Fitting ceiling insulation in an older home

Start by looking, not by fitting

In an old home the ceiling is rarely the only weak point. Before fitting anything, you look at the state of the walls, whether there is rising damp and how the ventilation works, because insulation fitted over an untreated problem makes it more visible, not less.

The order of priorities

Water first, air next, heat last. An infiltration or rising damp must be settled before any insulation, failing which the moisture simply moves to another point of the fabric without disappearing.

Why the ceiling often comes first after that

It represents a large area, it is reachable from inside and it touches neither the facade nor the joinery. It is therefore the item that produces the clearest result for the simplest execution.

The constraint specific to old buildings

The substrates are neither flat nor regular, and ceiling heights vary from room to room. A flexible, thin product adapts to those irregularities without calling for masonry work or heavy levelling.

What not to do in a building that breathes

Completely sealing an old fabric designed to let vapour through can move the problems around. The question is settled case by case, with the type of wall and the way the home is heated, and it deserves advice before works.

The expected result

A ceiling surface temperature closer to that of the room, so a feeling of cold that recedes. It is a comfort gain measurable in perceived degrees, before it is even a gain on the bill.

Airtightness is developed on the dedicated page, and the product on its data sheet.