I apologize for posting this in the dedicated theater forum, but it is related to my dedicated home theater...

So, Lowe's currently has a $100 gift card when you buy $400 of insulation. They also currently have some of their insulation on sale. They are also having an extra 10% off insulation that ENDS TODAY (thus the "urgent" part). I also have a 10% off any purchase coupon for Lowes...

So, I need some help on a couple issues:

1) What should I get to go in the interior walls between my home theater and the rest of the basement? Unfaced R-19, I assume? These are 2x6 walls (although I might possibly add a staggered 2x4 to the existing 2x6's, not sure between that and room-within-a-room).

2) Should I get faced or unfaced for my exterior walls that border my concrete wall? I know you're supposed to use faced on exterior walls, but I am going to paint the concrete with Dry-Lok, and I wasn't sure if I used faced, whether it would trap moisture. Along the same lines, I will probably build a 2x4 wall slightly out from the concrete. Would that call for R-13 or R-19?

3) Where else could I use insulation (i.e. columns, stage, risers, etc.), and what should I get?

BTW, I am in Georgia, and here is my pre-build thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1151098

I need to go buy this today, so please, if you have any input, let me know. Thanks in advance!!!

For interior walls and ceiling can use r-19 unfaced or faced. It doesn't matter.

For exterior walls you want to check what code is in your area. In NoVA I used faced r-13.

I apologize for posting this in the dedicated theater forum, but it is related to my dedicated home theater...

So, Lowe's currently has a $100 gift card when you buy $400 of insulation. They also currently have some of their insulation on sale. They are also having an extra 10% off insulation that ENDS TODAY (thus the "urgent" part). I also have a 10% off any purchase coupon for Lowes...

So, I need some help on a couple issues:

1) What should I get to go in the interior walls between my home theater and the rest of the basement? Unfaced R-19, I assume? These are 2x6 walls (although I might possibly add a staggered 2x4 to the existing 2x6's, not sure between that and room-within-a-room).

2) Should I get faced or unfaced for my exterior walls that border my concrete wall? I know you're supposed to use faced on exterior walls, but I am going to paint the concrete with Dry-Lok, and I wasn't sure if I used faced, whether it would trap moisture. Along the same lines, I will probably build a 2x4 wall slightly out from the concrete. Would that call for R-13 or R-19?

3) Where else could I use insulation (i.e. columns, stage, risers, etc.), and what should I get?

BTW, I am in Georgia, and here is my pre-build thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1151098

I need to go buy this today, so please, if you have any input, let me know. Thanks in advance!!!

1) R-19 is correct thickness for a 2 x 6 wall.
2) I don't believe that using Drylok allows you to forgo use of a vapor barrier. If you frame these walls with 2 x 4 construction, and keep the studs about 1/2" away from the wall, I found that standard R-13 will expand enough (if you staple the Kraft paper sides along the stud sides and not the stud face) so the insulation will contact your block (I just did this in my basement). That's what you want to minimize airflow between insulation and block wall.
3) Fill riser, columns with insulation so they do not resonate. Stage depends on whether you're using sand or not. I plan to have a two part stage where the section with speakers/bass will be filled with sand and the front part with insulation (sections decoupled from each other).

Read the info at this link for good insulation practices:
http://www.obc.mah.gov.on.ca/Asset842.aspx

If your stage and riser depth is different from your wall/insulation thickness (likely), just layer the insulation until you fill the depth - but dont compress it. I used two layers of R-19 in my riser.

Good luck

Thanks a ton, guys. Great info.

So, if I filled my riser and/or stage, would I use unfaced if I did layers (or take the paper off if I had faced)? (this is going over a concrete basement floor - not sure what I'm doing with the floor under the riser/stage yet).

My top layer is faced, but the bottom one is not. I'm not sure it matters though.

Some have done it, but I would not place insulation directly on the concrete floor. Moisture could be a problem. Some sort of subfloor solution would be ideal (dricore, delta, vapor barrier/plywood, etc.).

