Putting Insulation In Walls

Insulating interior walls isn.

Putting insulation in walls.

Roll insulation is best for floors ceilings and roofs with a long joist or rafter bays and for tall walls. Walls both exterior and interior are the next area to insulate in a home. 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. The structural elements are usually exposed in these areas which makes it easy to see what type of insulation you have and to measure its depth or thickness inches.

Fiberglass batts foam or cellulose can be used to insulate the interior walls. 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. Only a cost benefit analysis in relation to your own situation can help you arrive at the right answer.

In most wall applications you will use r 13 or r 15 kraft faced fiberglass insulation rolls for these two by four stud walls. Kraft faced or paper faced insulation comes in batts and long rolls. Insulation in house exterior walls is one of the primary defenses against heat and energy loss. Check the attic walls and floors adjacent to an unheated space like a garage or basement.

Don t wrap fiberglass batts around electrical boxes or stuff full batts behind them. The advantages of insulating interior walls. There are various grades of insulating batting for different locations in the house so you ll need a different insulation for interior exterior attic or basement walls. Put the batt in place and use a scissors to snip around the box.

Tuck the snipped out plug of insulation behind the box. All kraft faced insulation is easy to cut with a sharp utility knife or insulation knife. The grade of batting will vary depending on the wall that you re insulating. Rigid boards work best on exterior walls along with a vapor barrier.

The third area that needs proper insulation is the floors. Choose fiberglass insulation batting. In some cases the cost of adding insulation may exceed the cost of energy needed to heat or cool it. Staple the flanges of faced insulation to the interior faces of the wall studs or stud edges.

Unfortunately however builders didn t insulate the walls of most homes built before the 1980s. Retrofit wall insulation is a debatable subject because there is no single right answer for all homes and homeowners. The r value of the batt measures the thermal resistance so the higher the r value the more effectively. The batts are precut to fit into cavities on standard 8 foot high walls.