How to Choose and Use Insulation | This Old House
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- Опубліковано 8 лис 2014
- This Old House general contractor Tom Silva explains the wide world of insulation. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)
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Up in the loft, Tom and Kevin discussed different types of exterior wall insulation and how they're installed, both for new construction and retrofit situations. The materials included liquid spray foam, recycled denim batts, fiberglass batts, blown-in fiberglass, and cellulose. Installation of vapor retarders over insulation was also discussed.
Shopping List for How to Choose and Use Insulation:
- notebook [amzn.to/2LnmzOb], pencil [amzn.to/2ZVftVe] and calculator, used to calculate and record insulation costs and quantities
Tools for How to Choose and Use Insulation:
- tape measure [amzn.to/2MXmOkN], for measuring room dimensions
Tom showed Kevin a variety of materials used for insulating exterior walls, including Fiberglass Batts (faced & un-faced), blown-in fiberglass and liquid foam (open & closed cell).
Manufacturers: CertainTeed Corp [www.certainteed.com/], Bonded Logic, Inc. [www.bondedlogic.com/]
Supplier: Kamco Supply Corp. of Boston [www.kamcoboston.com/]
Additional assistance provided by Anderson Insulation [www.andersoninsul.com/] (installers of several insulation types), Joseph Lstiburek, building scientist, Building Science Corp. [www.buildingscienceconsulting....]
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How to Choose and Use Insulation | This Old House
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I remember as a kid, being very annoying at the adults watching this old house. Now I’m an adult watching it and love it..
the original song would make me so sleepy. I really appreciate it now and watch a lot of videos.
we should start a club. Tommy is my new uncle.
me too ! my dad loves this show &when I was little a hated it .haha
I just had my attic air sealed before I added new cellulose insulation. The process was: All the old insulation was removed. Then an electrical contractor rewired the entire house; all knob and tube wiring was removed, not just deactivated. After the electrical inspection by the city, the insulation guys came back and air sealed the attic. They used foam board and various foams for cracks, etc. I saw pictures of what they did and the amount of work that was done was amazing. They also air sealed my basement in the same manner. Then new insulation was blown into the attic and more insulation was blown into the outer walls of the house. All the insulation work was done by a BPI certified contractor. Then an inspector came with a heat device and checked the heat loss. A few spots in the walls needed to be 'topped off' and that was done. The difference in my house is amazing; no more cold spots! I have a 1927 Craftsman Bungalow so I still have, and intend to keep, all the original windows, so heat loss happens there. I have caulked all the windows. I am working on getting interior storm windows but in the meantime, I put up plastic coverings. Even with the old windows, the house is significantly warmer. What a difference.
What was the cost for just the full insulating?
I'm saving your comment. I want that done to my home. Just what I was looking for. Thanks for leaving your comment.
Finally found what I was lookin for!!!! No other video talked about which direction the moisture barrier should be on!!!! Thanks you tommy
One of the Best Ideas of SoundProofing is "SoundProof Curtains" That Stops Outside Noise by 80% (25 Db) Tested. Check Here: livesoundproof.com/best-soundproof-curtains/
Love, love, love the detail in explaining the subjects of these men.
Thank you so much! This is awesome information for a first time home owner like me
Building new house in 2021, wanted to go with closed cell, but with increased lumber costs went with wet sprayed cellulose. Thanks for the informative video!
So glad you guys touched on vapor lock with the visqueen some very stubborn people would not listen to me about it
One of my favorites!
One of the Best Ideas of SoundProofing is "SoundProof Curtains" That Stops Outside Noise by 80% (25 Db) Tested. Check Here: livesoundproof.com/best-soundproof-curtains/
Brilliant! Thank you for clarifying some of the basic ideas with insulation. Well done guys.
One of the Best Ideas of SoundProofing is "SoundProof Curtains" That Stops Outside Noise by 80% (25 Db) Tested. Check Here: livesoundproof.com/best-soundproof-curtains/
nice info, Thank you for sharing !!
