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Glam Journal

How do you insulate an old house exterior wall?

Author

Elijah King

Updated on April 07, 2026

How do you insulate an old house exterior wall?

One way to insulate walls of an old house is to focus on the home’s exterior:

  1. Apply a house wrap/vapor barrier to exterior walls.
  2. Attach 1-inch foam board insulation.
  3. Install siding over the insulation.
  4. Replace old windows with energy-efficient units.
  5. Caulk window trim and use weatherstripping to reduce air leaks.

Do cinder block walls insulate well?

Concrete block makes a cost-effective and structurally sound wall, but it has little thermal resistance. Depending on the density of the blocks, an 8-inch thick block wall without any other type of insulation has a thermal resistance value between R-1.9 and R-2.5.

How to insulate exterior walls of an old brick house?

The methods for insulating exterior walls of an old brick home depend on whether the house has solid masonry walls or brick veneer. Solid masonry walls like those found in very old homes often require constructing 2×4 framing on the interior and filling it with insulation, either fiberglass or spray foam.

How to insulate a cinder block basement wall?

1 Visit the Department of Energy website to determine how much insulation you need. 2 Install 2-by-2 wooden furring strips along the length of the cinder block wall. 3 Cut your foam insulation to fit between the furring strips. 4 Place a double layer of foam board between each furring strip.

Can a veneer wall be used for insulation?

Brick veneer wall in my home. It is purely decorative and provides no structural support. These differences mean a lot when it comes to insulation.

Which is the best way to insulate a wall?

In this method, insulation can be done by adding an insulated layer to the surface of the wall, such as woollen fibre inside a stud wall. The major advantage of this method of insulation is that it is generally cheaper.

Is it possible to insulate cinder block walls?

It was constructed by the owner in the mid 1950s using cinder blocks, and the interior walls are lath and plaster. There is no insulation on the exterior walls, and I want to add some without losing already limited floor space. There’s a less than 1-in. gap between the plaster and cinder blocks, so spraying insulation in there won’t work.

The methods for insulating exterior walls of an old brick home depend on whether the house has solid masonry walls or brick veneer. Solid masonry walls like those found in very old homes often require constructing 2×4 framing on the interior and filling it with insulation, either fiberglass or spray foam.

What’s the best way to insulate a block wall?

Before insulating, coat the exterior of the walls with fluid-applied water-control and air-control layers. Then attach 2x4s on the flat directly to the masonry, insulate between and on top of them—staggering the joints in the insulation—and install additional furring on top of the insulation to attach your cladding.

Can you insulate exterior walls from the outside?

Fitting extra insulation to an older home when renovating can be a great idea, but when insulating exterior walls from the outside take care to do it right. Ecohome investigates the easiest ways to retro-fit insulation to walls.