Ceiling Insulation

If you want to save money on your energy bills as well as enjoy having a comfortable house throughout the seasons, one of the best ways to do it is to insulate your home. Don’t just focus on insulating your walls; you also need to do ceiling insulation to achieve the results you’re looking for. Insulating the walls but neglecting the ceilings is just wasting time and money. For your work to be effective, you will need to place the insulating material between the walls and along the ceiling. Any crawl spaces, pipes, or wirings should also be wrapped in the insulating material.

However, don’t rush to the nearest hardware store to buy batts and blankets. Remember that not all insulating materials are created equal; some may perform better when installed in specific areas, and different materials will also perform differently. This is why several types of insulation exist for several different purposes. Some materials are better suited for ceiling insulation, while others may work better when applied to walls. Batts, blankets, spray foam, rigid foam panels, and reflective insulation are some of the different types you should be aware of.

If you need to do ceiling insulation, you should first check to see if the ceiling is already finished or unfinished. Fiberglass or rockwool batts and blankets are better suited for installing on unfinished ceilings. It’s relatively inexpensive and can be DIY, but you still need to wear protective clothing because the material is a skin irritant and can be hazardous when it gets into the lungs. Fiberglass batts and blankets typically have R-values ranging from R-2.9 to R-3.8.

Another insulation material you can use for unfinished ceilings are rigid foam panels. These materials will decrease the amount of heat being transferred through wall studs, wood, and other elements in the structure. Rigid foam panels are typically made from polystyrene, polyurethane, or polyisocyanurate, and if you want to use them for insulating walls, they are great for both interior and exterior use. The R-values will range from R-4 to R-6.5 per inch of thickness.

Insulating an existing ceiling is a very tricky and expensive task. It can be done, of course, but the usual method of putting up additional layers of fiberglass batts or blankets or applying spray foam insulation will be inefficient, plus the results won’t be as good. Most of the time, insulating a finished ceiling will involve tearing down a layer to apply the insulation between the layers of panels or plywood. The best option would be to do the insulation while the ceiling has not yet been finished. It will be easier and won’t cost as much as if you do it with an existing ceiling.

If you have an attic, you should also insulate between and over the floor joists to block or reduce heat transfer from the living spaces below the attic. If you can, ask the help of a professional contractor to see if you also need to apply insulation between the knee wall studs, the rafters, and crawl spaces. These areas can be tricky, even for an experienced do-it-yourselfer.