HS165 Insulating a solid wall (Do it yourself)
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- čas přidán 16. 11. 2022
- Our house is old and the walls are mostly solid brick (no cavity). I have insulated a number of walls over the years, and in this video I’m insulating the coldest wall in our bedroom. In this case I had to chop off all the plaster so it was quite a big job but I think it would be helpful to anybody insulating a wall in this way. #insulation
Love this guys explanation and how he works through all the problems you're likely to come across. Subscribed.
Thank you. Most of my videos are about my hobby machine shop but also some DiY projects like this one. Cheers
I love everything about this video. I really like the way that my fellow Brits do videos. The Americans are just so smooth and glossy. I am especially grateful to see you overcome all of the little problems and for your explanations of how you saved money. BUT my absolute favourite is seeing that your wall looks great without the need to skim the entire wall. Thank you very much.
Hi nowthenad, it's always rewarding to get nice comments thank you. You may know that my approach has caused some alarm from experts who are concerned that I would introduce serious problems with damp by using a non-breathable insulation. There certainly is that risk with my approach and I'm not going to say any opinion is right or wrong. We have not seen any problems yet outwardly after 14 months but I don't know what's going on behind the insulation (and I'm not taking it off to look). The room feels a lot warmer. I did a follow-up video with a thermal camera (HaxbyShed 226). Cheers
@@HaxbyShed That is very conscientious of you to mention that. Don't worry though; I am just treating your video as food for thought. I shall take up some of these issues with the tech support staff from companies like Kingspan. I wonder why it is considered to be acceptable to use EPS/XPS tile backer boards + ceramic tiles if it is a problem to have a non-breathable insulation. I would have thought that it would be a good thing to have a vapour barrier to prevent moist air from getting through to the cold wall, leading to condensation and mould. Any moisture entering from outside could leave the same route it came - to the outside. Anyway, I obviously need to learn more about the science of this business.
This is how walls are done in NZ where I’m from I never understood the need for all the effort and mess with plastering. It always seemed like an unnecessary step in the building process. Our houses are strong and the finish lovely I wish the UK did more straight plasterboard walls. Also the plaster quality varies greatly here. I bought a new build and it looked like the plaster was out on by a kid with a wooden spoon.
Hi Joshua, I have a few walls with just plasterboard, joint skim and paint. I suspect methods just get carried forward because that's how it's always done (speaking as a layman, you understand 😉). Cheers
It's never advisable to leave a gap in the insulation such as at the bottom of the boards, as this creates a cold spot. The moisture in the room air will tend to condense out at the cold spots leading to problems like black mould. You could always try dotting and dabbing with foam adhesive to fix the insulation to the bricks, instead of screwing through - the metal screws will act as a bridge conducting away heat, another source of damp problems
Hi Kevin, I did not show it on the video but after some comments I injected foam at skirting level, but being careful not to blow the boards off 😁 Cheers
insulation boards are fine to put all the way down to the floor (with a 1cm gap for expansion that can be filled with expanding foam) cos i dont believe rising damp will be an issue for tile backing boards or boards with foil on.... better off using waterproof joining tape to join the boards together imo
Well done for tackling such a job on your own. To take the time to make a video of yourself doing it is going way above and beyond. My house is a 1970's build with solid no fines concrete external walls. It's a very cold house. I'm considering taking down the internal plasterboard, installing kingspan sheets and reboarding. Your video is inspirational.
Well thank you very much for the compliment Gordon. I enjoy making videos so it's no trouble to me. I've insulated other walls which were much easier, because I did not have to hack the plaster off or get showered with 150 years of muck and crud falling in my face. Cheers.
I wouldn’t even take down the existing unless your rooms are small I strapped over the old wall the sf19 then plasterboard so warm now
I’m glad I found your video Paul. My job will hopefully be easier as the walls are plastered to solid brickwork and quite smooth, but I have not done this before, so watching you tackle such a project has given me the confidence to crack on and insulate my property. Thank you for sharing this video.
Thank you Gordon. There are vids on CZcams where they use the plasterboard backed with insulation and just 'dot and dab' it on the wall with adhesive foam, which makes it quite a quick job. I think they also put a couple of screws/fasteners in each panel for security. Mine was a more complicated case. Cheers
Very enjoyable viewing - thank you. I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds jobs like these take much longer than originally expected!
Thank you Stephen. A mucky job which I put off for two decorating cycles but the cold wall and the energy prices forced me to commit to it this time. Now glad I did it. Cheers
First class Paul, it was an absolute pleasure to watch you, and i could understand you perfectly, thank you mate
Thank you Nicholas, do please scan through the comments left by people with more experience than myself. So far all is good. Cheers
Fantastic video - thanks so much for sharing. All too often we just see professionally edited videos with ideal scenario rooms where everything fits together perfectly and seems easy and slick. The reality is that houses are like yours. Walls imperfect, holes in the walls, odd angles, etc. You were very thoughtful and resourceful and you set a great example for DIY enthusiasts. I was also glad to learn how much of a different insulation and plasterboard made to your home. I am planning on doing something very similar to mine! I'm sure your video will really help me! Thanks!
Thank you hashman, nice feedback, every presenter's dream. You could not call any of my videos polished but real life is not polished, that's the fact of it. Cheers
Absolutely brilliant video thank you so much for sharing. There is 2 old coal cellars that are now part of the inside of my house and the drafted is shocking. Now that I am all inspired I'm going to do exactly this. Once again thank you for this video.
Hi Lisa, thanks for watching. There are a number of opinions how it should be done. All I can say is I've done this a number of times in my own home and it's worked well for me. Cheers
Absolutely terrific, I'm in the same boat and this has given me an incentive. Thankyou👍
Well thank you very much PLME. Kind of you to comment. Regards
This was such a good video! Thank you for going into detail and explaining everything so clearly. I’m planning to do this to what used to be a toilet in an outhouse, and put a composting toilet in.
