Ceiling insulation · Brisbane & SE Queensland
Ceiling insulation, Brisbane: pump-in cellulose, done right.
Blow-in cellulose laid as one seamless blanket with no gaps, pumped in by the family that makes it. Cooler in summer, warmer in winter, fixed price, no deposit, and the photos are yours to keep.
We also fit polyester and fibreglass batts for the people who want them. But after 40 years on the tools, pump-in cellulose is the only ceiling product I’d put in my own mum’s house.
R3.0+ for our climate zone
seamless cellulose, no gaps
What is blow-in ceiling insulation?
Pumped in as one seamless blanket, not cut into bays.
Blow-in cellulose ceiling insulation is recycled-paper fibre, borate-treated, pumped dry through a hose so it fills every cavity in your ceiling as one continuous blanket with no gaps. It gives about R2.5 per 100 mm; we install around R3.0 for our climate. We make it in Tiaro and fit it right across Brisbane and South East Queensland.
The ceiling is the most important surface in a Queensland house to get right. It’s the largest single part of the building envelope and the most cost-effective place to insulate. The Australian Government’s guide reckons roof and ceiling insulation can cut your heating and cooling costs by up to 45% (yourhome.gov.au). That’s why I’ll always tell you to sort the ceiling first.
Because it’s pumped rather than cut, cellulose gets into the tight corners, covers over the top of the joists, and leaves no joins for heat to sneak through. CSIRO’s figures put loose-fill cellulose at about R2.5 for 100 mm, so our standard pump sits at or above the minimum the NCC sets for this climate. Here’s the R-value you actually need in QLD.
Pale grey cellulose covering a ceiling evenly, with a neat shroud around the manhole, Sunnybank.
The problem it solves
“The upstairs is an oven and the aircon never wins.”
A homeowner in the western suburbs rang me about exactly that: a roof cavity that climbs past 60°C on a summer afternoon, and bedrooms you can't sleep in. Here's what was actually going on up there.
When I got up into the roof, the story was the usual one. There were batts up there, laid years ago by someone in a hurry, but they’d been cut short of the corners, lifted and dumped to one side where a sparky had been back to add downlights, and shoved up in spots where I reckon a rat had been nesting. On a roof like that we’d normally vacuum the old insulation out first. Half the ceiling was doing something; the other half was bare plaster soaking up the heat from a 60-degree roof cavity and radiating it straight down into the bedrooms.
That’s the thing about an R-rating on a bag: it only counts if the insulation actually covers the ceiling with no gaps. Sustainability Victoria’s government housing manual has a chart (Figure 5.18) showing the effective R-value collapsing as just a few percent of the ceiling is left bare. It documents that leaving gaps of just 5% of the ceiling area drops an R3.5 batt to an effective R2.1, about a 40% loss (Sustainability Victoria, p.63). That’s not a marketing line, it’s a government nomogram.
We pumped cellulose over the lot: over the joists, into every corner, shrouded around the downlights so it stayed put, one seamless blanket. The owner messaged me a fortnight later to say the upstairs was finally bearable and the aircon had stopped running flat out. That’s the whole job: no bare patches, no cold spots, no gaps for the heat to pour through.
How we install it
Five steps, the same way every time.
We measure and quote, no deposit
Most jobs we can measure off Nearmap and your roof type, so you get a proper fixed-price quote within 48 hours without anyone tramping through your house first. There's no deposit; you pay when the job is finished and you're happy with it. The price I quote is the price you pay; if I've under-measured something, the extra is on me, not on you on the day.
We park the truck and run out the hose
Our pump rig lives in the truck and feeds a 40-metre hose, so we don't need to drag bags of product through your house. The installer goes up through the manhole (or we lift a few tiles / sheets where there's no manhole), and we shroud the manhole and any downlights before a single fibre goes in.
We pump cellulose as one seamless blanket
Cellulose is blown in dry through the hose and settles into every cavity between the battens and joists as one continuous blanket, into the tight corners, over the top of the joists, around the awkward bits a batt could never reach. There's no cutting and no joins, so there are no gaps for heat to sneak through.
We install to a measured density and depth
We pump to a set depth and density so you get the settled R-value we quoted, typically around R3.0, which is comfortably above the NCC minimum for our climate zone. Installing to a specified density is exactly what stops loose-fill from settling later; the settling problems people hear about come from under-filled jobs, not from cellulose that's pumped in properly.
We photograph the job and check it before you're invoiced
Most people never see the inside of their own roof, so every job is photographed and the photos are checked before you're invoiced. That's our system, the same on every job, run by trained Comfort Zone franchise owner-operators who care about their own reputation in your area. You get those photos to keep. We also have a free look around while we're up there and fix the little stuff (a slipped tile, an uncapped pipe) for free. It's not a sales pitch, we don't do roof repairs.
