Insulating a Loft

When insulating your loft you will be working in a somewhat confined space. Unless it has been boarded out you’ll need to tread very carefully as you move about, if you don’t want to go crashing through the bedroom ceiling. One of the first things you must get hold of is a couple of scaffold boards, or some other form of strong timber battens, from which you can work. The second thing you’ll need is adequate light!

 

You will not need too much in the way of tools to insulate the loft; a craft knife, scissors and perhaps a measuring tape. Wear some form of protective clothing, eye protection, gloves, and a dust mask. These are all important and help prevent skin irritations, dust and fibres in the eyes, and breathing problems. Before you actually start laying the insulation, get it up in the roof space.

The spacing between loft joists is usually about 350mm, give or take. Loft insulation blanket generally comes in rolls, and is 400mm wide. This is very handy and means we won’t need to cut it widthways. Just tuck it in to form a nice snug fit.

It’s not a good idea to cover electrical wiring and light casings with insulating materials as this can lead to overheating. Lift cables up and lay the insulating blanket underneath them to avoid this, and for easy location in future. Cut around light casings carefully using a utility craft knife.

Unroll the blanket between two joists, starting at the eave of one end of your loft, but do not take it right into the eave! Make sure you leave it about 50mm short, so air can still enter the loft space through the soffit and freely circulate; this helps prevent condensation. Press the insulating blanket down fairly lightly as you unroll it.

 

Do not insulate underneath the cold water cistern. This must be kept free to allow the free flow of warm air from the rooms below, which will in turn reduce the risk of the tank freezing up in extremely cold conditions.