Just purchased a house built in 1952. Between the joyces (sp) there is some old insulation that looks like old yellow cotton balls and / or shreded newspaper. I need to lay down some Owen's Corning fiberglass. My question: Do I need to remove the old insulation or can I just lay the new stuff right down over it? I want the new insulation to be as effective as possible.

Help is appreciated.

 

Leave the old stuff in place. Before you spend the money on the fiberflass, get a couple of quotes to have cellulose blown in. Won't cost a thing for the quotes, and you just might find that the price difference doesn't justify your spending all of those hours crawling around in your attic. A pro can usually blow an attic in about half a day.

 

If your insulation is same as in my house it has a paper vapor barrier on it. If you add insulation on top make sure it doesn't have a vapor barrier on it. The barrier may trap moisture between layers of insulation.