Ceiling Insulation

[gmhill33]

Which is better, the 2'x4' bat or the blown in insulation? And which is cheaper to do?

Thanks,
Gary

 

[kerwinq]

I just did some bats in mine, they are a little more expensive but I think a little easier to work with. I did mine myself so it made more sense for me, I was told the blowers for the blow in would only shoot about 4 ft and the hose was only 50 ft long so it would not have went very far once I got it up into my attic. Either way you go, wear a mask as the dust goes everywhere

 

[portcity]

i personally like a r-19(6") bat insulation covered with 6" of blown on top. Depending on where you are, most places call for at least r-30 in a ceiling. For price comparison on your question. Lowes and hd sale 22.5lb bags that cover 61.1' @ r-13 for $10.75, and 40 sq ft of faced bats @ r-13 for $9.98. So thats $0.18/sq ft for loose vs $0.25/sq ft for batt not including taxes.

 

[gmhill33]

I just did some bats in mine, they are a little more expensive but I think a little easier to work with. I did mine myself so it made more sense for me, I was told the blowers for the blow in would only shoot about 4 ft and the hose was only 50 ft long so it would not have went very far once I got it up into my attic. Either way you go, wear a mask as the dust goes everywhere

Thanks for the info. The bat seems to be more expensive for sure.

Gary

 

[6768rogues]

I have used both. If the framing allows for standard batts, it is a good way to go. In my house I used batts and blew a layer on top of them. I put a piece of PVC pipe on the end of the blow hose so I could reach a long way from one spot and did not have to crawl out to where the roof is low at the eves.

 

[gmhill33]

i personally like a r-19(6") bat insulation covered with 6" of blown on top. Depending on where you are, most places call for at least r-30 in a ceiling. For price comparison on your question. Lowes and hd sale 22.5lb bags that cover 61.1' @ r-13 for $10.75, and 40 sq ft of faced bats @ r-13 for $9.98. So thats $0.18/sq ft for loose vs $0.25/sq ft for batt not including taxes.

R30 is what I have to have. Home Depot has Owens Corning R-30 Kraft 24 In. x 48 In. x 9.5 In. Batts In Bags, 88 Sq. Ft. for $64.24. At that price my ceiling would be about $400. I would like to not spend that much if possible. But as said it is easier to work with the batts. I don't know how much the blow-in would be.


Gary

 

[cowboy73]

The blow in insulation is better due to less voids in the thermal blanket. The batt insulation if it isn't trimmed to fit properly can leave voids. Blow in is usually cheaper. You can buy either cellulose or fiberglass to blow in. Just make sure when they rent you a machine that it is the proper way. The cellose machine won't blow fiberglass and vice versa.

 

[anna_starr82]

the bats are more expensive but far better, you won´t regret the extra bucks.

 

[ChristopherLutz]

Agree with Cowboy73.

"Better" is a bit subjective. You can get a higher R value with blown in (I'd ONLY use cellulose) because it fills the voids better.

In terms of "easier" - I frankly think it's easier to blow it in than it is to cut bats; however, that depends on prep and what you're going to do with the space. If you're putting down plywood sheeting to create storage, then - bats are the way to go.

If your primary purpose is thermal break - go with the blown in. I checked a while back and the machine (at home depot) was free if you purchased enough insulation to blow in.

NOTE: Blown in is definitely a 2 person job.

 

[Falcon67]

I used batts in the shop - it was easier and I didn't have to put up any ceiling. Since I store a lot of cra...er, stuff in the attic I didn't want stuff getting lost in the fluff. The house had about 3" of rock wool blown in and I layered 3 1/2" batts over that.

 

[pcmeiners]

From using both, cellulose has a better r value and resists air infiltration if installed correctly, is fireproof if it is purchased with a chemical addition. The only negative aside from the dust, is if it get wet..weighs a ton and dries slowly, which could be an issue with Sheetrock ceilings, wall areas becoming wet, much less an issue as it does dry out.

 

[babzog]

i personally like a r-19(6") bat insulation covered with 6" of blown on top. Depending on where you are, most places call for at least r-30 in a ceiling. For price comparison on your question. Lowes and hd sale 22.5lb bags that cover 61.1' @ r-13 for $10.75, and 40 sq ft of faced bats @ r-13 for $9.98. So thats $0.18/sq ft for loose vs $0.25/sq ft for batt not including taxes.

That's cheap! Was looking at HD earlier this week and the insulation cost is 4x that! $40 / bag! Ouch!

I got some free insulation last week.. just cost me a trailer rental and 3hrs of time to pull it out and move it. A few mouse nests that I brushed away but the majority of it was good. Figured for a shop that will get a few new mouse nests in short order (I'm always killing the little bastards), it'll be fine (esp. since it's free!). Should be able to do nearly 3/4 of the shop.

 

[Ocho]

I was told once that you are not supposed to insulate an non heated/air conditioned space. Anybody else heard this? Maybe in the "olden" days it wasn't worth the extra money to insulate a non-living space? Maybe the person telling me never worked in the garage?

 

[sammm]

I was told once that you are not supposed to insulate an non heated/air conditioned space.

Why would you?

 

[Ocho]

Why would you?

D'oh! I didn't read carefully and was thinking of something else. Sorry.

 

[NUTTSGT]

From using both, cellulose has a better r value and resists air infiltration if installed correctly, is fireproof if it is purchased with a chemical addition. The only negative aside from the dust, is if it get wet..weighs a ton and dries slowly, which could be an issue with Sheetrock ceilings, wall areas becoming wet, much less an issue as it does dry out.

They keep telling us it doesn't burn.

Inquire with your local fire dept about the stuff.


It's fiberglass for me.