Insulating eaves cupboard doors on loft room

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I have a converted loft (done by previous owner) with cupboards under the eaves of the house, at the side of the loft room.

Now it's winter and quite cold and windy, the eaves cupboards make the room extremely cold, with a noticeable draught. I've put draught excluder strip on the insides of the door frames to provide a better seal when the doors are closed.

I'm also going to make the doors shut tighter using simple rotating "rabbit hutch" style closing mechanisms on the outside of the frames, since the current magnetic clasps don't pull the doors closed enough.

However, the real problem is that the space under the eaves is cold and draughty - not directly a problem in itself, at least no more than that many storage roofspaces are also cold and draughty - but the doors are thin and let the cold in, even without the draught.

I'm wondering if there's any kind of adhesive insulation foam that would be suitable for sticking to the insides of the doors to at least provide another couple of inches of insulation, rather than just thin plywood?

I have seen sticky-backed wavy foam for use in cases (eg. for tools or musical instruments) and am wondering if this might be a good enough insulation material that it would do the job OK if no specific insulation product like this exists?

Or do I really need to try and draught-seal or insulate the entire eaves cupboards? I think there is some degree if insulation padding in there between the outside roof and the inside of the cupboards, but it doesn't stop the draught coming in.

I don't mind if the cupboards are cold, as long as it's mostly kept out of the room when the doors are closed.

So basically, I'd like to know if any stick-on insulation padding exists (with vertical surfaces in mind), what it's called and where I might find it?

Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction on how to make my upstairs a bit less cold and draughty?

Thank you very much!
 
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mu-sly said:
Now it's winter and quite cold and windy, the eaves cupboards make the room extremely cold, with a noticeable draught.
Are you saying the cupboards is fitted to the roof rafters without backing boards behind the cupboards or on the roof rafters?
 
masona said:
Are you saying the cupboards is fitted to the roof rafters without backing boards behind the cupboards or on the roof rafters?

There's backing boards in the cupboards - you can't see the rafters, and there is insulation padding between the rafters and the boards.

I think where the cold and draught comes in is around the edges of the backing boards and insulation. So I was wondering if it would be possible to better insulate the doors of the cupboards to keep the cold out at that point instead, as a sort-of secondary line of defence.

All I really need to know is, what material would be best for doing this (without breaking the bank), and where do I get it from?

Thanks!
 
Ventilate cupboards will help by using maybe a soffit circular vents or plate mesh cover vent etc. Many difference type of vents out there.

If you have shelf then cut out some slots to allow the air movement or make a slatted shelves

Just behind my wardrobe door on the bottom shelf I cut out a section slot to allow air in and out of the top, once you get air movement the temperature inside the cupboards should be the same as the room temperature. The best place for cupboards is on the internal wall but not always possible.

Also you could use insulation ceiling tiles or insulation wallpaper inside the cupboards
 
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You can get slabs of polystyrene quite cheaply at builders merchants or sheds.

For sealing your draughts, a gun-applied sealant, or, if big gaps, an aerosol filling foam. will do it. The foam is very sticky so be careful not to get it on anything (use clingfilm to mask off) or to let it stick your cupboard to the roof.
 
I also have a converted loft used as an office and spare bedroom. The conversion was done by previous owners using professionals a few years ago. The house in in a conservation area so all the paperwork was given appropriate scrutiny by my solicitors during teh purchase.

However the room is extremely cold and draughty. There are cupboards under the eaves of the house running down one side of the loft room.

If you look into the cupbaords you can see the rafters and it's like a wind tunnel. It gets so windy that the cupboard door are even blown open sometimes!

I was thinking of putting that foil-type insulation directly on to the rafters but a bit of internet reseacrh seems to suggest that is not a good idea as at least 50mm gap is required beneath the rofline for adequate airflow. If this correct?

Any suggestions?

Thanks.
 

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