How to Work Comfortably While Installing Insulation

Wearing the Right Clothing

Wearing clothing you are comfortable in may sound like an obvious consideration when installing insulation for a day, but it is one that is important to bear in mind. As well as being well fitting and breathable, someone installing insulation should perhaps invest in a pair of work pants with built in pockets for knee pads, as almost all insulation work will involve working at floor level at some stage. Although there are knee pads that can simply be fitted to the outside of pants by means of a Velcro strap or similar, these will require adjustment and the straps can become irritating as they need to be fairly firmly fastened to prevent the knee pads from slipping.

Cutting Insulation Batts Comfortably

Homeowners installing their own insulation will perhaps not have the experience of someone who does the work full time, but there are some handy tips that will enable the homeowner to carry out an insulation install fairly comfortably. One of these is to save time and movement by cutting insulation batts against the wooden framework of the walls, rather than kneeling down and doing the cutting against the floor. Although it may seem more straightforward to use the floor, it doesn’t take much practice at all for anyone to master cutting a batt to size against a wall. This saves the installer constantly having to kneel down and get up, enabling batts to be cut at eye level.

Doing Ceiling Insulation Prior to Plaster

Doing a ceiling insulation install after plaster may seem logical as the installer can manoeuvre around the roof space and install batts without the risk of them falling down but there are many downsides to doing an after-plaster ceiling install. One of these is the hot temperatures that roof spaces experience during summer, making them almost unbearable places to work. The other negative element of installing batts after the ceiling has been plastered is the need to almost constantly be crawling around on hands and knees due to restricted space.

Despite taking a bit of getting used to initially, it may end up being a lot more comfortable installing ceiling insulation from below, either using a ladder or a couple of good-sized sticks or custom made prongs to slot the batts into place. The positives being not getting that trapped feeling of navigating around a crammed roof space, as well as being able to do the edges and corners without having to lay prostrate on the ceiling joists.

Working Comfortably Doing Underfloor Insulation

With some forward planning it is possible to carry out an underfloor insulation install from above, but obviously this will generally only work on a new house or extension. When installing underfloor insulation on an existing dwelling some measures the installer can take to work comfortably is to place some sort of padding down to save lying directly on the ground underneath a house which often is uneven and has rubble scattered around from the initial construction phase. A length of cardboard may be all that is required to enable an underfloor install to be done more comfortably.