FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter X Instagram Tiktok YouTube Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe
Log In
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Restoration
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
Log In

Fine Homebuilding Project Guides

Insulation

Guide Home
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Air-Sealing
  • Choosing Insulation
  • Installing Insulation
  • Water Management
How-To

An Overview of Materials for Air-Sealing an Attic

From painter's caulk to leftover drywall, you can arm yourself to battle air leaks with many items you may already own.

By Mike Guertin
  • X
  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • pinterest
  • email
  • add to favorites Log in or Sign up to save your favorite articles
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Background
      Window
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      In this video, Mike Guertin shows how to identify what kind of recessed lights you have, and he demonstrates appropriates ways to air-seal each type.

      Video Transcript:

      When air-sealing an attic, you’re going to need a whole array of different products, both for caulking and sealing as well as for blocking off big air leaks.

      Here are some air-sealing materials that I use:

      Caulk
      Good-quality caulking can be something like a painter’s caulk, as long as it stays pliable over time. Another is fire-blocking caulk. This is fire-resistant and used around masonry, fireplaces and hot exhaust pipes from heating appliances.

      Spray foam
      Spray foam is good for filling medium to large gaps. This is a professional-style gun. You can also use some of the single-use cans that you find at a home center.

      Tapes
      You’ll need tapes for sealing joints in hard products like drywall and rigid foam housewrap tape or aluminum-faced acrylic tape.

      Sheetmetal
      Going up against masonry fireplaces, or filling gaps anyplace that is hot, you’re going to need pieces of metal, even recycled drip edge, like I have here.

      Dust mask
      Working in an attic, you’re going to be dealing with dust, so a good-quality dust mask is useful.

      Sheet goods
      To fill big holes in rigid products, like a soffit that goes up into an attic, I used rigid foam panels. They give you insulation and also block the air. Even leftover pieces of drywall or plywood or OSB will work as well.

      Acoustical sealant
      One product you don’t see too much in residential construction is acoustical sealant. It usually comes in large tubes and is not very expensive. It works really well because it doesn’t really harden over time; it just skims over and remains very pliable. Whatever it sticks to, it maintains its seal over the long-term.

      Rubber gloves
      Whenever you’re working with these sticky products, you’re going to want to wear rubber gloves so that you don’t get all crudded up and spend hours cleaning yourself.

      Videos in this series:

      • Introduction
      • Sealing Wire & Plumbing Penetrations
      • Sealing a Ceiling Electrical Box
      • Sealing Wall Intersections
      • BONUS: Materials Overview
      • Sealing Ductwork
      • Sealing Soffits and Chases
      • Insulation Ventilation in Rafter Bays
      • Improving Attic Knee-Wall Insulation
      Previous: Handy Hose for Spray-Foam Insulation Next: Straightforward Air-Sealing Strategies

      Guide

      Insulation

      Chapter

      Air-Sealing

      Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

      Signing you up...

      This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
      See all newsletters
      See all newsletters

      Log in or create an account to post a comment.

      Sign up Log in

      Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

      Insulation

      Insulation

      Trusted, comprehensive guidance from the pros for a home that is healthy, comfortable, and energy efficient

      View Project Guide

      View All Project Guides »

      Become a member and get unlimited site access, including the Insulation Project Guide.

      Start Free Trial

      Energy Efficiency
      • Understanding Energy and Houses
      • Building Energy-Efficient Homes
      Air-Sealing
      • Air-Sealing Basics
      • Air-Sealing Tools and Materials
      • Foundations and Floors
      • Walls, Windows, and Doors
      • Attics and Roofs
      Choosing Insulation
      • Insulation Basics
      • Material Choices
      Installing Insulation
      • Insulating Attics and Roofs
      • Insulating Walls
      • Insulating Floors, Footings, and Slabs
      • Insulating Foundation Walls
      Water Management
      • Water-Management Principles
      • Materials
      • Installation Methods

      Fine Home Building

      Newsletter Sign-up

      • Fine Homebuilding

        Home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox.

      • Green Building Advisor

        Building science and energy efficiency advice, plus special offers, in your inbox.

