Attic Insulation Batts Vs Blown

Often times a combination of the two is ideal.

Attic insulation batts vs blown. The answer is it depends. Fiberglass insulation is available in blown in form and so is cellulose which is referred to as loose fill cellulose. You d need a thickness of. Blown in insulation is much easier on installers.

Current energy standards recommend the installation of a first layer of craft faced moisture barrier fiberglass batt. Compared to blown in insulation batts can reach a resistance rating r factor of over 3 1. We use both blown in and batt insulation depending on the situation at hand. Batts you must also examine the r values.

Depending on the material of the insulation the installation method may vary slightly. While the manufacturer will state the actual r value of the insulation that you use according to the department of energy you can expect an r value range between 2 9 and 3 8 per inch of thickness for standard fiberglass batts and between 3 7 and 4 3 for high performance fiberglass batts. Notice how you don t see any of the ceiling framing down at the ceiling level. In short there is less chance of error with blown insulation as compared to batts.

Batt insulation is available at home centers and lumberyards. Any existing batt or roll insulation in the attic should have the facing against the attic drywall floor or no facing at all. Instead of cutting and stapling rolled up layers into place they get to spray the insulation where it needs to go. I don t know about that but it s a common insulation material that works much better in the blown form than in batts.

Blown in varieties however typically reach a peak of around a 2 8 r factor. When comparing blown in insulation vs. Batt insulation take time to read this column. Attic insulation is accomplished with either fiberglass blankets batt or blown in insulation.

Insulation should be rolled out perpendicular to the joists and unfaced rolls should be used. That s because blown insulation is great at filling the gaps and giving you a good complete layer of insulation. Blown in insulation requires a professional. Batt or rolled insulation or blown loose fill insulation fiberglass or cellulose can be installed on top of old insulation.

With this method the insulation is simply blown onto the attic floor and no matter what type of joists studs or wiring that may be in play the blown insulation will naturally form itself tight around any of these creating a layer of strong insulation. When insulating an attic space many homeowners ask us which is better blown in or batt insulation. The photo above shows an attic insulated with blown cellulose. Both blown in and batt roll insulation can be installed in different areas of a home including the attic and the walls.

The maximum rating of batt insulation is around 4 2. The biggest disadvantage of batt insulation is that it does not fit well in non standard spaces. Disadvantages of batt insulation. That makes it fast to install but costlier than batt insulation.