Face Or Unface For Attic
You can buy them unfaced or simply remove the paper or foil backing.
Face or unface for attic. The facing should aim down toward the living space. Kraft faced insulation includes a paper vapor retarder which helps prevent mold and mildew. If you re putting it in an exterior wall the facing is on the interior side of the home where drywall will be laid. Always use unfaced batts both when laying product for the first time and to prevent moisture from becoming trapped between new and old layers of insulation.
Faced insulation is a vapor retarder and may need to be used in your home depending on your local building codes. Kraft faced insulation should be installed in exterior walls exterior basement walls and attic ceilings by pressing the product into the wall cavity with the paper side. Faced insulation has flanges on the outside of the batt that need to be stapled to the wall studs and joists. For many contractors the decision to use one kind of insulation over the other depends solely on preference rather than a by the book decision making process.
Faced or the type with paper is typically used in first time applications such as in walls ceilings floors and in crawl spaces. Facing is a thin layer of paper or plastic attached to one side of batting insulation which is sold in a roll. Insulation in rolls called batts comes in two varieties. So in an attic the paper faces downward and.
Whether you choose faced or unfaced insulation for the attic depends on the. The upside is you save money by not having to pay to add your own vapor barrier. When adding more insulation to an attic that already has insulation use unfaced insulation. Unfaced means the insulation lacks a vapor retarder paper or plastic facing.
The same applies to faced unfaced and other kinds of insulation products. Place a new layer of unfaced batts perpendicular to the old layer to cover any gaps in the lower layer. The same is true for an attic floor. Faced insulation is a little but not a lot more expensive than unfaced simply because of the extra material it includes.
Any time you use a faced insulation the paper needs to be facing toward the living space.