How to Insulate an Attic with Cellulose
Insulating your attic is one of the smartest and most cost effective things in the world to do to drive down energy costs, be it air conditioning cost or heating cost. Filling it up with cellulose insulates it against air leaks. The best thing is it is totally environmentally friendly as the cellulose is made up of newspapers. It is also cost friendly and can be done by any one with the right tools. You will need to rent out a blower which will make the work a lot easy. However, preparing your attic for the insulation is the trying part. Let us go through our step by step guide.
Things Required:
– Plywood for attic walkway
– Measuring tape
– Blown-in insulation
– Dust mask
– Goggles
– Insulation blower (rental)
– 20 inch wide cardboard strips
– Soffit vent chutes
– Staples
– Staple gun
– Metal flashing
– Metal screws
Instructions
-
1
Measurement:
Measure the total area to be covered. Determine the thickness of cellulose layer you want. It will help you get the number of cellulose bags which you can get from the hardware store. Look at the packaging of the cellulose for information on square feet.
Get mask and goggles because you will be needing them during the installation.
-
2
Cover the Access:
You need to walk around the attic freely. So keep the access free of cellulose. Cover it up with cardboard pieces so that you can walk on them. Cover up the access door to the house with cardboard so that cellulose passes through into the house.
-
3
Cover Fixtures:
Before blowing insulation, cover your fixtures well to protect them. Place plastic sheet or metal flashing around recessed lighting fixtures. Heating fixtures and chimney flues should be covered with metal flashing.
Cover the vents with soffit chutes so that they are not covered with cellulose. This prevent blockage of air circulation. You can cover them using staples.
Spray expanding spray foam to seal any gaps around plumbing pipes, ceiling perforations and holes.
-
4
Blow Cellulose:
Pour cellulose into the blower. Feed it full and than blow it into the farthest corner of the attic. Distribute the cellulose all through the attic, according to the thickness you want. Spray in a up-and-down fashion as it will help make neat rows.
- 20 inch wide cardboard strips
- Soffit vent chutes
- Staples
- Staple gun
- Metal flashing
- Metal screwsNext%20stop%3A%20Pinterest "Pin It")
