Insulating exterior walls

Posted by Carolyn Chorlton, on Wed 20 Nov 2013 08:59pm

Small bedroom on first floor of Victorian building has 2 exterior walls, brickwork. Very cold in winter and condensation on walls makes it damp. What is the most effective way of insulating the walls?

Phil Oxlade

Sat 23 Nov 2013 12:44pm

Hi Carolyn, I think Chris Dinham and Ryan Monaghan have answered your query perfectly. I would also check to see if you are eligible for any grants towards the cost. Phil Oxlade Roofcraft construction ltd

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Chris Dinham

Sat 23 Nov 2013 09:55am

Hi Carolyn, Another option would be to use a product which is available from B & Q as well as other DIY places: Wallrock Natural Thermal Liner by Erfurt The Wallrock Thermal Liner is also an excellent cover for cracked plaster work and unfashionable textures. Allows walls to breathe and resists mould and damp formation and produces a stable surface for wallpaper. I've used it on a few jobs and been very impressed with it. Its a cheaper option than some of the other ideas and less messy too! Chris

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Louis De Courcey

Thu 21 Nov 2013 07:57pm

The best way would be to put a membrane on the inside wall , then put some stud work up with room for insulation, then plasterboard and skim . This will make your rooms warmer . For the condensation put a air vent in the correct position for air flow.

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Michael Tucker

Fri 27 Dec 2013 03:13pm

Hello Carolyn, Best to get an on site survey/quotation done, this is a free service to you and you will get 3 quotes. Simply post your job onto rated people's site. You are not obliged to go with any of the quotes- but ever job that's posted is paid for by the relevant tradesmen.if they contact you that means they are interested in your job. If one of them are awarded the job then great news for you both. ratedpeople.com Regards Michael

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Andrew Smith

Sun 24 Nov 2013 08:51am

Hi Carolyn, without seeing the rooms i would suggest lining the walls with a polystyrene which comes on a roll like wallpaper, it is about 5mm thick and is hung like wallpaper. i would then hang lining paper over the top so you can decorate to your taste. Andy A.L. SMITH DECORATING SERVICES

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john philp

Sat 23 Nov 2013 06:37pm

you can get a firm in to basically shoot insulation into your cavities via holes drilled in the exterior brick work.Some people have been able to get this done for free.Worth looking into. If they are single skin walls then you can 50 mm batten and with 50mm insulation in between and plasterboard over aqnd skim.

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Peter Henham

Sat 23 Nov 2013 01:47pm

first of all to stop the damp paint bitumin on the walls and let it dry the next day put 50 mm battens on the wall with plastic dpc between battens and the wall in between put celotex these are normally .450mm wide the distance of each batten on the wall then to the battens fix foil back plaster board and then plaster

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Jason Thompson

Sat 23 Nov 2013 01:45pm

if its just the inside you want to tackle you could have timber batten fitted to the walls at 400c then use a vapour barrier stapled to them horizontally. Then screw thermal backed plasterboard to the battens. They come in various thicknesses from 1round 30mm upwards. obviously the thicker you can afford to use and without losing space in the room the better. Its not a huge job to do although sockets and radiators may have to be altered too!

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Barry Field

Sat 23 Nov 2013 12:15pm

If it is a double brick wall you could have it filled with cavity insulation. If it is single brick you need to make sure the loft is well insulated or an alternative would be to insulate the walls themselves. There are products on the market but browsing the web might be a good idea to see exactly what is out there. Cheers Barry Field BRF Flooring Limited.

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Chris Plastow

Sat 23 Nov 2013 12:08pm

Google a company, Minster , look for 50mm insulation backed plasterboard , glue it to the wall , it's simple !

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Duncan Loughlin

Sat 23 Nov 2013 08:39am

Hi Take of the scirting board fix 28 mm batten to the walls at 400mm centers the put 25mm rigid insulation boards in between battens then plasterboard over

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Robert Wade

Sat 23 Nov 2013 08:02am

Get a joiner to strap the wall out, insulate and replaster.

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Gary Branch

Sat 23 Nov 2013 06:42am

Hi Carolyn you can either batten walls with 2 by 1 battens & membrane and fix 25 mm insulation board & plaster Or dot & dab walls with insulation board & plaster You will loose about 40 mm in size of room which is roughly 1.5 inches But this way will leave you a small cavity Regards Gary

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Ray Brand

Sat 23 Nov 2013 06:28am

Use Gyproc thermaline boards, 48mm thick

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Ryan Monaghan

Sat 23 Nov 2013 06:11am

Before your walls can be insulated get a second opinion to wether its condensation or damp?? Any problems with penetrating or rising damp must be resolved first. Insulation should not be used to cover, hide or isolate damp as this could lead to serious problems in the future.

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Mark Houldsworth

Sat 23 Nov 2013 04:43am

You can insulate it internally using an Internal Wall Insulation Accredited Installer. You may also be able to get partial funding to help towards the cost, as yours may be classed as a hard to test property. As far as condensation goes. you may want to consider looking at using products by a company called Envirovent. I had a similar problem with a rental property and we insulated the property and used an Envirovent product. Problem sorted. Hope this helps

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