I have a 100+ year old Victorian house, plaster and lathe - balloon framed..
We would like to insulate without riping out all the walls, Hoping to fire retard the balloon framing also..
We're in the Pacific Northwest - so it's wet..
I have been led to believe that cellulose might wick moisture and settle within a few years, wheras expanding foam will fill and stay.
Fire block is as important (if not more so) to me than R value..
any comments, thoughts or caveats would be appreciatede - thanks
2006-09-14 09:00:09 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I would rather NOT neuter the house by ripping out the plaster and lathe and jeopordizing the original moldings to put up drywall - not to mention the fact that the latter is a much bigger job, expensive and would force us to move out..
at this point fiberglass batts are NOT an option we are considering..
2006-09-14 09:07:01 · update #1
ps.
Pacific Northwest - its wet, but not terribly cold, hardly ever snows, rarely freezes..
2006-09-14 09:08:35 · update #2
Foam insulation expands when it is sprayed in. It can exert a great deal of force. I would be very careful about using it inside walls and other cavities. In fact, I doubt a responsible contractor would even consider using it in the manner you are thinking about.
It is very good insulation but only where the expansion can do no harm.
I put cellulose insulation in the attic of my garage in Houston and had no problem. Houston isn't quite as damp as the Northwest but pretty close.
Perlite would be the best for you to use. It is inert and I believe it can be installed in the manner you are talking about. The trick is finding a contractor to install it.
2006-09-14 11:04:31 · answer #1 · answered by oil field trash 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1
2016-12-20 15:59:10 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I live in a 150 year old Ontario farm house. We went the cellulose route. It was the only option at the time. Foam wasn't out. Cellulose DOES settle over time, however. We just had it redone after 18 years, just before residing the house. Foam now is an option, but we decided against it as we really had no issue with cellulose other than the settling, which was expected. Better the devil you know. :)
By the way, the original insulation was leather strip cast offs from a tannery that was local over 140 years ago. Got some really nice newspapers from the period too. :)
2006-09-14 22:50:54 · answer #3 · answered by scubabob 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
blow in fiberglass insulation, not cellulose. cellulose sucks.
many well known companies make blow in fiberglass, same basic idea as cellulose but much less settling, wicking not a problem and r value is reasonably high. blow in from the attic if there is (most likely) no blocking in the walls
below the windows remove some siding if possible and drill through the sheathing if any. or drill holes through the plaster and blow in . patch after and your done.
PS blow-in fiberglass is very fire retardant.
blow in foam isn't really an option as the expansion could upset the plaster "keys"- big problem later on
2006-09-19 16:02:36 · answer #4 · answered by kd7ubp 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I like cellulose better than fiberglas, because it does not lose R value when the temperature decreases. Air does not go through it as well as it does fiberglass (which decreases R value). Search out an insulation contractor that does cellulose--you will find the price a lot lower.
2016-03-27 01:26:55 · answer #5 · answered by Dorene 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would go with a good inject "pour foam" since fiberglass is not an option, and It's moisture resistance
2006-09-22 05:33:50 · answer #6 · answered by Xavier 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hands down foam is best, and dont believe the comment about foam expanding too much, there have been for years newer types of foam that does NOT expand with as much pressure and its sold almost everywhere...like home depot and lowes in much smaller amounts of course for small jobs, but similar foam is available for your type of insulation
2006-09-20 11:57:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
foam is expensive. ,get what u pay 4?
i'd blow cellulose in with proper density & top it with fiberglass if it settles & u can get at it.
are u drilling holes & blowing cellulose or blowing down the wall cavity?
2006-09-14 09:16:47 · answer #8 · answered by enord 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both are crappy, just use regular insulation... my dad and I were renovating a house, and we had a lot of problems with spray insulation... both kinds.
2006-09-14 09:03:11 · answer #9 · answered by Hannah 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
talk to a local insulation contractor in your area they should be able to give you your options , shouldn't cost anything for an estimate
2006-09-14 11:37:00 · answer #10 · answered by bill j 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