How to Install Rigid Foam Insulation on an Interior Concrete Block Wall

If you're finishing a basement, you will need to insulate it. Insulation can make the basement more comfortable and increase your home's energy efficiency. One type of insulation you can use in a basement is rigid foam insulation. This type of insulation is manufactured in sheets that are attached directly to the concrete blocks of your basement wall.

Power washer
Tape measure
Foam board insulation panels
Utility knife
Straightedge
Styrofoam adhesive
Installation tape

Instructions

- 1
  Wash any dirt off of the walls with a power washer. Allow the walls to dry for 24 hours.
- 2
  Cut the first foam board insulation panel to fit onto the wall by scoring a cut line in the board. Do this by running a utility knife against a straightedge. The first row of boards will be stacked vertically so keep this in mind as you make the necessary cuts.
- 3
  Cover the back of the first board with Styrofoam adhesive.
- 4
  Push the panel firmly against the wall in the corner. Install the board vertically.
- 5
  Install panels along the rest of the wall, repeating the process for installing the first panel.
- 6
  Add a second row of boards on top of the first row if necessary. Lay the boards in the second row horizontally, positioning them so that the vertical joints between the boards in the second row are staggered with the vertical joints in the first row.
- 7
  Apply installation tape over the seam joints where the boards meet.

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