The electrician cut open my wall and now I need to fix it...help?

Question

I had an electrican over yesterday because of a couple of dead outlets. At one point he had to cut open part of the wall and knocked out all of the insolation that was behind it. The hole is about 2'x3'.

Patching the hole itself isn't the actual problem. I've done that enough times, cut some sheet rock to fit the hole and then spackle it in place. I've never done anything with insolation though. Do I just stick it in place? I've only ever seen huge rolls, can I get just a small amount?

Answer 1

Well, unless he really tore up the drywall, you should be able to use the piece he cut out.  If you need a new piece, you can usually buy a partial sheet at places like Lowe's.

"Spackle" itself will be too light for this type of repair.. you want actual drywall mud, and I'd suggest using mesh tape, on the seam.  The mesh tape is slightly sticky, so it will stay in place... put it over the gaps/seams first, then press in a coat of mud... let that dry 24 hours, and sand it.  Apply a second coat of mud, and repeat.  Depending on the depth of gaps, shrinkage of mud, etc, you might need a third coat.  If you go slightly farther out, with each coat, it helps blend the seam in with the wall.... use a wide taping knife for the last step, rather than trying to use one too small.  

Its slightly more steps than using spackle, but with a piece this big, you need it for a good finish.  Prime before painting, or the paint will dry different colors over the prepainted wall, the drywall paper, and the drywall mud itself.  With a little patience, you can completely hide this patch.

As to the insulation, youve got a couple of choices.

You could buy an insulated pouch (too expensive for this application in my opinion)...different size pouches run from $50 to $80

Cellulose insulation ('blown in') is fairly inexpensive, but might be rather messy in this application, heheh it runs about $9 bag.

You CAN get fiberglass 'utility' rolls.. from places like Lowe's... its about 16" wide, 4ft long, but is only 1" thick....You'd need several pieces for this cavity....by the time you spend that, you'd be ahead to just by a standard batten package.

The standard batten package is probably your least expensive approach, even though you will have some left over.  I'd just store the left over, myself, so it would be handy the next time a little insulation is needed.  You can get it with the 'kraft' face, or without.  The facing provides a vapor barrier, and would go to the outside of the wall.

Polystyrene is another choice... you can get a 1" thick sheet, at 4ft by 8ft, for less than $15 at most places.  It also comes in 2" thicknesses.  You can cut the stuff by running a utility knife down one face, and then 'snap' it in two.

Finally, you might consider using a spray foam insulation like 'Great Stuff'... though, personally, I prefer the DAP Latex foam (comes in a black and blue can).  The nice thing about the Dap Latex, is it does most of its expansion immediately, unlike Great Stuff, which continues to expand for quite some time, and most importantly, it cleans up with soap and water.  Anyone who's ever used Great Stuff will attest to the fact that you almost have to wear it off, hehhee...or use a solvent like Acetone...which will bleach/strip anything else it comes in contact with.  You'd need a few cans for this size hole.

My choice would be to just buy a package of batten insulation.  Open it at the top, and pull out what I needed, and then seal it back up with some duct tape.  (The batten insulation is compressed in the package.... if you leave it open, it will tend to continue to expand, heheh)

Have Fun

Answer 2

I doubt that you can get just a small piece of insulation. You need to get the same rating, and face. You put the insulation between the upright members that support the wall. Then you staple the insulation in place. This is not critical unless you are really concerned about hot or cold spots in the wall.

Answer 3

stick it in place.  Use stapes or a staple gun.  Did the electrician fix anything after messing up your house?

Answer 4

You can pull the old insulation out of the trash and re-use it, it doesn't go bad. Don't pack it tight, fluff it in. Not sure if you can buy small pieces or not. Never saw it like that.  You could buy the smallest roll of the lowest r-value for about $13 last I checked. You will have lots left over.

Maybe find someone adding insulation to their attic to block AC loss and ask for their scraps. Maybe find a dumpster at a construction site and pick some scraps. Good luck

Answer 5

Your home improvement center has ready made patches.  One that I have used is a metal square that is perforated and sticky on one side.  Stick it over the hole and apply your patching compound right over the metal patch.  Easy and looks great.