Re: HELP! Proper way to insulate concrete structure

i still think external insulation (as in EIFS) is the proper solution. but if you can not install
styrofoam (XPS) on the outside, you can also install it inside.
and another thing, don't buy local styro. it cheap. but it delaminates from its basecoat
adhesive. get the original styrofoam from Dow. only, it's pretty expensive.

correctly installed insulation should be continuous - without gaps.
and the best insulation should not absorb moisture, so that its R-Value stays the same
in the long run. if you choose a material that absorbs moisture - like your common
polyethylene sheets with aluminum foil, it'l only work for a few months. then it starts to
lose its insulating properties.

most of us want to do it right the first time.
but we easily get deceived by short term cost cuts, and then end up paying more.
so sorry to hear about your disaster.
hope this helps.

Re: HELP! Proper way to insulate concrete structure

Hi all. To Ghost: Sorry to hear about the disaster. Yes, we learn that way.

I am reviving this post as I am on the same boat as you are. I also need to have a working insulation in my house.

So, here's the situation: The design of the house is Southwest/Mexican with a concrete roofdeck (5") which serves as the roof. No insulation whatsover and the concrete serves as the ceiling. (if was painted white). Thank God, no leaks after 5 years. Area is around 120 sq.m.

The problem is my living room/kitchen faces west and it gets hot from 10AM onwards. I am fortunate to live in a hilly subdivision so temperature is cooler starting at 6PM but the hot air gets trapped inside. I plan to install some sort of an exhaust fan to check if it works but I have to address the insulation part yet.

Like the OP, I can't install an insulation at the exterior since it will be used for parties, etc so the only option is the interior part. Worse, my ceiling is only 10 or 11ft high. The living room is not airconditioned.

Which leaves my only option is to install an interior type insulation.
1. Would a PE foam adhered directly to the ceiling works? I also read somebody mentioned styrofoam but I dont know where to start.

2. I havent explored the idea of waterproofing yet. Might the membrane type help with the insulation?

Thanks for any inputs. 🙂

Re: HELP! Proper way to insulate concrete structure

Hi all. To Ghost: Sorry to hear about the disaster. Yes, we learn that way.

I am reviving this post as I am on the same boat as you are. I also need to have a working insulation in my house.

So, here's the situation: The design of the house is Southwest/Mexican with a concrete roofdeck (5") which serves as the roof. No insulation whatsover and the concrete serves as the ceiling. (if was painted white). Thank God, no leaks after 5 years. Area is around 120 sq.m.

The problem is my living room/kitchen faces west and it gets hot from 10AM onwards. I am fortunate to live in a hilly subdivision so temperature is cooler starting at 6PM but the hot air gets trapped inside. I plan to install some sort of an exhaust fan to check if it works but I have to address the insulation part yet.

Like the OP, I can't install an insulation at the exterior since it will be used for parties, etc so the only option is the interior part. Worse, my ceiling is only 10 or 11ft high. The living room is not airconditioned.

Which leaves my only option is to install an interior type insulation.
1. Would a PE foam adhered directly to the ceiling works? I also read somebody mentioned styrofoam but I dont know where to start.

2. I havent explored the idea of waterproofing yet. Might the membrane type help with the insulation?

Thanks for any inputs. 🙂

If possible, I would stop the heat from the source.
Now already summer, the immediate things you can try are
1. Before any changes, buy a thermometer and get readings around the room to get baseline data. This is one way to test and quantify the effectiveness of the measures you will experiment on.
2. Have the roof deck painted white to bounce off the sunlight.
3. Instead of an exhaust fan, we use an intake fan - an ordinary box fan held directly against the aluminum screen.

Some pictures of your problem will help us a lot in making suggestions. Maybe some plants can serve as "sun shield" and as decoration also. Maybe orchids?

Plants naturally absorb the sun's energy and are ideal "insulators". Di ba ang sarap matulog sa ilalim ng puno or kawayan kahit summer?