Great video!!!
Thanks!
good information good old pink never let us down
I bet everyone here is an adult and loves watching their videos bec it useful to them, while my science teacher sent me 21 videos of this Chanel to watch, which I am dying from
that was everything I was asking!
Wish they talked more about the vapor control layer. It’s a topic on its own so may involve lots of details when/where/why to use.
Thanks to everyone in the comment section that mentioned rockwool. Its seems impossible but somehow I had never seen or heard of it. And it has all of the qualities I was looking for.
N n
Great video, thank you!
I did Rockwool with Certainteed Membrain as the vapor retarder on my new build.
What brand of Vapor Retrader did you use?
Tom Silva is a genius. I would love to work with this guy
Tom is good at what he does. The few old timers who know their stuff and take pride in what they do are getting fewer and fewer. Cheap, sloppy and fast is the way most houses are built today.
TheSeattlegreen - and your a tool. Crushing isn’t it.
Good information. But, no mention of what I found to be the best of all , Rockwool !
Great video. Now I know to get the vapor retarder ,live in north east
It's either paper faced insulation or un-faced and poly plastic.
Very nice! Especially for people who is just thinking about insulation! What exactly you would recommend for a plain 20+ years old (not commercial) single level residential house insulation? Brick veneer outside, than timber frame and plasterboard inside (with empty voids of course) :) I can see a soft maths at retail which are very similar to one of your samples. However nobody from experts can advise me about a vapour barier. How to do this? What kind of material I have to use? Is it something special or ... any plastic film can be used? A very interesting subject- what do we have to do with ... massonry "weep-holes" underneath? Should we cover them or leave them open? And, btw.... while insulating empty walls we are creating a nice environment for "crawlers". It will be convenient and warm for them to grow their colonies. How to prevent this "side effect", please? Thank you
Great vid. Update please with radiant barrier materials. Please also have a series on passive house materials.
Two questions for Tom please? 1- How can a DIY homeowner put any of the retrofit insulation in ourselves without hiring out the job or renting a blower? 2- Why is the foam (or other full compact insulation) so popular to you Tom, when I have seen you trying to run wire or cable down the inside of an existing wall? Or for that matter, repair or run short plumbing vertically? Thanks to the team for all these Videos!! I learn something from all of them (wish your team could come to my house and video some needed repairs).
FYI...closed cell spray foam is the best insulation...BUT - you can't do it yourself and it's expensive. And if done incorrectly it can be dangerous and possibly render your house unlivable.
I saw that on UA-cam from a segment on the CBC where homes were made unlivable and people had these brand new homes but had to live in a trailer outside of the home or they would become instantly sick and the horrible smell too.
@@tonym1279 , it's not "the best" it harms our ecology big time. You can insulate inexpensively and reach zero energy.
I'm surprised they didn't talk about mineral wool or even sheeps wool as insulation. Sheep wool is a bit niche but mineral wool is very popular and readily available.
I like mineral wool too. Evidently it can be blown in but I've never seen it in loose fill bags or heard a a contractor up for doing it. Hardware stores around me only carry mineral wool batts. So it's just more challenging to find it or find someone who'll blow it in.
If you're here in 2020, it's been determined that water vapor amounts for about a quarter of a pint over the period of a year. Compare that to almost 12 quarts of water with just a 1 inch hole in your wall. Air movement > water vapor, every time.
Also, a latex primer over your drywall is more than enough of a water vapor barrier.
Good, QUICK review.
Closed cell 2” all you need. The best!
Open cell max fill cavity then trim. Second best!
I work at owens corning and i never make fiberglas with a poly vapor barrier looks neat
Great informative but what about the new smart barriers? When should they be used?
I'm trying to figure out how to get mold and mildew from developing in a large closet. Because it's on an outside wall, moisture seeps in. Tried DampRid (hardly any good) and a small dehumidifier (fairly ok). Does blown cellulose fix this issue? Or do I need a vapor barrier as shown at 2:38?
