Older homes were often built with hollow exterior walls at a time when heat was cheap. Fortunately, you do not have to rip out the wallboard to properly insulate those hollow walls. You can rent an insulation blower, which uses loose cellulose insulation (mostly ground-up newspapers) to fill cavities between studs. You either can blow insulation through holes near the top of the wall or enter the wall from the exterior of the house if it is covered in easily removable siding. An interior entry is generally easier, however. A decorative wallpaper border saves you the trouble of repainting.
Instructions
1. Locate each stud in the wall using your electronic studfinder. Mark the studs at the very top of the wall.
2. Drill a hole with your hole saw in each space between your marked studs, at the very top of the wall.
3. Fill your insulation blower with cellulose. Feed the hose from the blower into the first hole, dropping it as far down in the wall as possible. Press a rag around the hose at the opening to seal it.
4. Turn on the machine. Slowly pull the hose up toward the hole as the cavity fills with cellulose. You will hear the machine straining at times, indicating the hose is blocked by cellulose and needs to be raised. Continue until the cavity is full and insulation is visible inside the hole.
5. Repeat for each of the holes.
6. Spray foam insulation into the remaining space at the front of each hole, letting the foam expand out in a mound. Let it set.
7. Run the front edge of your drywall knife forward over each of the mounds of dried foam insulation, cutting them off so they are flush with the wall.
8. Apply your adhesive-backed wallpaper border along the top of the wall, covering all the sealed holes at once.
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