Putting Insulation In Walls

Insulation in house exterior walls is one of the primary defenses against heat and energy loss.

Putting insulation in walls.

The batts are precut to fit into cavities on standard 8 foot high walls. Roll insulation is best for floors ceilings and roofs with a long joist or rafter bays and for tall walls. Retrofit wall insulation is a debatable subject because there is no single right answer for all homes and homeowners. Rigid boards work best on exterior walls along with a vapor barrier.

Insulating interior walls isn. Walls both exterior and interior are the next area to insulate in a home. The advantages of insulating interior walls. In some cases the cost of adding insulation may exceed the cost of energy needed to heat or cool it.

The third area that needs proper insulation is the floors. Put the batt in place and use a scissors to snip around the box. Staple the flanges of faced insulation to the interior faces of the wall studs or stud edges. Fiberglass batts foam or cellulose can be used to insulate the interior walls.

The r value of the batt measures the thermal resistance so the higher the r value the more effectively. In most wall applications you will use r 13 or r 15 kraft faced fiberglass insulation rolls for these two by four stud walls. Don t wrap fiberglass batts around electrical boxes or stuff full batts behind them. Most communities have building codes that require a minimum amount of insulation in a house s exterior walls and ceiling.

If installing unfaced insulation in unfinished walls such as an interior wall allow friction to hold the insulation in place. All kraft faced insulation is easy to cut with a sharp utility knife or insulation knife. Tuck the snipped out plug of insulation behind the box. Choose fiberglass insulation batting.

So if your house was built before insulating walls became standard you can potentially save a great deal of energy by insulating. While rated differently these two types of insulation are close enough in thickness that they can both fit into modern two by four wall systems. Kraft faced or paper faced insulation comes in batts and long rolls. Unfortunately however builders didn t insulate the walls of most homes built before the 1980s.

When stapling avoid stretching the facing too tightly overcompressing the insulation or creating gaps or puckers. Check the attic walls and floors adjacent to an unheated space like a garage or basement. The grade of batting will vary depending on the wall that you re insulating. Only a cost benefit analysis in relation to your own situation can help you arrive at the right answer.