How To Seal A Attic Hatch

Treat the attic door like a door to the outside.

How to seal a attic hatch.

When the sash locks are rotated in use they form an air tight seal with the foam weatherstripping. To guarantee a good seal i paired sash locks with a gasket of foam weather stripping around the frame of the attic hatch. Plug the big holes first. Near finished attic hatch.

Fortunately you can easily air seal and insulate your attic hatch saving you energy and money. If you have pull down attic stairs or an attic door these should be sealed in a similar manner. The standard air sealing recommendation is to install a compression bulb weatherstrip. From inside the attic check for any openings holes or fenestrations into the knee wall surrounding area.

Once you have the materials you can begin to seal and insulate the knee wall access door through these steps. Apply weather stripping to the door to create a seal. Pre made insulated attic stair covers are also available from local home improvement centers or on the web. My apologies for the lack of photos but you can surely imagine how it works.

Cut a piece of fiberglass or rigid foam board insulation the same size as the attic hatch and nail or glue it to the back of the hatch. Seal trim to ceiling. Air sealing involves two steps. Plug open stud cavities.

Wrap insulation in plastic. There are two issues that need to be addressed with the attic hatch. Air seal the hatch perimeter the plywood hatch rests on a small wood strip lip. Apply a bead of caulk on the inside and outside edges of the trim and then reattach it.

This can also be beefed up to a sealing gasket like the one on your refrigerator door.