Holding up Floor Insulation

[LSUrulzzz]

Hi ... We are in the process of building MH addition in South Louisiana
This question is about holding up the floor insulation underneath ... Kraft Paper facing towards inside

Trying to be as cost effictive as I can ... The main concern is keeping animals,critters out.
I know about the chicken wire technique but its like $40/roll , And I already have these other items available
The MH has what appears to be visqueen underneath it

Can we use 15# felt or Visqueen underneath
What about a Landscape type fabric ... It has small holes where it can somewhat "breathe"

[John_M]

I think you need to think like a rodent.  If you really, really want to get inside that nice warm, dry location....can you chew through what is stopping you?

From what I know about rodents...they can chew through anything that is wood, plastic or paper-like!!

[Squirl]

I have a few tractor supply companies around me.  Chicken wire is $30 for a 4 x 50 roll.  That comes to $.15 per square foot.  So for a 20 x 30 house that would be $90.  Would the holes be small enough to keep out rodents?

[MountainDon]

Chicken wire will not defeat mice. They can easily slip through that size of hole; they won't even notice it. Hardware cloth with an opening of 1/4" is required. Sheathing the bottom of the joists will also work. We used 3/8" CDX plywood sheets. Do a forum search on "hardware cloth" and you will find many references. Also try searching on rodent proofing.



Here's a link to a web page where you can download a copy of the National Forest Service Rodent-Exclusion Manual. There's loads of info about rodents proofing the rest of the building as well.

[pagan]

Hardware cloth is the way to go if you really want to keep them out, or get a really good hunting cat. We had a stray, our second one, show up. She was only a kitten and probably on her last day of life when she walked up to us. Two years later she's the hunter. We have not seen or heard a mouse, mole, or vole, which is nice. But she also goes for birds, case in point, our little 4 pound cat took out a fully grown woodpecker.

[Mo]

I cut strips of felt paper about 4 inches wider than the joist opening and about 4 inches wide, stapled them up about every 20 inches or so down the opening to hold up the insulation. Then I went back and stapled in aluminum window screen a little wider than the joist right up next to the insulation. I went under the house the other day to see how things were going and I haven't had any sagging or critters.  knock on wood, Head with Wood, same thing.

[MountainDon]

Metal window screening offers inadequate protection against rodents according to the Forest Service and the screening I used on my RV refrigerator vent stack.  At least when I added hardware cloth to the RV stack screening there were no more mice trapped inside.

[Ernest T. Bass]

We were able to get some very heavy woven mesh (plastic, but thick) for free from our local paper mill.. If you have one close by you might want to check into it. They throw it away..

[LSUrulzzz]

ok ....Thx for the ideas/input !