Great. Do note that several people have commented that my approach applied to a solid wall may cause condensation behind the (non breathable) insulation. We have not seen any, in any of the rooms where we have done this treatment over the past 10 years, but I'm just saying so you know. If you have any doubts then use breathable natural insulation. Cheers
You do what you have to do to save literally thousands . That fix will see you out and after that someone else can deal with it while your pushing up daisies 😊
Hi Dean, as the years progress I do approach the point where I don't worry so much about the longer term ...... If somebody offed me a 30 year warranty on a product I'd be asking "is the warranty it transferrable to my successors" ? 😁 Cheers
The joys of an older property Paul. I have done something similar to the 4 rooms on the top attic floor of our house built in 1889 with 18" thick rubble filled solid stone walls. I didn't have your space issues, so battened with treated 3*2's and filled with 70mm Kingspan, then used the insulated plaster board on top to prevent cold bridging. Due to having high ceilings I put false ceiling joists up screwed to the existing joists through the lath and plaster and put 100mm of kingspan in the gaps and used 50mm insulated plasterboard over that. I know that when I did it, almost 25 years ago it exceeded building standards for new houses, I suspect it is not far off the latest regs. We don't need much extra heat in those rooms now, the radiators are tiny compared to the rest of the house. The last rooms that I did in a similar manner were the bathroom and toilet on the 1st floor, but I used rockwool instead, finished 18 months ago. Thats me finished with this house, the boys have left home, we no longer need 6 bedrooms, a 3 bedroom bungalow will do. With a MUCH BIGGER SHED.
Hi Bill, 18 inch walls as late as 1889 that's pretty late for that sort of construction unless you lived deep in the country or remote parts. But high ceilings would be typical for that age. I think you may know the story that I chose this house for the outbuildings before my wife had seen it. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Haa haaaa haa "I chose this house for the outbuildings before my wife had seen it". Funnily enough one of the reasons I wanted this old pile was the fact it had full cellars with 8ft odd ceilings. All my woodworking stuff is downstairs, the metal working is all in the garage, erh workshop. Any of the houses round here built of stone by the Victorians have walls at least 18" thick. I can tell you that trying to diamond drill a 5" hole through them is a pain, an all day job.
Well done, and thanks for taking the time to record it. I have been lubricating my screws with vaseline (I think someone has also suggested this) it certainly helps although you need to be careful not to overtighten.
You have to wonder about the state of the Victorian housing stock, I can remember practically drilling into sand as well in my old terraced houses from that era.
Good luck from Spain!!
Hi David, soap is also a good lubricant, if you can find a bar of soap these days. If you have an old house you have to expect work. Character comes at a cost. Cheers.
Boy, I don't envy you. Wife & I did the bath several years back, peeling off the tiles & drywalling / plastering. Walls were crooked & studs were randomly spaced. Three weeks & a hired plaster artist later, we swore never again. You did a great job solving the "little" problems that weren't little at all. I agree with Werner though. Canned PU foam would add stiffness & air tight insulation in all those gaps. Hope you're recoving mentally after this.
Hi Bob, I get into one of these mucky tedious jobs about every 3 years. A bit like child birth, so they tell me, time elapsed just long enough to forget the last time. Cheers
Messy project Paul, but well worth the time and money for the future comfort that you'll enjoy, especially when the winter energy bills come in, then you'll be glad you tackled this job.
Hi Paul, yes our headboard is at that end and I could always feel the cold from the wall. I said "I'll chop the plaster off and insulate it" and the wife said "you're mad". Cheers
Excellent..very helpful and practical advice in real world conditions ...Peace from Ireland!
Hi IHSF (a bit too long to type👌 ), thanks for watching. Peace to you too. Cheers
Great job on the wall. I have never seen this done before as dad did all this work on our house before I was born and the walls do not feel cold in the winter
Hi GTB, material for this are cheap and the end results can be very effective but it takes a lot of patience. I've tended to do the coldest walls on a least effort / maximum benefit basis such as end wall of the landing, attic ceilings, alcoves either side of the fireplace etc. Cheers
Great video. Well done. I did this to a bedroom that had 3 outside walls and was always colder than others. I used plenty of silicone filler of the back of the insulation boards and fixed it directly over the wallpaper on the wall! It worked well. I did not fit plasterboard. I simply painted over the insulation and it looks quite natural although It's a bit vulnerable to denting if you're not careful. Yes it made the room much warmer and easier to keep warm.
Hi MintheM, I like your approach. Whatever works. I think people are too tied to convention when something simple would do just as well. Think - if we had no money we would find ways. Cheers
Hi Paul, great job. Been there with bells on lol, used to live in a stone and slate Scott's cottage built in 1760. Three foot thick walls all wringing wet, no fun. I even found a live 'inductive' device where live twin and earth had been wrapped round the hot and cold water pipes behind the kitchen sink........ Oh and the water stop tap was behind the electric oven lol. The joys of old houses and what estate agents really mean when they call them 'character properties' lol. Cheers, Jon
That electrical wiring sounds a bit frightening Jon. But mind you I've seen some frightening stuff in modern houses too. An electrician told me he once found an electric shower wired to the ceiling lighting. Cheers
Great remodel and energy saving job, good for next 150 years.
Hi tnyima, it's a job I've been putting off for 10 years but the need to redecorate and the recent big increases in energy prices finally caused me to get it done. With insulation projects you can get as many opinions as there are people on the planet (like politics) but after 1 full year we have not seen any problems with damp or musty smells from condensation which could form on the wall behind the insulation, so I'm happy with it. Certainly we feel the benefit from a warmer room. Cheers
Great job. Thanks for taking the time.
I learned quite a bit.
Hi Alexander, you will see some people have commented about the risk of condensation behind the foam insulation on a solid wall (no cavity). I suppose I should have used breathable insulation but I have done this process in my home 4 times over 12 years (insulating just one wall) and luckily it has been ok so far I think. Something to consider, anyway. Cheers
Outstanding job sir. I have done, am doing similar, and while daunting when you begin, its not that complicated and cheaper than getting in a tradesman, plus I think we care more when it comes to our own property.
