How to Insulate Your Loft

Insulating your loft is a must for reducing the amount of heat you lose throughout the day while also keeping it cool in the hotter months and reduces your energy bills. If you’ve recently had a loft installed or had an area of your attic converted into a loft, then the next step once it’s all complete is to insulate the whole area just as you would in other areas of the home.

In this guide we’ll walk you through how to insulate your loft in a simple step-by-step process.

Before you begin

There are a couple of things you should be aware of or do before you jump into the insulation process. Firstly, you should make sure there are enough ventilation gaps or if it’s already been installed with loft ventilation. These gaps will need to be kept open when you begin installation.

Make sure cables are kept away or secured before adding insulation - there should be no contact with electrical wires or cables and should be clipped to roof joists. When you start insulating your loft you should also turn off the mains electric in case of any live wires you encounter when installing.

You should also wear safety equipment when installing insulation. Maintain a minimum of 1cm gap between the insulation and anything that gets hot. If you’re ever unsure, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the packaging or consult a loft conversion company who can help you with insulation.

You can also buy your loft insulation through Lawsons.

Step-by-step process

You’re ready to start insulating - let’s begin!

1. Start by lining your cold water tank - you should follow the manufacturer’s instructions when adding this element.
2. You can then look to insulate any exposed pipes. This will be using heavy duty foam that wraps easily around your pipes. Secure these with duct tape.
3. Clip any cables to roof joists. If that’s not an option you can lift them gently while wearing safety gloves as you lay down the insulation.
4. Measure out how much insulation you’ll need to cover the area you’re working on and cut to those measurements accordingly. Using a crawling board as support, you can begin laying down the insulation. We recommend you start laying it down in the furthest corner of the room so you can work your way towards the exit.
5. Gently push the insulation into the joists so it fits nicely. It shouldn’t be too tight as to compress the insulation.
6. As you’re laying down the insulation use a small knife to cut away any excess or to navigate those awkward corners. 
7. If you need to add another layer of insulation, then now’s the time to grab your next roll. Loft insulation should have a recommended depth of 300mm to be as effective as possible. 
8. Repeat the same steps as above but work from a 90 degree angle so that the layers are in different directions, thus being more effective at retaining heat.
9. Once you’ve laid down all of your insulation, use a large piece of the insulation to cover the hatch. We recommend wrapping these layers of insulation into the packaging it came in for extra security.
10. Add these layers of insulation by either pinning it down with tacks, or a heavy duty staple gun.
11. You can now exit the hatch from your loft to a fully insulated loft!

You shouldn’t need to enter the hatch area from your loft regularly, so the hatch door can be kept securely shut to make the insulation its most effective. You should avoid walking on any of the insulation itself, or adding items onto the insulation - the effectiveness of the material is reduced when this happens. 

You should notice a difference depending on different times of the year. If you’re finding it’s still very cold in your loft, or blisteringly hot on a sunny day, then it may need an extra layer or it’s worth consulting an expert to help you with your insulation.