Constructing a proper vapor-barrier is imperative if you’re planning to cool your wine cellar. Without an adequate vapor-barrier mold and mildew can develop inside your walls which will lead to costly repairs and severe damage to your home or business. It’s a simple process that is worth every penny.
View our Wine Cellar Construction Walk-Through
When Dealing with Raw Space the steps are easy and pain free. For those of you out there who are working with an existing room you may need to take a step backward to move forward. If you have to remove existing drywall to put up your vapor barrier do it; it’s worth it. Ideally the vapor-barrier would be applied under the studwork but it’s not necessary to alter the existing studwork. Simply wrap the vapor-barrier individually around each stud as illustrated in figure 2 in our Wine Cellar Construction Walk-Through.
The vapor-barrier should be at least a 6 mm plastic and applied before the insulation on the warm side of the wall. The insulation can be fiberglass bats, rigid foam, or blown in insulation. Pay attention to the rating, it should be a minimum of R-19 for your walls and R-30 for your ceiling. The insulation will be applied after the plastic on the cool side of your cellar.
If you want to save a step it is possible to apply the vapor-barrier and insulation with one step:
Using closed cell polyurethane insulation
When constructing your walls steer clear of anything that won’t do well in a damp environment. Remember, you are looking for a constant temperature between 55° and 58°F with 60% to 65% relative humidity. There are a lot of options for the walls so choose what you like. At Wine Racks America we do offer first class Tongue and Groove Wall Paneling. It can be purchased in ponderosa pine, premium redwood, or a stained version of either species.
To discuss this process with one of our Wine Cellar Specialists please call 1-888-373-6057.
Cheers,
Vincent Campbell
Wine Cellar Specialist