      • Old House Journal

        Repair, renovation, and restoration tips, plus special offers, in your inbox.

      Signing you up...

      This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
      See all newsletters

      Follow

      • Fine Homebuilding

        Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.

        Start Free Trial Now
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • X
        • LinkedIn
      • GBA Prime

        Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.

        Start Free Trial Now
        • Facebook
        • YouTube
      • Old House Journal

        Learn how to restore, repair, update, and decorate your home.

        Subscribe Now
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • X
      • Fine Homebuilding

        Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.

        Start Free Trial Now
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • X
        • LinkedIn
      • GBA Prime

        Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.

        Start Free Trial Now
        • Facebook
        • YouTube
      • Old House Journal

        Learn how to restore, repair, update, and decorate your home.

        Subscribe Now
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • X

      Membership & Magazine

      • Online Archive
      • Start Free Trial
      • Magazine Subscription
      • Magazine Renewal
      • Gift a Subscription
      • Customer Support
      • Privacy Preferences
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Careers
      • Terms of Use
      • Site Map
      • Do not sell or share my information
      • Privacy Policy
      • Accessibility
      • California Privacy Rights

      © 2025 Active Interest Media. All rights reserved.

      Fine Homebuilding receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

      • Home Group
      • Antique Trader
      • Arts & Crafts Homes
      • Bank Note Reporter
      • Cabin Life
      • Cuisine at Home
      • Fine Gardening
      • Fine Woodworking
      • Green Building Advisor
      • Garden Gate
      • Horticulture
      • Keep Craft Alive
      • Log Home Living
      • Military Trader/Vehicles
      • Numismatic News
      • Numismaster
      • Old Cars Weekly
      • Old House Journal
      • Period Homes
      • Popular Woodworking
      • Script
      • ShopNotes
      • Sports Collectors Digest
      • Threads
      • Timber Home Living
      • Traditional Building
      • Woodsmith
      • World Coin News
      • Writer's Digest
      Active Interest Media logo
      X
      X
      This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

      Main Menu

      • How-To
      • Design
      • Tools & Materials
      • Video
      • Blogs
      • Forum
      • Project Guides
      • Reader Projects
      • Magazine
      • Members
      • FHB House

      Podcasts

      • FHB Podcast
      • ProTalk

      Webinars

      • Upcoming and On-Demand

      Podcasts

      • FHB Podcast
      • ProTalk

      Webinars

      • Upcoming and On-Demand

      Popular Topics

      • Kitchens
      • Business
      • Bedrooms
      • Roofs
      • Architecture and Design
      • Green Building
      • Decks
      • Framing
      • Safety
      • Remodeling
      • Bathrooms
      • Windows
      • Tilework
      • Ceilings
      • HVAC

      Magazine

      • Current Issue
      • Past Issues
      • Magazine Index
      • Subscribe
      • Online Archive
      • Author Guidelines

      All Access

      • Member Home
      • Start Free Trial
      • Gift Membership

      Online Learning

      • Courses
      • Project Guides
      • Reader Projects
      • Podcast

      More

      • FHB Ambassadors
      • FHB House
      • Customer Support

      Account

      • Log In
      • Join

      Newsletter

      Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

      Signing you up...

      This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
      See all newsletters
      See all newsletters

      Follow

      • X
      • YouTube
      • instagram
      • facebook
      • pinterest
      • Tiktok

      Join All Access

      Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

      Start Your Free Trial

      Subscribe

      FHB Magazine

      Start your subscription today and save up to 81%

      Subscribe

      We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

      Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

      Start your FREE trial

      Already a member? Log in

      Privacy Policy Update

      We use cookies, pixels, script and other tracking technologies to analyze and improve our service, to improve and personalize content, and for advertising to you. We also share information about your use of our site with third-party social media, advertising and analytics partners. You can view our Privacy Policy here and our Terms of Use here.

      Cookies

      Analytics

      These cookies help us track site metrics to improve our sites and provide a better user experience.

      Advertising/Social Media

      These cookies are used to serve advertisements aligned with your interests.

      Essential

      These cookies are required to provide basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website.

      Delete My Data

      Delete all cookies and associated data