A-frame house in California. The section I’m thinking about currently has a sheetrock ceiling with insulation blown on top of it in the attic. Temps can get above 100F here. Can I get away with taking out the ceiling (and therefore insulation) and install stuff directly to the inside of the roof as an insulation replacement and reasonably expect the space to not get super hot on a 100-degree day?
Hi - my bedroom is right above my garage. I am planning to have closed cell spray foam insulation on my garage ceiling. Do I need to put dry wall after or can I leave the spray foam exposed? I live in Toronto and it gets very good here during winter months. Thanks in advance.
Something no one talks about and most people don't realize is that the rigid spray foam insulation offers no sound proofing. My neighbor spent a fortune insulating his entire house with it and now he can hear someone's conversation on the sidewalk as if they were in the same room. Personally, I would spend the money on ICF instead.
You can use a combination, 2” closed cell to get your air and canoe barrier, then 3.5” of rock wool, then 5/8” sheet rock.
There’s also sound dampening you can put behind the drywall
@jaykay9112000 - I actually wouldn't do that either as it puts the vapor barrier (the foam) too close to the cold side of the wall (for my climate zone anyway - zone 6), asking for condensation and mold. Plus, who wants to hang entire homes in 5/8 board? Not me.
Because it dries hard, it become a sound 'conductor'. It creates a 'circuit' for sound to travel from the exterior to the interior. The other insulation's do the opposite with 'Rock-Wool' having probably the best sound-proofing characteristics. As with many things, there are trade-offs. . .
Brian D. I have now put spray foam in my ceiling and exterior walls, and I don’t notice anymore sound than when I had fiberglass. If you look at the sound dampening tests spray foam is only slightly below fiberglass in the testing
I can't believe there was no mention of faced vs unfaced and the benefits of each, especially when talking about moisture/water vapor.
My question is would a layer of blue or pink board on the studs but under the drywall be effective ? Live in Minnesota
Looking for advice, what insulation should i use on an attached to house garage wall? Paper out with a poly vapor barrier? Or no paper with a poly batrier? Thank you very much.
We need an update that includes Rockwool in the comparison.
There is so much more about INSULATION - thermal barriers and air sealing and perm ratings, testing the air tightness using a blowerdoor. and then there is the off-gassing of foam, and then there is the carbon emissions of creating the product. what product is natural ? Healthy ? Affordable ?
DENSE PACK CELLULOSE
Closed cell spray foam has a much larger R-value however.
Which is the best retrofit material for a cathedral ceiling through the fascia & soffit to add present bat insulation in Illinois weather. Venting along the soffit was shut due to the moisture condensation inside & vents at top of roof left open cause scaling at top of beam inside. Thermal imaging was done and the corners & a 4 x 5 foot area over the front door was missing insulation. Advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you, good information! Is there any health risk with anyone of these types of products or anything to look out forward when having a company install?
Looking for up-to-date info on insulating full masonry buildings like my 1903 residence in St. Louis.
Which would be better to insulate the plywood side of a house. Open or closed cell foam. I live in the middle region. R38 is what I've been recommended
Love this show.
Can the retrofit blown insulation be used for plaster lathe walls? I have a brick colonial.
Yes it can
@@chrisdix1390
Great. Thank you
I have lath and plaster walls and had insulation blown in my exterior walls...no problems at all. I have a 1920s bungalow. If you have knob and tube wiring I would make sure you can blow in insulation over that. I was told that is a no no.
Faced insulation can be used in garage attic, with faced going below and also installing plywood boards on top of joists for walk over?
Should be unfaced be used instead of faced?