Re: HELP! Proper way to insulate concrete structure

Hi. Same situation here. Masters bedroom is in the second floor facing West with no obstructions for shading. Our neighbor has a bungalow with no trees in between us. First thing we've done was put PE foam on top of the ceiling for our roof insulation and got significant cooling during daytime. Problem is in the afternoon 'til nightime. Been observing our concrete wall on that side and could feel heat that continue to radiate well into the night. Combined this with our inverter aircon equals one warm room. So i am looking at a quick, cheap but effective option to address this. Was thinking of putting the same PE foam in the 'hot' wall (internal). Maybe using back to back tape to stick it on the wall. Is this effective? Any other ideas?

Re: HELP! Proper way to insulate concrete structure

Hello Ghost,

When I did my hometheater I used rockwool insulation on all walls and ceilings. Used 2 inches in the walls and 2 inches in the ceiling and another 2 inches of rockwool underneath the roof. I have also used foam strips in the windows and doors to avoid leakage ng lamig.

My hometheater is around 54sqm with 11 ft ceiling. I am using a 2hp panasonic inverter aircon, it really gets icy cold even if there are 15 people watching. Kahit pagpasok mo kinabukasan malamig pa rin yung room.

Medyo matagal nga lang palamigin yung room specially now na sobra init pero in your case na 24/7 andar ng aircon I dont see any problem. Got my insulation from Philippine Insulation in Paranaque near NAIA

This is also what i did with my home theater. A combination of rockwool on the ceiling all the walls except the backwall which is adjacent to the CR. Same effect. Very cold maski sa morning. As for my hot sala, i installed a mechanical roof ventilator. The ones that you see at factories. It did help. I also cut a meter of the GI sheet covering the apex/dugtungan ng roof and installed another small roof on top of it, around 12 inches in height. It really lowered the temperature inside my ceiling far better than the ventilator.

Re: HELP! Proper way to insulate concrete structure

Hi. Same situation here. Masters bedroom is in the second floor facing West with no obstructions for shading. Our neighbor has a bungalow with no trees in between us. First thing we've done was put PE foam on top of the ceiling for our roof insulation and got significant cooling during daytime. Problem is in the afternoon 'til nightime. Been observing our concrete wall on that side and could feel heat that continue to radiate well into the night. Combined this with our inverter aircon equals one warm room. So i am looking at a quick, cheap but effective option to address this. Was thinking of putting the same PE foam in the 'hot' wall (internal). Maybe using back to back tape to stick it on the wall. Is this effective? Any other ideas?

1. Painting the wall facing the sun white will help
2. Attach light colored canvas (lona) on the eaves covering the bedroom allowing air but bouncing off sunlight

Im not too "sold" on the idea of additional insulating layers for walls. Very attractive to cockroach and other vermin plus a good place for mold in humid and rainy days.

Re: HELP! Proper way to insulate concrete structure

Thanks. How much of a difference would the white paint make? Its currently colored orange. I've also thought of putting canvas. Some more ideas to ponder on.

Re: HELP! Proper way to insulate concrete structure

Thanks. How much of a difference would the white paint make? Its currently colored orange. I've also thought of putting canvas. Some more ideas to ponder on.

Having no idea how dark your orange paint is, I cannot say. You can do a "mythbusters" experiment however. Better fail with hundreds of pesos than fail with thousands worth of labor and material.

Get identical softdrink cans or sardines can. Paint one white and the other the same color as your wall. Fill each the same amount of water and place under direct sunlight on top of styropor cooler/cup/value meal. This will will insulate the cans and allow only the radiated heat from the sun to warm up the water. Putting the cans on the pavement will conduct heat from the pavement to the cans - something totally unrelated to the paint color.

Measure with a thermometer (the one we use for fever) every 10 minutes. The difference in temperature will be the answer to your question.

Re: HELP! Proper way to insulate concrete structure

Having no idea how dark your orange paint is, I cannot say. You can do a "mythbusters" experiment however. Better fail with hundreds of pesos than fail with thousands worth of labor and material.

Get identical softdrink cans or sardines can. Paint one white and the other the same color as your wall. Fill each the same amount of water and place under direct sunlight on top of styropor cooler/cup/value meal. This will will insulate the cans and allow only the radiated heat from the sun to warm up the water. Putting the cans on the pavement will conduct heat from the pavement to the cans - something totally unrelated to the paint color.

Measure with a thermometer (the one we use for fever) every 10 minutes. The difference in temperature will be the answer to your question.

And keep us posted.