DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Old insulation...what is it?

3K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Ironlight 
#1 ·
Below is a photo of the basement of our newly-acquired 1925 house, and the insulation that is around much of the perimeter just above the sole plate. I have no idea what it is. It feels a bit like cotton but fairly densely packed.

Can anyone tell me what this is? Are there any special handling considerations? I'm contemplating pulling it out and injecting foam in its place. While I'm not finishing the basement I am cleaning it up, spraying the celing joists, and ultimately putting dryloc on the walls and an epoxy paint on the floor. This stuff is ugly and most of it is pretty dirty too.

Thoughts on pulling it out and replacing with foam? Better options?

Thanks in advance.

 
See less See more
1
Discussion starter · #6 ·
OK thanks guys. If it is not flammable then I may just leave it as it is doing it's job. Then again, the whole house is so tinder dry that it's not like it matters if that little bit of insulation around the basement is going to be it's undoing, lol.

This basement had literally not been cleaned in 85 years. It took me three days just to get is "merely dusty". There was about a half inch of dust and nasty looking black stuff accumulated on top of the crossbraces in the joists. Now that it is all gone I think the rockwool might be OK until the next phase of basement renovation.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top