Hi D.Donnelly, yes I think it's good to work to your own quality and timeframe, and my labour is free 😁 . Thanks for watching. Cheers
So informative thank you so much. Especially the degree and the calculations - fantastic. Keep up the good work!
Thank you, it was quite a big job in the end. I thought it would be, I'd been putting it off a long time. Cheers
Great job,Paul. I have done lots of that type of renovation work on barn conversions in years gone by. The polyurethane sheets make a huge difference to the heat retention of old masonry walls.
Yes Howard I think you get a lot of benefit for not much money spent. Cheers.
Good. Not to technical.
Great advice and great solid straight forward explanation mate.looks good 👍
Thank you Rocky. Cheers
A very well informed video. Thank you for taking the time and effort out to create it
Thank you very much Eklas Ali. Appreciated.
I've done this with 2inch or 44 mm insulation board already attached. I used Soudal plaster board adhesive £10 a can. Easy fill gaps over foam insulation sprayed in. Over the top I put thermal wallpaper , you could use thermal paint. Its more expensive than what you have done but you have done a great job 😉
Thanks AWOL, if I do another I need to look into that board adhesive. Cheers
Very helpful, thank you for sharing and for your calm manner of trying to impart a little DIY knowhow.
Hi Vasili, thanks for watching. I'm calm on camera, not always so calm off camera 😁🤣 Cheers
@@HaxbyShed 😀
This was a great video… you’ve answered a lot my questions… carry on Paul😀👍🏽
Hi Pure, thanks, you will see a lot of advice in the comments and maybe the way I did it was not the best or even right way for an old wall without a cavity. Oh well, it's done and I sleep soundly in our warm bedroom. If I get mould I will worry about it when the time comes. Cheers
Just what I needed, had an idea but you have confirmed it! Our house is only 170 years old but has one wall , which is exposed to all the weather and which is icy cold, I shall try this to help alleviate the chill! 👍🏼thank you.
Hi, my insulated wall has been fine with no damp or mould or smells, but do please have a look through the comments and just give some though to damp if your wall is inclined to absorb a lot of moisture from outside or your house is humid inside. I visited a modern house recently which was very humid due to the 'lifestyle' of the occupants and there was water condensating on the toilet cistern, dripping off and running down through the ceiling below. There was also water condensating and dripping from the loft hatches. I'd never seen anything like it - unbelievable! I'm not suggesting you live like that of course, I'm just highlighting that lifestyle and ventilation are big factors in these things. What is fine for one family may not be ok for another. Cheers
Thanks, this room is the only warm one in the house we have a multi fuel stove running in there, and it is the living room so I avoid drying clothes etc.
Just a question, I suspect that you couldn’t use this method to insulate if the exterior wall is rendered and painted ..🤔 as the moisture has to come out on the brick somewhere…?
@@hhandcarte4473 Hi, oh I really don't know. I think breathable insulation would always be safest. Cheers
an extremely helpful, informative, instructive video for anyone who wants to do a similar job. thanks
Thank you hrxy1. Quite a bit of work but makes a big difference to the room. Cheers
Thanks for your efforts ,helped me a lot ,I will tackle my job with just a wee bit of "faith" thanks again
Hi Chrissy, as you can see it can get pretty scary and still come out fine. Confidence is key. I'm glad it was helpful. Cheers
Yes, it is the watching other people do these tricky jobs that gives you the energy to try them for yourself....I have been slowly insulating most of exterior walls inside my house like you, but was really putting off doing the kitchen, the hardest room but since watching you I have renewed my energy and have made a start, so many thanks for the push you have given me....thanks
Hi Bernie, sometimes finishing the jobs is harder than starting and doing the kitchen is a pressure job .... not to put you off of course. 😁 Cheers
I've never had to do that kind of work on a house as old as yours, but our previous house had some interesting challenges. We redid the bathroom and removed all the plaster board off the walls. None of the exterior walls were insulated, so of course we added fiberglas. Made a big difference. Also, even though it is thin, the plasterboard (we call it drywall) also has an insulating value. I suspect that room will be more comfortable this winter without having to use as much energy to keep it warm.
Hi Greg, I think the only 'upside' to old houses is character. Over here they can carry a purchase price premium as much as 50% for the size, they are poorly insulated, often the wiring and plumbing are dodgy and they can be damp. Buy one and you are likely to be lining yourself up for some work, and expense if you can't 'do it yourself'. But that was our choice, and if your wife can help then potentially that's good bonding 😁 Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Absolutely. It's like buying a rusty old machine tool. Might take some work to get it going, but it's worth it to me!
Well done taking the time to make the video.
I would strongly advise anyone intending on performing similar works to take steps to mitigate air-leakage too.
Draft contributes 5x to heat losses compared to conduction. Membrane & taping this area, as a start to a wider building-wide initiative, would add considerably to the quality of the buildings thermal envelope.
Thank you Greg. To support your point, last Friday I put out a follow-up to this video going around with a thermal camera and, for example, cable entry points were stand-out cold spots. Cheers.
Well done sir, I’m in the middle of doing the same thing in our utility room so it’s fascinating watching how someone else tackles the job. I’ve used insulated plasterboard and sticky foam from Screwfix and I’m pleasantly surprised by the result. I’m happy to have a go at plastering myself so haven’t worried too much about lining up the front of the boards, although I know plastering is a skill I don’t think it’s beyond us keen diners.
Hi John, I can 'patch plaster' ok if I can get the float across the gap or plaster to a batten. I think anything much larger I would struggle. If I did this again I may consider the sticky foam route although you may see from the comments that people are a bit concerned I fixed straight on to a single brick wall without battens. Cheers
What thickness of insulated plasterboard did you use ?
Looks awesome Paul, thanks for sharing!!!
I guess you need heat insulation in Texas, rather than cold Danny ..... Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Actually we need both.... Cheers!!!
It is amazing how much difference insulation can make. Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.