I’m not so sure that heat wants to transfer to cold but cold with add force to heat. I’ve noticed this with my insulated over shoe that in the truck I will have the heat on high and not feel the heat in my boots but 30 seconds after I step out side I feel my feet getting really warm and can feel it for awial. Now with houses I’ve noticed ac will run for 15 minutes at a time during the day when it’s 90 outside but as soon as temps out side reach 60 starting at 7pm I notice inside temps go up and the ac is running almost none stop till 2am we keep inside temps at 65 2x6 fiberglass insulation with internal vapor barrier.
Also before adding ac inside temps would be ok at 75 during the day till it started getting colder outside then temps would reach 90 inside with all the windows open the best way to solve the issue was to have fans on one side of the house sucking and another blowing it out to force the air otherwise it didn’t seem to really move.
I’m thinking a heat shield may work better if you could build a awning around the whole house with a air gap atleast three in from the actual house may help? Since heat Shields work very well for car exhaust. Even better would be to add a three inch vacuum chamber around the whole house but can’t think of any good way of creating that
They make pourable closed cell foam. Dont mix more that 16z pours at a time in 2x4 wall cavities.
Question i have a shed the wall are open cavity. I also live in Flroida, very hot. My concern is wall are open, so can i installed a vapor barrier push in between the studs and thn installed? avoid mositure and mold.
great video. I live in New England and will be building a new home. I want to use closed cell spray foam and have had others suggest 1" of foil backed board over the spray foam on the inside of the house to stop thermal bridging - what is your take?
Thanks
Hey, I was curious what decision you went with, if there was anything you wish you knew in advance, and how is it holding up 5 years later?
Great information. My home is about 50 years old i have no insulation in the floor and very little in the attic. What are my options?
What is the construction of your home? Open attic? Walkable? What's What's siding? Basement? Crawl? Slab?
things to considered in any insulation: fire; sound; temperature; moisture
Hi in New York, NYSERDA and coned offer company’s to come in with a rebate and insulate attic with loose fill and closed walled with a blown in insulation without removing the pink.
It feels like they just want to get in and out. And make a lot of money
Can you tell me what I should use in the attic and in the walls …. Should they suck out old stuff
Nothing was mentioned about Stone Wool or Roxul or fire prevention.
ximenoworks There was something mentioned about fire prevention.
How do I get insulation into existing walls
Linda Munsey He covered it at the end.
Home Depot rents a machine. Drill about a 2" hole at the top of the wall between each set of studs. Lots of holes. The machine grinds it up and blows it into the cavity. Then repair the holes.
Shawn R, dont forget a hole at the center. 😉
Outside, inside og in between :)
What is the best insulation for an attic?
Which one is good gor blocking outside noise?
Can i insulate interior walls of my attic? I have a furnace in the attic and want to keep it as warm as possible since it's very cold in 10 degree temps in winter time.
Gotcha
I live in Ohio, can I and/or should I use Open Cell spray foam? We've gutted the lower level so it would be like applying it to new construction but the upper level will be retro fitted.
which one keeps the house cooler during the summer and keeps it warm during winter!!?? Vegas weather is killing me heereee
Any sort of insulation will do that.
I like a show that teaches you how to fix and build. All the other shows entertain, but don't teach you much.
Hi! Really useful video.,. I'd like to ask a question... I live in Mexico, near Mexico City, where temperatures in winter go to 0 or 1 degree Celsius, so it's super cold but still it's very cold. My house is specially cold since it's oriented to North so it's also very dark in winter. So my question is, is it absolutely indispensable to insulate all the walls of the house or it'd be ok to insulate a couple of walls and see how better it gets and then pick up from there?... Thx so much for the advise. Regards
Biker BMW - todas las paredes del exterior es muy importante para conservar energía.
For simple stud/joist bays, I prefer rock-wool. Better R-value than fiberglass, waterproof, fireproof and better sound deadening.
Those qualities are determined by which rockwool you buy. You don't get high R-value and high fire resistance in the same package.
@@larrymaloney877 you're full of Bologna mr. Maloney
@@tarlach1280x960 have big mamma read you the labels, child. You can if you want.
