Is R60 Attic Insulation Worth It? Our Review and Recommendations

Home Renovations / By

The Attic, although commonly ignored by the majority of house owners, is an important part of the home that must be checked often. If you’re not the type that checks out your Attic at intervals, you’re likely wasting some of your resources in there.

Your Attic should help to conserve energy and save up your resources in the process. But, if yours isn’t doing that, then you’ve got work to do. If you want to install the R-60 in your Attic soonest, it is expedient that you get more information about it to determine if it is great for your home or not.

In this article, we’ll review the types of Attic Insulation, the best Attic Insulation types for R-60, what an R-Value means, the materials, and their thicknesses needed to make R-60 Attic Insulation. We’ll also discuss our thoughts as regards the R-60 and whether it’s a good choice for you or not.

Common Types of Attic Insulation

Aside from being classified based on R-values, Attic Insulations are classified into various types. Below are the types of Attic Insulation and some details about them:

1) Fiberglass Insulation

You have likely come across this Attic Insulation type in the market because Fiberglass Insulation is very common.

Its popularity may be ascribed to the fact that it is a great absorber of heat in the home. That is, when you use it in your Attic, you can be sure to have a cool atmosphere in your home in summer. Winter is also not left out as it will help keep your home warm with that Fireplace vibe.

Catching the sight of molds in a home can be quite irritating. If you’re the type that gets easily disgusted by the sight of molds in your Attic, fiberglass insulation would be your best choice in your selection of an Attic Insulation type.

What really is fiberglass made from? Well, fiberglass is formed by the combination of fibers of glass and a mat. This combination is enveloped amidst foils that hold it together.

Fiberglass is really cool, you may say. Mind you, it comes with a price. Yes, a price. The price of Fiberglass is quite on the high side in the market. You should expect that an insulation type with these benefits won’t be on the cheap side. So, get those dollars ready if you’d like to purchase it. But you’ll agree that it is worth it.

2) Cellulose Insulation

Have you ever imagined using a product that is not just beneficial to you but also to the world at large? Not causing havoc in the environment and serving you fully. That’s Cellulose Insulation for you!

Next time, when you see unused paper products in your neighborhood, you wouldn’t be quick to discard them by burning them up. Because when you give them up for recycling, you provide yourself with a very friendly environment, and cellulose insulation is a plus.

Even though it is gotten from an overlooked product like paper, it is a very reliable insulation type. Are you sure it will be a great choice for my attic seeing that it is made from paper? If this is your question, we’ve got you covered.

Of course, your home is safe with Cellulose Insulation. To prevent the breeding of insects in your Attic, this insulation type is sprayed with insecticides. It is also sprayed with fire inhibitors to prevent the spread of fire should there be a fire outbreak since the paper is easily combustible.

3) Spray Foam Insulation

Spray Foam Insulation is a reliable type of Attic insulation which has a lengthy lifespan. So, if you look forward to using an Attic Insulation type that will not require you to make changes or any form of upgrade in a long while, the Spray Foam Insulation is the best for you.

With its foaming method, it covers up spaces by exacting a strong cohesive force in your Attic Insulation. This advantage will make it easy for it to prevent insects from passing into your home. Just like Cellulose Insulation, it also inhibits fire outbreaks as a result of its fire-resisting feature.

How to Achieve R60 Insulation in your Home

Installing a material with an R-60 Insulation rating in your home should be an easy task if you apply the best insulation type. Using insulation for your Attic is beneficial as it saves your finances, and energy and keeps your environment sane.

Your finances will be saved if you have a well-insulated attic that adapts perfectly to the weather condition by giving off heat in the cold weather and keeping your home cool in the hot weather.

Also, avoidable bills like your electric bill which aids the availability of electricity to power your air conditioners will be saved up meaning more money will be saved in the bag.

Energy in terms of power usage will be saved. And your environment will be protected from the dangerous gases that are often released by your electric appliances, like the air conditioner.

Of the three insulation types that were listed above, we would recommend the two best types that would be great for the installation of your R60 Insulation rating.

