# Covering basement ceiling insulation to protect my cats that play and maybe eat fibreglass!



## tgm1024 (Apr 24, 2010)

I hate the concept of exposed fibreglass insulation anyway, but this might be a serious problem because I see them playing with tufts of the yellow stuff now. I've gotten rid of any stuff on the floor, and it looks like they're either after mice or just playing with the stuff.

Beats me what the allure to them is, but when you look online, cats and dogs will actually eat the stuff from time to time.

Christ.

The cats can enter the shelve tops that are next to the stairs, so ideally I need to find a way to seal in the ceiling. We have a great deal of stuff accessible from the stairs to the shelves on purpose, so blocking the stairway is only a temporary measure. Plus, cats are crafty with the shelves.

As with everything in home building and improvement, the opinions are all over the map. But I'd rather cover just the easily accessible stuff first, because I need access to the joists for future projects.
​Some kind of fire code fabric (might not work), but as a first bet?​Sheetrock?​Something that is easily removable and replaceable with some kind of latching mechanism?​
I joke with my wife that if these lovable guys are going to keep this up, it's going to be black and white gloves for Christmas.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

drop ceiling


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## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

Having fiberglass exposed overhead sounds like a good way to get itchy skin and irritated lungs every time you go in the basement, too, in addition to the potential harm to the cats' digestive system. You need to seal it up some way (plastic sheeting, etc.). The need for accessibility by code depends on what's in the ceiling (plumbing, electrical, etc.). Others with more familiarity with the building codes will need to address that, but it'll probably be advantageous if you go ahead and post the info on what the ceiling would be covering up, so you can get answers on what needs to remain accessible.


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## tgm1024 (Apr 24, 2010)

Fix'n it said:


> drop ceiling


For just that area? Perhaps.

I'm worried about a drop ceiling in general though because it seems it would be the "perfect" high speed travel vehicle for mice.

No matter how many times I have the terminix guys plug the edges of the house with steelwool, they can't get under the deck, and I can't quite reach any small gaps from inside.

In addition to any burn-related fire codes that exist for everything, there's maybe an added wrinkle in that my house has an in-home sprinkler system(?) There might be something about basement access to those orange pipes running everywhere, but I can't imagine why.


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## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

Again, others with more familiarity with the codes may correct me on this, but I think you should be able to cover it with plastic sheeting and then screw 1x boards up to the joists as a ceiling. Then, if access is required, the boards can be unscrewed and taken down, and then put back up, just like they were (as long as you keep track of where each board goes).


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

where are you located?
Can you post some pictures?
Do you have insulation in the ceiling or rim joist area?
Is the basement totally unfinished?


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## tgm1024 (Apr 24, 2010)

user_12345a said:


> where are you located?
> Can you post some pictures?
> Do you have insulation in the ceiling or rim joist area?
> Is the basement totally unfinished?


No pictures necessary; nothing magical. Totally unfinished basement. Nearly 8 feet from floor to bottom of basement ceiling joists. Yellow fiberglass in between, standard 16" o.c., glass side down, held in by springsteel wires pressed between the joists.

As for the rim joist area, how does that apply? You mean for a wall-to-wall drop ceiling? That would give the mice infinite travel ability, no?


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

Are you saying you have insulation between your floor joists and on the wall?

I still have no idea how your basement was insulated beyond it was done with fiberglass.

Normally, fiberglass is not installed exposed. Normally, there's a vapour barrier but it's actually bad to have that in basements as it traps moisture. It's also bad to have fiberglass against the foundation with no thermal break as you can get condensation.

You can try covering the insulation with something that allows for drying.
Me? budget permitting, i would rip out the fiberglass and go rigid.
Even 2" of roxul board against the foundation performs better than higher r-value fiberglass in a basement.

One or more people on this board *experienced a dry climate* will come in behind me and say sealed plastic vapour barriers are fine in basements. Will probably say that if there's a problem it's just because it wasn't done properly while ignoring all the moisture coming from the foundation *in wetter climates*.


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## tgm1024 (Apr 24, 2010)

user_12345a said:


> Are you saying you have insulation between your floor joists and on the wall?
> 
> I still have no idea how your basement was insulated beyond it was done with fiberglass.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply.....Ok, let me unpack this a little at a time.....

*Climate:*
Well, I'm in the northeast US, so it's not a "dry climate" I guess.

*Walls/Ceiling:*
And no, the fibreglass is on the basement ceiling only. I have no interest in "finishing" the basement further really. Exposed concrete is fine. I like having a basement, not extra "living area". _(I think. Honestly curious: Is unfinished to be avoided?)_

Most homes in the northeast have exposed fiberglass ceilings _that I've seen_. Certainly all the spec homes that we visited before having this one built 23ish years ago. The entire ceiling is yellow, so I suppose the "paper side" is up against the floor, leaving the yellow glass exposed above us. _Why is that, by the way? Wouldn't paper-down be easier?_

*Drop Ceiling:*
On a previous suggestion, one of the problems is that I cannot implement a drop ceiling easily for two reasons:


*Logistics:* I have a sprinkler system throughout my home. Those would need to be descended below the dropceiling...............No? Are there some kind of reverse funnels for these things? And they would never center on the tile supports. Ugh.


*Fear:* I don't want to make a dedicated mouse superhighway to all parts of the basement, safe from my cats. I can envision mouse droppings up there, and right now they're confined to the perimeter concrete lip. Even though we get the perimeter "sealed with steel wool", it periodically seems to fail.


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

Whether you finish the basement or not, it's still far better to have insulation on the walls than in the ceiling. Basement insulation matters for heat loss whether you use the basement or not.

The paper is supposed to be a "vapor retarder" that doesn't really work. (hence it not being available in canada) It must go on the warm side.

In canada, wall basement insulation is the norm - in the us, seems like they do a lot of stupid stuff. Comfort suffers and the houses cost more to heat. Even here, we have builders putting fiberglass with vapor barriers on basement walls instead of going rigid. (and one member here lives in dry BC and says it works fine)

Only if you have water penetration issues does ceiling make more sense.

In the end though, if you don't care about thermal performance, best you can do is cover up the fiberglass with something that allows for drying.
Doesn't have to be real ceiling, just something the cat can't claw through.


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## Kimnortheast (Sep 25, 2021)

tgm1024 said:


> I hate the concept of exposed fibreglass insulation anyway, but this might be a serious problem because I see them playing with tufts of the yellow stuff now. I've gotten rid of any stuff on the floor, and it looks like they're either after mice or just playing with the stuff.
> 
> Beats me what the allure to them is, but when you look online, cats and dogs will actually eat the stuff from time to time.
> 
> ...


I know you posted this many years ago but wondered if you found a solution? I have this exact same issue - cats , also in the northeast , also have concerns about mice. Would love to hear if you figured something out! Thanks


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