I just bought a house that is about 42 years old. The house I believe still has the original insulation in it. I just recently insulated the attic but I have also noticed that the walls to the outside are cold to the touch. The walls are built with the old lathe and plaster and I'm pretty sure the insulation in them is just as old as the stuff that was in the attic. My question is can I blow insulation in the walls? If so how can I make sure it has evenly covered. Or should I just rip down the walls and put up drywall and some R-19? Any comments or suggestions would be great.
COMMUNITY FORUM
You may actually find that your 42 year old house has NO insulation in the walls.
Insulating homes did not become common until almost a decade after your home was built.
Be that as it may, by blowing in insulation you can never be sure you have filled the stud cavity properly and you can never fill all cavities properly.
Also, blown insulation will compact over time and leave your stud cavities less than fully filled in short order.
It is best to gut the walls and install fiberglass batts in most instances.