Ask Tommy about Airkrete.
i have an old house 1930 no insulation.. stick built.. it has a cavity to insulate.. but right now its got a lot of wet on the bottom of some of the walls.. about a foot off the floor.. those floors are close to the ground the crawl space, is literally so low you cant crawl under those parts.. there is vinyl siding outside but i do not think there is a vapor barrier at all.. its just the clapboard and walls, i think its plaster but i dunno if someone has put sheetrock over it in an attempt to cover wet walls.... i have to drill in to see if its plaster, but i'm guessing that it is due to its age... how can i insulate these exterior walls.. can i use foam in insulation with a vapor retarder on the inside and put up new drywall.. ripping out all the exterior plaster walls. or will it still sweat and get damp because there is no vapor barrier outside ? i know i cannot strip all the clapboard cladding off the house and add vapor barrier i just don't have the funds.. can a vapor barrier be put between the vinyl siding and the wood clapboard siding? or will this trap moisture.. another thing i thought about doing was taking down the outside walls, putting an inch of cut to fit styrofoam between the studs leaving a little room between the clapboard siding and foaming all around the styrofoam... to stop air infiltration and then putting the fiberglass batting inside and then drywall... will this work? or is there a way i can blow something in the walls and not cause it to get damp and rot down the walls. i've read that blow in in an old house with plaster can cause house rot and damp walls and attract bugs.. ?? any suggestions? i am driving myself nuts trying to figure this out... we have two trooms at the back that we tore the wet wallboard all out of its a board batten type of add on, no airspace, it has wood clapboard on the outside and then vinyl on top of that, i want to build new 2x4 walls and insulate the walls in these rooms but what should i do.. should i just strip off all the wood and vinyl outside and put on plywood and a vapor barrier? or is there a way i can do it without having to strip off the clapboard siding... i really don't want to have to do that if i can get by another way... the house is right nearly on the ground towards the back, all the sills have rotted, they have poured a concrete ditch all round the side of the ouse in a U shape in an attempt to direct water away from the foundation.. im worried that this is the reason for all this dampness its just not doing its job... help!!
Hello guys, why there is no closed caption? Please do the closed caption for all deaf and hard hearing to learn more everything as you said on video, it is very important to us to know what to do to our improvement in our future! Thank you...Dave
Tom rules new show
What about insulation for interior walls, like for multi-zone interiors or for sound insulation?
Rockwool is a great option for this, great sound deadening properties. Matt Risinger has some good videos on it
Use rockwool, it's the best. Fire proof too.
What about external insulation products to reduce damp and black mould inside the home.
I have a house built in 1935 and it has no insulation on the outside walls. All it has is wood vertically going across the frame of the house then this black paper and finally the original wood siding. Should I use a Vapor Retardant on both sides of my fiberglass insulation? I live in Northeast Ohio so we get weather like New England.
Cellulose is the best bang for your buck......insecticide and fire retardant included....easy pick
Long term closed cell is better, saves a lot more in utility bills and is moisture resistant
Closed caption essential for these high info, instructional videos. Sound quality seems to vary greatly video to video.
boy I go around and around with how to insulate my old house, I know there is some in the walls but not much. I have an old lath and plaster home. very cold What would any one suggest for an update for insulation ? Thank you Cold in Montana
Easily closed cell
In the first minute of this video I heard Mr. Silva say heat travels to cold. So, in the north put the vapor barrier inside where the heat is. In the south put the vapor barrier on the outside, where the heat is. My question, I am building a four season camper van, Promaster, to be traveled very north and very south. It is going to be insulated. Any suggestions as to where to install a vapor barrier. Thanks.
Sounds like you had better design for fault-tolerance. You are really stretching the conceptual envelope here; this is not a forum for vehicles.
What's ur opinion on rock wool. I've heard alot of great things. Fair price as well. Building at 10,ooo ft. Need to be warm.
