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Should I even start?

 If you want a warmer, cooler, more energy-efficient home but do not know where to start, begin with the basics: stop uncontrolled draughts, check your ceiling insulation, then look at underfloor insulation if you have suspended timber floors. Underfloor insulation can make a big difference to comfort, but it works best as part of a sensible whole-home retrofit plan.  Then move onto dealing with your walls and windows.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, start with ecoMaster’s guide: Learn more here

The main types of home insulation are bulk insulation, reflective foil insulation, rigid board insulation and spray foam insulation.  They all work differently, suit different parts of the home, and come with different pros and cons. For DIY underfloor insulation, the type you choose really matters — especially when it comes to comfort, safety, durability and future access under your home.  Read our full guide to the different types of insulation and which one is best suited for underfloor insulation. Discover them here

Underfloor insulation helps stop cold air sitting beneath your floor from stealing warmth from your home. It can make rooms feel warmer, reduce draughty floorboards, improve comfort and help your heating work more efficiently.
If your home has a suspended timber floor, insulating underneath can make a surprisingly big difference. Read our full guide on why underfloor insulation matters and how it helps your home feel better year-round.  Discover more here

R-value measures how well insulation resists heat flow. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation slows heat moving in or out of your home.  For underfloor insulation, R-value helps you compare products and choose the right level of thermal performance for your climate and home. Read our full guide to R-value and what it actually means when choosing underfloor insulation. Read more here

R-value measures how well your floor resists heat flow. Timber floorboards on their own do very little, and while carpet can feel warmer underfoot, it does not replace proper underfloor insulation.  The right underfloor insulation can lift the overall R-value of your floor and make a real difference to comfort, especially in winter.  Read our full guide to underfloor insulation R-values, including how carpet and underlay affect the total R-value of your floor. Learn more here

Wooden floorboards can feel freezing because cold air moves through the subfloor and sneaks up through gaps, cracks and joins in the timber. Beautiful? Yes. Thermally brilliant? Not always.  Filling floorboard gaps and adding underfloor insulation can help stop that cold air from coming through and make your home feel much more comfortable.  Read our full guide on how to fix cold wooden floors. Read more here

Yes — underfloor insulation can be a very cost-effective way to improve comfort in homes with suspended timber floors. It helps reduce heat loss through the floor, so your heating does not have to work as hard to keep the room comfortable.  It is especially worth considering if your floors feel cold, draughty or expensive to heat.  Read our full guide on whether underfloor insulation is worth it and how it can help reduce energy waste. Read more here

Underfloor heating creates heat. Underfloor insulation helps keep heat in.  Underfloor heating warms the floor from below, usually using electric or hydronic systems. Underfloor insulation sits beneath suspended timber floors and helps slow heat loss, reduce cold floors and make your existing heating work more efficiently.  Read our full guide to the difference between underfloor heating and underfloor insulation, and which option makes sense for your home. Read all about it

What is the best underfloor insulation in Australia?

Polyester insulation is a popular choice because it is non-itchy, low-irritant, durable and easy to handle, making it especially suitable for DIY underfloor insulation.  It is also long-lasting and often made using recycled materials, which helps reduce waste while improving the comfort and energy efficiency of your home.  Read our full guide on why polyester insulation is a safe, practical and eco-friendly choice for your home. Read more here

Good-quality polyester underfloor insulation is fire resistant and should be backed by testing to relevant standards. It is designed not to carry flame, making it a safe and practical choice for use under suspended timber floors.  Read our full guide to polyester insulation fire ratings, including water, compression and fire performance. Read more here

Polyester insulation is designed to be practical under real homes – where moisture, pressure, airflow and safety all matter.  Good-quality polyester insulation is water resistant, holds its shape well when compressed, and is supported by proper fire testing for use in Australian homes.  Read our full guide to water resistance, compression recovery and fire rating of polyester underfloor insulation. Read more here

Polyester underfloor insulation does not attract termites, but any material installed under your floor can make inspections harder if it blocks access to timber.  That is why polyester is a practical choice: it can be pulled back, checked behind and re-stapled if a plumber, electrician or termite inspector needs access. Read our full guide to underfloor insulation and termite inspections, including what to check before you install. Read more here

No insulation can honestly promise to be completely ant proof or rodent proof. If pests are determined, they can get into all sorts of awkward places.  Polyester underfloor insulation does not provide a food source for ants or rodents, and it is a much better choice than materials that can hold moisture or fall apart easily. But the real answer is prevention: fix pest problems, choose insulation than, correctly installed, make it very difficult for rodents to access the subfloor area.  Read our guide to ant and rodent resistant underfloor insulation. Read all about it here

Yes, underfloor insulation can be installed with steel joists, but it is not quite the same as installing between timber joists.  With timber joists, polyester insulation can be stapled into place. Steel joists need a different fixing method because staples are not an option – and the insulation still needs to sit snugly against the underside of the floor without sagging or gaps.  Read our full guide to underfloor insulation for steel joists. Read more

How to avoid disasters? Troubleshooting

Preventing rodent infestation starts with choosing the right insulation and installing it the right way.  Heat-bonded polyester insulation is difficult for rodents to pull apart, and because it is not held together with glues, it is not attractive to ants in the same way some other insulation materials can be. But installation matters just as much: the insulation must be stapled firmly to the joists so there is no cosy gap between the insulation and the floorboards.  Read our full guide to ant and rodent resistant insulation, and why both product choice and installation method matter. Read more here

