I have a old single-story home that has exposed floor joists on the first floor. Because of this architectural feature my attic has a flat floor on which I would like to put insulation. With the winter season approaching I need to put insulation in now because there currently is none. My concern is that I will have to walk up there from time to time as we renovate different areas of the house. Would it be better to put fiberglass down that can be moved out of the way if necessary or dense packed cellulose? Which one can I walk on?

Hi eyrique,

In short, you don't want to walk on ANY type of insulation. If you compress it, it will lose its R-value (i.e., its insulation value.)

If I were you, I'd use fiberglass batt insulation. Yes, it can be moved easily so you can walk up there. If you're considering later on of using the 'space' up there for storage, I'd build a 'dummy floor'. You simply build floor joists in a box-shape, and lay the insulation INSIDE the joist bays. See what I mean??? Then, you can screw down some plywood on top of the box, and store stuff on top. (You only need a few screws in case you need to 'lift' the dummy sub-floor on top of the joists. Don't use nails ...)

My best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J -Moderator

PS: God Bless America!