I recently installed it on part of my basement, saw a difference right away. Wear gloves and eye protection. I recommend to anyone. I paid about $51 for one pack covers about 59 sq feet of space. Good luck.
I watch this show on You Tube and the the TV....... it's just too bad we don't have these type of craftsmen in the Houston area...... where things are very often built the "Houston way".......... aka, build it so it "lasts" a year, after which, the warranty is up and it is the homeowners problem. See these poor workmanship issues all over town. Especially on the west and northwest side. Pretty sad.
Mickey Cook - Cough DR Horton Cough. That's what happens when you get a home builder that only goes with the lowest bidder on everything, and a lead contractor who is never on-site to make sure quality is met as workers come and go.
Yep I was doing an inspection out in Katy/Cinco on Friday..... $350K house with the most basic AC system you could put in. Only 9 years old. You could see them in most of the houses in that subdivision. Even the house next door to this one had 3 different types of siding/brick. Two different types of brick and Hardi also....... what was that about. But you'll still have people buy this junk.
Mickey Cook
That is what happens when you hire illegals and find out who built your house.
@@mousearebec See if that was one of the last houses built in that subdivision. Many times the developers will use up left overs on the last house.
We have a attic with no insulation at all. . We want to go with the spay foam but what kind do we use and what company to trust? HELP This old house is more then welcome to my home.
Dont use foam. Dont risk your families health. Also it difficult to get out or install stuff in it. Use fibreglass or rockwool.
What to do in rust belt of South Dakota?
What about Georgia? Sounds like I’d need a vapor retarder??
So I’m 22 buying an apt and need to insulate I’ll probably keep/ live in the house for 3-5 years but eventually sell any recommendations
What did u end up doing? Closed cell has a high return on investment, but high initial cost
How about foam panels? Also which way does the foil side face. This is for a wood shed in Fl. No barrier on outside of shed.
If you have FOIL, that's a radiant barrier. It MUST have an air gap (vacuum would be better, but that's impossible on earth) and the foil should remain SHINY for best effect. Why? Because conduction (intimate contact of foil shiny side with other building materials) defeats the radiant stop. So never put shiny where it will get dusty or coated with anything. Radiant barriers work both as high reflectors and low emitters; they work in "the dark" and are fabulous for attics, to retard radiant heating of attic from hot roofing shingles. Shiny side DOWN; or IN. EXCELLENT for garages that suffer from sun exposure in hot climates. Caveat: sub-rafter foil is a rat haven! So you must defend against rat infestation.
I am not putting someone’s shredded blue jeans everybody farts. I am not putting fart in my wallz.
What about califorina , do you need air vapor barrior
Anyone know of an option for insulating a beatiful old cabin with log siding ext, and vertical pine solid paneling inside?
It’s hard
Probably reframing exterior walls inside and re-panelling them, but depending on the footage of the rooms you will lose quite percent of it.
I was thinking about putting 2 in. XPS and 4 in. roxul on top of it in my 2x6 exterior walls. Something like a combination between those two types of insulation in search of better performance for less price. But Im not sure. Im afraid of possible moisture collection inside the wall because of this XPS. I live in climate zone 5 (upper part, actually almost zone 6). Do I have to worry and do I have to use vapour barrier/retarder in this case?
I am curious what you ended up doing?
@@ronwest7930 I didn't do it after all. Just put 6 in. Roxul and smart retarder on top of it. Didn't dare to use XPS inside of the wall considering climate zone I'm in. Also nobody that I asked encouraged me to do so.
@@simeondimchev122 I am curious how much the Roxul cost? I am planning a small home and trying to figure out what insulation to use that doesn't break the bank.
@@ronwest7930 Probably can't help you with the price just because I live in Europe, Bulgaria, but definitely it's cheaper then XPS or any open or close cell spray foam.
Have you discussed insulating a crawl space on this channel?
