I need to insulate my basement. I live in Wisconsin. I have heard I should use a vapor barrier and I have heard you should not. Does anyone have an opionion?

I would never use fiberglass insulation to begin with. It was done in the 70s and 80s but Fails to often and becomes a MOLD fest.

This is what should be done here to do it correctly. Not to mention ANY vapor barrier has to be on the warm side of the wall. However because you have a big thermal wall the ( thick exterior basement wall ) you have already a partial vapor barrier and adding another one will double trap the moisture. Ripped to many finished basement walls down because of that.

YouTube - Best way to insulate a basement 800x600

YouTube - Install Rigid Foam Insulation in Basement Video

This is what we have been doing for years to finish a basement or re do a bad one with fiberglass insulation that went bad.

I am with boat on this one. Foamboard makes a great insulation for walls and floors. WS gets a bit nippy and you will appreciate the foams ability to keep out the cold, not sweat, grow mold or deteriorate

Fiberglass insulation is still being used on all kinds of basement jobs I work on, but that foam insulation looks like great stuff!

I will certainly look into it for any future work I am involved in!

Thanks...

MARK

I mass. A lot of the situation is how much of the basement is above ground and weather its an exposed daylight basement. How well it was sealed on the outside. Foam board is about three times the cost but the returns are tremendous. De humidifiers are usually not needed any more especially if the floor is done. Heat and cooling the basement is so easy less cost being insulated and tuck taped. The (R) value is so much higher per inch of insulation.

For the mechanical end we just stud up walls in front of the insul. This also allows kickers off the back of the stud to back support the foam board and allows for plumbing and wiring ease with NO insulation in the 2by wall cavity. A room in a room.

I grew up in the fiberglass insu remodel in basement and later there was the Styrofoams which was not water resistant like foam board and the R value is low per density.

It's a tuff sell some times but you should see the customers reaction when we just have the insul is installed. Its so much warmer and dryer already

Thanks for the input. I actaully went with fiberglass before I saw these posts. I probably would not have had I seen these posts first. I hope its going to be all right.

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Originally Posted by ;

Thanks for the input. I actaully went with fiberglass before I saw these posts. I probably would not have had I seen these posts first. I hope its going to be alright

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That's a crying shame especially in your Geo which is highly susceptible to very cold conditions for moisture to form and then mold.
Just on a side note how's the attic for insulation. If it could use some more you could recycle it to the attic. Just remove the vapor barrier on it and now there is more insulation in attic and you can go with the foam board.

That's what we usually do to Save the good insul when we do a basement tear and reuse the dry fiber insul and replace it with foam board. It also saves dumping cost.

Is there a vapor barrier on the insulation you installed already??