basement insulation questions

[dgenglish]

I would like to insulate my unfinished basement. Basement foundation is cinderblock. Two of the four walls have cheap wood paneling mounted to thin strips of furring, mounted directly to the cinderblock.

Can I mount rigid board foam insulation directly to the wood paneling? Should I install a vapor barrier (6 mil plastic sheet) over the insulation? If I decide at some point in the future to add an additional layer of paneling over the 6 mil plastic (for a 'finished' look) can I do this without mounting additional furring?

Dave

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Do it right. Take down the paneling, put up 2 x 4 studs and either foam board or fiberglass, vapor barrier, then a finish of drywall or paneling. Putting a vapor barrier over the existing furring strips and paneling is a sure way to find problems in a few years.

[RicodJour]

It also wouldn't be a bad idea to give the foundation wall a coating of Thoroseal or Drylock. True waterproofing has to be done from the outside, but the interior coating is cheap insurance and easy to do.

R

[BocesLib]

One more thing, while down there...

If you have windows, change them to double pane insulated ones. (single pane glass ones arent that good)

I put fiberglass in all the outer walls as well as in the ceiling. Drywalled the whole thing. So far so good and its made a BIG difference in the warmth of the room.

Tom