Foam sheets add another layer of insulation to your home and today are among the top choices for home building professionals due to their efficiency. They are also easy to install and mount. The rigid foam sheets contain two layers of paper backing and an inner core of foam. This composition blocks cold air drafts from entering the home through the walls.
Installing foam sheets is different from installing plywood or sheeting but it is not difficult. Anyone with basic maintenance skills and the right tools will find mounting foam sheets a fairly simply task. It will take about two hours to mount or install foam sheets on the walls of a small to medium sized room.
Step 1
Prepare to install foam sheets. Measure the area of installation for the foam sheets. Lay the foam sheet on the ground. Place a drywall ruler on the foam board at the length desired. Press the safety razor into the foam and slide it along the drywall ruler to cut the foam sheets to the right size for installation.
Step 2
Set the foam sheet in place on the wall as if you will install it. Set the drywall ruler on the foam sheet. Line up the edge of the drywall ruler with the center of the wall stud above the sheet. Draw a pencil along the edge of the drywall ruler, marking the location of the stud on the foam sheet.
Set a six inch long section of 2-by-4 board on top of the foam sheet, in the middle of the sheet, and right over one of the wall studs. Use your eye to line up the stud behind the foam sheet, then drill a three inch drywall screw through the 2-by-4 and into the stud. Install three of these 2-by-four sections for each full-length sheet.
Step 3
Place a six inch section of 2-by-4 board on top of the foam sheet, in the middle of the sheet, on the pencil line you drew to mark the stud. Place a wood screw on the 2-by-4 board and drill it through the board, the foam sheet and into the wall stud. Install three 2-by-four sections like this in each full-length sheet. Repeat this process to cover the entire wall and install foam sheets wherever needed.
Step 4
Starting at the far end of the wall, find the horizontal seam between two pieces of foam sheet board. Place one end of home wrap tape adhesive side down over the seam, so one half of the tape is on one sheet and the other half is on the sheet below it. Run the tape across the seam and smooth it down with your hand. Repeat this step for every seam in your installation.
Step 5
Place a one-by-three inch strip of furring horizontally across the top of the foam sheet where you intend to mount it. Where it intersects the pencil line you drew to mark the stud, drill a pilot hole through the furring strip with a 1/16 inch bit and power drill. Place a three inch drywall screw into the pilot hole in the furring strip. Using a power driver, secure the furring strip to the stud.
Things you may need to install and mount foam sheet on walls or framing.
- Foam sheets
- Razor
- Drywall ruler
- Power drill
- Boards, 2-by-4 (cut into 6 inch lengths)
- Drywall screws, 4 inch
- Drywall screws, 3 inch
- House wrap tape
- Furring strips, 1-by-3 inch
- Drill bit, 1/16 inch