Adding insulation to attic.

Question

Ok, I know when it comes to home repair/maintenance, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but my question is: I looked in my attic and noticed that some of the blown-in insulation was missing from under the ductwork running the length of the house in the attic. I want to add some pink insulation myself, to cover the exposed wood, under the ductwork, which is about 6" above the exposed wood. However, I do not fall through the ceiling? Do I just bring into the attic some board planks and press-down the blow-in insulation to support myself? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

Answer 1

If you have roof trusses in your attic, they have diagonal members that would help you hold on as you carefully let your feet feel for the bottom cord or ceiling joist.

If your house is stick framed you might not have anything but a roof rafter and the ceiling joist. I would take a pc of plywood about 16" wide x 5' long up with you - make sure it's 3/4" thick. Anything bigger will wear you out moving it around. If you let your feet feel for the ceiling joist you should be fine - just use the plywood when you get to where you are going and want to kneel down to install the insulation. If you buy a headband light (fits on your head) you can free up both hands to install the insulation.

You can find the headband lights at major sporting goods stores like d**k's sporting goods or Gander Mountain.

Answer 2

If you already have blown in insulation and it is cellulose or fiberglass, you could just blow more of it in your attic and probably never get up into the attic itself.  The hoses blow the insulation fifteen or twenty feet.  Good luck and be careful, wear a mask and glasses. Make sure the insulation already there doesn't contain asbestos.

Answer 3

TEDRUSKI - did the same thing on one of my houses - difficult if you're alone - had my wife come and toss over the insulation to me then I unrolled it and put it in place...

Be sure to wear the proper protection...

Answer 4

Definitely put boards or plywood on the attic floor big enough to lay on then just reach across and tuck the insulation under the ducts. You probably wont even need to put your free hand on the floor just prop up on your elbow. PS Pick a cool day!

Answer 5

I am afraid your question lacks the grammar to understand it properly.

However, if you are asking how to insulate areas of your loft: yes definitely use boards to avoid ruining the ceiling or breaking a leg.

Answer 6

That is right and be real careful.