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Covering a fiberglass basement ceiling

adirusso \| February 2009

Covering a fiberglass basement ceiling

I have a large basement that I am not planning on finishing for at least a few years. I have exposed fiberglass batts between the wood joists. I would like to cover the exposed fiberglass so that when my kids play in the basement they do not inhale the fibers.

I don't really want to sheetrock the whole thing( 3500 sq ft.) because eventually I will finish it and I like the ease of running wires and making repairs.

I first thought of plastic sheeting but soon realised that this would trap any moisture and possibly cause mold. Then I thought of a Tyvek sheet but fear that that will also trap in any moisture.

Any suggestions on what I can use to cover the ceiling and keep the fibers from going airborne and still letting the ceiling breathe.

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	Geoff \| Vote: \| January 26th

Re: Covering a fiberglass basement ceiling

I always strongly recommend to people that they consider a dropped ceiling in the basement. It looks good, dampens sound, easy to install, and very easy to repair when the first floor fish tank leaks while you are on vacation. Also, in my jurisdiction (Ontario), you are not allowed to have electrical connections (i.e. junction boxes) buried in a cavity in such a way that they are unaccessible. So every electrical box in your basement would have to be re-wired (at a hefty price) if you were to finish the ceiling with drywall. And plastic on the warm side of the insulation (assuming your basement is a heated space) is just fine, by the way. It doesn't look pretty, but it is required anyway before you finish your basement. Have fun!

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	ParagonRenovations \| 5.00 (Excellent) \| Vote: \| March 2009

Re: Covering a fiberglass basement ceiling

You could actually cover it with 6 mil poly and be okay. It will breathe to the top side and even if you cover it with plastic aka vapor barrier it probably is not going to be air tight by any means.

Next since you are going to finish the ceiling at a later date and time and are worried about the fibers you could do the pillowed cloud look. You could go to the home store and purchase some clearance bed sheets or visit a thift store and staple the bed sheets to the joists. This wold give you a swag look and is would contain the fibers if they should become airborne.

I wish you good luck and if there is anything else we can help with let us know!

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