Difference between faced and unfaced insulation

The Difference Between Faced And Unfaced Insulation

Faced just means that kraft paper is attached to the insulation itself. The paper helps improve the sturdiness of the insulation so it doesn’t fall down as much. Unfaced insulation is just as good as faced, but it doesn’t have that paper attached to it.

Unfaced fiberglass batts usually cost about $0.50 to $1.75 per square foot of wall, including installation. R-value, the area of the home and geographic location are the major factors that influence price. On average, unfaced insulation costs $0.10 to $0.25 less per square foot to install than faced insulation.

In climates requiring a vapor retarder on the interior surface, a kraft-faced insulation is usually sufficient. When a loose-fill product such as fiberglass or cellulose is installed, a 4 mil continuous polyethylene sheet or a vapor retarder paint on the interior drywall should be used .

So if it is installed upside down, the paper moisture barrier can actually keep moisture in-between the paper and the sub-flooring. This can lead to mold issues, as well as structural deterioration. Also, the paper is flammable so not properly installing it can create a fire hazard.

To install faced products by pressure fit, gently place the insulation into the cavity space between framing members. Make sure the insulation facing is flush with the face of the stud. The insulation must fit snugly at the sides and ends.

(The general rule for insulation is that the facing always goes toward the conditioned space.) The second layer of insulation should be unfaced so that moisture doesn’t collect between the layers.

Luckily, the Kraft paper facing is easy to remove. Simply pull on the facing with one hand and use the other hand to push the batt or roll away from the facing.

Typical recommendations for exterior walls are R-13 to R-23, while R-30, R-38 and R-49 are common for ceilings and attic spaces. See the Department of Energy’s (DOE) ranges for recommended levels of insulation below.

Can you put faced insulation over faced insulation? No, faced insulation should not be added over existing insulation since the vapor retarder on top of or between layers of insulation can trap moisture.

It is possible to over-insulate your house so much that it can‘t breathe. The whole point of home insulation is to tightly seal your home’s interior. But if it becomes too tightly sealed with too many layers of insulation, moisture can get trapped inside those layers. That’s when mold starts to grow.

Although the U.S. Department of Energy rates R–13 insulation as “good” for use in walls in southern areas of the country, it rates R-19 insulation higher, designating it as “great.” That is because R-19 insulation provides more thermal insulation than R–13 does.

Thanks! R19 compressed into a 2×4 stud wall should give you about R14 I believe, so if you can‘t return the R19 you already have to the store to buy cheaper R13 batts, you might as well use it up.

They are available in widths suited to standard spacings of wall studs and attic or floor joists: 2×4 walls can hold R-13 or R-15 batts; 2×6 walls can have R-19 or R-21 products. Loose-fill insulation—usually made of fiberglass, rock wool, or cellulose—comes in shreds, granules, or nodules.

Re: insulating 2×3 framing

You could use R10 (2×4) or R20 (2×6) insulation and rip them in half. It sounds dumb but most batt insulations can be simply reduced in thickness by grabbing each half at one end and tearing them in half thickness wise. The only one I have seen that does not really do that is “ROXAL”.

R-30 fiberglass insulation is designed to be in a roof or ceiling cavity framed with 2x10s. It is way too thick for 2×4 walls.

Insulation for 2×4 Walls

In most wall applications, you will use R-13 or R-15 kraft-faced fiberglass insulation rolls for these two-by-four stud walls. While rated differently, these two types of insulation are close enough in thickness that they can both fit into modern two-by-four wall systems.

OPTIM-R is Kingspan’s thinnest insulation. It comprises of a rigid vacuum insulation panel (VIP) with a micro porous core which is evacuated, encased and sealed in a thin, gas-tight envelope which gives an outstanding thermal conductivity of 0.007 W/m.K.