Hi Harold, yes the radiator is hardly on now and it's quite warm in there. I reckoned it would save me maybe $20 or $25 a year in heating bills for a $140 job (materials) but the comfort improvement is also a big factor. Cheers
The measuring up and out to ensure hitting the centre of a brick is simplified if you use a wooden batten as a staff and mark the drilling points onto the staff with a pencil.
Howard, that's a good method. I think people always reach for what they know best and for me that's measurements and drawings so that's what did. And I usually cut my allowances too fine on DIY jobs. In my case it's measure twice, cut twice and then sand it to fit! Cheers
Another good job knocked off there Paul, well done, job satisfaction is always a good motivator for the next one, keep up the good work 👍🏻😉
Hi Mark, you could have said that saving money was a big motivator also. Yorkshire is as Yorkshire does. Cheers
Thanks for a great video, and a very pleasant manner. 👍
Thank you Derek, my mum always told me to mind my manners. 😁 Fact is videoing slows the pace and destresses the job actually. There is no point rushing or stressing when making a video - it takes as long as it takes. I think my record on a shooting a video clip is about 13 takes - so I just have to chill out. If I get tense or annoyed it shows immediately on my face and the clip ends up in the bin. Nobody wants to watch a grumpy guy. Cheers
Very pleasant and enjoyable to be your fly on the wall and listen to you talk through your project. Well done. I think you did an excellent job and I'll have confidence if I need to do similar.
You have a soothing voice and manner too.
Thank you👍
Hi, this is good DIY. Thank you.
I'm starting to do some renovation to my kitchen. I'm in UK and my kitchen is 1910 built, I've got previous DIY and a little in the building trade, but only with in a few months I've been doing lots research from reading, testing and watching CZcams channels, and everything is so confusing and conflicting etc, that are on old houses and I think a lot of people in the UK, have old houses, with so many problems and I think your channel does help people out a lot. Since starting my own projects for my kitchen and watching you, I'm just now going to start my channel and to try and document what I do so people can either learn get an idea on what is behind walls and maybe even give them some help or learn from what I will probably do wrong. Ha... I like watching your videos as other DIY channels are either to much one way and too much the other way, and it's unfair for people to be in a situation where they are doing work to have to either spend a lot of time researching or give up from so much confusing problems . So what to say thanks and for giving me inspiration, if my channel has any subscribers in the future lol, i will definitely recommend your channel.
Hi ConfusedDIY, I think there is a great difference between the trade where they can't take too many chances, don't want to be called back and perhaps fix for free, and a home DIYer who can assess the risk and is willing to adapt ideas with perhaps a 'Plan B' in mind. I've done foam and plasterboard insulation on a number of walls in my house over a 10 years span and never encountered any problems with damp or condensation. But do that on another house in different circumstances then maybe there would be problems. It's all about assessing the risk really. If I were to hit problems then I'd just chalk it up to experience and fix it - I won't be calling somebody back. There is a big difference. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed that is very true. I like to watch your work. When I do videos on some projects. I would like to send you my video and would like your input in the future if that's ok. Old homes a fascinating but also like you said, you have have to have a plan b. Thank you
Really helpful as I am planning on doing the same in my son's room which like a freezer right now so he can't use it. Thank you.
Thank you Sis Yan, it was a big job because the plaster had to come off in our case but if the plaster is staying then it can be a reasonably quick job. I've seen videos on CZcams where they use the insulation-backed plasterboard stuck on dot-and-dab with adhesive foam and then just a couple of fasteners in each board. Cheers
Great video Paul. I have used insulated backed plasterboard a couple of times now and got some great results with it but you are right it is much more expensive than buying the insulation and plasterboard separately so tempted to try it this way next time. Also from personal experience the insulated backed plasterboard is quite awkward to lift especially in full sheets (definitely a two person job). I suspect doing it this way does make it slightly easier if you're doing things on your own. I've used the dot and dab technique every time but might try just going for mechanical fixing next time (as you are meant to put fixings in anyway using the dot a dab technique for fire safety measures). I have used foam adhesive last time around and you have to be relatively quick to get the boards up and in place before the adhesive sets but it does go very solid and no flex/movement in boards once cured. Once again great video and very informative.
Thank you Sam, if I was doing more, particularly on a small section, I would try 'dot and dab', many people have suggested that. I am sure it is more work to fix insulation and plasterboard separately but with low ceilings and limited space it makes the job a bit more manageable. But I imagine that fixing insulation-backed board with foam on a straight good plaster wall would be a doddle. Cheers
Gday Paul, you really did a great job on the wall, it’s amazing how you can date a house by materials used, great job mate and I hope you like the new curtains, Cheers
Hi Matty thanks for watching that. Some viewers like a bit of DIY thrown in and some don't. The postman has just delivered the chosen curtains and she'll pick out some colours. Last time we did that bedroom she told me what paint to buy but I found some a bit cheaper - red is red right? Wrong I was told. Anyhow what's bought is bought and I think the crappy curtains were payback for my paint colour mistake. This time I'll follow the instructions exactly. Cheers mate.
Well done makes a massive difference to the warmth of a room just done this in 2 bedrooms however found it much easier and quicker to use adhesive foam to stick the boards to the walls no need to plaster them Americans do this all the time called drywall
Hi, if I do another I may use the adhesive foam. It was just because I had always used screws before and I was reluctant to 'learn' adhesive foam for maybe the last wall I'm going to do. In UK we call the board itself Plasterboard, but when we use it to stick on a wall like that we call it 'dry lining' so in that way we do call it drywall. Maybe it's like like when people say "I'm making a film", it's not film these days at all but we still stay it. Sometimes there is no logic to these things - a hangover from an earlier time. 😁 Cheers
Fantastic video! I'm planning on doing something similar in my house this year. I had originally planned to use insulation-backed plasterboard, and I never thought to compare the price of that versus using separate insulation. This might even make the overall job easier! Subscribed - thanks!
Hi Chris, that's high praise thank you. There is further advice coming through in the comments. Thanks for the sub, but only fair to point out that most of my videos are about my hobby machine shop so I hope I'm not 'mis representing' with this DiY vid. Although I've done a few DiY vids now. Cheers
Great video. Lime mortar was common well into the 20th century. It's brilliant stuff as it's not ridgid and allows the wall to move rather than crack.
