It is freezing in my basement so I decided to re-insulate my daughter's bedroom. I removed the old paneling walls to find that it wasn't insulated! There was a water barrier and a heat shield. My problem now is winter is almost here and the framing is 1×1's. I don't have the money to redo the framing. Do I use rigid foam board cut to size to fit the holes and spray insulation around that and cover with water barrier? Can I just spray insulation all over and cover with dry wall?
Please tell me there is something I can do, without having to take down the frame. I am taking about the outer wall and I live in Quebec Canada so it gets pretty cold.
Best Answer
There is a rigid polyisocyanurate foam core insulation, often sold under the brand name Super Tuff from Dow that has a higher R value than XPS. It is R-13 in 2 inch panels and is higher if you trap a small air barrier behind it (around R-15).
The foam has a foil vapor barrier on the back.
You could
HOWEVER: The paneling could hold itself up when mounted this way, and you could mount lighweight things, such as pictures. The walls would NOT be suitable for mounting shelves, fixtures, heavy mirrors, etc. You would need to take care and inform any subsequent owner that the walls were not intended for bearing any signifciant weight!