That s because blown insulation is great at filling the gaps and giving you a good complete layer of insulation.
Attic insulation batts vs blown.
Depending on the material of the insulation the installation method may vary slightly.
With this method the insulation is simply blown onto the attic floor and no matter what type of joists studs or wiring that may be in play the blown insulation will naturally form itself tight around any of these creating a layer of strong insulation.
You also don t see any gaps that allow you to see all the way down to the ceiling drywall.
Attic insulation is accomplished with either fiberglass blankets batt or blown in insulation.
That makes it fast to install but costlier than batt insulation.
Batt insulation is available at home centers and lumberyards.
Blown in insulation requires a professional.
Batt insulation take time to read this column.
Compared to blown in insulation batts can reach a resistance rating r factor of over 3 1.
Disadvantages of batt insulation.
Before choosing blown vs.
Batt or rolled insulation or blown loose fill insulation fiberglass or cellulose can be installed on top of old insulation.
Both blown in and batt roll insulation can be installed in different areas of a home including the attic and the walls.
When insulating an attic space many homeowners ask us which is better blown in or batt insulation.
The answer is it depends.
In short there is less chance of error with blown insulation as compared to batts.
When comparing blown in insulation vs.
Often times a combination of the two is ideal.
Blown in varieties however typically reach a peak of around a 2 8 r factor.
The biggest disadvantage of batt insulation is that it does not fit well in non standard spaces.
When blown into attics and wall spaces loose fill fiberglass offers an average r 2 5 thermal value per inch the higher the number the greater the insulating effect.
Instead of cutting and stapling rolled up layers into place they get to spray the insulation where it needs to go.
Fiberglass insulation is available in blown in form and so is cellulose which is referred to as loose fill cellulose.
You d need a thickness of.
Current energy standards recommend the installation of a first layer of craft faced moisture barrier fiberglass batt.
Batts you must also examine the r values.
Any existing batt or roll insulation in the attic should have the facing against the attic drywall floor or no facing at all.
We use both blown in and batt insulation depending on the situation at hand.
Insulation should be rolled out perpendicular to the joists and unfaced rolls should be used.
While the manufacturer will state the actual r value of the insulation that you use according to the department of energy you can expect an r value range between 2 9 and 3 8 per inch of thickness for standard fiberglass batts and between 3 7 and 4 3 for high performance fiberglass batts.
Notice how you don t see any of the ceiling framing down at the ceiling level.
The maximum rating of batt insulation is around 4 2.