Charlie: “Phillip from Sunnyside writes to us. He says, “When insulating a new exterior wall, do I cut a slit on the paper in the insulation roll for the vapor barrier to allow it to breathe?”
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Tom: “It sounds odd, but the answer is yes if you’re going to use a paper backed insulation in the wall. I used to do this. It was my job, well, many years ago to go around before the sheetrock was up. I did my inspection, made sure everything was in place, and I would take a razor knife and cut a big X just so it would breathe, and then the paper of course will hold it up. Later in my career-”
Charlie: “This sounds like a great primal therapy.”
Tom: “Yeah. I didn’t mind it, except I’m kind of allergic to fiberglass, so it’d make my nose all messed up, but after, later on in my career as I got older and lazier, I would hire the people to put in unfaced insulation with mesh on the walls, and they didn’t have to cut anything.”
Charlie: “There you go.”
Tom: “But in the old days, that’s how we used to do it, and you can still do it today if you’re going to use paper backed insulation. Yes.”
Charlie: “You smarted yourself right out of a job there.”
Tom: “Yeah.”