Faced Vs Unfaced Insulation In Attic

You can buy them unfaced or simply remove the paper or foil backing.

Faced vs unfaced insulation in attic.

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. 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. For many contractors the decision to use one kind of insulation over the other depends solely on preference rather than a by the book decision making process. Kraft faced insulation should be installed in exterior walls exterior basement walls and attic ceilings by pressing the product into the wall cavity with the paper side.

Faced or the type with paper is typically used in first time applications such as in walls ceilings floors and in crawl spaces. Unfaced insulation should be used when you re adding insulation to your attic that already has insulation. Insulation in rolls called batts comes in two varieties. Unfaced batts are laid perpendicularly atop existing batts to improve heat retention and beef up the r value on the longer run.

Unfaced means the insulation lacks a vapor retarder paper or plastic facing. If you live in a humid and wet climate there may be local building codes that require faced insulation over unfaced. Faced insulation can be used in several areas of a house such as. Any time you use a faced insulation the paper needs to be facing toward the living space.

Always use unfaced batts both when laying product for the first time and to prevent moisture from becoming trapped between new and old layers of insulation. Place a new layer of unfaced batts perpendicular to the old layer to cover any gaps in the lower layer. Air migrates from warmer spaces toward colder spaces and insulation is designed to help prevent or at least slow that migration. In a nutshell.

Summary of faced vs. The same applies to faced unfaced and other kinds of insulation products. It means ensuring that it s the right product for your space. You need up to 19 inches or r 49 for efficiency.

Kraft faced insulation includes a paper vapor retarder which helps prevent mold and mildew. The easiest place to get a gauge on your home s current insulation condition is in the attic. Basement finished exterior walls. The facing on faced insulation acts as a vapor retarder.

What is the right insulation for an attic. Now here s a situation where a homeowner what looks like many years ago added insulation they added a three inch layer but.