We've got blown-in insulation in our attic, and I'm tired of everytime someone goes up into the attic having little bits of insulation falling out and being tracked all over the house. Is it safe to loosely cover parts of the insulation with plastic sheeting to keep the insulation more in place?
That would make a vapor barrier on the wrong side. How about some sort of netting?
What are they doing that takes them up in the attic that often?
a quick phone call to a local insulation company in your climate would provide the best answer. maybe look at some plastic gardening mesh to let it breathe properly. if plastic is not permitted it your building code area, maybe metal window screening is? unvented plastic could be a moisture trap in many climates.
If you're using the attic for storage then put down a wood floor. Cut sheets of plywood into pieces that fit up through the access door and nail 'em down to the joists. This will give you more storage, keep the insulation in place and avoid the risk of someone accidentally stepping on the ceiling and falling through it. It doesn't have to be anything special, any old grade of plywood would work, even recycled from other purposes. But thicker sheets will take weight better. Just be sure to anchor it reliably, you don't want it moving around or bowing when someone steps on it.
If you've got a lot of insulation up there and it's deeper than the current top of the joists then you'll have to add to them to provide a secure mounting for the flooring. This is messy work, you might want to find a local handyman to do it.
Plastic generally traps moisture. It would seem like a bad idea to put that up in an attic. If you can't put down wood then something more breathable would be better than plastic. Not sure what the building code allows though. You could, I suppose, just staple down some cardboard or heavy craft paper. That's sort of half-assed, but if all you're doing is storing the christmas ornaments it might be enough.
Bear in mind that whatever you put down might at some point need to come back up. To add insulation, fix a leak or wiring, etc. So don't go putting down something that'll be a real pain in the ass to remove later on.
-Bill Kearney
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Not really much our business, is it? ;)
Plastic sheeting might not be good as it can act as a vapor barrier. Landscape fabric or just regular cloth sheeting might be better as it'll breath and moisture dissipate.
I'd think that stapling it to the joists would encapsulate it nicely.
I plan on removing all the loose fill stuff near my access door and replacing it with regular batts.
A light coating of spray-adhesive?
How about replacing the insulation around the access with the plastic wrapped fiberglass batts they sell now?
Bob
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