How To Seal Attic Opening

If you have a finished attic seal behind the kneewalls.

How to seal attic opening.

Seal the foil to the frame with the caulk or adhesive and staple or nail it in place if needed. When the attic becomes part of the home to be heated and cooled open wall gable vents and roof vents are no longer feasible but the underside of the roof the sheathing and rafters can still. Cut 1 3 boards to fit the perimeter of the opening and nail them on with 6d finish nails. Finished rooms built into attics often have open cavities in the floor framing under the sidewalls or kneewalls.

If the weatherstripping was fastened with nails or screws more time will be needed to remove all of the fasteners. It should rest squarely on top of the stairway frame. The stops provide a wider surface for attaching the weatherstrip and a space to mount hook and eye fasteners. Insulate the cover with rigid foam that is glued in place or batt insulation that is mechanically fastened e g with wires and screws.

Sealing the attic hatch or door finish up by sealing the access hatch with self sticking weather stripping. Adhere batt insulation to the top panel of the box. Without air sealing your attic you are allowing warm air to escape from your home carrying with it your hard earned winter heating money. Usually you can just pull them away from the frame.

If the gap is larger use nonexpanding foam in addition to the caulk. Apply a bead of caulk or adhesive around the opening. If you re prohibited from entering the attic there s not much that you can do about it. If your hatch rests directly on the moldings add 2 1 2 inch wide stops around the opening.

For air sealing add caulk if the gap between the rough opening and frame is less than 1 2 inch. Where possible take the additional measures and enter a sealed up attic space. Air seal attic access panels and drop down stairs to minimize air leakage. Most people just add insulation to their attic this will not stop the escaping warm air.

Attics aren t meant to be permanently sealed no matter what a builder or homeowner tells you. But you can note it in your report to cover your own back. Install a gasket around attic access openings to air seal between the opening and the panel covering. When you re done sealing your attic bypasses push the insulation back into place with an old broom handle or stick as you back out of the attic.