Rolls or Blown In Insulation?

[maxpower_454]

I'm looking to insulate my 30X40 pole barn garage and am wondering whether fiberglass rolls or blown fiberglass would insulate better?

 

[Falcon67]

Better is a toss up - blown is cheaper than batts or rolls but is pretty much limited to horizontal surfaces.

 

[Jackfre]

I really do not like blown in. Reason being, If you need to get at or add something in or under the insulation you are up there shoveling the dust and insulation. Batts are easier to remove and handle.

 

[Toymeister]

Its a price thing to me. On occasion you will get deals from Costco on 5' X 24" X 10" batts. Last year Costco was 1/2 the cost of the big box home improvement types

 

[csp]

Blown in fills gaps better. Anything that keeps batts from laying flat or snugly against framing is a potential gap.

 

[dirttracker18]

Blown in fills gaps better. Anything that keeps batts from laying flat or snugly against framing is a potential gap.

and waayyyy faster to put in. For less than the cost of batts or rolls I hired a guy to blow in my garage attic.

I could see access being an issue but what do you want to access under there? Think ahead, wire up everything you MIGHT need and do it right.

Hopefully I have done that and never go up there again With 12 foot walls and scissor trusses my ceiling is 15 feet at the peak where my access is. I closed it off with a sheet and screws, never to be opened again.

 

[burleymike]

I would never mess around with batts for a ceiling. I blew 10 bags into my attic this past fall in about 2 hours even with my busted up back. I was amazed at how quick and easy it was and in the end I have one continuous blanket. I cannot imagine how long I would have been up there rolling out batts and trying to get them fit perfectly to maintain R-value.

I used certainteed blowing wool and was really impressed at the lack of dust. The 10" of old rock wool in my attic is as dusty as a wind storm in the middle east. The new stuff was nearly dust free. I believe cellulose is dusty as hell though.

 

[IONH]

I would never mess around with batts for a ceiling. I blew 10 bags into my attic this past fall in about 2 hours even with my busted up back. I was amazed at how quick and easy it was and in the end I have one continuous blanket. I cannot imagine how long I would have been up there rolling out batts and trying to get them fit perfectly to maintain R-value.

I used certainteed blowing wool and was really impressed at the lack of dust. The 10" of old rock wool in my attic is as dusty as a wind storm in the middle east. The new stuff was nearly dust free. I believe cellulose is dusty as hell though.

What did you do with the old stuff?

 

[ForceFed70]

I would (and did) go with blown in. It's pretty rare that you're up there shoveling and really not that much more work vs pulling out batts.

 

[mx500]

i installed blown fiberglass from menards. NO DUST didnt even need a mouth/nose filter, ahah this stuff does not itch. I will have no issues going back and installing circuits, etc down the line. was actually kind of fun, like spraying snow out of a large garden hose. me and a buddy had a few beers and took turns cause he wanted to try. how many people are going to enjoy helping you do batts? and you dont have to bend over.
think it was around $600 with machine for my 32x50 at R-30 20 bags sounds about right. had a $100 rebate too that i got later

 

[Highbeam]

I dare say that only a fool would use batts in an attic. They are in every way inferior to blown in insulation. Even when running new circuits, you just sweep aside the loose insulation and when you're done, sweep it back. You need to be blowing in. Now WHAT you blow in is the only real question and there is no really good answer for that.

 

[burleymike]

What did you do with the old stuff?

I left it in place. It was not terribly compacted, never been wet so I saw no point in trying remove it.

 

[IONH]

I left it in place. It was not terribly compacted, never been wet so I saw no point in trying remove it.

I ask because I have blown in my attic of my main building right now. It's somewhat compacted in some places and not in others. As the air is what gives the insulating quality, I would think removing it all to start from scratch may be best.