Insulating under suspended wooden floor

[RuthS]

Hi thereWe want to insulate under our suspended wooden floor, downstairs. This is incredibly draughty, and is costing us an arm and a leg in heating bills.We've been told that we'll need to take up all the floor boards, lay insulation material (and a membrane?) and re-lay the boards.Is there any cheaper / more efficient way of doing this. Our boards are really nice, and I can't see them surviving all this intact.

 

[sydthebeat]

the problem here is that you will have to maintain ventilation under the floor to prevent rot.
a waterproof membrane is not needed (assuming you have no problems with water ingress currently)
the usual way to do this is to either:
1. fix rigid insulation boards on 1 x 1 battens between joists or
2. pack in quilted insulation held on something like chicken wire

personally i dont see any way of doing thi swithout lifting the floorboards.
i wouldnt recommend blown-in insulation unless someone can come up with a way of maintaining thru ventilation

 

[BlueSpud]

You should only have to lift a few bpoatds, enough to get into the crawl space below. One underneath, you can do what has been recomended above. Choose an area in a corner, under a table, or in the hallway.

 

[Simeon]

Hi Ruth! As BlueSpud said this can be done without lifting the whole floor - provided you can crawl (on your back) and insert 150mm of quilted insulation. Then you hold the insulation in place with chicken wire/felt/light battens etc. We did this about eight years ago and the place is so snug. So, out with you to the shop and buy a disposable overall. Otherwise, up they come and fit battens onto the joists to support Xtratherm boards.

 

[RuthS]

Brilliant info - thanks! Now I know how to approach it.No way I'm going under the floorboards myself though ... himself might take a notion and close them up while I'm in there!