Text to Order!There are a few important steps to insulating a ceiling properly. First, there are two basic types of ceilings; flat ceilings and cathedral ceilings. Understand that most of the energy leaving the house is in the ceiling of the top floor. It is especially important you do a great job of insulating the ceiling.
Flat ceiling under an attic
In new construction where you going to be installing the insulation that you’ll install the insulation from below before the drywall is put up.Before you begin insulating you’ll need to protect the home’s ventilation you can use baffles in order to do this. A home needs to be well ventilated so that I can breathe out excess Heat. Failure to properly ventilate a roof can lead to moisture damage and mold. You can install the baffles and on the Rafters where the insulation meets the corner of the roof so that you allow for proper airflow. What’re the baffles are in place you can begin to install the insulation.
Install the baffles by pushing the baffles up through the ceiling joists and then pulling them back down so that they’re even with the ceiling joist. It is important to install the baffle correctly so that way it will return to its full R-value thickness without any gaps so it will create the most efficient insulating property possible. If you are using faced fiberglass, make sure the facing face inside the house or towards the part of the house that you are Heating. Also, make sure the installation meets the top plate where the ceiling meets the wall below. And but separate pieces of insulation together so there are no gaps or spaces.
If local regulations call for stapling insulation to the rafters, open the flange of the facing and then stapled directly to the rafter. There will be spaces that will be maybe narrower than the factory cut batt. Simply cut the insulation to fit. You want to actually cut it one inch wider than the space that is provided to make sure the batt fills the space completely.
Lighting in lighting fixtures that cause heat requires special instructions this is very important for safety. Install insulation at least 3 in away from unrated ceiling fixtures. Depending on the local building code, you may need to baffle around these lighting fixtures as well you can use cardboard to do this.
Then fit the insulation snugly around the baffle. Check all the pictures that are in the ceiling if a fixture has the letters IC in it then you can insulate right up next to that fixture. If you have to install the insulation around chimneys or other Heat giving elements, then give each element at least one in space. For small hard-to-reach spaces, you can stuff unfaced insulation into spaces.
You may also encounter other obstacles when installing insulation such as electrical wiring in this case you will want to actually cut the insulation in half and install it around the wire. You will want to try to keep the same insulation thickness so that you don’t lose any r-value. Another option is to split the batt. For junction boxes in the fan simply cut out a piece of the insulation to create a snug fit. Following these simple guidelines, you will have a flat ceiling insulated properly.
Another option for installing insulation is to install the insulation in the attic itself. And this application you will be installing the insulation right on top of the drywall. If installing insulation this way be very careful as the drywall is thin and will not be able to support your weight.
You may wish to put the plywood in the attic so that you can stand on it and not fall through the drywall. From up here, you will place the face part of the insulation down. Follow the same guidelines you just learned how to install insulation around light fixtures, junction boxes, and wiring so that you create a snug fit. Finally, before finishing the job you’ll want to staple a piece of insulation to the back of the access port to the Attic.
Installing insulation in a cathedral ceiling
Cathedral ceilings give a room in open, airy and spacious feel. But it also has some special insulation needs. For this type of job you will need lots of safe and secure scaffolding and ladders. There are two types of insulation types that you can use for cathedral ceilings. First, there is the r30c which is 8 and 1/4 inch thick this is used for 2 by 10 rafters. Second, there are the 10in thick r38c this is used for 2 x 12 rafters.
First, you want to install the baffles where the ceiling meets the wall. This will cause proper airflow in your ceiling. Sometimes multiple baffles will be needed if multiple baffles are needed then install them 1 to 2 inches apart. Now push insulation backs up into the rafters until they are flush with the edge of the rafters. Do not push the batt up against the roof deck as this would block when necessary airflow needed. R30c and r38c are designed to leave a 1in space to allow for proper ventilation. Make sure there is at least one inch of space between the batt and the roof.
Sometimes you may want to install a poly Visqueen over unfaced Batts. Stretch to poly over the rafters and staple it in place. Overlap poly one full faster length and staple securely.
4 Kraft faced R-13 seed r38c staple the flanges every 10 to 12 in.
Installing batted insulation is quite easy if you follow the guidelines indicated in this article.
