Adding enough attic insulation is a wonderful way to protect your environment from temperature extremes and moisture damage, while also reducing heating and cooling costs. Insulation is supposed to act as a barrier in preventing the transfer of heat flow from the inside to the outside of the house during wintertime, or even from the outside to the inside in summer months.
After careful consideration and review of a wide list of attic insulation, which also included the “star products” if we can say so, our favorite one is the Owens Corning R-38 Faced Fiberglass Insulation.
Made of stiff fiberglass batts, this particular insulation is quite easy to cut and install, and it also doesn’t slip out of place. It provides a Kraft paper-faced side to mitigate any kind of moisture issues. We also discussed it with a veteran roofer and contractor, and here’s what we discovered:
Before you decide on any kind of attic insulation
In the wide majority of circumstances, it makes a lot of sense to add proper attic insulation. But, in some of these situations, installing insulation could ultimately cause serious issues, as it happens in older homes that were built with large gaps between the walls to account for the moisture that naturally leaks into your home.
The gaps let the moisture dry without causing any damage to the structure. However, if these spaces are filled with insulation, they can rapidly absorb the moisture, ultimately leading to mold and rotted wood.
If your house has an old or even a wood-shingled roof, and you try to install insulation on the ceiling of the attic, a very similar situation can take place. These older roofing materials were fully made to absorb moisture, breathe, and dry. However, considering that insulation is blocking the wood, the moisture can only accumulate.
According to Michael Casolaro, the President and Owner of MCAS Roofing & Contracting, Inc., you should try as much as possible to avoid adding extra insulation to attics with existing ventilation or different moisture problems. “If you notice moisture issues in your attic, mold, poor ventilation, or even exposed wires, homeowners should try to avoid installing insulation before even trying to fix these issues. Adding insulation to an attic in such conditions can make the issues even more persistent.”
Avoid using insulation anywhere close to the knob and tube wiring, which is more often than not an extremely outdated electrical system with a major fire hazard. I most cases, it needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
Owens Corning R-38 Faced Fiberglass Insulation
Install it in your uninsulated attic, or even add it as a second layer to effectively increase the R-value potential of a home and cut down your heating and cooling costs. It has Kraft paper barrier to help prevent moisture issues, and it is also GreenGuard-certified for low chemical emissions into indoor air. Each of these packages includes eight pieces of fiberglass attic insulation. Each of these pieces measures 48 by 16 inches. Using all eight of them without cutting them covers no less than a 42.67-square-foot space with 12.5-inch thick insulation. This specific blanket-style attic insulation is quite easy to install, and the thick insulating material isolates from unwanted noise and vibration in your home.
Frost King CF1 “No Itch” Natural Cotton Insulation
Extremely affordable and effective, this natural cotton attic insulation by Frost King is only 1 inch thick, and it measures 16 by 48 inches. You can use one or more pieces on attic floors, but also as attic ceiling insulation, or simply cut or rip up smaller pieces of insulation to effectively fill in gaps around pipes, ducts, windows, as well as doors.
Even if this isn’t 100% waterproof insulation, it’s mainly made with cotton denim, resistant enough to mold and mildew. This is an all-natural alternative to woven fiberglass. In fact, natural cotton denim is safe and easy to install with your hands or with a utility knife.
Owens Corning R-30 Unfaced Fiberglass Insulation
This cute blanket insulation from Owens Corning is extremely easy to cut, position, and install in any given space. The woven fiberglass insulation is fully made with 65 percent recycled content and feels as soft as cotton does.
This blanket insulation for a roof with attic space comes in 9-inch-thick insulation rolls. It also boasts an R-value of 30, keeping your home super warm in colder months, and cooler in the warmer months. It also aids in reducing the transmission of the noise.
Greenfiber 25 lbs. Cellulose Blown-In Insulation
This insulation choice comes with plenty of insulation options, as well as an R-value of R-19. Its Greenfiber Cellulose Blown-In insulation is one of the most viable choices out there as far as attics, sidewalls, and ceilings go.
Whether you simply spray it or opt for a blow-in application, this insulation is very easy to apply over existing insulation. It also reduces the heating and cooling costs by 25 percent. This insulation can also cover 48 square feet of attic space. It is extremely suitable for all climates.
What we personally prefer is how effectively it reduces the noise in your home by 60%. 85% of it is made entirely from recycled material, and it uses low-energy manufacturing. Ultimately, it has ample fire resistance and is carbon-locked, which makes it extremely long-lasting.
This super luminous and radiant foil attic insulation by US Energy Products is one of the best choices out there, especially if paired with another insulating material, such as foam board or blanket insulation. Its radiant foil can reflect as much as 97% of radiant heat. The secondary insulator also resists the flow of the residual heat. This particular insulation is quite easy to cut with a utility knife or scissors and to install with staples, nails, and even adhesive.
This insulation acts as a sandwich, with two different layers of reflective metalized aluminum polyester film on the outside, and two other layers of polyethylene air bubbles on the inside. The air bubbles effectively reduce the flow of heat, as the foil reflects the radiant heat. This construction manages to keep homes cool during warmer months and the other way around.
Owens Corning Pink Insulation FOAMULAR 250 Board
Foam board insulation is known to be rigid and lightweight, which makes it a lot easier to carry and install on floors, walls, ceilings, and around windows, too. You can use a warm utility knife to slice through this foam board from Owens Corning with more precision.
This method also allows users to form the insulation to the right size requirements, and cut rounded shapes in the foam board. This way, heat isn’t lost around pipes or other obstructions. This insulation has low water absorption potential, and it is perfect for creating a vapor barrier in narrow gaps around windows and doors, especially where significant amounts of heat can be lost from a home in winter months.
How to choose the best attic insulation
After consistent research, the most sought-after attic insulations are established by their type, R-value, materials, ease of application, and other features that could be included by selected brands. While we were assembling this list, we made sure we also included diverse options, such as a blanket, spray, blow-in, radiant foil, and foam board insulation with R-values ranging from R-1.3 to R-40 for any required heat resistance.
Such insulation options are entirely made with fiberglass, cotton, cellulose, polyester, polyethylene, and polystyrene, which are extremely easy to install, and suitable for cutting and adjusting depending on everyone’s needs.
If you found this article useful, we also recommend checking: You’re Not Boring, and Your Home Decor Shouldn’t Be Either