Hi David, I added lime to the motor mix I used on the pointing. Proper lime (only) mortar is like paste when it is damp and crumbly when it is dry. Lime mortar and clamp bricks full of coal lumps and other rubbish would certainly not pass the earthquake test, so it's best not to think about it if you have an old house. Cheers
I find lime mortar much nicer to work with as it's more plastic and never goes off in the bucket. Pricey though.
Well done for attempting this.
One tip is to use diluted SBR on those bricks. It stabilizes the surface..and stops dusting. It can be use in cement to make it waterproof.
You dont need steel to cover the cables as long as they are vertical or horizontal.
Thanks for the tips Jim. Cheers Paul
Great video. This has given me the confidence to do this myself - I suspect it isn't as daunting once you get started
Hi Afnan, just take your time ... less stress makes it easier to solve problems. Cheers
what a brilliant video, incredible how old it is!!!
Thank you Carl, glad you enjoyed. Cheers
Thank you! That was really informative, and great advice. I’m looking to sort some solid walls and a somewhat limited budget and this really helped
Hi Sayam, please note I'm only a DIY-er. People have commented about possible condensation forming on the wall behind the insulation but after 19 months I've not experienced any problems. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed No worries, still good content. I was reading that a vapour barrier would help condensation from not forming on the wall. One of the reason the insulated plasterboard are bought as one solution is they normally included a vapour layer. You may not know there is water on the wall behind the insulation unless you take it off. But if it’s a party wall you might be safer against condensation.
This may be my favourite ever youtube DIY video. It also helps that this is EXACTLY what I need to do in my bedroom, but love your attitude, the style and calm demeanor! Subscribed!
Hi Oliver, thank you for your high praise. I should say most of my videos are about my home hobby machine shop so I hope you are not disappointed. But there are a few DIY videos. Cheers.
Great video - thanks for putting this up
You are welcome Steve. Cheers
Thank you very much for sharing sir! great video
Thank you Andrei, I don't claim any expertise and I'm certainly not an advisor. It's just sharing a bit of life. Cheers
good job done there for us novices to use as a guide...need to do this in what was a dining room with a double brick exterior wall. It has plasterboard but suspect as its really cold in the winter there is no cavity and no insulation behind the plasterboard. Feeling confident I can do this myself without needing really deep insulation.
Hi Chris, thanks for the comment. This sort of job can provide big benefits quite cheaply if you can do it yourself. A bit like insulating a loft or lagging a hot water tank and pipes. Cheers
Great video - thanks! Very informative!
Glad you liked it Tableturn. Cheers
Great video. The most amazing part was that you managed to do all that with your slippers on 😁
Hi Martin, best to be chilled when doin' these things. 🤣 Cheers
Very useful video Paul, we have a kitchen that’s basically a lean to with exposed solid stone wall on all three sides currently renovating and was looking for ways to best insulate it 👍
Hi John, thank you. There are varying opinions about the best and correct ways to do this on solid walls, with much comment about air gaps and vapor barriers. All I can say is I've done it this way on a few walls over the years and so far we have no damp, mould or musty smells. Cheers
I once owned a brick house in Stratford Ontario Canada. It was an old farmhouse that was around 100 years old. On the inside there was 2×4 studs with wood lathe and plaster with horse hair in the plaster, but no insulation. The heating bills where horrendous!
In the winter at -20c we would get frost on the inside walls. I tore the lathe and plaster off- it was rather dodgy in areas, insulated with 4 " fiberglass bats R16, vapor barier and then used drywall board. It had a profound effect on the hesting bills and home comfort. And got rid of the old house smell!
In cold climates the modern prebuilt SIP insulated panel wall construction takes a lot of beating for its high insulation value. Creates a really cosy house with very low heating costs.
Hi Glenn, luckily we don't get it so cold here and most winters we only get a few days when the temperature is consistently below freezing. I've insulated many out-facing walls and roof spaces in this house over the years. No dramatic effects but I'm sure all the savings accumulate. Cheers
Your a brave soul - well done. All the best.
Thank you Norman. We have been in the house 18 years and I've considered doing that wall many times. I guess the big jump in energy prices was the final kick in the pants to get it done. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Yes, I get that. We downsized to this 1960s house 7 years ago. I decided against solar and large-scale insulation improvements as I knew I would not get my money back, but now the sums have changed and in any case I think that comfort might be more important. But I dither on! :-).
Norman, my Dad lived into his 90s so at this point I might have 30 years or 30 minutes .... I generally favour the optimistic outlook and if I don't make it to the end of the payback period then I won't know it anyway. Comfort is not to be under valued. If everything was based on a 'business case' we would not have kids and the population would die out. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed You are right of course - always look on the bright side of life! 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to make this video and sharing it .I liked how your video was calm and well organized.
A very unique problem that you solved in a successful way!
I hope as a result, your room is warmer and more comfortable.
Cheers!
