I’ve got the Itch

The most popular do-it-yourself project may be retrofitting insulation into established homes. And why not? There is arguably no other home improvement project which will so reliably add to our comfort and so quickly return the cost of the investment.

Although sealed wall cavities are rarely accessed by do-it-yourselfers, attics, crawlspaces, and basement walls are often done by them. While we advise caution and appropriate preparedness for any home maintenance activity (prudence is your best defense against injury-hire a professional if you are unsure of the job!), for most homeowners the most daunting prospect may be the sneezing and itching that can come from handling fiberglass batts.

Within the last couple years some new products have become available which can change all that.

Perhaps the most widespread are encapsulated batts. In general, these are the same fiberglass batts you've always known, but wearing a thin plastic sleeve. The plastic sleeve makes the batts much easier to handle-you can work with them without metamorphosing into a human porcupine, bristling with tiny spikes of broken fiberglass. Expect to wear long sleeves and a respirator just as has always been done with fiberglass batts-the fiber detritus is so tiny, and the sleeves usually open-ended, so that you will still likely have some contact. A radical and seldom-mentioned benefit of the bagged batts is more even, less moisture- and humidity-dependent, performance from the fiberglass batt. Not long before the batts were introduced, a re-examination of the standard R-value testing method brought the realization that the testing method was characterized by very low humidity. When elevated humidity was introduced, the batts' R-value dropped significantly.

Another remarkable new product is Owens-Corning's "Miraflex," the first new form of fiberglass in almost 60 years. Miraflex is fiberglass but looks and feels just like soft, non-spun cotton. It is formed by blending two types of glass fiber, the strands having random curls which keep them from irritating the skin. Don't stuff your pillow with it, though. It comes in an encapsulated batt and I'll let you figure out why. R-value for Miraflex is about the same as standard fiberglass batts, approximately R-3 per inch.

Or you could get away from fiberglass altogether with a nifty old-time batt material, rock wool. Rock wool has been around since the 1930's. You can make some by spinning together fibers of molten basalt rock and steel mill slag. Or you could have a Canadian company, Roxul, do it for you. Ontario-based Roxul makes a modern rock wool batt with a springy edging that aids seal, Flexibatt. Roxul ships Flexibatt to the four corners of the earth (say, Chris, which way to America?). If you make the effort to locate some Flexibatt, you'll be rewarded with a material that is softer and more sound- and fire-resistant than conventional fiberglass. And you'll get substantially better R-value in the bargain, typically R-3.7 to R-4 per inch.

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to insulate your house with blanket material like you cover yourself with at night (those blankets may be only 1/4" thick, but one or two of them keeps you toasty at night), why, give Greenwood Cotton Insulation Products of Roswell, Georgia a call. They make batts out of recycled cotton and polyester. Those batts just missed becoming blue-jeans or T-shirts-they're the leftovers from jean and T-shirt factories. R-value is about the same or a little better than conventional fiberglass batts, around R-3 to R-3.7. And, you will not itch.

If you want to make the neighbors "green" with envy and be really hip, you'll jump at the chance to stuff your house with "E2" from E2 Development of Burlington, Ontario. E2 is made of 100 percent recycled plastic soda bottles. Before you can finish a good belch, they'll spin you old cola bottle into a soft cottony blanket that costs just a little bit more than conventional fiberglass but insulates like a batt-and-a-half, typically R4.5 per inch.

I'll bet you're just itchin' to get started!

“Call Your Handyman and Take a Kid Fishing”