Installing Attic Insulation In Rafters

The basic installation steps are the same for walls ceilings floors and roofs in wood frame houses.

Installing attic insulation in rafters. Fasten foam insulation boards to the interior of the rafters using screws or nails with 1 inch minimum washers or caps. You can use rigid foam panels or do as tom silva does with nearly all houses these days. We decided to do attic ventilation 455 attic air sealing 1485 2 bathroom exhaust fans 887 and attic insulation 1552 in the future we plan to add floor insulation. Install ventilation baffles into the space between the rafters before you install the insulation usually by stapling into place.

Hire a pro to install spray foam insulation. Begin at a wall and work toward the center of the attic floor or the entryway carefully placing insulation between joists and ensuring a snug fit. For insulation to reach its full potential for preventing warm air migration it must maintain the. The batting material must be faced and at least as thick as the joists are wide so the batting is nearly flush with the top of the joists.

If using insulation with a vapor retardant facing install the material with the vapor retardant side down. If you re considering turning your attic into conditioned storage or living space it s worth changing tactics to insulate between the rafters and wall joists instead of the floor. The will hold open an air gap of approximately 1 inch to allow airflow past a layer of insulation. Visquine a painter s drop cloth over the insulation and across the face of the rafters.

Push the insulation in place between the rafters but be careful not to compress the material. Cut the insulation roll or batt to fit the length of the framing cavity if necessary. Although the paper or foil backing of the insulation is a vapor barrier the added visquine covers completely with no breaks making sure no moisture forms in the cavity. Fasteners should be long enough to penetrate in to the rafter a minimum of inch.

Set a t square or metal straightedge over the insulation and press it down firmly. To install insulation batts and blankets. If your attic is going to be converted into livable space then you will need to insulate the roof rafters. Alternate fasteners may be used with the type and length as recommended by their manufacturer for securing foam plastic insulating sheathing.

Place the insulation with the facing side down on a piece of scrap plywood. Install batting between the attic s floor joists. You can buy air ducts that staple to the inside of your roof above the eave vents and fit between the rafters. Once the insulation is in place between all the rafters staple up a vapor barrier of 6 ml.