Matt Risinger has. But I wouldn't want any flammable foam beneath my feet; that would be an accelerant in the event some fire (or even malicious intentionally-set blaze) began in said crawl space. Rats chew wires, too. Smoke from polyurethane foam is notoriously toxic. Smoke rises!
What type of insulation would you use on a shipping container home (tiny home) where the walls are not flat and you're trying to keep the outside heat from the inside?
Is there any type of framing on the inside or is it just the shipping container's wall?
Ryan J Just the wall
What's the best insulation to help sound proof and is good for South Dakota weather
Fiberglass
What about a basement that is prone to dampness?
What about rock wool insulation?
what about mineral wool?
I am remodelling an old house, I'm doing this for the first time and now I am about to insulated the exterior walls. The problem is that the distance between studs varies from 10 to 19 inches so if I use fiberglass batts it's going to be a nightmare. I wonder if blowing cellulose wouldn't be a better idea, but I am also worried about the cost. Can anybody give me a suggestion here? Thank you.
What about vipeq???
That's why these guys work on old homes... so they can stick wiring down cavities where there is little insulation in the way. Most of these methods "blow" your chance of touching that cavity again. Of course if people cared more about external insulation as they should, then the stud bays wouldn't be such a big deal.
Can anyone tell me what that vapor barrier is actually called? I am speaking of the 2nd one he mentions that allows some ventilation. Thank so much from Maine, USA
I live in an old house in Fresno, Ca and have hot summers and cold winters. I want to blow in insulation but I'm afraid I'll get mold. What do you guys suggest?
+esclavosoy In any case, you're going to need a contractor. I doubt you have the tools and material to blow in cellulose information, so they should have it covered. You're on the right track, though, picking blow in as opposed to traditional application methods which are much more invasive.
yakyakyak69 thanks for the info.
Retro-foam. They fill your walls with foam insulation - and you don't have to tear walls out to do it. They simply drill holes in the walls and pump in the insulation. All you have to do it patch the holes.
@@tonym1279 The problem is the "old house in Fresno" will be a water leaker. It rains in winter, and water runs into the exterior walls, from defective and aging roofs. By adding foam (whether closed cell or open cell) to the stud bays, you are increasing risk of water retention inside those walls. That means fungus and mold. Here in SoCal, everything dries out if it's not hampered by foam, plastic layers, etc. It's even hotter and drier in Fresno in the summer, and that suggests that radiant barriers are appropriate. Those foam ideas seem to be more appropriate in Toronto and Boston.
At 2:40 the guy talks about a vapour retarder, would this be something to go on both sides if you get hot and cold weather ? I'm wondering if it would need to go next to the exterior wall and on the other side next to the interior wall.
Livin In A Box I live in an area where we get get hot and cold. from my understanding the vapor barrier faces the conditioned space. This would be why bat insulation isn't sold with the paper face on both sides. You wouldn't want to trap moisture between the two barriers.
I actually had this exact question bc I want to retrofit a barn into a small home for myself and was wondering about keeping myself efficiently warm and which way to face the retardant for the blue jean batting when I put it up! Yay for prowling the comments for answers!
Yes, the plastic or paper faced insulation always faces the heated area. It's not really a retardant, it's usually just called a vapor barrier.
I'm insulating a room now and have vinyl faced 4 ft wide r13. I have to double it over because I have 2x6 walls. Was curious if I need to remove one side of the batting to avoid mildew?
tyler coffey, here in New England, we would remove one of the vapor barriers. The remaining one would be facing you or towards the heated/conditioned area.
which is best for a sound proof wall ?
I'm thinking stone wool
Open cell without a doubt it has by far the best transient noise reduction levels 70% at 120mm thick
Jamie FM
Deaf neighborhood,
Cellulose insulation has the best soundproof.
Roxal stone wool
1st rule do not use foam. 2nd what's the point to go over the top with the insulation when the cold is still bridging through the studs