# Sawdust insulation



## Grizz (May 11, 2002)

Has any one used sawdust or shavings for insulation


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## Wylie Kyote (Dec 1, 2009)

Hi Grizz. I haven't used it, but a small retirement village I once worked at had all the ceilings insulated with sawdust and they said it was better than fiberglass batts. The saw dust was blown in and then sprayed with a waterproof sealant.

Wylie


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## ChristopherReed (Jan 21, 2011)

itll give the mice something nice to nest in so they dont have to work so hard.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

I was thinking of vermin too. Roxul or a mineral wool insulation has great R vaule per inch (better than fibreglass) and repels rodents.


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

Plus if you ever have a spark from a light fixture or anything else you don't need to bother calling the fire department because it's going up no matter what they do.

Our old house had sawdust insulation. FD gave up pouring water on it after half an hour and brought in an excavator to tear it apart so it would burn faster and cleaner, otherwise some of the shavings in the walls would have burned for days.


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## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

The house(circa.1900) I was born in had sawdust in the walls for insulation. The house was still standing when I last saw it 2 years ago. Mice were never a problem nor did the sawdust settle. 
Sawdust would be excellent if it was dry and packed in . I do not know how it would be in the attic. As far as mice/ rats go- they love fiberglass and will ruin it. They eat the foam insulation, bury in blown in insulation. If anyone knows something mice and rats do not like let me know!


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

I wonder if you could use sawdust like they do chopped straw and tumble or spray it with clay water? It would coat the sawdust with "mud" and you'd have a lighter weight adobe....


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Waiting Falcon said:


> . If anyone knows something mice and rats do not like let me know!


 Roxul is supposed to be and just as you say rodents get into every kind of insulation (but they do love some sawdust too but perhaps there is dust from some trees they avoid) This also backs up what we're seeign ripping out walls with Roxul.



> *Are Roxul products rodent resistant?*
> 
> There is no test method to determine whether or not any product is rodent resistant. Roxulâs reputation as a rodent resistant insulation is mainly based on word of mouth and lack of negative feedback from numerous customers who use our products in âcottage countryâ. The majority of these applications are exposed floors, which are mainly above grade allowing rodents easy access to the insulation. As Roxul insulation has a higher density than other insulations and a multi-directional fiber orientation, rodents tend to avoid burrowing and nesting in Roxul insulation.


Their website http://www.roxul.com/home


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## PyroDon (Jul 30, 2006)

you can make it fireretardent with a wash of boric acid and water glass
the boric acid has the added effect of killing roaches and ants , its used in the spray on celulose insulation already


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

PyroDon said:


> you can make it fireretardent with a wash of boric acid and water glass
> the boric acid has the added effect of killing roaches and ants , its used in the spray on celulose insulation already


You can also add lime to keep the critters out of it. That is what the cordwood builders typically do to the sawdust used in between the log ends.


Tim


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Sawdust will settle. Had it in an old pantry turned tack shed. For about a year we kept the roof just tarped to we could put more sawdust in as needed.


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## countryboy84 (Dec 8, 2010)

I am using sawdust insultation in the house I am building and I am mixing in some hydrated lime and a little borax. does need to be dry or the lime will set a little bit and hard things up. If you pack it in well it will settle less then cellusose in the walls. As far as an attic goes you can just pile it in. I plan to put about 20 inches in my attic. Borax adds to the fire retardent. saw dust that is piled does not burn fast like a lot of people think it does. it will light rather easy but solders more then burns. I have tried to burn piles from the mill before and it took over 2 weeks for a pile about the size of 2 turck loads to burn and that was with me mixing it up. But once it starts burning very very hard to put out. A mill not to far from me had an idiot purposely set their huge mountain of saw dust on fire some 20 years ago and even with a dozer coming in a covering it in a few feet of dirt still yet from time to time a whole will open up from where it has burned out under neith it. This pile is some 60 high and probably 150 yards long from where the dumped it off the side of the hill and it is at least 20 feet deep so huge pile. When you use it in a house it just takes some planing and extra step or 2 to make sure that there is no source of ignition. Like I am running all my wirring through the floor and where light will be in the cieling building a small wooden box to go over the fixture. Gonna cost about 20 buck extra over the whole house but using sawdust is saving me thousands in insulation since my walls are 16 inches thick


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I'd be sure to use a good fire break like sheetrock to seal it from the living space. And as others suggested find a good fire retardant to mix with it before putting it in the wall.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

It might be an issue for your homeowners insurance carrier. 


~~ pelenaka~~


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