I have a 1915 two family house. From what I have exposed so far, it is not balloon framed, but has the studs mortised into a 4×8 beam on which the joists for the second floor sit. I have a small area of outside wall exposed after tearing out the plaster/lathe in the foyer/stairway.
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I would like to insulate this 1st floor area before I close it up. Eventually, I will be doing the entire remaining 1st floor this way. The second floor walls are in good shape and I will blow them in from the outside when I re-shingle.
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I think folks are calling this method ‘dens-pak’. I remember reading that Mike Smith gave a location to purchase the material to staple/glue to the studs in providence, RI. Can you give me the name of that company. Do you get your glue from them as well?
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It is difficult to get the material tight enough so it does not bulge out past the studs?
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Also, do you need a special type of blower to get the tight pack of cellulose, or will a typical blower work? And finally, can any cellulose work, or is there a better brand for dens pak?
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Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving.
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Not in your area but they might ansewr you Q
http://www.regalind.com/regal_wall.htm
It's called a 'dense pack' system. One brand name is 'Par-Pack'. All it is is dry blown cellulose behind a string reinforced poly. It's tricky to do it yourself. I've done it several times. For an effective job you need to stretch the poly very tight. I made up a poly stretcher. A telescoping steel gas pipe (3/4" and 1 1/4" inside one another) and welded dozens of 1/2" screws to it - points sticking out. Looks like something from the dark ages. angle brackets with holes mount the pole and vice grips turn it. Staple the poly at one end of wall and roll it over studs to the stretcher - wrap a couple time around stretcher and twist until poly is drum head tight. use cardboard drywall shims to stapled over each stud to keep poly from poping through staples when you blow cels behind it.
Use a regular cels blower but attach a couple of exhaust pipe reducers to convert the 3" hose down to a 1 1/2" ID plastic hose. Poke hose into plastic at top and fish to bottom. Fill cavities slowly withdrawing the hose. When blower begins to stall, withdraw the hose a little. Keep working up to top.
Very messy and dusty job but impressive insulation value.
I've since experimented with another system of installing dense pack. I screw plywood or OSB sheets to the studs - 6" oc with washers beneath the screw heads. I precut a few holes 3" diameter to fish the hose down. Then I blow cels behind the boards. No need to 'hold' the hose. I spend the fill time setting up another sheet of plywood on another section of wall. Same process at with poly filling - when blower stalls - pull the hose out a little.
When you unscrew the panels - the cellulose is so dense that it stays on the walls without any poly. Just don't play with it.
Much neater than the poly job and faster since you don't need to stretch the poly (worst part of project).
mg
bootsy.. the method i use is the Regal Wall from the links posted above..
we first used the polymesh that Mike Guertin described.. (1/4" mesh..
worked great .. time consuming and dirty..
now we use the insul-mesh which is a polyspun fiber that looks like interfacing ( dress making )
you staple it in place, liberally apply a fabric wall paper paste ( Regal will sell you a gallon , but you can also get it at a good paint store )
and the next day you can blow your walls
or floors we leave out a slot and use a plywood gasket like mike described
sometimes we have the board hangers hang... then blow thru the board and patch the holes.. since we use skim coat plaster, this is not a problem... isn't much of a problem with drywall eithr , especially if you use a durabond patch,,
bottom line.. you need to create a restricted space, then blow your cells thru a reduce nozzle with a rich air -to- fiber mix.... you can experiment with YOUR blower to find the best mix ..
you blow until the picht of the sound changes and you know you have max compaction.. you can also see the fibers stop their flow in the translucent hose
the blowing is the fast part... the prep work , creating the covered bay with the mesh , is the time consuming part
if your climate were a little more benign , i wouldn't worry about it .. i'd jsut blow your stud bays thru the blueboard/drywall with a top and bottom hole application..
in your climate... you have to decide if 3.5" wall insulation is enough,,, with cellulose dens-pak in your walls , you will have a better wall than 90% of the other insulated walls in existenceMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore