How to Shop for Home Insulation

Insulation comes in a variety of styles, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

To start, you may want to consider the ideal structure. Batting insulation, for example, comes in flat, precut blankets of different sizes and thicknesses, allowing you to simply lay, stack, or fit it between the joists, studs, and rafters in ceilings, floors, and walls. Insulation sold in barrel-like rolls must be unspooled and cut to fit using a utility knife. It’s fairly easy to do but does require a little extra effort.

All in all, batts and rolls are versatile, easy to install, and relatively inexpensive. You’ll find them at almost any home improvement store. 

By comparison, loose-fill—or blown-in—insulation requires equipment that you can rent from a home improvement store. Often made of unstructured fiberglass or cellulose, loose-fill fits snugly in odd-shaped holes and insulates hard-to-access wall cavities with relative ease. But if not packed densely enough, it’s more prone to settling over time, lowering its effectiveness. Loose-fill insulation can also be trickier to remove or shift around when you need to access the space.

Your next big decision has to do with the thermal materials used in the insulation you’re considering. Options vary based on your needs, including budget, the R-value, the size and shape of the area you plan to insulate, and factors such as the space’s moisture levels. Here are the pros and cons of the most common insulation materials.