Insulate a Finished Wall with Loose Fill Insulation Part 2

This article is the second and final part in a 2-part series on how to install loose-fill insulation in your home's walls. In the first article, we focused on preparing the area for the installation of the loose-fill insulation, as well as safety tips and precautions that you should observe. This article focuses on blowing the insulation in the wall and repairing and patching the resulting hole upon completion. (To return to Part 1, click here.)

Once you have completed the steps in both this and the first article you will be able to provide the home with the insulation needed to reduce the loss of heat and transfer of energy, as well as reduce your energy bills and remove the harmful fiberglass material that may be the potential cause of adverse health issues later on.

Step 1: Blowing the Insulation into the Walls

Now that you have completed the purchase of the materials for the project to install insulation in your wall, you need to make a cutout in the lower wall to blow insulation inside. Take a utility knife and score the lower level of the wall that you will insert the blower in. Use a hammer to make a hole in the wall that is large enough to insert the blower hose. You can also use the utility knife to cut out the insert for the hose.

With the lower section of the wall exposed, place the hose of the insulation blower inside and turn on the power. Shake the hose end as the insulation material is blown inside, making sure to direct the hose as best as you can upward and to the side of the wall to completely fill the cavity with insulation. This will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete with the blower operating at high capacity.

Step 2: Repairing the Wall

Once you have completed blowing the insulation into the wall cavity (and repeated this process for each of the walls that you are putting loose-fill insulation inside) you need to patch the wall with a drywall patch kit that you purchased as part of your material list in the first article. Place the drywall patch over the hole that was created for the blower and secure it with the gauze-like tape. Place drywall mud over the tape to secure the patch over the hole. Once the mud has dried completely you need to use a sanding box to smooth the area and eliminate any seams created when applying the mud. After this has been done you can paint the wall where the patch was placed to complete the process.

Remove any of the resulting debris, waste, and materials that accumulated during the installation of the loose-fill insulation. Repeat the repair work for all of the holes created.