How To Install Unfaced Insulation On Attic Floor

I ve always said adding insulation to your attic is some of the best money you can spend to make your house more energy efficient but whether to use faced or unfaced insulation is a great question.

How to install unfaced insulation on attic floor.

Install batting between the attic s floor joists. This is the reason you need not add a vapor barrier when you are using paper faced insulation. Installing insulation has almost the same steps for all. Fiberglass is typically r 3 5 to 3 8 per inch so an attic needs a total of about 10 inches of insulation under floors about.

Now here s a situation where a homeowner what looks like many years ago added insulation they added a three inch layer but it has facing on it and that could create a. Don t cut near wiring. Cut the insulation on the unfaced side against a safe backstop such as an unfinished floor or another smooth flat surface. Whether using loose fill or batts put the vapor barrier closest to the warm side of your installation where hot moist air would get in facing the house s interior in cold climates beneath floor insulation and the attic s interior in hot climates on top of floor insulation.

The paper creates a vapor barrier that helps keep the water vapor in the warm moist heated indoor air from migrating outward into the wall or other structure. You may need to split or cut the insulation to fit it carefully around obstacles such as bracing ducts electrical boxes wiring and pipes. The facing on kraft faced insulation is made of kraft paper with an asphalt coating that makes the paper impermeable to water vapor. California for instance requires r 38 in attics and r 11 in floors.

Remember to set the paper faced insulation upwards. Raise ceiling joists also if the attic insulation is thicker than your ceiling joists you can raise the height of the joists to above the insulation by attaching 2 3 s to their top edge before you attach the attic floor boards. The purpose of insulation facing. If it is too big then trim it to size.

Attic dek flooring is an easy to install floor option that provides additional storage space supporting up to 250 lbs.