Why Insulate the Floor?

[martymcfly]

How much insulation value would it be to put down some HF anti-fatigue floor mat on top of your floor? It would be really easy and pretty cheap. I haven't noticed many people using it, or just not talking bout it in their build journals.

[noseoil]

The harbor freight mats wouldn't add much in the way of insulation value & would add some weight where it really isn't needed. Carpet pad might be a better choice for insulation, but it wouldn't be that good for helping keep the heat or cold in or out. You need small air chambers for insulation (like foam), or a way to slow the movement of heat moving to cold (or is it cold moving to heat?) like styrofoam.

One concern I have is the amount of heat which is coming off of any paved surface in the summer. With air temps above 100f regularly from June until September, the pavement gets really hot in the afternoon. Anything to slow it down will help. I'm not as worried about the cold at this point.

[aggie79]

How much insulation value would it be to put down some HF anti-fatigue floor mat on top of your floor? It would be really easy and pretty cheap. I haven't noticed many people using it, or just not talking bout it in their build journals.

I lined the top of my floor with 1/2" thick foam interlocking exercise mats. They're mainly for extra cushioning under our thin mattress but they do add insulation value.

[daveesl77]

I live in Florida, but we travel all over the US. It had to handle all types of weather extremes. Heat, cold, high humidity, no humidity and all points between.

I way overbuilt my floor (newbie), but I was going to insulate everything. So the floor is 1/2" ply attached to true 1x4 framing, filled with foamboard, covered with 1/2" ply. Underneath is PMF, topside is the polymix. Interior is all screwed and glued, allowed to set up for over 2 weeks. I extended my floor about 9" in width and 12" in length, so I wanted something that could withstand unsupported weight. I could have easily gotten away with 3/8 ply and may 1/4", but the insulation was mandatory. 1" in floor, 1.5 inches in walls and ceiling structures. Everything is laminated, so I have a singular structure. It weighs a bit more than it needs to , but on the intial weigh-in, fully loaded, it came to 1,340#.

dave