I am considering making an offer on a house built in 1925. Some of the plaster has been damaged by water when a yankee gutter leaked. The gutter has been fixed, but the interior damage remains. Since the house has no insulation in the walls, (brick, block, plaster), what would be the pros and cons of firring the walls and using foam insulation behind new drywall? I know the windows would all have to be retrimmed, but removing and refinishing the trim is on the agenda already so increasing the depth of the windows would not be a problem.
Thanks,
ScottinWV
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This sorta reminds me of all of the first three posters...How ironic.
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It's a fairly good way to go. You may get a flatter wall if you remove the plaster first and fur directly to the block.
How much insulation depends on your climate. One way of getting slightly better results is to install furring to the wall. Insulate between the furring with foam board. Then, apply a second layer of foam board right over the first layer and the furring together, leaving no gaps. Screw through the drywall right through the second layer of insulation into the furring. By having this second layer of insulation you minimize the shadowing that would occur due to the furring and the fasteners holding the furring to the wall being colder. The slightly colder spots attract moisture and dirt, and over time the dirt will collect on the wall in the pattern of the furring and you'll have little black dots where the fasteners are. By adding the second layer over the furring you provide a thermal break and minimize this possibility.
Thank you! And great idea about the second layer to prevent the thermal bridging!
Scott
How about using Mike Smith's method of furring where the second furring layer is at right angles to the first - or is that what you are implying in your post? Can't remember the name that Mike gave to the method.
I haven't heard about that method. I can't see an advantage for a second application of furring. It would be interesting to hear more.
Mooney wall, I believe.
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Yeah, thanks - just a common case of CRS...
A past thread on Mooney wall technology:
40161.1
foam panels work great on that application big perc, it gets rid of lead paint by burying it extension jambs @ windows cheap to do, remember to set up nailers for casings, stool, future curtain rods etc. new wiring easy before rock goes up existing boxes can be left in place and extensions mounted on them if standard leave the plaster as another layer, yeah it's not great thermal but it's something beats demo, shoveling it off the floor and paying dumpster tonnage run a 6 ft level across wall, shim firring out at dips/ crowns to make the wall clean can run second layer firring perpendicular to first and shim that out too on real bad surfaces, most often on ceilings ..........the rock screws will compress foam when pulling rock in allow a little slack depthwise to the face of anything solid (without foam over it), nailers, filler blocks, electrical box covers/ especially mud type, so it doesn't rupture the rock