Need help with air sealing and insulating an interior masonry wall
JaredEgg
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
I need to seal and insulate an interior masonry wall (the brick is on the inside living space, esposed). On the other side of the wall is a 2×4 wall, shiplap, and an unconditioned garage. I would like to insulate with rockwool but I don’t know if I need a vapor barrier of some sort.
I live in Chicago so we have both cold and humidity to contend with. I had planned on removing the shiplap and drywalling the garage side. Any advice on best practices for insulating before I do so? Hopefully, the drawing helps.
Thanks for any advice.
Replies
Air seal brick first with can spray foam on large gaps and caulk small gaps. If you choose to spray foam the entire cavity use closed cell type, foam can handle air sealing and insulation in one step. After you air seal the brick rockwool will work just fine. Best to use a mold resistant or paperless drywall on the garage.
Thanks for the advice. Do you think an air gap is necessary between the brick and rockwool? Your suggestion sounds like "spray and batt," is that correct? Thanks again.
The air gap is there from when that wall used to be an exterior facade. It's used as a weep space for moisture mitigation. Now that wall is an interior wall you no longer need it.
Got it, that makes sense. Thanks for the help!