How To Seal A Attic Hatch

My apologies for the lack of photos but you can surely imagine how it works.

How to seal a attic hatch.

Treat the attic door like a door to the outside. Wrap insulation in plastic. Apply weather stripping to the door to create a seal. Apply a bead of caulk on the inside and outside edges of the trim and then reattach it.

Plug open stud cavities. There are two issues that need to be addressed with the attic hatch. This can also be beefed up to a sealing gasket like the one on your refrigerator door. 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.

Weatherstrip the edges and put a piece of rigid foam board insulation on the back of the door. To guarantee a good seal i paired sash locks with a gasket of foam weather stripping around the frame of the attic hatch. Pre made insulated attic stair covers are also available from local home improvement centers or on the web. Seal trim to ceiling.

The standard air sealing recommendation is to install a compression bulb weatherstrip. Air seal the hatch perimeter the plywood hatch rests on a small wood strip lip. Once you have the materials you can begin to seal and insulate the knee wall access door through these steps. Create air tight seal between hatch and trim.

From inside the attic check for any openings holes or fenestrations into the knee wall surrounding area. If you have pull down attic stairs or an attic door these should be sealed in a similar manner. When the sash locks are rotated in use they form an air tight seal with the foam weatherstripping. Air sealing involves two steps.

Fortunately you can easily air seal and insulate your attic hatch saving you energy and money.