Written by Timothy Dale | Published 11:57 AM, January 13, 2021

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Insulating your attic is an excellent way to protect your home from extreme temperatures and humidity. Insulation is also an effective way to reduce heating and cooling costs. The insulation layer acts as a barrier to prevent heat transfer from the inside of the house to the outside in winter, or to prevent heat transfer from the outside to the inside in summer.

An experienced DIYer can install most types of insulation materials, but if you are not sure how to accomplish the task, please consider hiring a professional. The insulation gap will quickly reduce its effectiveness. This guide explores the different types of insulation materials, factors and techniques to consider when purchasing insulation materials, and some of the best attic insulation materials on the market.

In most cases, it makes sense to add attic insulation. However, in some cases, the installation of thermal insulation materials can cause serious problems, such as in old houses with large gaps between the walls, in order to solve the moisture that naturally penetrates into the house. The crevices allow moisture to dry without damaging the structure, but if these spaces are filled with insulating material, it will absorb moisture and cause moldy and rotting wood.

If your roof is an old or shingle roof, and you try to install insulation on the ceiling of the attic, a similar situation can happen. These older roofing materials are made to get wet, breathable and dry, but because the insulating material blocks the wood, moisture only accumulates. Also avoid using insulating materials anywhere near the knobs and pipe wiring. This is an outdated electrical system that poses a major risk of fire and should be replaced as soon as possible.

There are several different types of attic insulation, including blankets, spray foam, radiant foil, and foam boards, each with advantages and disadvantages.

Blanket insulation is one of the most common types of insulation for walls and attic floors; however, do not use it in open spaces because glass fiber particles can affect the air quality in your home. Cut out the thick insulating material so that it fits closely between the gaps in the wooden frame or around pipes, wires, and other obstacles.

Although this insulation material is also one of the cheapest and easiest to install, it is not as effective as spray foam insulation. When installing the insulating blanket, please wear a breathing mask and protective gloves to avoid irritating your lungs and skin.

Spray foam insulation is the main type of attic insulation. Pair it with an insulating blanket to better isolate edges and corners, and use it to seal gaps in existing walls. The most expensive type is troublesome to disassemble; however, it is the most effective option to isolate your home from the spread of hot and cold air.

The spray foam is made of liquid polyurethane, and when sprayed into the cavity of a wall or attic, it expands and hardens into a solid foam. If you have never used spray foam before, please consider hiring a professional to install it to ensure that your house is adequately protected.

Because its main design purpose is to reflect heat away from your home, radiant foil insulation is more common in warm climates. It works through a reflective foil barrier attached to kraft paper or polyethylene bubbles. Air bubbles help prevent heat from passing through the barrier because they provide an air pocket, which reduces the speed at which heat passes through the material.

Although standard insulation reduces the flow of heat, the radiant foil reflects it. Because of this difference, it is not possible to measure radiant foil using the same factors as blankets, spray or foam board insulation. Radiant foil is usually the most affordable type of insulation.

Foam board insulation materials are low in cost and easy to install, and are generally made of polyurethane, polystyrene or polyisocyanurate. The foam board can be cut to fit snugly between wall studs or attic ceiling joists. Because they are not as effective in insulating, foam boards are not as popular as blanket insulation.

However, foam boards do not cause moisture accumulation and mold growth like blanket insulation, because solid foam does not absorb a lot of moisture. Instead, it will dry out in a relatively quick time.

Once you have determined which type of insulation to buy, it is not difficult to find attic insulation for your home. However, there are other factors to consider, including R value and materials.

Attic insulation has a wide range of effectiveness, so in order to help people find the best attic insulation material for their home, manufacturers and industry professionals usually refer to the R value of the insulation material. The R value is a measure of the resistance of an insulator to heat flow. The higher the R-value rating of a product, the more effective it is in reducing energy costs in your home.

The R value is usually listed on the product description or product packaging. However, radiant foil insulation is not measured by the R value because it is designed to reflect heat rather than reduce heat transfer. The optimal R value of the insulation material in your home also depends on your geographic location. Check out this ENERGY STAR R-score chart for an estimated R-score for your geographic area.

Attic insulation can be made from a variety of materials, including cellulose, fiberglass, mineral wool, liquid polyurethane, and polystyrene.

Please remember that insulating materials cannot be installed anywhere in the home. For example, if you place an insulating blanket above the air intake, harmful particles will circulate in your home. In addition, placing insulating materials near exposed electrical connections or on top of heat dissipation holes may cause a fire.

