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Full Basements Should Be Insulated and Protected From Water

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Invest in a waterproofing system

Basement foundations should be insulated to minimize energy losses and should be protected from water infiltration. Even if a basement is not intended to be used as a finished space, it's best to assume that it may be finished in the future. That's why it's a good investment to upgrade from damp-proofing to a true waterproofing system when the basement is built. It's always cheaper to ...

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3.
Thu, 07/15/2010 - 15:10

Response to Andrei
by Martin Holladay, GBA Advisor

Your question was answered some time ago in the Q&A section:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/community/forum/energy-efficiency-an...

Click the link to find out more information.
In summary, here are your options for protecting the above-grade portions of exterior foundation wall insulation:
1. Pressure-treated plywood.
2. Fiber-cement panel siding.
3. Cementitious coating (stucco) -- either reinforced with fiber, or installed over fiberglass mesh, or installed over metal lath.
4. Insul-Cap vinyl covering from Wisconsin Poured Wall Products ( Muskego, WI).
5. Ground Breaker fiberglass covering from Nudo Products (http://www.nudo.com)
6. Insul-Guard 2 fiberglass covering from Diversified Composites (http://www.diversified-composites.com).
7. Surface-bonding cement.
8. Perma-Bond Complete (foam plus factory adhered cementitious coating) from http://www.permabondws.com/contractor.htm.
9. FP Ultra Lite panels (factory coated foam panels) from Styro Industries (www.styro.net).
10. Protecto Bond peel-and-stick membrane (www.protectowrap.com).

1.
Mon, 07/05/2010 - 20:03

External Insulation of existing basement foundation
by Andrei Sosnovsky

I'm planning on waterproofing of basement foundation walls and adding new weeping tile. I though it would a good idea to add rigid foam insulation since foundation walls are exposed anyway. What's a good way to protect and finish the above grade portion of rigid foam? After reading multiple articles I still can not seem to get a clear answer. Any ideas? Location - Toronto, Canada.