I'm looking for a lightweight cover material for ceiling insulation
between joists. In detail: Imagine having a basement. The ceiling of
the basement is the floor joists of the ground floor; there is
fiberglas insulation stuffed between the joists.

I'm beginning to finish the basement. In the long run, the ceiling
should be finished, for example with drywall, or with a suspended
ceiling. In the short run (for a few years), I want a temporary
cover, which prevents the fiberglas dust from coming down all the
time, makes the ceiling look brighter and neater, and allows me to
hide unsightly electrical and plumbing lines.

I know that such stuff exists: Go to a big-box store (Costco, Home
Depot ...), and look up at the ceiling. You typically see a white or
off-white cover, which looks like a fabric or Tyvek, stretched from
beam to beam (typically large glu-lams), with insulation attached
underneath the roof.

The requirements on such a material include: (1) It must be easy to
install, so rolls of material that can be stapled to joists are idea.
(2) It doesn't have to be a vapor barrier, but it should be quite
tight (a mesh wouldn't do). (3) It must be reasonably fire retardant
(for that reason, styrofoam sheet insulation is out, as it is so
flammable that it has to be protected by drywall. (4) It should be
white or light-colored on at least one side. (5) It doesn't have to
insulate, but a little bit of R-value wouldn't hurt. (6) It should
not be too expensive, way below $1 per square foot (a tenth of that
would be better). (7) I don't need huge quantites, as I'm not
building another Costco, only about 1300 square feet.

So far, I have not really found anything like this. The big-box
stores (Home Depot, Lowe's ...) don't have anything like this.
Neither does a well-stocked lumber yard. The closest thing I've found
on the web is reflective insulation, typically with bubble or
polystyrene insulation, about 1/4" thick. It usually comes only in
silver on both sides. The only place where I have found reflective
insulation that is white on one side is at TekSupply, but they don't
carry that material in fire retardant.

Any idea?

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The address in the header is invalid for obvious reasons. Please
reconstruct the address from the information below (look for _).
Ralph Becker-Szendy _firstname_@lr _dot_ los-gatos _dot_ ca.us

_firstname_@lr _dot_ los-gatos _dot_ca.us wrote in message
news:1073545970.443042@smirk...
I'm looking for a lightweight cover material for ceiling insulation
between joists. In detail: Imagine having a basement. The ceiling of
the basement is the floor joists of the ground floor; there is
fiberglas insulation stuffed between the joists.
...snip...

You mentioned in your own post. Tyvek is used for this. It comes in large
rolls (8 feet) available at any building supply store. You can staple it
with the lettering side up so that you get a white ceiling. Typar (similar
to Tyvek) would work but it is grey colored.

If you can't find that, you can try Remay, which is a lightweight spun
polyester that is used to cover crops and gardens to protect from insects.
It is all white, no lettering and available from farm supply shops. Garden
shops usually have it, but it is more expensive and usually narrower widths
(3 feet).

-al sung
Rapid Realm Technology, Inc.
Hopkinton, MA