Hi Paulie, my kids watch these videos and say "Dad how is it you are so calm on the videos and not so calm in real life?". The answer is when making videos the job takes twice as long anyway so you have already accepted that it just takes as long as it takes. I did an introduction on one of my workshop videos recently and honestly true it took my 27 takes! But it's not right until it's right. Nobody will watch badly-made videos. I do it as a hobby, the little bit I make from CZcams does not cover my coffee and newspapers up to this point, but I find it very satisfying. Cheers
Oh my Paul. Old buildings fill me with utter fear. If I had been in your shoes I would have broken down in tears when the wall was revealed behind the plaster. I will never understand how you remained calm throughout this project. Well done on achieving what looked impossible. 👏👏👍😀
Ah well Andrew, I've crawled in and out of every corner of my house and I know pretty much what's what. I was expecting what you saw although the dirt falling out was pretty spectacular, I admit. Now above there the loft space was a totally sealed space with no way in. I had to knock bricks out of the end wall to get in from the main roof and then I found half-tree beams and plaster with everything lime washed. Very spooky crawling through there. I think the room below that bedroom is earlier and then the bedroom was built on later - hence the ledge stepping into the room. The floor in that bedroom was maybe 9inch lower until the 1990s when the previous owners had it raised because the guy was tall and kept banging his head on the low beams below. Hence I think that part of the house was originally a store with loft, but it is all more recent than the main part of the house because that back wall of the house is double brick. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed I agree that old houses have a “history” that modern houses lack, and with detective work so much can be gleaned. My wife and I have in recent years been smitten by a few houses in or close to the North York Moors. Unfortunately one drawback is that I am 6 foot 5 and invariably many properties of an age have rooms which I simply cannot stand in. Many a dream has been dashed 🤕🥴
Well done Paul, a good job and a good video. I did a similar job throughout a small cottage bungalow that I rent out, Fortunately my walls were in a better state than yours and they had been "blackjacked" which had completely kept the damp out,so no problem in that respect. However, for anyone finding the drilling and plugging a bit of a hassle,or problem (such as loose areas) it is worth considering the "dot and dab" method, even if in just some places. The adhesive is very inexpensive, has a super adhesion once dry and it still sticks well to the aluminium backing sheet. The sheet can be gently tapped with a batten and hammer across it's face to get it seated nicely onto the wall. If not using any screw fixings the sheet can be held in place with a few masonry nails hammered loosely through a small thin plywood pad to hold the sheet in place , then removed later when adhesive is dry. This is quite a quick method of fixing and although more practical for the insulation already stuck to the plasterboard sheet, it would certainly help in those "hollow spots which are so difficult to get a good fixing. There's no doubt though that the finished job really improves the heat retention and comfort in any room,especially if done to all walls in a room. I also ripped out all the old windows and put in new double glazed ones, before I started on the insulated plasterboard. The difference in room temperature was incredible-------well worth the expense and effort-------for future tenants (and EPC?)
Hi David, thanks for explaining. One or two people have mentioned that the EPC inspectors need proof of the work and, for example, just taking off a socket cover to show the insulation is not enough. So just be aware if you are counting on an EPC then I'd suggest finding out in advance what can be admitted as proof. Also I don't think their assessment software is very clever and I've heard of people spending a lot of money on improvements which have not counted because the standard assessment software can't deal with them. I once put just half an inch of foam insulation on a very cold solid wall and the difference was amazing. That was 10 years ago and I can confirm there has been absolutely no sign of damp or degradation of the outside brickwork. It might be different if the wall had rising damp to start with. Cheers
‘Especially done to all walls in a room’ don’t you just insulate exterior walls internally?
@@Chief81 responding to your question there, people have said a solid wall without airflow will condensate on the inside, but also because the wall then holds more moisture it is then prone to frost damage and the brick faces spalling off. Now you can decide for yourself whether this view is real or just a theoretical risk but that's what I was covering off by referring to the outside (when I was insulating on the inside). Hope that makes sense. Cheers
Thank you, great information, I am going to have to do similar work at my place.
Hi Richard thank you. Just to point out there are comments saying there should be an air gap if it is a solid wall. Cheers
Super video, thanks a million for all your efforts in making it. Some really useful tips in there. I'm thinking about doing something similar in my kitchen which is on a similar outside wall and is perishing in the winter.
Hi Richard, please just note I'm no advisor on these things - you will see the various comments about the risk of damp and kitchens can be steamy. But whether it is solid or has a cavity will be a factor in your thinking no doubt. Cheers
I enjoyed this video. The technical content was good, giving the context that external insulation was not an option and your decision for not using the insulated plasterboard. I liked your style and that you clearly were not at all surprised at anything you found. Very nicely done.😀👍
Fantastic video learned loads 👍
Glad you liked it 👍
Nice job. A little tip when you are doing your next wall. You can also glue the bord and isolation to the wall with special isolation glue. This looks like pur foam. You than also don’t have cold bridges of your metal screw.
Hi Jan, I think the comments would give me confidence to try the insulation foam glue next time thanks. Doing it with 'dry' methods, as I did, is slow and quite hard work. Cheers
Very interesting and nicely presented, thankyou!
Thank you Dave. I would always say 'get other advice' because I'm no expert. Cheers
good job Paul, plesant and informative viewinig
I'm no expert John so it is just sharing, for what it is worth. Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers
Brilliant job!!
Thank you Michael. Cheers
Fantastic video. Thank you! You have earned a new sub
Hi Marcus, thank you. I do a few DiY videos but most are from my hobby machine shop. The DiY types do not always like the machine shop vids and vice versa. You can't please all the people all the time 😁 Cheers
Well as a DIYer, you've done a decent job on an awkward wall there. I've been in the trade over 50 years and I did exactly the same to my external walls when I moved in here 17 years ago. My bills are less than half my next door neighbour's and it's always cosy. Just one hint that might help: you don't actually need to screw, into plugs. If you use a 5.5mm drill and red plugs, you can push the plug through both plasterboard and insulation with a 5 mm drift (rod or another drill bit) until you feel it's gone home. Then use a 65mm galvanised clout head nail and gently tap it home. Do that at 600mm centres up the edge, and a line up the middle, if you're skimming it. But you will need to use scrim over the nail heads, or you'll get nail pops in places. Well done, anyway 👍
I'm with you John. drilling then plugging and then screwing as separate operations made for a lot of work moving the boards around, and brings the risk of damage. One for next time. Cheers
Thank you for sharing ,I myself am having issues with a cold and damp gable end on our Victorian house
Hi Anthony, you possibly noted comments on here about solid and/or damp walls. So just to highlight that I did what suited me but professionals might have created an air gap and other damp precautions. Cheers
Thank you very much for sharing... I am looking for ideas to insulate the wall in the living room. Our house is Victorian and throughout the years what it was an internal wall neighbouring a church has become a single brick external wall neighbouring a pathway to a new development. Needless to say its freezing cold and damp! In good condition... but problematic nevertheless. So all these ideas and potential solutions are truly appreciated.
