Ext Bath Wall..best insulation tech?
Hi everyone.
long story short…bottom floor bath didn’t have plaster after all…had REALLY interesting patch jobs behind the old tile. We ended up tearing everything off to start from scratch.
We gives us this interesting opportunity.
We’ve got a stucco exterior over clapboard, no insulation. Installed a wicked nice bathroom fan (the room has never had one) and we taking out this glass block window. Window craftsman is making us an insulated, opaque glass, non-opening window to match the others on the house (we’ll treat it with marine stain (just like the boat and the tile guy is going to tile right over the sill and to the glass.)
Insulation though. We have no lathe to blow in insulation behind. We’ll need something that creates a superior vapor barrier since it’s behind the tiled shower wall. What do you all recommend?
I’ve read all that I can and I’m more confused than when I started as to what would be the best solution for our situation…any guidance would be appreciated. (The more specific the better…brand names, etc.)
Replies
Hi. Just scaning around and read your Plea. Not sure exactly how your going to proceed but by the picture it looks like you need to deal with 2 different problems, #1 the window wall which looks like standard depth framing. That doesn't require any thing unusual. You can use fiberglass batts cut to fit perfect, then vapor barrier. The wall on the left with lath on the exterior leaves you less then 1 +1/2" to work with so you need to fir out to the depth of the insulation that you want to use. I would use sheet Iso cut to fit perfect for the highest R, and lay on vb over it to protect the studs and flaws. Hopefully you have the room to work with to do that? If you cleaned off all the keys of plaster you could still get 1+1/2" of iso for about R-10. But only if the exterior has a overlay securely fastened/ not dependant on the plaster adhering properly.
Clay
Clay--
Thank you so much for replying! This points me in a certain direction, at least...and that is so helpful.
Jmo
"sheet Iso cut to fit perfect for the highest R," doesn't quite happen in the field, so I'd seal the edges with a can of spray-in place foam. Then vapor barrier as you suggested.
Of course spray-on urethane foam would be great - near max R-value, fill all the voids, be a vapor barrier. But you they won't want to mobilize for a 100 sq ft job.
David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
Hi David. I was kinda thinking that it was his own job so he could spend the time to detail a nice fit. I used 3" Iso and scored it with a utility knief but when it snapped it wouldn't break clean, so I went to scoring it and then put it on the floor and used a hand saw to cut with the score for perfect cuts. Then tapped it into bays with a short block of 1x4 to keep it from breaking in the center, if it was just to tight I would run the saw blade down the side of the bay and it shaved off just right amount. The bays were old and varied within the same bay like14+1/2 to 21=1/2". not a single bay on the roof was the same. I think they were drunk or something during layout or maybe still working on figuring out what all those numbers were on that rule ment.
Clay
Hey jmo I just went back and studied the picture. Not real sure but it looks like a extended shelf on the left of the tub? if this is so then it would mean you for sure have extra room to work with. The other thing I'm thinking is that if youwant to go just a little further you could just pull the tub and be able to get to the full wall for insulation on the window wall.If you dont have acess to the different thicknesses of rigid iso you can also stack it. Ie use 2 layers of 1" to get 2" ect and that will work just fine. A little slower but no big deal. Considering that youv'e got like 85% gutted taking the tub out allows for a better job.
Clay