s Home Solutions is your local home insulation company, providing our professional floor insulation services to homeowners throughout Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio. Contact us today to get started on living comfortably at home!
Floors over garages are almost always cold, but with our spray foam insulation, that’s a thing of the past.
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Spray foam flooring insulation involves the application of spray foam directly to the underside of floors or between floor joists to enhance thermal resistance and air sealing. Unlike traditional insulation board or rigid foam insulation, which comes in pre-cut panels, spray foam is applied as a liquid that expands and hardens into a solid foam. This method allows the material to fill gaps, cracks, and crevices completely, providing an uninterrupted barrier against heat transfer and air leaks. It adapts to any irregularities in the floor structure, ensuring complete coverage without the need for cutting and fitting multiple pieces of rigid foam or insulation board.
Spray foam insulation offers several advantages over traditional materials like insulation board and rigid foam insulation, particularly when it comes to insulating floors. First, its expansive nature ensures that no gaps are left uncovered, providing superior air-sealing capabilities. This comprehensive coverage is crucial for preventing drafts and heat loss, especially in older homes where floors may have numerous leaks that allow cold air to seep in.
Furthermore, spray foam’s excellent adhesive properties mean it can bond directly to the substrate, adding structural integrity to the flooring. This is particularly beneficial in areas subject to high foot traffic or load-bearing requirements.
Additionally, spray foam’s closed-cell structure offers high R-values per inch of thickness, making it more efficient at thermal resistance compared to thicker layers of rigid foam insulation or insulation boards. This efficiency makes spray foam ideal for projects where space is at a premium, but high-performance insulation is necessary.
When possible, convert the space below your ground floor to a conditioned (warm) space. For example, by insulating basement or crawl space walls with the proper insulating material, those spaces will become much warmer, and so will the floors above them. Learn more about our basement insulation and crawl space insulation services.
When it’s not possible to insulate the walls of your basement or crawl space, ask us about insulating the joist bays (spaces between joists) under the floor. We have various types of underfloor insulation materials that can do the job, including spray foam and rigid foam.
Our installers will pay special attention to critical areas, such as perimeter rim joists – a notorious source of air leakage.
Whichever option you choose, it should be accompanied by a thorough air sealing of your home. Air sealing reduces the stack effect that is continually trying to expel air through small openings throughout the upper reaches of your home while it pulls in air through gaps around the lower levels of your home.
Ground-level floors aren’t the only ones that can get cold. Rooms built above garages are notorious for having cold floors due to lack of insulation, and so is any floor that’s cantilevered (overhangs the foundation perimeter).
Balconies, bow and bay windows, and bump-outs are all examples of cantilevered spaces. Their floors are especially prone to air leaks because of ill-fitting soffits (boards used to seal under the overhang) combined with direct exposure to wind. Reed’s Home Solutions has detailed solutions for each and every situation.
We will specify the most appropriate insulation services based on your home’s construction and your budget.
Start saving energy and money today with an insulation upgrade. Call now or contact us online for an insulation estimate in Lexington, Charleston, Georgetown, and nearby!
At Reed’s Home Solutions, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive floor insulation services tailored to enhance your home’s comfort and energy efficiency. Whether you are dealing with cold concrete floors or want to improve the thermal performance of your timber floors, our team has the expertise and materials needed to deliver optimal results. If you’re considering upgrading your floor insulation, don’t hesitate to reach out. Contact us today at Reed’s Home Solutions for a detailed assessment and to discover how our insulation solutions can lead to significant savings on your energy bills while increasing your home’s comfort.
Flooring insulation refers to the process of installing materials like spray foam insulation beneath the floor surface to reduce heat loss, improve acoustic insulation, and enhance overall energy efficiency. It can be applied to various types of floors, including wooden floors, concrete floors, and suspended floors.
Insulating your floors can significantly reduce energy bills by preventing heat escape, especially in homes with ground floors that contact the earth or over unheated spaces. Additionally, floor insulation can improve the comfort of your home, keeping floor surfaces warm underfoot during colder months and contributing to a more consistent indoor temperature.
While some DIY enthusiasts may feel capable of installing certain types of floor insulation, professional installation is recommended, especially for complex setups like concrete floor insulation or systems involving spray foam insulation and floor insulation boards. Professionals ensure that the insulation fits properly, meets building codes, and achieves maximum effectiveness without compromising the structure’s integrity.
In some cases, insulating a floor will require lifting the existing floor materials to install insulation boards or sprays directly onto the subfloor or between the joists. However, the insulation can be integrated into the floor structure from the start for new constructions or during major renovations.
Most types of flooring, including wooden joists, timber floors, and concrete floors, can be insulated. The choice of insulation and method of application will vary depending on the type of floor and the specific requirements for thermal and acoustic insulation. Special considerations must be taken for suspended floors and those in direct contact with the ground to address moisture and potential settling issues.
