| 
|
>Home
>Our progress >Insulating the
walls
Insulating the walls |
|
| I'll be using kraft-faced R13 insulation in most
of my walls, and R19 on the two walls where it will fit. I'm using
8 foot batts instead of rolled insulation because it seems to
be easier to work with.
Rather than cutting a long piece off of a big roll, you just
staple each batt into place. Since most basement walls will be
about 7 ½ feet, you can cut the bottom 6" and stuff it into the
joist at the top of the wall. With many of the pieces, I simply
rolled it under at the bottom plate and let it rest behind the
framed wall. |
|
 |
I started with the easier pieces first- the full
width studs without any obstructions such as wiring, outlets,
pipes, etc. I unfolded each batt starting at the top, and stuffed
it between the joists. Using a staple gun, I secured the flanges
on each side of the batt to the studs.
|
|
| Insulation
installation tip: Be sure to where gloves, a mask (with
a ventilator), and eye protection when handling insulation. Long
sleeves will help too. When you're cutting the pieces some of
the fibers will shred causing things to get VERY itchy! Also,
you don't want to breathe in the fibers. |
|
As I worked my way around the room, I began to try some of the
not-so-easy pieces. These were ones between the studs spaced close
together, ones with outlets and switches, and ones where I had
to split the batt to get it around the wiring.
For a detailed description of how to cut installation for these
tricky spots, see Installing
insulation in the Construction
section. |
|
Additional insulation resources
|
|
|
|
