Hello. I have been searching for a few days now for a way to add insulation to our house that was completed in 1951. To my delight, I found some papers describing how the walls are constructed, and it turns out they are insulated with something that I guess is fiberglass or whatever was used back then. Instead, I suspect that it feels drafty indoors because the innermost layer is quite leaky.
This is where the problems arise: Behind the wallpaper, it's indicated that there's something I guess is tretex, and behind that is 3-inch tongue and groove! The plan is to remove the tretex and instead install OSB boards and paint them if necessary. So, my question is: Can I install a vapor barrier behind the OSB boards, meaning it would lie directly against the tongue and groove? I suspect that it might not be good, but I've been wrong before. Anyway, if I CANNOT do that, is there another way to do the best for the house's well-being?
This is where the problems arise: Behind the wallpaper, it's indicated that there's something I guess is tretex, and behind that is 3-inch tongue and groove! The plan is to remove the tretex and instead install OSB boards and paint them if necessary. So, my question is: Can I install a vapor barrier behind the OSB boards, meaning it would lie directly against the tongue and groove? I suspect that it might not be good, but I've been wrong before. Anyway, if I CANNOT do that, is there another way to do the best for the house's well-being?
If there's a draft, it's hardly because it's leaking through the walls. Treetex is windproof and insulates better than OSB, so why change it? https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treetex
It's more likely that air is leaking in at the joint between the floor and the wall, or in the floor joists because the sawdust insulation under the floor has settled, allowing cold outdoor air to come into direct contact with the floorboards.
What does the construction look like there, at the floor-wall joint and the floor joists?
It's more likely that air is leaking in at the joint between the floor and the wall, or in the floor joists because the sawdust insulation under the floor has settled, allowing cold outdoor air to come into direct contact with the floorboards.
What does the construction look like there, at the floor-wall joint and the floor joists?
Well, tretex seems to be a great material, but there have been large gaps in it.. XD Probably because the house has shifted over the years. I'm considering leaving it as it is and putting boards over it instead, what do you think? There are also large gaps under the baseboards as there probably used to be wall-to-wall carpeting everywhere before..
Start by caulking between the floor and the wall, and take it from there.
Is it still drafty?
Where from?
Just walk around and feel with your hands or fingers where it's drafty now in the winter. Especially on the side facing the wind.
Classic locations are floor/wall, ceiling/wall, and around doors and windows. Even electrical outlets and light fixtures can be sources of drafts in older houses. Also feel along all cracks/gaps in the walls, but there are likely no major issues there. If you've uncovered the old tongue-and-groove floor, feel in all the gaps there too. It’s a very common source of drafts in old houses, especially if there’s some kind of felt insulation or similar that has settled over the years. Then you need to add some insulation at the outer edges against the walls to stop the draft.
Is it still drafty?
Where from?
Just walk around and feel with your hands or fingers where it's drafty now in the winter. Especially on the side facing the wind.
Classic locations are floor/wall, ceiling/wall, and around doors and windows. Even electrical outlets and light fixtures can be sources of drafts in older houses. Also feel along all cracks/gaps in the walls, but there are likely no major issues there. If you've uncovered the old tongue-and-groove floor, feel in all the gaps there too. It’s a very common source of drafts in old houses, especially if there’s some kind of felt insulation or similar that has settled over the years. Then you need to add some insulation at the outer edges against the walls to stop the draft.
I still think we will put up new boards, but keep the old ones. There are gaps and crap like drill holes and some cheap paint they've used that disappears when you wipe with a cloth... (i.e. when, for example, the kids have smeared snot or banana on the wall) So regardless, it will be a lot of work to find gaps and seal them, especially when we also have to tear down the wallpaper and paint/wallpaper again. 