My top layer is faced, but the bottom one is not. I'm not sure it matters though.

Some have done it, but I would not place insulation directly on the concrete floor. Moisture could be a problem. Some sort of subfloor solution would be ideal (dricore, delta, vapor barrier/plywood, etc.).

...and for the same reason, I really wouldn't recommend letting it be smushed against the foundation walls either. It would depend on how dry your basement is of course, but if you got just a little water seepage from a crack or something, it usually trickles down the wall a little and tends to dry on its own, but if the insulation is touching it i would be worried that the insulation would suck it all up and that stuff seems to take forever to dry and soggy insulation is never a good thing:eek:...That being said, I usually leave more like an inch of space from the back of the stud to the foundation wall...

Garen

...and for the same reason, I really wouldn't recommend letting it be smushed against the foundation walls either. It would depend on how dry your basement is of course, but if you got just a little water seepage from a crack or something, it usually trickles down the wall a little and tends to dry on its own, but if the insulation is touching it i would be worried that the insulation would suck it all up and that stuff seems to take forever to dry and soggy insulation is never a good thing:eek:...That being said, I usually leave more like an inch of space from the back of the stud to the foundation wall...

Garen

I certainly agree with you Garen, doesn't seem right to let the insulation sit against "untreated" block since the block's tendency is to dry inward, and the added possibility of leaks. The best practice guide I linked to recommends a "semi-permeable" membrane directly on the block prior to insulation (something like Drylok?). With the membrane in place, then insulation up against it. I wish I had done a bit more research on that prior to building walls as I would have approached it differently than I have for a bit more insurance.

Thanks for the continued discussion.

So, here was the deal (quoted from jschuman at another forum):

Lowe's is having a pretty good Truck Load sale on Owens Corning Insulation.

Owens Corning R-30 15" x 25' (31.25 sq ft) roll of unfaced Attic insulation has a new low price of $9.37 (Was around $18 or so). Lowes also has a $100 rebate Gift Card on $399 purchase of insulation Mail in Offer. This can also be combined with the Post Office 10% moving coupon and 30% Goverment Tax Credit to make the deal even better.

So, in addition to that, until yesterday, Lowes had added an extra 10% off of qualifying energy saving products. Unfortunately, Lowe's doesn't carry Owens Corning around here, just John's Manville (sp?).

Anyway, I posted this over on a deals forum, but here's my "insulation story":

I went to my closest store ready to just buy $400 worth of R-13. It wasn't what I really wanted, but it seemed to be the best deal. I talked to a manager and he was going to let me use the 10% in addition to the 10% ending today (actually he was just going to take 20% off!). He calculated about 56 rolls (I think) to get me just over $400, so he left to put the order in the system.

Well, then I noticed an endcap with some R-25 faced with a 'was' price of almost $20, 'now' $9.37 (similar to the OP, but not exact). So, I found the manager again and asked him about this. He said at 20% off it would be $7.50/roll, and that I would need 54 to get to $400.

I am not kidding about this, but he checked the inventory and the store had exactly 54 in stock. I loaded up exactly 27 in my Honda Odyssey (no way 28 would've fit) and headed home. Came back after dinner, pulled into the loading area, and as I opened my door, the Lowe's guy dropped a pallet of insulation at the back of my van. We loaded it up (plus the 9 rolls left from one of the original pallets) to make another set of 27 rolls.

Now I have to figure out what the heck I'm going to do with 54 rolls of R-25 until I can use it up...

Thx, OP!!! And thx for the heads up about the extra 10%!!!

So, I already had a bunch of R-13 that I had started to put up in my exterior basement walls. I will just take it down and use that R-13 for the concrete 2x4 walls in the HT, and use this R-25 everywhere else. It should fit nicely inside the 2x6 + 2x4 staggered stud interior walls. For the rest, my stepdad wanted to finish his unfinished garage, so he's going to take what I can't use.

