How to Glue Insulation Sheets to Cement Walls

A cold basement can affect the rest of your home negatively and reduce its energy efficiency by consuming more energy to keep the floors above warm. One way to improve the energy efficiency of your basement is to add insulation to the walls. An effective way to do this is to glue sheets of rigid foam insulation to the walls. It's one of the quickest ways to make your basement a warmer place, and it saves you money on your electric and heating bills.

Tape measure
Straightedge
Utility knife
Construction adhesive
Caulk gun
Vinyl tape

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the width and height of your walls. Use these figures to determine the number of sheets of rigid foam insulation you'll need for your project.
- 2
  Place an insulation sheet at the corner of one of the walls. Mark the outer edge of the sheet on the wall with a pencil. Remove the sheet. If you need to cut the sheet to fit, or to work around obstructions, place a straightedge at the point where the cut needs to be made and score it with a sharp utility knife. Bend the insulation sheet on either side of the cut to snap off the excess.
- 3
  Place a tube of construction adhesive in a caulking gun. Apply a bead of adhesive in a s-shaped pattern onto the wall where the sheet will fit. Place the sheet against the wall and press firmly until it is set.
- 4
  Place your next sheet against the edge of the first sheet. Make any necessary cuts and apply to the wall with adhesive as before. Continue until all the wall spaces have been covered.
- 5
  Cover the seams between the sheets with vinyl tape.

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