How to Install Batt and Roll Insulation

[Music] one way to keep your energy costs down is to make sure your attic is properly insulated today I'm gonna show you how to install bat and rolled insulation batten roll insulation fits well between joist cavities and wall cavities and open spaces like the attic we have here and it's a pretty common DIY project Louisville the type of insulation that's blown in is great for tight spaces it's also great for topping off existing insulation however you're gonna need a machine to install it so the type of insulation are going to use is up to you one big thing to look at is the R value which means resistance to heat flow the higher the number the higher the resistance depending on your climate or your region you're gonna want to higher or lower our value so if you live in a colder climate you're typically gonna want to use a higher r-value now you want to plan on having two layers one in between the joists and one running perpendicular over the joists you'll most likely have an existing layer between the joists so to determine the r-value of the top layer take the recommended R value for your region and subtract the r-value of the existing layer to get the r-value needed for the top layer you need two layers because wood joists allow air to move through the spaces so they must be covered fiberglass insulation like we're using in this project is the most common budget-friendly insulation out there however it's gonna have a lower r-value to a comparable thickness rockwool insulation that's also naturally fire resistant now to determine how much insulation we're going to need we're going to multiply the length times the width to get our square footage in our case it's 40 feet times 25 feet to get a thousand square feet if you have an existing layer of insulation in between the joists but it sits well below the joist add another layer on top of it to bring it up to the top of the joist then you can layer perpendicular layer of insulation right over the bottom layer of fiberglass should have facing against the drywall and the top layer should be on faced so moisture doesn't collect so when you're working with fiberglass insulation you're gonna want to wear some old clothes or even some disposable coveralls it's also a good idea to wear a dust mask safety glasses a hat some knee pads gloves and a hardhat is helpful for working in tight spaces and around exposed roofing nails before installing you'll need to prep your space if you have existing insulation that's in bad shape it's been compressed or worse has mold on it remove it and replace it otherwise you can install new insulation right on top for roof damage call a pro now you'll want to seal all your air gaps you spray foam in large gaps around pipes and caught in smaller spaces around the electrical boxes and utilities for plumbing consider wrapping any water lines with the pipe sleeve also make sure your bath vents exhaust outside now around a heater flue you should create a barrier to hold back the insulation from the hot pipe run it beat a high temperature caulk around the pipe then press a couple of pieces of sheet metal into the caulk and stapled unto the joist seal around the flue - next cut tabs on a piece of sheet metal and form it around the pipe to create a dam finish up by stapling the tabs into place if you have recessed lights in the ceiling below check to see if they're rated type IC if not you'll need to keep the insulation away from the fixture to prevent a fire hazard build a box with drywall and screws to create a 3-inch space around the fixture and you spray foam along the seams if you've got skylight passages be sure to insulate those too there's several ways to do this we filled the gaps with batting then wrap them with unfaith insulation and house wrap here's an important step install rafter events at your soffits just slide them into place and attach them with the staple gun the vents allow air to flow from the soffit to the ridge vent preventing moisture buildup in the end now before laying down any insulation in your attic it's a good idea to map out any lights or other utilities so you know where they're at in the future here's a tip instead of trying to balance on your joists he's a small piece of plywood as a work surface now we still want to use our attic for storage but since we're adding a second layer of insulation we're gonna have to raise the floor up now we're gonna build a framework by taking our two by sixes and laying them perpendicular over the existing joists and then screwing the whole thing together we're then gonna screw the entire framework to the existing joists fill the middle with insulation and then put our sheet of plywood on top of that for the second layer stuff small pieces of unfazed insulation and the tight spaces where the roof meets the ceiling joist then roll the unfazed insulation over the joist keeping the scenes tight together just lay the insulation in place don't compact it continue installing throughout your attic to trim the insulation measure and cut with the utility knife and straightedge almost finished if your attic stair door isn't insulated add weather stripping to the frame then attach a piece of rigid foam on the door with adhesive and cap nails of needles now that our attic is properly insulated if we're going to have a more comfortable energy-efficient home for more great ideas and how-tos go to lowes.com/howto [Music]

Channel: Lowe's Home Improvement

Views: 294,391

Keywords: how to, diy, lowe's, lowes, batt and roll insulation, how to install batt and roll insulation, batt and roll insulation installation

Id: nefbJkd0y9k

Length: 5min 34sec (334 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 28 2018