What Kind Of Insulation To Use For Exterior Walls

When you are insulating two by four 2x4 and two by six 2x6 framed exterior walls and want to use fiberglass insulation what thickness is best the question becomes all more critical because of the permanent nature of wall assemblies and wall insulation.

What kind of insulation to use for exterior walls. This type of insulation can be more expensive than loose fill insulation. It can be sprayed or injected into walls and it expands to fill the wall cavity even the smallest crevices and eventually hardens. How to insulate house walls from the outside. Seal the gap between the bottom plate of the wall and the floor with acoustical sealant or caulk.

Once the insulation is in the wall and sealed up with drywall it is not easy to change out. Check behind knee walls which are walls between living spaces and the garage or attic. Insulating interior walls isn. Weave loosely to fill the cavity but tightly enough so you won t have to compress the insulation when you install drywall.

House wraps and kraft faced insulation are examples of vapor barriers that help control the amount of moisture that passes through the insulation. Most used when framing the exterior walls of a house. The advantages of insulating interior walls. If you are planning on doing your home s insulation installation yourself it will depend on your experience installing insulation in your home.

Exterior walls and floors. Press the poly into the sealant. Best for interior and exterior walls in cold or humid climates especially for homes with masonry or wood walls. Use the same insulation to insulate the garage as that used for the home s exterior walls.

Buy unfaced friction fit batts and seal the walls with a 4 mil poly vapor retarder. It may look easy to go buy some packs of rigid insulation panels down at the. Use special airtight electrical boxes see photo tip 5 or seal the poly to the electrical box with acoustical sealant. Turn off the electricity then remove an electrical outlet cover for a view of exterior insulation.

Most communities have building codes that require a minimum amount of insulation in a house s exterior walls and ceiling. When you reach the end of the wall cut off the insulation. Check garage walls and ceilings that are adjacent to conditioned spaces. For many contractors the decision to use one kind of insulation over the other depends solely on preference rather than a by the book decision making process.

If the walls and ceiling are closed in consider using loose fill insulation as this form of insulation uses a machine to get the insulation where it needs to go through a hole in the sheetrock.