Anyone know if I can blow in cellulose insulation into my walls myself. I'd really like to get that insulation that sticks to the walls, and then you cut it flush with the wood. Can this be done yourself.
Thanks
The stuff you blow into the walls has more moisture and requires a special machine to blow in. If you can get one of those, then you can easily do it but I don't know of anyone who rents them and they are prohibitively expensive. In the alternative, you can use some barrier (one manufacturer I know of makes a mesh netting) which you staple to the studs in order to hold the cellulose in place. It's a hairbrained idea though and I wouldn't go this route becuase, regardless of whatever anyone tells you, the standard blowers just don't have enough power to compact the cellulose to specs.
Exactly, Crhras,
even though you can rent the blower equipment (I am not from US, but as far as I know it costs some 50+ USD daily and some 50 - 100 USD deposit upfront), usually you need much more than just a good blower, it is the matter of technique... and the vertical walls are the most difficult job for the cellulose insulation.
Rather just let it on profi, JayMay,
BR Vilo, www.Roof> The stuff you blow into the walls has more moisture and requires a special
When I purchased this house (built in the 40's) the first thing I did was insulate the enire thing. I blew cellulose in the walls and in the attic space with a rental unit from Lowes for FREE. I did this first because P.G.& E. was offering a rebate that virtually paid for it. Since then I have opend up several walls for various reasons and I was very impressed with how completely it was filled and compacted. This ofcourse was done with the drywall already on.
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote:
hmm..
Really hate paying for something that I can do, and it looks pretty fun to boot. I gutted our house 4 years ago and had a company re-insulate the walls by putting up cheese cloth and then blowing the cellulose into it.
Problem is, if you DIY your drywall, it will take you awhile to put it all up I hung 170 sheets in a little over a month. Some of the drywall is really hard to get on because the cellulose starts buldging out of the walls. Some cases I had to hold the drywall up, push the cellulose back in, and then attempt to screw the drywall to the stud without having the screws pop through. REAL PITA.
Also, since the ceiling drywall wasn't up, they couldn't blow cellulose up there. Instead they put netting up, and blew in really light fiberglass. I don't think that stuff insulates that well at all.
I am thinking of the same thing for our house, built in 1963 & brick of course... which means we get to drill and do it all from the inside. I guess my concern is how much dust do you get in the house. We are planning on some, but just wondering? My thought is so I'm drilling two 1 inch holes, why can't I run a 1 inch plastic hose connected to a shop vac to say the top hole when I'm filling the bottom with cellulose? I'd think that would help with the dust. BG in Iowa
Italian Mas> When I purchased this house (built in the 40's) the first thing I did
if you have the holes pre drilled and the machine outside it honestly wasnt that dusty at all. Your theory sounds interesting and my be worth a try. Id do the top first though then as you are blowing in the bottom the top would stop any coming out from the top. the fire stop really did not alow much to come out of the bottom hole for me while filling the top. I also used a damp rag wrapped around the nozzel where it went through the wall which is where most of my dust came from....it virtualy eliminated it... goodluck
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote:
Hmm great !! even better idea, damp rag around the nozzle. I'm going to try to do the garage wall that is common to the house, from the garage side so I can get an idea of what I'm up against. Someone else suggested tapping the walls as they filled with a heavy plastic shot filled hammer, head covered with a plastic bag. I would really, really like Retro-Foam in the walls but its hard to justify $1,500 more for the job. This way I can DIY and seems simple enough. I've built a
24x24 (9 ft ceilings) garage, wired, insulated and hung the drywall all by myself except for setting the trusses. Thanks again for your help!! BG in IowaItalian Mas> if you have the holes pre drilled and the machine outside it honestly
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.