Whether using loose fill or batts put the vapor barrier closest to the warm side of your installation where hot moist air would get in facing the house s interior in cold climates beneath floor insulation and the attic s interior in hot climates on top of floor insulation.
Do i need a vapor barrier for attic insulation.
If you are planning to have an attic insulation project for your home you may be wondering whether it is important to have a vapor barrier installed as well.
Such a location works both as a vapor barrier as well as an air barrier and eliminates the need for an external air barrier not a easy application on a multi storried building as well as any special electrical pans and their sealing.
I install my vapor barrier in the middle of the wall system between the two walls.
The paper facing contains a layer of impermeable asphalt that prevents water vapor from passing through it.
After the insulation is in place you will want to add a vapor retarder sometimes called a vapor barrier if you need one.
Do not add a vapor barrier on top of the insulation in your attic since the paper facing on the existing insulation is the vapor barrier.
If you need a vapor barrier and your insulation is unfaced you must cover it with a polyethylene film.
Hence the need to reduce moisture flow into the attic and the need for a vapor barrier.
To be able to answer this question correctly for your home there are a few factors you need to consider before any major attic insulation project.
In mixed climate areas the vapor barrier is optional depending on the total design of a building.
With the added insulation the attic stayed cold and so did the ventilating air from outside which was now unable to effectively remove attic moisture.
Not every wall does.
A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter.
Whether or not you need a vapor retarder hinges on three main factors.
This worked well until we added large quantities of attic insulation.
In cold climates a vapor barrier is almost always needed.