Thinking about using cellulose for the first time on a project because, from what I understand, it works better than fiberglass.
2×4 walls and 2×10 ceiling. Floor will be 30mm wedifoam with board electric heated tile.
Whats the easiest best way to install?
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Search "Mooney wall".
http://grantlogan.net/
Where are you located? And are you planning to do the insulation yourself or hire a contractor with the equipment and knowledge? Is that a cathedral or flat ceiling? Are you thinking of doing anything to prevent thermal bridging through the framing?
2x4 walls don't offer much of an insulation cavity (R-13.3 for 3.5" cellulose, and just R-11.2 when you include the thermal bridging of studs 16" oc).
There are three ways to install cellulose in new construction:
In each case, you need a good quality blower and the know-how to use it properly (the wet blow requires specialized equipment which you can't rent).
Option 1 requires enough experience to make sure you're getting complete coverage and good density in a "blind" cavity. Option 2 takes time to staple the mesh tightly, but let's you see what you're doing. Option 3 fills cavities completely and requires some cleaning of excess material and a little drying time before closing in.
Solar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes
Edited 1/29/2008 8:57 pm ET by Riversong
Edited 1/29/2008 10:13 pm ET by Riversong
Yeah - I can't recommend blowing blind, either. I thought I'd be clever and blow my first house, which was 80 years old. Without any experience, and wrestling single-handedly with a 20-year old borrowed machine in bad condition, I did a poor job. I had cause to open up some cavities later on, and the results weren't uniform at all. Very disappointing, but a good learning experience.
The easiest and best way is to hire an insulation contractor. IMHO, you don't save enough money to make it worth your while to do insulation or concrete your own self, not even considering the pro will do a better job since he'll have the experience and good equipment. (Especially for insulation, equipment makes a huge difference.)
Easiest way to blow insulation is by installing scrim and blowing from inside. You may get a better deal if you install the scrim. It's grunt work and if you do it, you can save the contractor a LOT of time.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Mooney Wall thread:
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=65624.1
Whats the easiest best way to install?
Depends on what you're after. Lowest price, quickest installation, better performance...?
Some of the spray foams give the best R per inch. But its also the most expensive. Fiberlgass batts are fairly inexpensive and quick to install, but the performance isn't all that wonderful. Properly installed cellulose gives you better performance than fiberglass..for about the same $$$ as fiberglass, however there is more labor involved (unless you're hiring it done). And then there is a wide variety of other insulations: mineral wools, cotton, etc.
And as someone else has already mentioned, go ahead and get a couple bids from insulation contractors. They might be able to do the job for not much more than you would do it for (and a lot less hassle for you).
jt8
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals." -- Sydney Smith
I've had a price from an installer and as suggested I'm letting him do it.
Sometimes that is by far the best way to do it.
jt8
"The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones." -- Somerset Maugham