Do Attic Door Covers Work?

Attic door covers are very effective during the summer and winter months, they, therefore, provide an insulative barrier between the attic and your space, such that during winter it will conveniently keep the freezing attic air out.

And during the summer months, the cover prevents hot air from entering your home.

Insulating your attic can be a costly affair especially for the houses that are located in cold climates because the distributors of natural gas and heating oil tend to inflate the prices with the onset of winter.

And worse still is that the prices keep going up every winter season, but if you are on a tight budget you can always get around this by investing in some warm clothing and the soft furnishings.

Another way of tackling winter like a pro is by insulating your attic and here you can either hire a professional or spare one of the weekends and equip your attic with some proper insulation.

Remember the benefits of using the right materials to insulate your attic is a long term solution that will save you a lot of money over the years and will be beneficial to you over the winter and summer periods.


As you prepare to insulate your attic door don’t forget the floor, which can also be insulated by adding material to the floor.

DIY Attic insulation material

There are two methods that you can use to go about insulating your attic, the first and the best method, is by using batt.

For the above material you can lay down one or more layers, to reach a satisfactory level of insulation, but you also need to remember that this type of insulation cannot be adopted in any type of attic, rather one that features few obstructions or penetrations that you will have to work around with.

You can also use batt in attics that have enough headroom to move around when installing, attics that feature a standard joist spacing can also benefit from this material more so, those that don’t completely have any form of insulation.

Remember, therefore, that you are not limited to the materials that you can use and you have a wide variety that you can choose from.

For example, you do have cellulose, which is derived from recycled post-consumer paper and are specially treated to resist insects and fire; and has no effect on the lungs and skins.

We then have the fiberglass, which is derived from recycled glass, or sand that has been melted and spun into fibers.

Though effective fibers have a history of irritating the lungs and the skin, the materials are also not very effective when it comes to blocking airflow.

Cotton can also be used in this type of application and you also have the expensive mineral wool, which is fiber from recycled slag and rock.

Another very affordable option is the loose-fill that you can rent from a home center then proceed to pour it in place and then spread it.

The above comes effective in areas that have a lot of obstructions to work around, and in areas that require the insulation to be topped or in attics with nonstandard joist spacing.

But before, you add new insulation in your attic check on the condition of your old insulation, if it is damaged or rather your roof is damaged then you will have to get rid of the existing insulation and put a new one.

But if there are no visible damages then it’s not necessary to remove the original insulation.

You are also allowed to put new insulation over old insulation not unless it is wet, you, therefore, need to be mindful not to place faced insulation on top of existing insulation in the attic.

Therefore, both the new batt and roll insulation that is to be installed over the existing insulation should not contain the vapor retarder.

Also, as you insulate your attic during the winter season, you have to be cautious, not to over insulate because you will most probably trap moisture inside the attic.

And without a proper ventilation system, moisture will build up pretty fast and lead to the growth of mold and the development of poor indoor air quality.

The above then leads us to the next question, how much installation is necessary for an attic?

Well, the standard recommended level for attics, is to insulate about 10 to 14 inches, but this is also dependent on the type of insulation being used.

There is also the question of the effectiveness of both the rolled and blown fiberglass; well, the latter has been established to not be very effective in preventing the flow of heat in and out of the house.

Other Options

Important to note is that the blown fiberglass can barely cover the large areas the way rolled fiberglass insulation would.

The above-discussed options will, therefore, have you wondering if there are other ways of keeping warm other than insulation.

Indeed there are, for example, you could use the cellulose spray, which is not only fire-resistant but will obliterate any chances of developing mold or moisture.

Cellulose spray is derived from recycled paper products, meaning that it is an environmentally friendly product that has incorporated the use of recycled material content of up to 85%.

And if all the above still seem like a long shot for these harsh economic times, use your heavy curtains, wrap up in warm clothing and block out the draughts.


If you are looking to install insulation in your attic, you can go with the most affordable option, which is the fiberglass batt, but you also have to be mindful because a small tear will compromise the insulation quality.

If you however want insulation that will last for up to 30 years then you can invest in the blown-in cellulose insulation.

You, however, need to be wary of the different factors that can affect the lifespan of your blown-in cellulose insulation and ensure to get a professional to install it for you.

Here’s a great attic door cover that seals it well (link to Amazon)

Best Home Fixer


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