exposed paper backing on the insulation

[mphbni]

Is it ever ok to have the paper backing on insulation exposed?

[kurt]

Not according to the manufacturer(s) of paper backed insulation.

If the mfg. says it's not OK, that means it's not OK.

[mphbni]

Thats what I thought, I wonder why so many installers get it wrong?

[John Kogel]

I think in an "unfinished" basement, for example, the paper will be left exposed because the room is unfinished. So we say cover the paper because it is a fire hazard and they say we plan to but for now it is unfinished.

[Eric B]

I never report on the exposed paper despite all the flak I get to the contrary. By the time the homeowner loads the house up with his combustible possessions the paper becomes a bit irrelevant to my way of thinking.

[kurt]

True. Until someone else notes it and there's blowback. Had the blowback; don't want it anymore.

Exposed paper facing is another of those "report creep" things I've been herded into; there's always someone to make an issue of it, so I've resigned myself to that person being me. I make it clear with the customer I'm doing it for their edification, not prioritizing it as a major item, and they can do what they want with the info. Everyone respects that.

I've automated it; pic, hit a button, boilerplate and pic inserted somewhere way down the list.

[mphbni]

All great input I really appreciate it.

[Erby]

Hey Paul, Good to see you on here.

Ah, the great report creep!

The insulation is installed with the vapor barrier exposed. While this is often done in new construction with the intention that the homeowner will finish the area, it is a fire hazard when left exposed. The vapor barrier is flammable and according to the manufacturer's warning label on the insulation, it needs to be covered with a fire rated material such as drywall. For fire safety, cover the insulation in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Fiberglass (batts) insulation is installed in the crawl space with the paper facing exposed. It is a fire hazard when left exposed and can trap moisture in the insulation. The vapor barrier is flammable and according to the manufacturer's label on the insulation, the vapor barrier should be installed against the floor. Have it removed and reinstalled in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

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[mphbni]

Thanks Erby, I knew that was right I just see it so muck I thought I would make sure everyone else is calling it out.

[randynavarro]

Yes, I report it. People are paying me to find and note that stuff.

If another contractor, inspector, or code bubba told them after I was in there, I would look foolish and my clients would probably feelripped off. Kurt calls it blowback.

[Robert Jones]

I always call it out when I find it in the crawl space area. I typically include a photo of the warning statement that says "don't leave paper facing exposed", in the report.

[mphbni]

Thanks Rob.

[Susan]

We are selling our house and the large store room, ceiling and all the walls are covered with insulation with the paper backing showing. Is there anything besides drywall that can be attached to the insulation/walls? Can we have the paper backing removed from the insulation, leaving the pink insulation exposed? Is there a fire retardant paper that can be installed over the paper backing? Is there anything else we can do besides drywall the entire room? Thanks!

[Mark P]

Yes you can remove the paper, but if it was me I'd wait until someone made an issue of it then I'd remove it - just to make them happy. Most buyers wont really care.

[kurt]

That's what I'd say too.

I don't think I've ever had anyone care other than to try to work the seller for a couple bucks.

[Marc]

If this is faced batts, how would you remove the paper facing?

I think Susan has open wall/ceiling cavities in that room and paper-faced insulation batts are installed but no wall/ceiling finish has yet been installed.

Do correct me if I'm wrong.

Marc

[Mark P]

If this is faced batts, how would you remove the paper facing?

I think Susan has open wall/ceiling cavities in that room and paper-faced insulation batts are installed but no wall/ceiling finish has yet been installed.

Do correct me if I'm wrong.

Marc

It just pulls off, some of the insulation remains on the paper, but it sort of just peels off like a layer from an onion.

[Jim Katen]

We are selling our house and the large store room, ceiling and all the walls are covered with insulation with the paper backing showing. Is there anything besides drywall that can be attached to the insulation/walls? Can we have the paper backing removed from the insulation, leaving the pink insulation exposed? Is there a fire retardant paper that can be installed over the paper backing? Is there anything else we can do besides drywall the entire room? Thanks!

You can cover it with any standard wall covering. Drywall, cheap paneling, plywood, osb, etc. It doesn't need to be non-combustible. The idea is to just eliminate the air space next to the paper.

If you're selling your house, don't do a thing to it. When the buyers send their inspector through the house he might or might not even note the issue. Even if he does, the buyers probably won't pick that as a negotiating point (my customers rarely do). You'd be better off de-cluttering the house and spending the money on a really good house cleaning or sprucing up the living area in some other way.

[Jerman]

I have a 3yr old home. When I built it contractor told me code wouldn't allow him to insulate the attic it unless I was covering it with drywall or no paper. Now that I'm in it I want to insulate it,my question is it a fire hazard if I leave the paper on like from the heat in the summer? Because I don't want to drywall it .

[Jim Katen]

I have a 3yr old home. When I built it contractor told me code wouldn't allow him to insulate the attic it unless I was covering it with drywall or no paper. Now that I'm in it I want to insulate it,my question is it a fire hazard if I leave the paper on like from the heat in the summer? Because I don't want to drywall it .

Are we talking about insulating the floor of the attic, the exterior walls of the attic, or the ceiling (underside of the roof)?

[Jerman]

I have a 3yr old home. When I built it contractor told me code wouldn't allow him to insulate the attic it unless I was covering it with drywall or no paper. Now that I'm in it I want to insulate it,my question is it a fire hazard if I leave the paper on like from the heat in the summer? Because I don't want to drywall it .

they are attic trusses, so I'm referring to insulating the walls and ceiling, the trusses are boxed out like a room

[kurt]

You have to understand that a huge percentage of what gets written into manufacturers warnings is corporate legal looking to avoid class action. You should also understand that home inspectors walk around imagining that the entire world is going to spontaneously combust. There are probably a few dozen million homes with exposed kraft paper backing that are not....at least of this writing....going up in flames. Your house is full of stuff that burns readily, and it doesn't seem to be burning, does it? So, if we're talking reasonableness and probabilities, it's not a problem.

If we're talking about the inane realities of life, such as insurance companies looking to avoid payment on house fires, or extremely unlikely chains of events that could, in fact, ignite the paper facing, then covering the paper with drywall is prudent.

No on in here, including me, is going to tell you it's OK. Hardly anyone in here, including me, actually lives their life according to most of what we daily recommend to people.

[Jim Katen]

I have a 3yr old home. When I built it contractor told me code wouldn't allow him to insulate the attic it unless I was covering it with drywall or no paper. Now that I'm in it I want to insulate it,my question is it a fire hazard if I leave the paper on like from the heat in the summer? Because I don't want to drywall it .

they are attic trusses, so I'm referring to insulating the walls and ceiling, the trusses are boxed out like a room

Setting aside the flammability issue, and presuming that you'll be installing fiberglass, you'll probably want to cover the insulation anyway, just to make it more effective. Open fiberglass insulation on a wall performs horribly. And the ceiling will be even worse; if you leave an air space between the insulation and the underside of the roof sheathing and you don't cover the bottom of the insulation, air will flow through it as though it weren't there. Cover it with something - even cheap paneling.

[Tom Raymond]

Unless there is something other than a pull down stairs he won't get 4x8 sheets of any kind of wall cover up there.

Install rock wool. No paper. Dense enough to mitigate most of the air wash issues.

[kurt]

That's right. There's air wash and convection loss which would be huge, and there's also thermal barrier issues. Insulation, lacking substantial thermal mass isolated inside of it, is pretty much worthless. There's nothing to hold the heat.

A layer of drywall inside a layer of (fiberglass) insulation makes for a pretty good air seal and thermal mass barrier.