Hi Biohack30 thanks for the comment. As far as insulating goes you will see many opinions and much advice. I'm sure amongst it all you will find the right answer. Cheers
A little tip if you decide to do any more walls like this. You can get proper adhesive foam for gluing the sheets to the walls and the plasterboard to the insulation, it's not the normal expanding foam from the likes of screwfix etc, but a proper one for plaster boards etc. It will be easier than trying to screw it to the walls. Or if you want to carry on with screws get some insulation washers, they spread the load over the boards and don't pull through like screws on their own do.
Hi carlb-photography, if I do any more I will try both those ideas, thanks. Cheers
Was thinking the same, foam might be easier
I've done a whole house back to brick and stuck the insulation boards on. A tip is to sbr the walls to stop the dust. You still need a few fixings to hold the boards back in case of fire.
Enjoyed the video, thanks! Just an FYI - jointing and taping plasterboard is the norm across much of the western world, and tradies back in Oz don't believe me when I say that people here skim plaster entire walls. A 300mm jointing knife is a use tool for this work, then a decent undercoat and Bob's your Uncle!
Thank you 'it works on my computer' - I'm sure there is a story behind your CZcams name. 😁 Cheers
Thanks for this Paul, very timely as I am trying to make a block wall workshop a bit insulated. I may just attempt to stick celotex straight to the blocks. Must be better than nothing.
Sounds good Mk1Tony, simple is best. Cheers
this is one of those jobs i really need to do but keep putting off
Hi TFE, I put this off for about a decade until the energy prices shot up and it finally motivated me. I think the fact I'd not done one in a while helped - the memory of the tedious bits had faded. Cheers
I'm so glad that I'm done with all my insulating and sheet-rocking . One more tiny section to repair and re-insulate and I can throw away my "mud" and trowels .
Hi Ken, I've been doing selective insulation work all over the house for years but that bedroom was always going to be a big one. The only item left now is to improve insulation on the outside walls of a loft conversion (in the narrow roof space triangle) which at best is only covered with 2 inch fibre glass at the moment (floor to about 2 foot 6in vertical before the roof slope). I keep putting it off because it's a horrible job. Cheers
26 minutes gone like 2 seconds!!! great video... loved it... i have the same kind of issue and helped me a lot :) :)
Hi VamzerP, it was a lot more than 26 minutes to do the job 😁🤣 Cheers
Well done ol' lad. Hope the Misses appreciates your hard work.
Hi Dean, well you know what it's like .... buy flowers (1 point), put the bin out (1 point), insulate wall (1 point), save humanity from nuclear oblivion (1 point). She has conceded it's warmer and likes the colour she chose (blue). Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Blue in a bedroom!!!, very brave. I like your logic with that point system you've got going on. If I adopted that same system I would be winning without any doubts. I enjoyed watching your video, it's nice to watch other people such as yourself tackling jobs. Your video reminded me of a supposedly easy job that I did for our lass. She wanted her bedroom ceiling painting so I readily offered my service, I masked all around the top of the walls then preceded to paint. Immediately after painting I peeled away the masking tape mostly without any issue. When I peeled it away from her wall paper, the paper came off with it. I started to chuckle to myself because I knew what trouble I was then in. I convinced R'lass that the best course of action would be to completely take off the old and then I would hang new paper. Her little face lighted up because she was getting more than she had asked for. That smile was soon going to disappear. I peeled back the paper, it was going well until a big patch of render came off with it. No worries I said to myself, I can soon fill that. More paper came off, more render too. Just like in your video, the whole wall was like sand. The misses came back from work and wondered why there was thirty bags of rubble on her drive. The wall was shot and the pointing was shot too. I had to rake it all out. When the little lady then saw the brickwork she fell in love with it so then another job started. I sanded the lot of it, blowing up her hoover in the process of cleaning the room. I varnished it three times and then used a red coloured mortar to point up. It looks bonny. The ceiling does needs another coat mind. Good luck in your future endeavours.
Hello Dean, all that made me chuckle. I could tap quite a bit of plaster in this house and it is obviously loose so I did what any self-respecting tight Yorkshireman would do, I got my wife to paper over it with lining paper and painted it. Been fine for 15 years so far. There is always more work if you go looking for it. Cheers
super helpful! Thank you!
You are welcome 👍
Great job. Council house in Northern Ireland to benefit from your info. Appreciate the filming effort.
Hi @Fester, I hope it helps you. You will have seen comments with concern that I may get condensation behind the insulation and I guess you will form your own view of the risk. One year on and we have not seen any damp or mould. or had any musty smells; it's just nicer and warmer. I recently put out a video with thermal camera images of this and other walls in my house. Cheers.
Great job well done.
Thank you Jacques. Cheers
Good job! Those old walls are hard to deal with, i have done my share of dry lining
Phil
Me too,Phil. Having done a few barn conversions over the years you learn/invent a number of your own tailor made solutions for fixing and levelling insulation and plaster board to scabby old walls.
Hi Phil, I think any surveyor would say knock it down and rebuild the wall but the fact is it's been there perhaps 150 years and is good for another 150 - since we don't have earthquakes in the UK. I think people over-worry about these things. There are always reasons to spend money if you want to. I watched your vid changing the top bearing on the Harrison vertical head. That will come in handy thanks. Cheers.
@@HaxbyShed i did completely strip that head and rebuild it because the sight glass was smashed and all the bits were inside! I don’t think I videoed it though, i will have a look!
Phil
i notice your wife said YOU need to decorate, rather than WE need to 😄 that insulation will make a big difference. ive lived in old stone houses in ireland, they are hard on the heating bills.
Hi Kevin, it's still within living memory when 'we' actually meant we together and not 'you'. But to be honest I do quite like working on my own not having to discuss and agree things, when I could do it quicker than talking about it. But I do still bow to her on decorating 'policy', i.e. colours and finishes. I mean - red and brown are almost the same aren't they - well apparently not. 🤣Cheers
Really loved the video. Tons of useful things i have learned from this. Would really like to see a tour of this room to see what it looks like now and whether the works made any considerable difference. Actually just viewed the other video 226. Many thanks.
