framed wall covering options

[Unregistered-skip]

I’m framing (2×4) an all purpose room that will take up part of my unheated basement. The interior walls of the room will have plasterboard, poly sheeting, then kraft faced fiberglass with the kraft facing inwards. The back side of these walls will be facing the rest of the unfinished basement.

Other then plasterboard are there any other inexpensive options to cover the back raw fiberglass side of these walls? Is there a fire danger leaving the fiberglass uncovered or perhaps covered with poly sheeting? I live in a very rural area without specified codes on this.

[Glenn Good]

You do NOT want to use polyethylene on the front and back of the wall. This creates a double vapor barrier and will only tend to trap moisture inside the wall. You can use nylon or wire mesh if you desire but no covering is really needed on the back side. There is no fire hazard as fiberglass is non-combustible.

Glenn

Moderator: Construction Systems, Foundations, and Masonry & Stone

For more information about me and/or my qualifications please visit my website at:
http://www.consultationdirect.com

[homebild]

Too many unanswered questions…but a few observations:

1. An unheated basement may qualify as ‘conditioned space’ and may be required to be finished as your State Code requires.

2. Claiming you live in a rural area does not necessarily disqualify you from conforming to your State sanctioned building codes since most US States have Statewide building codes nowadays regardless of how they are locally enforced.

3. Generally speaking, polyethylene plastic sheets should never be used in the framed walls of a basment.

4. Anytime kraft paper faced insulation is used it MUST be covered by gypsum drywall or similar because it is a fire hazard.

5. Open ‘backside’ open walls of non-combustable framing still need to be enclosed for fireblocking reasons.

6. Fire and Draft-blocking reauirements still apply.

[Author]

Posts