The two recommended types are the:

  • Spray foam Insulation – Crack sealer.
  • Cellulose Insulation – Environmentally friendly insulation type.

What is R-Value?

R-Value is a reflection of the rate at which a material inhibits heat via insulation. This means that your Attic Insulation strength is determined by its R-Value.

So, if you come across a material that prevents heat from being too excessive in the home during summer and curbs cold from excesses in winter at a rate higher than another material, you can be certain that the latter material is one with a higher R-Value.

This allows for the principle; The higher the R-Value, the greater its tendency to resist heat and the better its insulation strength. What does the “R” in R-Value mean? The “R” stands for Heat Conduction Resistance.

R-60

When you see the R-60 inscription, what comes to your mind? If you don’t have any ideas, don’t worry, we’ll help you out. The R-60 insulation is just another way to write 60 levels of Heat or Thermal Conduction Resistance.

The R-60 insulation is accepted by a lot of people and it is the go-to for the majority of residential house owners because it acts as a great insulation material in all weather conditions.

Just as it has been explained earlier, when you see two materials with inscriptions; R-60 and R-40, from the detailed explanation above, you can confidently agree to the fact that the material with R-40 will resist heat at a lesser level when compared to that of the material with R-60.

The location or region where your home is located is a great factor that would be helpful if you consider it before working on your Attic Insulation. Because the materials will work fine if they are in suitable environments.

Required Thickness of Insulation Materials for R-60

Working with R-60 will require you to use materials in their quantities because of the type of thickness that makes up an R-60 Attic Insulation material.

Below are a few of the necessary materials needed and a peek at their required quantities;

  • Cellulose

The Cellulose thickness that you’d need for your R-60 material should be around the range of 16-20 inches.

  • Rock Wool

For your Rock wool, a thickness of 13-17 would just be great. You can as well opt between the ranges of 8-12 for your blown wool thickness.

  • Fiberglass

For fiberglass, use 15-20 inches as the thickness in getting the accurate inches for your R-60 insulation.

  • Spray Foam

10-15 inches would just be fine for the spray foam thickness required to seal up those cracks in your Attic.

Is R60 a Great Choice for You?

Even though we consider using the R-60 rating in your home Attic Insulation a great choice, you must bear in mind the rating involved when you want to get the installation done. Rating in the sense that the materials involved are needed in quantities that are quite higher than those of other materials with lower R-Values.

You can agree to the fact that you wouldn’t require a lower budget for R-60 insulation from the fact that you’ll be getting those materials at a bulky quantity with higher price tags attached to them.

It is advisable that you prepare ahead for the cost as installing an R-60 is quite expensive. From the thickness requirements written above, this hike in price is properly justified.

Expensive things do not come around cheaply. As proof of this fact, installing your R-60 in the Attic of your home is time-consuming and you’d be needing a bag of patience if you want it perfectly installed.

Quite stressful, right? Well, if you feel you would not like to go through such a long period to fix Attic Insulation, go ahead to consult a professional to help you check if your home environment requires a material with R-Value like the R-60.

Before you get all the expensive materials needed, before you go through the stress of waiting for long hours for your Attic Insulation, you’d do yourself a lot of good by opting for the service of a professional like we earlier proposed.

Extra Installation Guide

  • Take care that you do not insulate your Attic too much.
  • Excessiveness in insulation will lead to the clogging of water in your Attic.
  • The clogging of water (moisture) will make room for the breeding of molds and insects.
  • As much as water is good, it also destroys. The storing of moisture in your Attic will lead to a reduction in its lifespan as a result of deterioration.
  • Reach out to professionals to guide you on the perfect R-Value material that is meant for your home.

Conclusion

The R-60 is a rating with enormous benefits when used in a home. And we are sure that from this article, you can attest to the fact that it is.

The thickness of the needed materials has been provided. Your choice of the rating to use should be dependent on the region where your home is situated. If you do not know how to go about it, consult a professional.

We hope that you make the best choice while implementing the guides we’ve provided.

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