How to Add Batt Insulation on Top of Loose Fill

Over time, insulation in your attic can settle and lose some of its insulating value. Adding more insulation can keep you warmer in winter, cooler in summer and lower your utility bills. You don't have to add the same kind of insulation you had before. If your home has blown-in loose-fill insulation, you can add fiberglass batts over this. Adding insulation is a do-it-yourself project for many homeowners.

Gloves
Long-sleeved shirt
Long pants
Safety glasses
Dust mask
Large shears

Instructions

- 1
  Purchase unfaced insulation batts. These batts have no paper or foil on them, like insulation batts made for walls. You don't want any kind of barrier between the loose-fill insulation and the batts, or between the batts and the rest of the attic.
- 2
  Wear gloves, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, safety glasses and a dust mask. Fiberglass batts, especially those with no paper or foil backing, shed tiny pieces of fiberglass you don't want to breathe in or get caught in your eyes or on your skin.
- 3
  Lay the insulation batts across the joists, not between them. This helps prevent compressing the loose-fill insulation further and helps seal air gaps between the joists, providing for better insulation. Begin at the perimeter of the attic and move toward the access door.
- 4
  Cut the insulation batts away from vents, electrical junction boxes, recessed lights and chimneys -- using heavy-duty shears.

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