This is the thickness I need for the Roxul mineral wool batts. I will have more insulation in the floor than the walls, but the difference in price between the R 14 Batts (for 2 x 4's) and the R 22 batts (for 2 x 6's) was so little it just didn't make sense to put the smaller ones in the floor. You can also see the little arches I drew on each joist indicating the crown of the board. I made sure all the joists were installed with the crown up.
The next step was more pest control. I heard that critters and bugs don't like Borax, so I bought a box of it for about $7 and spread it all under the floor.
Now we are ready to start insulating. I don't want the batts to fall through the joists, and they probably wouldn't, being friction fit, but I wanted to make sure. We attached landscape fabric to the joists to hold the insulation up to the bottom of the sheathing. It is breathable and supposed to last 15 to 20 years when buried, so I think it will do a good job.
We worked from one cavity to the next, rolling the fabric over each joist and inserting a batt.
We kept on, slowly emptying the garden shed where I had stored it. You could barely close the door when it was all in there.
After all the cavities were filled, we put down 6 mil vapour barrier, taped with Tuck Tape (a brand name of a tape designed for house wrap and vapour barrier).
Then it was time for the sheathing. It is all 5/8 Tongue and Groove plywood. I put some scrap pieces on the outer joists to help line things up and started with the first sheet. This was an error and I should have started the sheathing 1/2 way into the first joist's thickness, but I didn't find out until I started the last row, and there is no way I was going to take out all those screws. Anyway, the first sheet went in and I was pleasantly surprised at how square the framing was.
Yes, I used a tape measure for every screw. I don't trust my eye as I don't do this on a regular basis and this is likely going to be the finished floor, with just a coat of paint on it, so I wanted the spacing to be fairly even on the finished product. Speaking of screws, they are all 2 1/2" ACQ rated deck screws and I don't know how many there are, but maybe I don't want to......hundreds of them. This was the first time in a long time that I took a battery off the charger, used it all up, and returned it to the charger in the same day.
So, the end product....
Good enough to dance on. As for the spacing mix up. On the side I started, it is great.
On the far side though, a bit shy of the mark.
I have a 4' piece that is left over. I will set up the table saw and rip some filler strips to put in there. It will be under the wall, so not an extreme mess up. All the sheets are put down so the seams are offset by 4' and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I have a strong, safe, level and square floor. I am also extremely tired. I also have a perfect place to make a life size jig to make all the rafters, which is next. A job that I have little experience at, but I think I can figure it out. I have been studying. I also went out and bought a new square and some buttons for laying out rafters. That will be next, well right after I put in the filler strips. Sally and I are going out to yard sales on Saturday, so we will get back to it after a bit of recovery. Until then
Thanks for dropping in!
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