What you do depends on the type of insulation.  Polyester insulation handles moisture well and will dry out and can be re-stapled if needed. Fibreglass is much less forgiving – once it gets wet, it can sag, hold moisture, lose performance and will need to be removed and replaced to avoid the spread of mould.  Read our guide on what to do if underfloor insulation gets wet. Read more here

Not every home has neat, standard joist spacing. Some joists are wider, narrower or just plain annoying. With polyester underfloor insulation, you can use the turn and tear method to make the insulation fit the space properly. The insulation is rotated, measured, torn to size, pressed snugly between the joists and stapled securely in place.  Read our guide, including a video demonstration, on how to secure underfloor insulation in unusual joist spacing, including the turn and tear method used by professional installers, including a video demonstration. Read more here

There is no magic insulation that makes pests disappear – but the product you choose and how it is installed make a huge difference. Heat-bonded polyester insulation is difficult for rodents to pull apart, does not rely on glues that may attract ants, and when stapled firmly to the joists leaves no cosy gap for pests to nest in. Read our guide to ant and rodent resistant insulation and why installation method matters just as much as the material. Read all about it here

Perfect Preparation

Your home may be suitable for underfloor insulation if it has suspended timber floors, safe access underneath, enough room to work, and a reasonably dry, hazard-free subfloor.  Concrete slabs are not suitable, and issues like pooling water, rotten timbers, asbestos risk, exposed wiring, pests or very tight crawl spaces need to be sorted before insulation goes in. Read our guide to checking whether your home is suitable for underfloor insulation before you start. Read more here.

Underfloor insulation is mostly installed during autumn and winter in Australia. This is because the warmer months do not grab the attention of householders. The first cold day arrives, particularly if it is a “cold snap” which focuses every householder on the fact that “Winter is Coming” – and they need to get organised – fast. This can lead to frustration in the form of quality product shortages. If you are intending on having the product professionally installed, you may not be able to secure the services of the higher rated installation companies. So plan ahead! Learn more here.

Stapling insulation is the best way to ensure your underfloor insulation withstands the test of time. While other bulk insulations like fibreglass has loose fibres that won’t hold a staple, our polyester insulation’s strong, heat-bonded fibres are perfect.

Stapling secures the insulation forever, pushing it firmly against the floorboards so it can do what it does best. Stapling also holds the insulation in place to prevent rodents from nesting between the floorboards and the insulation.

We only recommend stapling insulation because we want you to get the best value for your time and money. You don’t want the sad and saggy plastic strapping disaster in this picture to happen to you! Read full article here.

Installing underfloor insulation? Skip the hassle and rent our tradie-quality staplers!

Our Easy Install Kit gives you everything you need for a quick, secure, and professional installation—without the upfront cost of buying tools. An affordable way to access premium tools, used by the pros, to make the installation of your insulation under wooden floors as fast, as safe and as easy as possible. Check it out here.

Ensuring safety during insulation home improvements is of utmost importance. Before undertaking the project, it is important to pay special attention to safety issues. The first three thing to consider are pest control treatment, testing for Asbestos under your home, assess electrical risks avoiding any risk of stapling the wire while ensuring an electrician can still access it, use a double insulated stapler (NOT A HAND STAPLER), and never work alone. Read more here.

Underfloor Insulation Installers?

With over 20,000 underfloor insulation installations, ecoMaster has a wealth of experience in the field. Although ecoMaster no longer provides direct installation services, we leverage our extensive knowledge and network to connect homeowners with top-quality installers. If you would like to learn more about underfloor insulation before starting this project, have a look at the Underfloor Insulation Masterclass. 

So if you are looking for a “done for you” experience, finding the right installer can be daunting. We can also refer you to reputable installers,  complete the contact form. 

When planning for underfloor insulation installation, several factors can contribute to increased costs. Here are the main aspects to consider: type and quality and durability of insulation material, area to be insulated, accessibility and preparation, labour costs and location, seasonal considerations, parking and site accessibility, and one other thing… Read more here.

How to DIY install underfloor insulation?

Having the best insulation available is a great start to making your home more comfortable, however, the performance of your insulation also depends on how well it’s installed. Read our Step-by-step installation instructions for underfloor insulation. 

Sometimes you’ll come across extra wide or narrow joists under your floor. Here’s how to make your insulation fit perfectly using our simple ‘Turn and Tear’ method.

Most commonly, standard joists have 430mm space between them, making our 450mm width insulation perfect for a nice snug fit. But, not all houses adhere to this standard sizing. Occasionally we come across whole homes that have extra wide or narrow joists across the whole home. But, most commonly, there are just a few rows of odd-width joists towards the edges of the home, because not all homes are the right size for neat row of standard width joists. Read more here.

There are three compelling reasons to avoid using packing straps: they fail to provide sufficient support, they attract rodents by creating gaps, and they pose significant longevity and stability issues:

(1) Insufficient Support; (2) Rodent Attraction; (3)Longevity and Stability Issues. Learn more here.

Ensuring the insulation is perfectly installed maximizes its efficiency, reducing ongoing energy costs and enhancing the living environment sustainably for years to come. Read this quick guide.

There are two potential methods of installation when fitting from the top.  Both have advantages and drawbacks. They are:

  1. Fitting a supporting membrane under the joists and then simply dropping the insulation in. We have not ever done this nor seen it done.
  2. Stapling the insulation along the top of the joists.  This is the method that we have used when fitting underfloor insulation from the top.

Read more here.