Home

Know-How

Bathroom Design

Closet Design Ideas

Garden Furniture

Hardwood Floors

Living Room Design

Filling the Gap- Attic Staircase Insulation

It’s quite possible you’ve gone to a lot of expense to properly insulate your house including walls and around windows. Yet, if you’re like most homes, there’s still a major leak in the house around the attic staircase. You should install attic staircase insulation in order to reduce your utility bills and prevent the loss of heating or air conditioning.

When you shut the attic access door, or fold up the attic ladder, it’s no different than shutting any other door in the house. If the house is properly insulated, there’s weatherstripping around the doors and insulation inside the walls up to the door frame. The reason you have all that insulation is because doors will leak air.

Attic Staircase Insulation

The same principles apply to the attic staircase. When the attic ladder is folded into the attic and the door closed, it’s still going to leak air unless properly insulated. There are several kinds of attic staircase insulation methods used and the one you choose is a matter of preference. The important thing is to make sure you seal your attic access area.

One of the types of attic staircase insulation is called a staircase cover. It simply covers the ladder and the access hole when the ladder is folded up. It’s installed in a way that it automatically is set into place when you put the ladder up and folds out of the way when you pull the ladder down. It’s made out of different kinds of materials depending upon the vendor which include polystyrene or fiberglass. If you are on a tight budget and can’t afford one of the pre-made covers, you can find plans online that show you how to make and install your own cover.

In some cases, it’s possible to use just weatherstripping that seals the attic hatch when it’s closed. The weatherstripping prevents the moister air from the house from reaching the attic and causing damp conditions. It also keeps your conditioned air where it belongs – inside the house.

Another kind of attic staircase insulation is the attic tent. It’s a weatherproofed tent that goes over the attic opening and the top can be opened for access. It has room for the ladder to be folded underneath the top cover.

Attic staircase insulation serves more than one purpose. Insulation not only prevents the loss of conditioned air, it stops dust and insects from getting into the house too. If you have attic access in your home, and have not insulated the opening, you should review the different attic staircase insulation options and choose the one that fits your budget. It’s advisable to choose the one with the highest R insulation value.