Depending on the type and style of the house, it is also necessary to consider how and where to place insulating materials. Older houses and houses with shingles may be designed to allow excess water to evaporate naturally. The insulating material installed in these areas acts like a sponge, absorbing moisture instead of letting it dissipate. As moisture accumulates, mold will grow and eventually rot the wood.

Use blanket insulation and cut space in the insulation to make it suitable for obstacles such as drains, large water pipes, and HVAC pipes. When the blanket insulation material is compressed, its insulation effect on your home will be reduced, for example when you forcibly install a piece of insulation material around the pipe instead of cutting the gap to make it fit comfortably.

The following top rated products have been selected for their quality, price and customer satisfaction to help you find the best attic insulation to protect your home from extreme heat and low temperatures.

Install this insulation material from Owens Corning in an uninsulated attic or add it as a second floor to increase the R-value potential of the home and reduce heating and cooling costs. The insulating material is made of 35% recyclable components and is designed to not absorb water. Therefore, even in areas with high humidity, it can resist moisture absorption.

The package includes eight pieces of fiberglass attic insulation, each measuring 4 feet x 2 feet. Using all eight pieces without cutting them covers a 64-square-foot space with 8.25 inches of insulating material. This blanket-type attic insulation is easy to cut and install, and the thick insulation also helps reduce noise and vibration in the home.

This natural cotton loft insulation from Frost King is economical and effective. It is 1 inch thick and measures 16 inches x 48 inches. Use one or more pieces of this insulating material on attic walls, ceilings, and floors, or cut or tear smaller pieces of insulating material to fill the voids around pipes, ducts, windows, and doors.

It is made of cotton denim that is anti-fungal, anti-mildew, fire and heat insulation, and is an all-natural alternative to glass fiber woven. In addition, the natural cotton denim is safe and easy to install, just by hand and a utility knife.

This insulation blanket from Owens Corning is easy to cut, locate and install in any space. Woven glass fiber insulation material is made of more than 99% natural ingredients, including minerals, plant compounds, and 65% recycled ingredients.

This insulation blanket comes in 9-inch thick rolls. It has an R value of 30 to keep your home warm in cold months and cool in warm months. Insulation helps reduce the transmission of noise.

The R value of this closed-cell polyurethane spray foam attic insulation from FROTH-PAK is approximately 6.5 per inch, and the kit includes 51.7 cubic feet of spray foam, enough to be 1-inch thick.

The spray foam attic insulation kit includes a 15-foot hose, a spray gun dispenser, 16 cone nozzles and 8 fan nozzles, which provide accuracy regardless of the application. After spraying the foam, it will expand, cure and fully cure within one minute.

This radiant foil attic insulation from US Energy Products is a good choice when paired with another insulation material (such as foam board or insulation blanket), because radiant foil can reflect up to 97% of radiant heat. The secondary insulator prevents the flow of waste heat. This insulating material is easy to cut with a utility knife or scissors, and it is easy to install with staples, nails or adhesives.

The insulating layer is like a sandwich, with two layers of reflective metalized aluminum polyester film on the outside and two layers of polyethylene bubbles on the inside. The bubbles reduce the flow of heat, while the foil reflects radiant heat. This structure keeps the house cool in warm climates and warm in cold weather.

The foam board insulation material is hard and light weight, easy to carry and install around the floor, wall, ceiling and windows. Use a warm utility knife to cut this foam board from Owens Corning with high precision. This method allows users to form insulating materials according to precise size requirements, and can even cut circular shapes on foam boards so that heat will not be lost around pipes or other obstacles.

The package includes seven foam boards rated R 3.0. This insulating material is moisture-proof and is very suitable for sealing the narrow gaps around doors and windows. In these gaps, a lot of heat will be lost in the home during the winter months.

Before investing in new attic insulation, please review these frequently asked questions and their answers.

The best R value depends on the typical temperature fluctuations in your city or state, but the recommended average R value for loft spaces is between R-30 and R-49.

Spray foam insulation is the most effective type, with a maximum R value of 6.5 per inch.

Yes, you can. If this happens, moisture may stay in the space, causing mold and air quality problems.

You can remove the old attic insulation before adding new insulation, but unless the old insulation is wet, made of hazardous materials (such as asbestos), or just degrades too quickly to be used for any remaining uses, there is no It is necessary to do so.

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