My Loot:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_d6E2LZ58dUU/St23Ecktq1I/AAAAAAAABY4/0n2mDPbeizI/s800/091019_3213.jpg

The total should be:

$405 + tax = $433 -$100 rebate - 30% tax credit = $203 for 54 rolls of R-25, or $3.76 / roll (including tax, and if you count Lowe's gift cards equal to cash).

Do you know if this was a regional or local special going on? I'm about to buy insulation for my house remodel, and can't find any information on the Lowes website. I have to drive 2.5 hrs to get to either Lowes or Home Depot, so I'd like to know before I head that way this weekend.

The 10% off deal may be over - but the $100 gift card with $400 purchase is good till Oct 25 at any lowes.

Do you know if this was a regional or local special going on? I'm about to buy insulation for my house remodel, and can't find any information on the Lowes website. I have to drive 2.5 hrs to get to either Lowes or Home Depot, so I'd like to know before I head that way this weekend.

The extra 10% off ended yesterday. The $100 rebate when you spend $400 is good until 10/25/2009. The rebate is here:

http://www.lowespromos.com/PDFs/2339-1.pdf

You might be able to pick up a 10% off coupon for Lowes from your local post office. Look for (or ask for) the Mover's packet, it should be in there. They stopped leaving the packets out at my local post office about 6 months ago, so this is YMMV.

You can also request a 10% off entire purchase by registering here:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pg&p=moving/index.html&ln=cstln4/

Unfortunately, they take a few days to send you the email with the coupon. You can also (supposedly) buy 10% off coupons on eBay, but I haven't tried this.

Oh, and the 30% energy tax credit ends December 31, 2010, or when our government runs out of money, whichever comes first ;)

I can't seem to get the $100 rebate link to work, I'll keep looking. I may just have to find out when I get there. Thanks for the info.


From what I've seen both HD and Lowes have a very limited selection of insulation as compared to what the manufacturers offer, I may end up looking for another retailer for insulation, I have some odd ball construction, and I want the best thermal resistance I can get (without breaking the bank).

I can't seem to get the $100 rebate link to work, I'll keep looking. I may just have to find out when I get there. Thanks for the info.


From what I've seen both HD and Lowes have a very limited selection of insulation as compared to what the manufacturers offer, I may end up looking for another retailer for insulation, I have some odd ball construction, and I want the best thermal resistance I can get (without breaking the bank).

PM me your email address and I will send you the pdf, if you want.

The $100 gift card is automatically done when you ring up your purchase. It is programmed into their computer system if you spend $399 or more from now till the 25th it auto spits out a reciept that needs to be mailed no later than November 11th. It NEEDS to be post marked!

I will post pictures of my loot tonight.

=)

I have a vented crawl space... Can someone give me how they perceive this information?

I am not sure if I should insulate the ceiling and the walls with the batt insulation or just the ceiling.

I am receiving mixed information from different heating companies. Most places up here are used to non-vented crawl spaces and are telling me NOT to insulate the floor joists, but to insulate the walls with foam board.

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11480

Thanks!

You'll want to insulate all 6 surfaces. Please don't directly vent into the floor cavity. Sound will flood that cavity and likely overwhelm the ability of the insulation to effectively attenuate.

So, is R-25 going to work on in my interior walls if I have 2x6+2x4 staggered stud? Is that too much insulation, even for that?

I know it works better if it's not compressed, but wouldn't slightly compressed R-25 be better than R-13 (if those were your 2 choices)?

You'll want to run the insulation vertically, not weave horizontally. So whatever fits without much compression

So, is R-25 going to work on in my interior walls if I have 2x6+2x4 staggered stud? Is that too much insulation, even for that?

I know it works better if it's not compressed, but wouldn't slightly compressed R-25 be better than R-13 (if those were your 2 choices)?

