Which is better, easier - caulking the gap between the drywall and the floor by pulling back the carpet and baseboard or sealing the open drywall joints in the attic? I'm leaning towards the attic but it's probably more effective to seal closer to the heated room. I noticed alot of staining on the bottom of the insulation where air infiltrates into the attic from interior walls so there is significant leakage.
No real expertise here just an opinion. It is impossible say where the air that is staining the attic insulation is coming from. The cold air that enters around an unsealed baseboard is definitely entering the heated air space of your home. I just used 30 tubes of caulk on a very small house to seal all visible gaps around the perimeter where the osb met the stud walls and the floor met the studs. As soon as the drywall is finished I will repeat the process between the bottom of the drywall and the floor. To prove how much I believe this I will add, this is for a rental property where I do not pay the utilities.
Colbyt
Don't forget to seal outlet & switch boxes. TB
I used those foam pads to do this, anyone pro or con on this?
later,
tom @
they help, but its still better to foam them in with spray foam... not inside the box, but around it.
randy
could 100% silicone caulk be used in this application?
the spray foam is real insulation. the caulk just stops the breeze (as does the foam thingies) but the wall still gets colder than with foam. mostly you need it behind the box where the outside wall is unless the regular insulation isnt tight to the box.
randy
How do you get the foam BEHIND the box?
with the nozzle attached to the can of spray foam. the ones ive used have a straw taped to the side. if you have room on the top to stick the nozzle in thats good, you may have to trim a bit of drywall that he plate will still cover..
or you can use an existing hole in the box to get the nozzle through.
randy
Thanks, any ideas on how to keep the foam in the tube from hardening so the container can be reused for a several days?
I use a metal coat-hanger. You can wash out the tube with acetone to get rid of most of the wet foam, then ream it with a coat hanger. Leave the hanger in there, then pull it out when you want to use it again.
that said, it will never work as good as the first day. at least in my experience it doesnt...
ive gotten in the habit of getting a cans worth of stuff ready to foam then shooting it all at once. but even if you waste some, its not all that expensive...
randy
With the poly stuff, I heard leaving a big gloob at the end of the tube, overhanging will harden and keep the tube portion 'uncured', then you only have to break off the piece, or snip a small part of the tube, to get access to the fresh stuff and start spraying/foaming again.
I started using the DAP latex stuff, it water cleans up, and is REMOVABLE from clothing and hands.
Man can I make a mess. :)
hth,
tom @
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