Air migrates from warmer spaces toward colder spaces, and insulation is designed to slow or stop that migration. Because attics reflect outside temperatures, attic insulation is essential to maintaining a comfortable temperature in your home year-round.
The experts at Valley Insulation explain attic insulation — specifically, batting attic insulation and facing materials. Whether you choose faced or unfaced insulation depends on the application and whether some insulation is already present.
What Is Facing?
Facing is a thin layer of paper or plastic attached to one side of batting insulation, which is insulation sold in a roll. This layer acts as a vapor barrier in faced insulation and helps to keep the insulation dry. Whether you choose faced or unfaced for attic insulation depends on the application, the climate, and whether some insulation already exists.
Facing Acts as a Moisture Barrier
Evaporation causes air to carry moisture. If this moisture gets trapped in the folds of insulation, it can lead to mold and mildew. Furthermore, excessive moisture can damage the framing lumber of a home’s structure over a long period of time.
Facing creates a vapor barrier through which moisture does not travel. Whether it’s made of paper or plastic, it always faces whichever space is typically warmest in winter.
Attic Floor Insulation
Unfinished or uninsulated attics need a layer of protection to keep hot or cold air from migrating to the rest of your home. The material should be faced if you install batting between your attic floor joists.
Since the attic floor is the ceiling of the living space below, the facing is installed against the top of the ceiling drywall or plaster. The facing then provides a layer of moisture protection between the living space below and the insulation materials above.
Between Rafter Insulation
You can use faced or unfaced batting when installing between the roof rafters of finished attic spaces. When using paper or plastic batting insulation, that moisture barrier should face outward toward the attic space.
Even if the attic space is unheated, it’s typically warmer than the outside air in winter. If you have chosen unfaced batting insulation for your rafters, you should staple sheets of plastic over the batting to accomplish a moisture barrier.
Related Post: Understand Four Types of Blow-In Insulation
Adding to Existing Insulation
Some attic floors that already have a layer of insulation can benefit from an additional application over existing layers. The extra batting increases the R-values, further slowing warm air migration. The additional layer must be unfaced. Otherwise, moisture can get trapped between the insulation layers and cause mold or mildew.
Attic Insulation in Cincinnati
Valley Insulation has been meeting the needs of our customers since 1977. Attic insulation is just one of the many ways we can help your home or business. Contact us today to learn more about cellulose and blow-in insulation and how we can insulate your home or business.
