I was at a friend's new home the other day looking around, and the
insulation various parts of the house was stapled differently. If I
remember correctly, it was face stapled in the basement, ie: the flaps
were folded over the studs and then stapled. It was also face stapled
in a couple rooms on the third floor, but the rest of the house was
inset stapled, ie: the flaps were set back on the inside of the studs
and stapled to the sides, leaving about an inch between the drywall
and the facing of the insulation.

I looked around tonight at a few sites, and have found it suggested
both ways. Fine Homebuilding's site says to inset it, but others say
the face stapling is the ideal vapor barrier.

So is there a right way and a wrong way, or is it just the installers
preference? And drawbacks for one over the other?

Thanks all.

Peter Langevin wrote:
I was at a friend's new home the other day looking around, and the
insulation various parts of the house was stapled differently. If I
remember correctly, it was face stapled in the basement, ie: the flaps
were folded over the studs and then stapled. It was also face stapled
in a couple rooms on the third floor, but the rest of the house was
inset stapled, ie: the flaps were set back on the inside of the studs
and stapled to the sides, leaving about an inch between the drywall
and the facing of the insulation.

I looked around tonight at a few sites, and have found it suggested
both ways. Fine Homebuilding's site says to inset it, but others say
the face stapling is the ideal vapor barrier.

So is there a right way and a wrong way, or is it just the installers
preference? And drawbacks for one over the other?

Thanks all.

The only real wrong way is to have bird eyes where it is not flat.

You get a little better vapor barrier with the flaps over the studs and
a little better insulation if they are against the sides (assuming the
fiberglass does not fill the cavity

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

On 1/25/2005 10:52 PM US(ET), Peter Langevin took fingers to keys, and
typed the following:

I was at a friend's new home the other day looking around, and the
insulation various parts of the house was stapled differently. If I
remember correctly, it was face stapled in the basement, ie: the flaps
were folded over the studs and then stapled. It was also face stapled
in a couple rooms on the third floor, but the rest of the house was
inset stapled, ie: the flaps were set back on the inside of the studs
and stapled to the sides, leaving about an inch between the drywall
and the facing of the insulation.

I looked around tonight at a few sites, and have found it suggested
both ways. Fine Homebuilding's site says to inset it, but others say
the face stapling is the ideal vapor barrier.

So is there a right way and a wrong way, or is it just the installers
preference? And drawbacks for one over the other?

Thanks all.


In my brief experience as a carpenter, the insulation was always stapled
to the insides of the stud, as instructed by the GC that I worked for.
The paper facing on the insulation was just used for stapling and was
not considered as a vapor barrier since we always stapled up clear vinyl
over all exterior walls, and on ceiling joists for cathedral ceilings or
where there was an unfinished attic above.

--
Bill