How To Insulate Attic Doors

Several layers should be applied.

How to insulate attic doors.

Apply weather stripping to the door to create a seal. Highly sticky foam tape is a great weather proofing alternative to doors that may be slightly warped and don t have a true and snug fit. Add foam insulation tape around the edges to seal the perimeter where it rests in the access hole. 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.

This ensures a tight seal between the door and the opening. Inspect the weatherstripping gaskets around the attic hatch opening. Check for air leaks and wood stops. Then add insulation batting to form a pillow and wrap it up like a birthday present as shown.

Staple long pieces of duct tape sticky side up onto the attic scuttle door. You can check for air leaks with a. If they seem dried out or damaged remove them. Here s one good method.

Here s how to do it yourself. From inside the attic check for any openings holes or fenestrations into the knee wall surrounding area. Simply cut to size and secure in the areas with a draft. 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.

Despite both of these attic doors being easy to insulate many contractors don t do it. Insulating the attic hatch here s a real quick solution. To insulate an attic hatch you need weather stripping rigid foam board and fiberglass batt insulation. In the case of a knee wall door insulate the walls.

Attach foil insulation board to the back of the attic hatch panel. Always cover the tops of the ceiling joists to make sure the insulation is deep enough to reach your target r value and. I used 1 board which has an r 6 5 insulating value. First install foam weather stripping on the inside of the trim or directly onto the hatch.

More insulation installation tricks and tips work from the perimeter of the attic toward the door or hatch so that you don t trample all over the insulation you just. Once you have the materials you can begin to seal and insulate the knee wall access door through these steps. There are different ways to accomplish this. Apply weather stripping to the perimeter of opening not the attic door cover.