What type of insulation should I use?

The vapor barrier goes on the out side wall. Unless money is real type I would replace all of the insulation. Talk to the people wherever you are buying your insulation (Lowes,Home depot or menards) And they will help you get the right insulation for your area and your needs. I used faced rolls and batts on mine. Is this going to be living space? If not things will be different.

Right now it is one big room. When I am done it will be a master suite. Do I insulate the gable end where the bathroom will be with a different product? I know I need different drywall, but wasn’t sure about insulation.

If it is living space you will do it pretty much all the same but to be sure talk to the “experts” in the store. They have charts computers and such to figure out not only what you need but how much you need. You can get the unfaced batts too but for the cost difference the faced batts are easier to handle and put in.

Thanks very much!

Get a mask that old insulation is nasty especially the old rock wool stuff. Easiest and cheapest thing will be for you getting fiberglass insulation. Owens-Corning Pink Panther is good and probably the cheapest. I think R-13 is what you need for walls. R-19 for the ceiling. You get in in 15 or 23 inch widths depending on how far your studs and rafters are apart. . You can get it with or without a face. The face is paper and has flaps on the edges. When you pick it the insulation in the space between the studs the paper folds out over the stud and you stapled it with a slap stapler. To cut insulation lay it in a board and cut thru the pink side with an utility knife. Your house is already built I dont think a vaporguard can be placed on the exterior wall. You shouldnt need much more than the insulation especially if money is a concern. There is this shiny plastic film that comes in rolls. Its supposed to reflect heat. You can lay that over the insulation after its installed and staple it to the studs and it supposed to help save some energy and seal it up a little better.

Some health risks you should think about before removing the old insulation is the presence of asbestos and mold. These are serious health risks and should not be tackled without the proper resources, probably professionally. Just any old dust mask will not be sufficient to counter these situations

I pulled a label off the old stuff and looked it up. According to the site I found, there is no asbestos. So far I haven’t seen or noticed any mold but will be on the lookout. I work for the health dept so finding the right mask is not a problem!

@Kayak8 If you work for the health dept, then I think you know what you are doing. I used to work for a safety equipment company, and many of our customers were remediation contractors, and certain tpes of mold required special remediation processes to ensure that it was not spread further into the environment. Sounds like you’re on the right path. Good Luck!