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I am not familiar about it and how do I walk on the ones you don't want to fall on the drywall?

I went up to the attic entrance and took these pictures from it but I did not walk. I want to see what it looks like and it has foams that is whole bunch of it from there. The only area doesn't have these in the Garage which is behind me.

I live in Colorado and I believe the builders put them there to protect from the cold winters we have here.

This is all new to me and it is first time I am going to have to deal with this and I am not very expert in this area. I grew up in hot weather and we don't have to deal with it when I was a kid.

I'd like to get some tips or advice on what should I do.

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    What do you want to do in the attic? If there is nothing but insulation in the attic and it is good, there no need to go inside.
    – Jack
    Commented Sep 5, 2018 at 2:50
  • @Jack I want to go to where the ceiling fan is as I am trying to replace the old junction box because it is thinner than the newer junction box. See here diy.stackexchange.com/questions/145318/… and look at the second picture.
    – PROBERT
    Commented Sep 5, 2018 at 14:58
  • It makes me wonder why my house was so warm during the winter when I had these and they are about 2 feet high. The only thing I notice is that it is not in garage section. Should I move them to there ? I mean put them above the garage in the attic area ?
    – PROBERT
    Commented Sep 6, 2018 at 14:33
  • You wouldn't insulate the attic of your garage unless the walls are also insulated and you're heating it.
    – isherwood
    Commented Sep 7, 2018 at 0:50
  • Why not ? it gets cold in the garage so that is why I asked if that is a good idea to put them and scatter them in there above the garage in the attic .
    – PROBERT
    Commented Sep 7, 2018 at 14:52

3 Answers 3

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What you have in your attic is blown cellulose or fiberglass insulation. It can be moved out of the way and replaced in small areas without too much harm to its insulating value.

To move around in your attic, you need to step only on the wooden framing members... virtually any portion of the truss rafters, or any of the boards laying across them perpendicular. You could also take some sturdy boards up with you and move them around as needed, laying them across between the trusses. Be sure to only step on the board where it's supported by two trusses (not overhanging ends).

If you step between the framing onto the drywall you will tear it loose from the framing and cause serious damage to the ceiling below (and/or yourself). It's critical that you avoid doing so.

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  • Anyone who's spent any time at all poking around in an unfinished/unfloored attic has probably punched through the ceiling drywall.
    – SteveSh
    Commented Nov 29, 2023 at 20:40
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Place some pieces of 2x lumber on edge across the existing joists. Use pieces that are wide enough (ie, tall enough) to rise to the top of the insulation. Fasten the lumber pieces reasonably securely. Then place pieces of plywood across this.

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My approach with three feet of loose blown-in insulation (which resembles your photos); bring up a piece or two of plywood as a work platform, and a small shovel to move the insulation around. (A folding shovel sold to be kept in cars for digging out of snow, in specific.) Clear a path to where I need to work, advancing the plywood as needed/possible. When done, reverse the process, shifting the insulation back to form a reasonably even later.

Dust mask is a must; goggles are probably a good idea. If it's fiberglass rather than fireproofed cellulose, gloves and long sleeves are good things.

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  • Not a bad strategy, but disturbing the insulation compacts it, so I prefer to minimize my impact. I'd carry the plywood to the work area, stepping on the truss webbing only. Granted, that's more difficult with comically deep insulation like you have. I'd be worried about cave-ins.
    – isherwood
    Commented Nov 29, 2023 at 21:13
  • Tossing it back into place may fluff it again, to some extent. This is the downside of deep blown-in attic insulation. it's easy, it's relatively cheap, but there will be some settling so the R-value may decrease over time. If you're really worried you could blow in another bag or two...
    – keshlam
    Commented Nov 29, 2023 at 21:42

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