Hi Ahsan, thank you but do please keep in mind I'm only a DIYer and no authority. Cheers Paul
Hey Paul, great video.
As for the barrage of comments talking about condensation, breathable, yadda yadda. The reality is, all the breathable insulation types suck compared to PIR and at the end of the day what matters is the comfort of the house for the occupants (especially while energy prices are so high).
Yes, there's a risk, but old houses tend to be quite leaky which dries out moisture fairly well, and if anything, putting on such rigorous VCL actually makes things worse, because it *will* fail eventually, and moisture can just end up trapped. Additionally, adding the VCL to the single wall won't do squat, because it needs to be entirely continuous, otherwise the moisture will simply find another path.
The correct way to do this is to never insulate internally in a cold country-it's always going to be a theoretical disaster (reality is often different). In cold countries, you should insulate externally. That's it.
But most of us don't have that luxury so we do what we must. Crack on Paul, nothing wrong with what you've done. The only thing I'd say is you should switch to paper tape over mesh tape. When you were plastering those corners you could have folded a piece of paper tape and taped over it, preventing any cracks which will eventually telegraph through via movement.
I'd look up Vancouver Carpenter as a great resource for all things plastering and taping.
Thank you Tephonos, I'm a strong believer in just doing what we can as a practical compromise. In one case I only had space for 12mm thick PIR foam insulation with plaster board over (1 inch in total) and it transformed the feel of the room. External insulation would be very expensive, and in that particular case the passageway between my house and my neighbour's is only about 12in wide - not even a normal ladder rung width. I did once have to get up there in between the houses and I had to make a bespoke thin latter out of wooden rails just wide enough for one foot on a rung. I can just get in there sideways with my back against the wall - luckily I don't have a big belly. Cheers
Vancouver carpenter is brilliant, I would definitely recommend him as regards to dry walling 👍🏻.
The reality is half of the houses in UK have mold because people do not know how to do proper insulation and do not care about condensation.
This must be a cheaper alternative method to cavity wall insulation by a specialist contractor.
I have 3 story end terrace house exposed to the cold east winds but could do this as you propose from the inside.
Thank you for taking the time and trouble.
Hi Brian, it's quite a lot of work to insulate internally and a cavity wall insulation company will probably blow your insulation into the walls in under a day. I've no idea how they compare for perceived warmth. Cheers
Great job… I’m doing the same but building a stud frame to put the insulation inside then screw the plasterboard to the studs
👍thanks for the comment Phil. Cheers
Great stuff.
Thanks Denis. Cheers
Bravo. The u-value of double brick solid walls can vary a lot but is generally over 2. Adding just 25 mm of PIR and plasterboard might well reduce that to .6 to .5 meaning that the heat loss is now a quarter of what it was. The latest building standard is .27 but starting with a blank canvas is easier!!
Hi Brian, thanks. People have been concerned about condensation forming behind the boards and I'm sure the risk is real. But now we are 1 year on and so far I've not seen any problems. And the wall is a lot warmer and the room is more comfortable. Cheers Paul
@@HaxbyShed Thanks for responding. I was looking at a stone cottage in Scotland the other day (over the internet) and that was very damp inside. I have just come across this which talks of dealing with damp and solid walls! czcams.com/video/kWPN7cxlg1U/video.html . To my mind a microporous paint or coating on the outside should deal with rain penetration whilst still allowing the walls to breathe. Whether you get direct rain against your wall is unlikely given you said it is close to the neighbours wall and that should help. But the foil backed PIR will form a solid barrier. I saw someone using wood fibre insulation in a single wall damp situation?
Great Job.
Thanks Peter. Cheers
very interesting. I have a similar angle between my wall and ceiling, and it looks like it was originally covered over the join with paper, which is now starting to lift, so I have to work out how to deal with that! But my wall is only 20 years old, so hopefully I wont have nay where near the surprises you had underneath!
You may be unpleasantly suprised, builders hide a lot with plaster and paint.
Hi Jack, I think I agree with Sean's comment. Probably you need to uncover the root cause. It will be angled for a reason (not necessarily a good reason). Cheers
I loved watching you have a go at this and use all the knowledge you had to solve the problem for YOURSELF. You're absolutely right in your approach. Here's a few reasons why: 1) get back to the brick structure and firm it up - great history lesson by the way 2) Amazing how 1inch of insulation can make a difference! The reason 50% of heat loss is covered by just 1 inch of insulation 3) You boldly went with your own experience and weren't put off by horror stories of damp! Surely the real knowledge is found on the frontline and not with the so called experts.
I wondered - did u think of adding a thin foil wrap behind the insulation board to creep the R value up? Also - a tube of spray foam can be great to fill the gaps into plasterboard and save the mither of filling the gaps by other means! Thanks again!
Thank you for your support Matthew. There are enough times when amateurs get it wrong but sometimes just by probability and persistence it works out and we defeat the odds. I've done a few walls in the home like this (just single walls not the whole room) and so far we have dodged the damp. That said, I do acknowledge now that breathable would be better on solid walls. Cheers
Good job. I'll be doing similar on the cold solid walls too. Debating either wallrock insulated graphite paper, or Celotex insulation stuff with battens 🤔
I'm not obsessing about so called regs either. (jobs for the boys)!
Interesting to know Drew, thanks. Yes - how much money is wasted by these 'experts'? The thing is it's never their own money. Cheers
The timber in my house is like that (50 year old Jarrah - an Aussie hardwood). I pre-drill to give me 50% thread engagement (screw (thread id + thread od)/2) then press Vaseline petroleum jelly into the hole, coat the screw with vaseline, then pray I don't shear the head off the screw with the impact screwdriver.
Hi Steve, great to know that our joists are solid but tiresome to work with. Before hand soap came in a dispenser I used to use a soap block as lube but then my wife asks what are all these spiral marks in my soap? Errr .... no idea never seen them..... Cheers