basement insulation

CooperChloe

Scenario

• I'm finishing off my basement. It's a small room (about 300 sq. ft.)
• The furnace and sump pump have already been boxed off with studs.
• The rest of the walls have metal furring strips, which the drywall will attach to later.
• It's directly below our living room.
• The basement is almost entirely undergound. The parts that aren't are adjacent to the garage and another room in the basement (split level).

Questions

• Should I use insulation downstairs? Our area is rated for R11.
• Can I get those blue or pink sheets or do I need fiberglass?
• The reason I didn't get studs was because it took more room in an already small area. I figured some insulation (even if below R11) was better than none.
• Would it be worth removing the metal furring strips and replacing with studs? This will be our new family room (tv, video games, etc.)

ryanh

Depends where you live, you must live somewhere with warm climate all year around. If you are concerned about space you could use rigid insulation(1.5",2", 2.5") to bring up your r value with min space.

jaros bros.

Studs are more preferable. You can run receptacles in them and mechanicals. You also need a vapor barrier in the basement. Insulation is a good idea but you can just butt fiberglass up against the concrete. Concrete is like a sponge and you'll have moldy fiberglass in no time. Foam is a better idea...closed cell, because it will insulate and create a vapor at the same time.
Josh Jaros