i want to insulate my garage ceiling in the near future. i found this blow in insulation at lowes for pretty cheap. it is Greenfiber brand,and 20 cubic feet for $11. also, you get to use there blow in machine for free with purchase of blow in insulation. if i did my math right. i think my garage is around 202 cubic feet. it has 2x6 beams, it is 31 feet long, and 13 feet wide:

L- 31 ft
W- 13 ft
H- .5 ft

201.5 feet cubed

the question i have is, to hold the insulation up, i have industrial grade all purpose plastic sheeting. this is the kind i have:


i was planning on stapling it up. will that be strong enough to hold up the insulation?

assuming i did the math right, this should only cost a little over $100.

 

You are going to spending too much and it will take longer. Go down to your local Lowe's and get some R-19 that covers 87 sq.ft. for $27 (http://www.lowes.com/pd_15282-1722-EFK003_0_?productId=3014127&Ntt=r-19&Ntk=i_products&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?firstReferURL=http%3A%252Fwww.lowes.com%2 52FSearchCatalogDisplay%3FstoreId%3D10151%26langId %3D-1%26catalogId%3D10051%26N%3D0%26newSearch%3Dtrue%2 6Ntt%3Dr-19%26x%3D17%26y%3D8$newSearch=true$zipCode=03103$N tt=r-19$URL=StoreLocatorDisplayView$selectedLocalStoreB eanArray=). It is cheaper and will go up faster. Plus that blow in insulation will settle over time. You will only need 3 bags of the R-19 and spend ~$80 total. Throw up some straping to help hold it or get some 3/8" drywall and finish it off to make it brighter in there (that is what I will be doing over time).

When all is done (insulation, drywall, tape and mud, prime and paint) your looking at $150-$175.

 

I just realized that you live about 2 hours south of me.

 

 

i just went down in my basement and looked at the insulation. is strapping the little thin metal rods you just bend upward and they hold against the wood? those would work perfect.

my dad says not to use the plastic, because he says that moister will get held in. i was thinking that the plastic would have seams were each sheet met up that would be fine. what do ya think?

 

I love working in 15* weather. Call me crazy, but I love it.

Yes, that is the roll in insulation. It is actually precut pieces that are something like 93" long.

Straping is just 1"x3"x8' pieces of wood. You can staple the insulation up, but the strapping will help keep it from falling. This is a pic of one room that I am redoing in my house.



Your dad is right about the plastic. Last thing you want is moisture build up.

 

 

Here is how I did our garage we just used the pink panther rolled up insulation and nailed up some 1 by's and it works fantastic

 

I did mine with the faced insulation. They say it is fire-resistant. I wouldnt gamble on that if you are doing welding or grinding. I stapled them in an overlap at the studs for minimal air leakage. Covered by 1/2" drywall. Painted it Gloss white for better reflection of the light. I live in the country and used this eco-friendly stuff in the paint, its a bug and spider killer. Works GOOD! Non-toxic, bugs absorb it through their legs and die! I'm an electrician and will help for anyone that needs it. A sub-panel in the garage rules! If using fluorescent lighting, use "cool white" or better yet a HO or VHO fixture. Better color rendition and better cold weather performance. I also wanted a heater. Found a small furnace from a guy that hauls old mobile homes out of trailer parks [any park owner can turn you on to these guys]. My cost, $50.00. Its small and blows out the bottom and the heat rises. I added a ceiling fan, and life is GOOD!

 

Sounds like a nice garage Scotty!

 

That's an old wives tale, in new house construction all joints are taped with Tuck Tape to seal it even better. If your attic is well vented you will not have a moisture problem and if not you don't want the moisture to form on your drywall, hence the term "vapour barrier". Remember if condensation forms it forms where cold and warm meet, that can be on the cold side of your poly so it can disipatate or on the cold side of your drywall where it gets it wet and causes it to sag and bunch of other problems. 6 mil poly is the minimum allowed by our building code, all joints must be taped and any place that two framing members are touching such as the top and bottom plate or wall corners the joint has to be caulked to stop air leakage. One thing we Canadians do know is insulation!!

3 mil poly is way too thin to hold up blown in insulation. You might get away with it if you use reqular bat style insulation that are friction fit, but even that will sag after a short time. You must have the drywall up before using blow in insulation. I ran a insulation/drywall company with 50+ employees for several years.

 

"HEAT GOOD" ya me and my dad put a ZERO tolerence heater out of a RV in the loft of the garage and it shoots hot air down and we have it split 3 ways across the garage it gets so hot in there were taking of jackets

 

more like a fortress of solitude...

 

You know the truth, John!

 

Check your prices, compare the cost of friction fit insulation/paperback over blown in, blown in is generally cheaper. Then look at the cost of the strapping that has been suggested to hold it in and I think you'll find that putting up drywall and then using blown in will not cost you that much much more, if any, and if you plan on drywall in the future it will be much cheaper in the long run. Depending on how your trusses are laid out, 14 sheets of 4x8 drywall will do you, 448 sq. ft.

 

For safety, I would not recommend grinding or welding in a garage with the paper backing, or plastic sheeting exposed.

 

dont forget a door that locks from the inside