Insulate Indoor Attic Access

Here s one good method.

Insulate indoor attic access.

First install foam weather stripping on the inside of the trim or directly onto the hatch. Staple long pieces of duct tape sticky side up onto the attic scuttle door. Most insulation i find in the attic of homes is air permeable air can travel through it. The access door is in our closet which is fine except the fact that the crawl space has very little insulation and neither does the door.

That means that you should glue at least 4 inches of foil faced polyisocyanurate r 26 to the box. More insulation 6 inches or 8 inches isn t uncommon. To insulate an attic hatch you need weather stripping rigid foam board and fiberglass batt insulation. Add insulation to the exterior of the plywood box.

This means while your insulation in the attic may slow the flow of heat via radiation it will not stop air flow from the living space which carries heat via convection if there is a path for air to travel. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. Then add insulation batting to form a pillow and wrap it up like a birthday present as shown.

Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. The rule here is simple. With attic insulation we aim for a pretty high standard usually at least r 49 and the coffin insulation should match. As you can see using the flame test the door is a little crooked which leaves a gap at the top and the bottom which allows cold air to flow into our closet.