Repair Sagging
Floor Insulation
Batt insulation installed between floor joists may sag over time, especially if it has gotten wet or if it does not have the Kraft paper facing. Insulation with the paper facing may also have been hurriedly and improperly installed by simply being friction-fitted between the joists instead of having the paper tabs stapled to the top edges of the joists. As the insulation sags its contact with the sides of the joists diminishes causing gaps where air can infiltrate. Gradually the floor becomes colder and colder, and heating costs increase. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Put on safety glasses and dust mask. Wear clothes that cover the arms and legs, and button the shirt at the neck and at the cuffs.
2. Feel the insulation for moisture. If the insulation is wet, stop. Find the source of the water that is making the insulation wet and stop it. Allow the insulation to dry completely before continuing.
3. Put on the gloves.
4. Measure the thickness of the insulation when it is uncompressed.
5. Measure down from the underside of the sub floor the thickness of the insulation and make a mark on the side of one of the joists. Use this visual reference to guide you in how far upward to install the wire supports. The idea is to get the upper side of the insulation against the underside of the sub floor with minimal compression.
6. Begin in one corner, sitting, standing or laying beneath, and parallel to the opening between two joists.
7. Push an 18-inch-long section of the sagging insulation up between the joists with one hand.
8. Hold a wire support by its middle with the other hand while keeping it perpendicular to the joists and force it upward between the joists. The wire will bend in the middle as you push upward. At the same time, the ends of the wire will grip the sides of the joists and hold the insulation in place.
9. Stop pushing upward on the wire support when its middle is approximately level with the mark you made in step 5.
10. Continue installing wire supports every 18 inches between joists until all sagging insulation is supported or until the insulation under the complete floor is supported.
Tags: between joists, Floor Insulation, insulation stop, paper facing, Repair Sagging, Repair Sagging Floor, Sagging Floor
