Caulking around the flange helps to further insulate the stairs by preventing air from escaping into the attic.
How to insulate attic stairs.
Attach the foam box to the.
If you have pull down attic stairs or an attic door these should be sealed in a similar manner.
Cut a piece of fiberglass or rigid foam board insulation the same size as the attic hatch and nail or glue it to the back of the hatch.
Measure the size and height of the stairs from the attic.
More insulation 6 inches or 8 inches isn t uncommon.
With attic insulation we aim for a pretty high standard usually at least r 49 and the coffin insulation should match.
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Once the opening has been sealed it can be further insulated by building a foam box in the attic to enclose the stairs.
The stairs themselves also need to be insulated and the bottom of the stringers should be air sealed with airtight drywall.
That means that you should glue at least 4 inches of foil faced polyisocyanurate r 26 to the box.
Add insulation to the exterior of the plywood box.
Assemble the sides of the box with metallic duct tape.
If the flange of your zippered attic cover sits on top of insulation there is no way to caulk it in place.
Apply weather stripping first check that your folding attic stairs are able to close securely and tightly.
Weatherstrip the edges and put a piece of rigid foam board insulation on the back of the door.
To insulate fold down attic stairs.
Position the box over the stair opening in the attic.
Begin by checking to see if the attic stairs close tightly then apply self adhesive foam weather stripping around the perimeter where the plywood door meets the frame except on the hinge end.
One way is to install 2 4 blocking behind the stringers.
Cut sides and top from sheets of 3 4 foam board with a utility knife.