Okay, guys...

Without installing an actual ceiling (drywall or drop), how does one best cover overhead fiberglass batting between exposed floor joists in ones basement?

I was thinking some sort of vapor barrier, but see nothing but warnings about condensation, etc., when I dig deeper.

Any particular products you would recommend?

Thanks.

-Rob

Since you apparently don't care to put in a ceiling, why do you want to cover it?

Curious: Why did you insulate a floor over a basement?

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Since you apparently don't care to put in a ceiling, why do you want to cover it?

Mrs.BurtonRW thinks it’s dusty/dirty/messy.

quote:

Curious: Why did you insulate a floor over a basement?

I didn’t. The house came that way.

-Rob

Perhaps Tyvek stapled over it

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Since you apparently don't care to put in a ceiling, why do you want to cover it?

Mrs.BurtonRW thinks it’s dusty/dirty/messy.

I see.

Well, anything you staple up there, such as oldbill123's Tyvec suggestion, is going to collect as much dirt and dust and will, over time, become equally as messy. I expect it'll eventually begin to sag, too.

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:

quote:

Curious: Why did you insulate a floor over a basement?

I didn’t. The house came that way.

The things some homeowners do

It's too bad Arc seems to be MIA, because he'd be the Local Authority on such matters, but...

ICBW, but, if your basement's heated, ISTM insulating the floor above would result in colder floors. Other than the sound-deadening aspect: ISTM counter-productive. I might be inclined to rip it out.

Note the rampant use of qualifiers in that statement

But then Mrs. BurtonRW will be obliged to endure the sight of the dirty, dusty, messy floor joists, floor, cross-bracing, and all the other cruft up there. So... drywall, dropped ceiling, or a new system I saw that allows one to place ceiling tiles right against the bottom of joists (don't recall who makes it).

There is a matte-black ceiling paint that will "stick to anything except the floor". If the insulation is faced craft paper, it *MIGHT* do what you are looking to do. I'd advise finding someone who has done it before, I have only seen it sprayed on bare joist/floor/duct/pipe/wire/etc, not insulation. The one I'm most familiar with was DIY by someone that, if they could accomplish it, a brain-dead chimp could do it.

What about nailing up some 1/2 inch or so 4x8 sheets of rigid insulation board? I’ve got a barn in southern indiana that I put up fiberglass insulation in the floor joists of the upper living area and to keep it in place I nailed up 1/2 rigid insulation boards.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Curious: Why did you insulate a floor over a basement?

Noise dampening.

quote:

Originally posted by oldbill123:
Perhaps Tyvek stapled over it

I think this is a good, inexpensive solution. Just staple it up (or use roofing nails) and tape the seams. Should be good to go.

I'd tell her the only good option is to use drywall, ducting for AC/heat and lighting, put in power for a ceiling mounted projection 4K tv.

Then drywall the walls, build a gun safe room, small bath with shower, bar, LVP floors, and boom instant man cave ...

quote:

How to cover fiberglass batting between floor joists

I'm guessing duct tape is not the look you're going for here..

We have this situation too. In my case, the setup is an unheated storage room in the center of the basement, surrounded on three sides by climate controlled rooms, but not itself heated or cooled. So it is insulated from those rooms and from the kitchen above it.

"No drywall was harmed in the construction of this room" Exposed joists with insulation, exposed wall framing with insulation is the order of the day down there. - that's how it was when we bought the place - and I just let it go.

Fortunately, nobody in the household cares much what that room looks like (and, frankly, having it open gives access to some wiring and plumbing.)

Plus, as they might say in these parts, 'We're plum out of duct tape, anyway!"