Kinda followed this insulation discussion, but im not exactly sure what you mean by "2x6+2x4 staggered stud". If you mean using 2x6 plates and staggering 2x4's for the studs.... then I would guess that compressing ~8.25" R25 into a 5.5 wall cavity would be quite a bit of compression.

...but wouldn't slightly compressed R-25 be better than R-13 (if those were your 2 choices)?

No. Seems counter-intuitive, but a little insulation goes a long way. And compressing starts to conduct vibration.

A lot of insulation's value comes from air pockets trapped between fibers. When you crush the insulation, you crush the air pockets and reduce the insulation's value.

A lot of insulation's value comes from air pockets trapped between fibers. When you crush the insulation, you crush the air pockets and reduce the insulation's value.

Very True..

and in the case of sound isolation.. too much compression could begin to couple the wall panels, and I belive it would also reduce the ability of the insulations fibers to vibrate, causing a reduction in the transfer of kinetic energy.


Brad

Kinda followed this insulation discussion, but im not exactly sure what you mean by "2x6+2x4 staggered stud". If you mean using 2x6 plates and staggering 2x4's for the studs.... then I would guess that compressing ~8.25" R25 into a 5.5 wall cavity would be quite a bit of compression.
I have existing 2x6 interior walls, and I have been thinking about adding a 2x4 staggered stud to the walls that border the HT similar to this:

http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/library/articles/staggered_stud_wall_construction/

Ahhh. So you'd like to convert a 2x6 single stud wall to a staggered 2x7 wall. Vertical R13 insulation is still a good option. You could give yourself a bit more room by installing new studs at 24" OC. You can try R19, but don't expect significant inmprovement over the R13 choice, and don't risk compression as mentioned.

Ahhh. So you'd like to convert a 2x6 single stud wall to a staggered 2x7 wall. Vertical R13 insulation is still a good option. You could give yourself a bit more room by installing new studs at 24" OC. You can try R19, but don't expect significant inmprovement over the R13 choice, and don't risk compression as mentioned.

Thanks for the response. Would you recommend this approach? I am trying to conserve space, as I only have 12.5-13.5' of width.

So, what do I do with all this R-25? Should I return it and re-buy R-19/R-13, even though it would be more expensive now (not the same deal combinations, and the R-25 was a better price)?

On a non-home theater related note, is it also a bad idea to put this in my exterior 2x6 walls for the rest of my basement? Again, I thought compressed R-25 would be better than R-13 for my 2x6 walls (don't care about sound isolation here, just heating/cooling). The R-19 that Lowes had was a lot more expensive than the R-25 or R-13 was, for some reason.

For theater walls, converting to staggered is a great idea. You'd have to try the R25. I have no idea how that would fit. Small amount of compression won't hurt.

As far as the rest of the walls, I personally don't see the harm. Basements don't generally need a lot of insulation. Even in the dead of winter, soil temp below the frostline is constant. Upstairs walls need a lot more.

Awesome, thanks!

BTW, totally random, but every time I try to open the link to the staggered stud wall construction in Firefox, it crashes my browser. It opens fine in IE, though. Grr...

I have a man on it... please stand by

I have a man on it... please stand by

It may be my problem, Firefox seems to crash a lot for me. But, it crashed 3 times in a row when I tried to open the page in Firefox today. Pretty sure I've opened it in Firefox before without problems, though.

We just ran it on a fresh version of firefox on a PC. There were no errors detected with diagnostics tools. I'll have them keep looking, though. Thanks for the heads up

what is the purpose or benefit of the staggered stud construction method?

what is the purpose or benefit of the staggered stud construction method?

Ted is really the guy to answer this, not me. But, basically..

Staggered stud walls are an effective way to prevent sound from getting out of your home theater. In a regular stud wall, sound waves hit one side of the drywall, travel through the stud and into the drywall on the other side. Since the stud connects the two sheets of drywall, the sound has a solid path to travel through. The trick is to separate both sides of the wall. That way, the sound won't be able to cross the wall as easily.