George writes from Strongsville, Ohio: "I am planning on finishing my basement. I have never had any water problems, but I painted the walls with 3 coats of Behr concrete paint/sealer. My plan is to glue 1 inch 4x8 feet Foamular panels to the walls and caulk the seams, tops and sides. I want to create a thermal and moisture barrier between the room and the cold walls, so I don't have potential condensation problems. I will leave a 1/2 inch air space between the Foamular and steel studs. What do you think of my plan? I am not sure if I should also add insulation between the studs or if the Foamular will provide enough insulation for a basement in my area. I will be installing mold resistant drywall and am running a dehumidifier to manage moisture in the air"

Answer: Owens Corning markets a FOAMULAR® Insulation product specifically designed for basement walls. Known by the trademark InsulPink®, it has channels that allow it to be installed with furring strips. We don't recommend putting FIBERGLAS® Insulation directly over FOAMULAR products.

FOAMULAR products have an R value of 5 per inch. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recommends R-11 for basement walls in your Zip Code area.