What’s everyone’s thoughts on dense pack cellulose/fiberglass? I had my shop spray foamed with 2.5-3 inches of closed cell foam. I just had a friend build a shop. He did 1-1.5 inches of closed cell foam and then they did a “dense fill” cellulose to finish out the 2x6 studs. I was very very impressed how tight it was. Yea was debating about adding this to mine? Good idea? This is what they used for it.
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Dense pack insulation thoughts???
- Thread starter alex2929
- Start date
kj_mustang
Well-known member
My house was built with 2 x 6 walls and wet sprayed cellulose. Super dense and tight. Heating and cooling bills have been very good.
billconner
Well-known member
I think it's the best insulation there is.
jack stand
Well-known member
Short of spray in foam correct?I think it's the best insulation there is.
billconner
Well-known member
If there's a problem with cellulose, easy to fix. If a problem with spray foam, not so easy. Anyone can blow in cellulose. Amazing how easy to do over with a good shop vac. And how easy to do most walls in ballon frame 2 story from attic - no holes. Spray foam seems very dependent on really good installers and really only practical for new construction.
PS - also cost
PS - also cost
Done correctly any of the packed products work very well .... I grew up in a house with a big part of it retrofitted. And it was very tight. Dense has been used for years ...
I did one flash and batt .... There was more of a difference in price years ago. Now I don't think the savings are worth it ... and you have to be very careful in a building that will go through wide humidity changes. I have not actually seen one done with blown in.
There is diminishing returns with insulation ... so the first inch pays the most. Depending on how cold your climate .... in PA adding would not have too much payback.
I did one flash and batt .... There was more of a difference in price years ago. Now I don't think the savings are worth it ... and you have to be very careful in a building that will go through wide humidity changes. I have not actually seen one done with blown in.
There is diminishing returns with insulation ... so the first inch pays the most. Depending on how cold your climate .... in PA adding would not have too much payback.
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TonyG109
Well-known member
The value of adding additional insulation is probably dependent on your location/climate and your planned use of the space. My thoughts are, generally speaking, you can almost never have too much insulation!
I used dense packed cellulose in my 30' x 50' pole building walls and loose blown-in in the attic. I'm very impressed with how tight the structure turned out thermally, air leakage wise and acoustically.
The advantages I found are:
DIY-able with a slight learning curve.
Creates a tight building envelope by reducing air movement and completely filling wall cavities.
Easily fills odd shaped spaces.
Deadens sound transmission through the walls very well.
Can easily be changed/fixed/modified if walls are accessed for any reason, especially when steel panels are used on the walls. The panels can be removed and cellulose will hold its shape and stay in place.
Also, due to poor planning I needed to run some electric after insulating and found that I could pretty easily push a fiberglass rod horizontally about 10' and pull a wire. Nice!
The disadvantages, I thought, were:
The need for the blower for installation, but most big box stores allow free usage of the blower with a minimum purchase. This requires that the job be completed in a timely fashion as opposed to "at your leisure".
Installation can be a bit messy with cellulose dust flying around.
I used dense packed cellulose in my 30' x 50' pole building walls and loose blown-in in the attic. I'm very impressed with how tight the structure turned out thermally, air leakage wise and acoustically.
The advantages I found are:
DIY-able with a slight learning curve.
Creates a tight building envelope by reducing air movement and completely filling wall cavities.
Easily fills odd shaped spaces.
Deadens sound transmission through the walls very well.
Can easily be changed/fixed/modified if walls are accessed for any reason, especially when steel panels are used on the walls. The panels can be removed and cellulose will hold its shape and stay in place.
Also, due to poor planning I needed to run some electric after insulating and found that I could pretty easily push a fiberglass rod horizontally about 10' and pull a wire. Nice!
The disadvantages, I thought, were:
The need for the blower for installation, but most big box stores allow free usage of the blower with a minimum purchase. This requires that the job be completed in a timely fashion as opposed to "at your leisure".
Installation can be a bit messy with cellulose dust flying around.
Steve in UT
Well-known member
Sound is a huge issue in my opinion. I did wet blow in my last house and the sound proofing was great. On the other hand, my brother had his house blown with foam. I assume it was open cell. But, he claims he can hear the neighbors fart next door.
billconner
Well-known member
Rigid foam is just like the taut string between 2 tin cans. Cellulose is a limp string.
TonyG109
Well-known member
Anyone who is looking for sound control should definitely consider dense packed cellulose. Before I insulated the garage, I could easily hear the stereo through the walls even at a low volume. After insulating and hanging 3/4" OSB, I can crank up the tunes louder than I care to listen to it and can still just barely hear the bass outside on a quiet day on the back side. The garage doors are still the weak link for containing sound. Luckily, my garage sits sideways and faces away from neighbors.
I should also mention that I piled up the loose fill cellulose in the attic eave sides to help prevent sound from traveling through the ceiling and out the eaves.
I should also mention that I piled up the loose fill cellulose in the attic eave sides to help prevent sound from traveling through the ceiling and out the eaves.