Faced Or Unfaced Insulation In Attic Floor

Insulation in rolls called batts comes in two varieties.

Faced or unfaced insulation in attic floor.

Air migrates from warmer spaces toward colder spaces and insulation is designed to help prevent or at least slow that migration. Roll insulation is best for floors ceilings and roofs with a long joist or rafter bays and for tall walls. Kraft faced or paper faced insulation comes in batts and long rolls. If a moisture barrier is required or recommended in your climate zone you will want to use the faced board again reflective facing is a good choice to insulate your walls.

The kraft paper on one side of faced insulation keeps moisture from spreading throughout the walls or ceiling. Whether using loose fill or batts put the vapor barrier closest to the warm side of your installation where hot moist air would get in facing the house s interior in cold climates beneath floor insulation and the attic s interior in hot climates on top of floor insulation. Basement finished exterior walls. Run the unfaced strips perpendicular to the.

The batts are precut to fit into cavities on standard 8 foot high walls. I ve always said adding insulation to your attic is some of the best money you can spend to make your house more energy efficient but whether to use faced or unfaced insulation is a great question. Faced or the type with paper is typically used in first time applications such as in walls ceilings floors and in crawl spaces. If your attic floor has no insulation install faced batts or faced rolls between each joist with the moisture barrier facing down against the drywall or plaster ceiling below.

What is the right insulation for an attic. You should only use faced insulation as the first layer of insulation. Unfaced batt insulation is often used for beefing up the r rating with the r rating being the insulation rating scale that says how much or how effective insulation needs to be in that space. Insulation being unfaced doesn t mean it s a bad choice.

Like blanket or batt insulation foam board comes in faced and unfaced varieties. The same applies to faced unfaced and other kinds of insulation products. When local building codes require a vapor retardant faced insulation is one of the best options. Any time you use a faced insulation the paper needs to be facing toward the living space.

If there is already insulation between the joists increase the r value by installing unfaced roll insulation right on top. It means ensuring that it s the right product for your space. The kraft paper.