Diy Attic Ladder Insulation
Attic stairs especially drop down stairs are notorious for acting as large holes that leak out cold air while bringing in undesirable hot air.
Diy attic ladder insulation. If your attic has stairs you should invest in attic stairs insulation. Codes changes now require attic ladder to be insulated to r 30 due to the recent code changes it may be difficult to select an insulated attic stair cover that meets the new building and energy codes. Folding attic stairs unlike your ceiling does not have any insulation. Blown in cellulose has a higher r rating and is less expensive than either blown insulation like fiberglass attic insulation or fiberglass batts.
Attach the foam box to the. To insulate fold down attic stairs. 2009 iecc section 402 2 3 and 2009 irc section n1102 2 3 and 2012 iecc section r402 2 4 reads. Use a zippered insulated tent to keep the enclosure draft free attic tent at 7 attic cover insulator 120.
Position the box over the stair opening in the attic. This creates an insulated attic access door. Or you can include weatherstripping around the door open up to stop air leak as well as cover the door panel with a stiff foam insulation board to reduce heat loss. Attic hatch or door.
Diy attic stair cover materials to build the attic stair cover i decided to use two inch thick foil faced foam board by dow tuff r. Cellulose blown in ceiling insulation is a good choice for diyers. Look for attic ladder as well as staircase versions with tight fitting doors and ideally insulation. In short my living space was on the average 12 degrees f cooler then without the attic stair covers your results will differ.
Add weatherstripping around the perimeter and a sweep to the door of a walk up attic. Then secure the pillow with the duct tape. Last spring i built 2 attic stair covers and monitored the results. Assemble the sides of the box with metallic duct tape.
Because of this heat is transferred between the attic and your living space. If you have an attic access panel in your ceiling and are concerned about heat loss don t despair. Affix rigid foam insulation to the attic side of the hatch or door. Cut sides and top from sheets of 3 4 foam board with a utility knife.
Stack insulation batts on top of the duct tape so they extend about 1 in. 1 x 4 x 8 sheet rigid foam board 1 2 x 30 roll foil duct tape 2 x 17 roll foam tape weather stripping 1 tube caulking optional. Access hatches and doors. The foil faced insulation board is also really easy to connect to other pieces using foil tape.
Blown in cellulose is an environmentally friendly material made from recycled newspaper so it s easier on your skin and lungs. The tuff r has an r value of 13 for 2 inches and a foil facing which works great as a radiant heat barrier as well.