Traditional Attic Insulation

A short overview many homes have attics that are completely uninsulated.

Traditional attic insulation.

It s a sandwich of rigid foam insulation and plywood or osb oriented strand board the flaky plywood. Foam once installed is an incredibly strong adhesive so when installed in a traditional attic scenario creates a air tight thermal blanket across the ceiling of a house. Be sure to check your current insulation in case it s time for an upgrade. Spray foam stays in place and does not settle ensuring total continual performance.

Water retention can be a contributor to mold growth. Proper attic insulation is the best way to prevent heat loss in the winter and retain cool air in the summer. The most common insulation materials are fiberglass cellulose and foam. Foam in place insulation can be blown into walls on attic surfaces or under floors to insulate and reduce air leakage.

Insulation types include loose fill batts rolls foam board spray board and vapor barriers. But when radiant barrier is added over traditional attic insulation emissivity levels drop considerably. So starting off with one of the most common traditional insulation types fibreglass is a popular traditional insulation option on the market. Aside from the insulating benefits of foam a large benefit is that spray foam once installed will never settle blow around or disintegrate.

So it s time to pay close attention to what s happening up there. Your attic insulation just shouldn t be alone. Developed in the 1930s the candy floss like insulation is the go to insulation method to date. The type of insulation you need depends on which type is currently installed and the required r value.

Some installations can yield a higher r value than traditional batt insulation for the same thickness and can fill even the smallest cavities creating an effective air barrier. It isn t sufficient protection against conduction. The result is more consistent temperatures inside the living spaces throughout the winter. One that i like a lot since i built a house out of them is the structural insulated panel.

There are other materials and systems that you can use to insulate your attic. Professionals spray an expanding foam insulation into your attic sealing the cracks and insulating it from outside temperature variations. You can use the small pressurized cans of foam in place insulation to reduce air leakage in holes and cracks such as window and door frames and electrical and plumbing penetrations.