How to Insulate a Cathedral Ceiling in a House

Cathedral ceiling is mostly preferred by people who desire to get a spacious appearance for their home. The popularity of cathedral ceiling has tremendously increased in the recent years as houses built nowadays are not so spacious as they used to be earlier. Cathedral ceiling requires proper insulation around the recessed light. Relatively, cathedral ceilings are not so easy to insulate as in the case of regular ceiling. The process of insulation in cathedral ceilings is almost similar to the process deployed in the walls. The technology has grown much faster and thus effective and stylish methods are available at hands for the purpose of insulating ceiling. Let’s see how you can insulate cathedral ceiling in your house with the help of the following guide.

Complexity Level: Moderate

Time Required: 4-5 hours

Resource Required:

  1. Ladder
  2. Utility knife
  3. Vapor barrier
  4. Staple gun
  5. Straight edge
  6. staples
  7. Duct tape
  8. Gloves and face mask

Instructions:

1. Take precaution measures to avoid moisture problem in cathedral ceilings

Problem of moisture in cathedral ceilings may arise due to certain reasons. The traditional methods help in checking moisture problem as they cause the emission of moisture entering into the ventilation area and spreading out of the cavity through the insulation.

2. Easy air flow is possible through old insulation

Fiber glass is the most commonly used insulation material. Such traditional methods help in the movement of air flow easily. Incorporate ventilation and inhibition of moisture penetration were the commonly used method. They are comparatively much cheaper and are very easy to implement.

3. Problems regarding ventilation area

Fiberglass batt insulation is nowadays a commonly seen insulation in most of the houses. But it does have a problem of water beads formation on fibers. That is how ventilation method has developed. It should be noted that ventilation over the insulation may cause excess heat loss by allowing the air movement through the fiber glass which is of low density.

4. Insulation with Kraft faced batts

In order to make the right insulation, it should be cut accordingly. After cutting, press the insulation batts which are placed between the joists. The room should face the Kraft paper. As a safety measure, insulation should be placed 3 inches away from the heat sources.

5. Insulating ceiling with unfaced fiber glass batts

Insulation is a must for every ceiling. Insulating the cathedral ceiling is possible with the help of fiber glass. It is very cheap and is commonly used. By applying friction, it can be fitted without any difficulty.

6. Avoid problems by taking proper precautions

Both low and high opening of ventilation is required. Sometimes, skylights can cause unventilated areas. So, make sure that skylights are properly transformed in order to keep the place dry. Same should be done in the case of recessed light fixtures.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How an existing vaulted ceiling insulation can be improved?

If improvisation is needed, add insulation according to your existing vaulted ceiling. It will help to save money and thereby protects the environment from pollution and various gas emissions. Poor vaulted insulation may lead to emission of heat outside from the home.

2. What do you mean by R value?

It is an industry standard measurement tool. With the help of this, any material’s insulation power can be measured. If R Value is higher, insulation power is also higher.

Quick Tips:

  • New insulation should be large enough in order to make a tight fit between the ceiling joists.
  • Check your existing ceiling insulation. If it is wet or discolored, it should be replaced.

Things To Watch Out For:

  1. While dealing with the electrical boxes which is fixed on the ceiling, proper care should be taken as it may cause leakage and even great problems.
  2. Wear eye goggles and dusk mask while handling ceiling work.
  3. Insulation should be kept 3 inches away from the recessed lights and chimneys.

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