Vapor Barrier For Above Grade Concrete Block Wall

Vapor barriers are a way to keep moisture from getting into the concrete.

Vapor barrier for above grade concrete block wall.

Very hot and humid climates may benefit from an exterior vapor barrier that keeps outside humidity from penetrating into walls. My basement is built from concrete block. Most of the stuff i ve found online talks about preventing ground moisture from diffusing into the wall. Below grade walls and floor slabs transmit ground moisture through concrete walls or slabs.

By nature vapor travels from areas of higher concentrations to lower. A vapor barrier against the concrete surface is generally recommended before wood framing or flooring materials are installed. If you have a concrete floor that s in continuous contact with a source of moisture you re going to have problems. After the insulation is in place you will want to add a vapor retarder sometimes called a vapor barrier if you need one.

A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter. Concrete block with interior frame wall cavity insulation and brick or stone veneer applicability limited to mixed humid hot humid mixed dry hot dry and marine regions should not be used in cold very cold and subarctic. A vapor barrier is not the same as an underlayment. This wall assembly will dry from the vapor barrier inwards and will dry from the vapor barrier outwards.

How to glue a vapor barrier to a cement block wall. These concrete block walls are not your average 8 x16 block. I am planning on completely gutting the room to start and rebuilding with solid foam insulation up against the block in between the 2x4 studs laid flat against the block wall which. Whether or not you need a vapor retarder hinges on three main factors.

However two walls are completely above grade one wall is 1 2 buried and one wall is 1 4 buried. Sole plates or sill plates are the first pieces of framing lumber placed in home construction. This is why a vapor barrier under concrete is essential. These plates must be made of pressure.

Since warmer air has more moisture vapor will move to. Moisture barrier between the sole plate the concrete slab.