How to Make Exterior Walls Warmer

Unfinished Walls

• 1

  Find the R-value of insulation you need for your city or region. Call a local building contractor or building inspector to find the R-value for your home. The R-value will dictate how thick the insulation must be for your home.

• 2

  Use a tape measure to measure the space between the studs on your exterior walls. The distance should be 15 or 23 inches, which is the width of insulation you should use.

• 3

  Measure the length and height of the exterior walls you will insulate. Multiply the length by the height to get the total number of square feet of insulation material you will need for each wall. If a wall is 10 feet wide by 8 feet tall, you will need 80 square feet of insulation for that particular wall.

• 4

  Put on safety glasses, work gloves, a hat, a dust mask, and a long sleeved shirt before you begin handling the insulation. This will help keep the fiberglass particles out of your eyes, nose and mouth, and off of your skin.

• 5

  Insert one end of insulation between two of the walls studs at the top of the wall. Make sure the faced or plastic covered side is facing out toward you. Staple the edge of the insulation into place and roll it down to the floor. Push the insulation into the groove between the stud so it is firmly in place.

• 6

  Staple the insulation into place every 6 inches down the wall. Faced insulation usually has plastic tabs on the sides that will allow you to staple it to the wall studs. Staple the insulation all the way down to the floor.

• 7

  Press a straightedge or metal ruler against the insulation at the bottom of the wall. Cut the insulation along the edge with a utility knife. Tuck the bottom of the insulation between the studs and staple into place. Repeat the procedure until you have completely covered the wall with insulation and then move on to the next exterior wall.

Finished Walls

• 8

  Rent a cellulose insulation blower from a home improvement store. Determine how many square feet of blow-in insulation you will need by multiplying the length and width of each wall.

• 9

  Use a stud finder to find all the studs along the wall. Cut a hole 2 to 3 inches in diameter in the middle of the space between each stud. Each hole should be an inch or two from the top of the wall. Hold on to the cut out pieces of the wall, as you will replace them later.

• 10

  Insert the insulation blower hose down into the first hole. Wrap a rag or towel around the hose where it meets the wall to help form a seal.

• 11

  Hold onto the end of the hose while you have a friend turn on the insulation blower. Fill the wall cavity with insulation. Slowly pull the hose out of the wall as you feel the insulation level rise around it. Remove the hose from the wall hole once the wall cavity is full of insulation.

• 12

  Replace the cut-out piece of wall into the hole you made. Brush some paint over the hole if you wish to cover the hole. Repeat for each section of wall between the remaining studs.