I ve always said adding insulation to your attic is some of the best money you can spend to make your house more energy efficient but whether to use faced or unfaced insulation is a great question.
Difference between faced and unfaced attic insulation.
There are many types of insulation that are unfaced such as spray foam and loose fill fiberglass.
Unfaced insulation should be used when you re adding insulation to your attic that already has insulation so that you don t have to worry about the moisture trap.
Faced insulation has a vapor barrier or a vapor retarder the facing that helps prevent moisture from moving from one space to another.
What is the difference between faced and unfaced insulation.
Faced insulation is a vapor retarder and may need to be used in your home depending on your local building codes.
Now here s a situation where a homeowner what looks like many years ago added insulation they added a three inch layer but it has facing on it and that could create a.
For example an attic should have insulation quality and volume that is rated between r 49 and r 60 in zone 7 regions like buffalo new york where it gets downright icy in the winter.
The key difference between the two is that faced insulation keeps moisture out because it has kraft paper or plastic on one side whereas unfaced only provides insulation.
Unfaced batts are laid perpendicularly atop existing batts to improve heat retention.
Difference between faced and unfaced insulation type.
What is the right insulation for an attic.