A vapor barrier can transform an inefficient, dirty, and possibly unhealthy space below your home. It can also help you save energy and protect your family against mold causing moisture, soil gases, and contaminants, providing you with a clean space to store materials beneath your home. The following instructions help walk you through the best DIY practices for performing an at home vapor barrier installation. To install, first ensure your crawl space is free of all standing water then clear the crawl space of any sharp debris to create a smooth surface. Plan to encapsulate your crawl space with a crawl wrap up to the interior foundation wall leaving a three inch gap from the top of the masonry wall or in compliance with your local building code. For walls, a wide roll is best for easier vertical applications. Next, find a good height at the wall to apply some strong double sided tack tape. Run the tape along the length of the wall where the liner is to be applied. This is the time to take into account anything in the crawl space that will cause a permanent penetration of the vapor barrier. Penetrations of the barrier caused by both vertically running and horizontally running pipes should be planned for now as special cuts need to be made to accommodate the pipes while laying down the vapor barrier. Expose the outer side of the tape to make it possible to now apply the barrier to the wall, sealing it tight to the tape. Some tools you will want to have available at this stage are a pair of viscous scissors, a utility knife, and a rubber mallet. Secure the liner to the wall by reinforcing its bond with the tape after driving in insulation stakes, or other similar tools, using the rubber mallet. Once the walls are run along with vapor barrier, it is time to line the exposed earthen floor of the crawl space. The corners of the crawl space will have an excess of bunched up barrier material. After gathering the excess barrier material, fold it down in a triangle fashion similarly to the way you would while wrapping a boxed present with paper. Once you achieve a clean fold that holds up most of the material, secure the fold down with a hefty piece of PVC tape. Duct tape is not recommended as it deteriorates over time. Now the floor is to be lined with a vapor barrier lining and secured to the liner that now exists on the walls. Be sure to secure the barrier around the piping by cutting around them and wrapping them around the base of the pipes while installing. Wrapping the liner around the pipes and covering them with PVC tape will keep a seal around the pipes. Vapor barrier installation is a DIY option that homeowners can take to improve the quality of their home. The materials can be bought at certain hardware or home improvement stores. Choosing a local professional, however, can ensure that the job is done in such a way that mistakes are minimized. This means that the quality of the job can last longer and be more effective than an encapsulation job that is not done by professionals. If you prefer to contact a local professional to save time, as well as the possibility future repair costs, give Barrier Waterproofing Systems a call today at (615) 257-1060.