Is it possible to insulate stairs?

christineka

We have stairs to our basement. They go over a little room. The room is not insulated. We use it for food storage since it stays at a good temperature for food. The stairs had nasty carpet on them, so I ripped it off and intend to fix up the stairs and paint them. My husband claims that without the carpet, the cold from that room comes out of the stairs and makes the basement colder. I can see through the cracks in the stairs. (I know when kids have been in that room since I can see the light shining through the cracks between the stair boards.)

I have insulation. Would it be reasonable to staple insulation to the bottom of the stairs and then use something to seal the cracks? Or is there another way?

oh'mike

Sure,why not?---Tape the cracks with aluminum duct tape from the under side(or use caulk)

Add the fiberglass bats of insulation--then drywall or paneling--I think that would do--

That will add more air stopping than the old carpet did.

fixrite

using foam board would be best imho. I would use a caulking to seal the cracks and then install the foam board insulation and then seal that as well. You will need to use the proper adheasive to install the foam board as using the incorrect kind could cause it to melt instead of adhere to the bottom of the steps.