Why cellulose for a ceiling
“An R5 is an R5”, except in a real ceiling, it isn’t.
According to Choice Magazine, leaving just 1% gaps in your insulation can reduce performance by 30%, and 5% gaps in batts reduces the efficiency by as much as 70%. When batts get cut into all the different size bays in your roof and squeezed into the tight corners, most batt installers take short cuts, especially in tight, hot roofs.
Cellulose has no joins and no cut edges. It covers over the top of the joists and fills the corners a batt can never reach. It’s borate-treated, so insects won’t live in it (no insects, no food for rats), and in 6,000 cellulose roofs I’ve never seen a rat nest in one. The full-contact cover also closes the cold gaps where ceiling mould tends to form, and the borate resists mould too. So for a ceiling, the R-rating on the bag finally means something.
If you want batts, polyester batts, Brisbane
Polyester is the King of batts.
If you’ve decided you want batts in your ceiling, polyester is the best of them, and I fit them every week. They’re non-itchy, locally made, there’s no nasty dust to wash off your work clothes, and they shrug off moisture. If batts are what you’re after, these are the only ones I’ll quote with a straight face.
They’re still a batt, though. They have to be cut to fit every bay, so there’ll be more joins and edges than a pumped blanket. My team cuts every piece to fit so there are no gaps left, but it’s honest to say a cut-to-fit batt asks more of the installer than a seamless pump-in.
Fibreglass batts, Brisbane
The itchy ones. I’ll fit them, but read this first.
Earthwool®, Gold Batts®, Pink Batts®. They’re all fibreglass, and they’re the cheapest option. Only about 2% of my customers go this way, and I’ll be straight with you about why I don’t recommend them for a ceiling: they’re itchy to handle, they settle and break down as they age, and rodents love to nest in them.
Read the fine print before you buy them, too. The manufacturers’ own safety sheets tell you to wear a P2 dust mask and to wash your work clothes separately. Their fine print is more honest than their marketing brochure. An installer who has to wash their gear separately from the family laundry isn’t going to spend extra time dragging batts into your tight corners, and that’s exactly how gaps happen. I’ll still fit them if it’s genuinely what you want.
Booked in? Here's the day
What you need to know about the day we install your ceiling.
Nothing about install day should be a surprise. Here's exactly how it runs, and the few small things that make it go smoothly.
Truck access. Our pump rig travels in a Pantech truck (roughly 3.3 m high and 2.4 m wide) and feeds a 40-metre hose, so it needs to get reasonably close to the house. The rig stays in the truck; we don’t carry bags of product through your home. If your access is tight or you’re on a steep block, tell me when we book so there are no surprises on the day.
Power. The rig runs off two power points on the same circuit. That’s usually no trouble at all, but if the power’s a bit old or the points are awkward to reach, a heads-up beforehand lets us plan for it.
Getting into the roof. We go up through the manhole where there is one; where there isn’t, we lift a few tiles or sheets and put them back. Either way we shroud the manhole and your downlights first so nothing ends up where it shouldn’t.
Weather. We don’t pump in the rain, so if it buckets down we’ll reschedule. If you’re taking a day off work for us, ask for a morning slot so a wet afternoon doesn’t cost you the whole day.
You don’t need to be home. Plenty of customers leave us to it and we lock up after ourselves. A typical ceiling takes a few hours.
Payment on completion. There’s normally no deposit. You pay when the job’s finished and you’re happy. Trades who need a deposit are usually afraid you won’t pay once you’ve seen the quality. I’m not.
5 things you can do on the day
- 1
Clear the driveway and a path to the manhole
Our truck needs to get reasonably close (it's a Pantech, about 3.3 m high and 2.4 m wide) and we run a 40-metre hose from it. Move the cars off the driveway and clear a path inside to the manhole (usually in a hallway, robe or the garage) so we're not shifting your furniture.
- 2
Make sure we can get power
The rig runs off two power points on the same circuit. If your power's a bit tired or the points are hard to reach, let me know beforehand so we can sort it out rather than discover it on the day.
- 3
Turn your exhaust fans on for the day
On a hot day, flick your bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans on and leave them running while we work. It pulls a bit of the heat out of the roof space and makes the job nicer for everyone.
- 4
A cold drink goes a long way on a hot roof
If it's a scorcher, a jug of cold water is very welcome. A roof space in a Queensland summer is brutal. A cold beer is a lovely thought, but the installer's driving the truck home, so we'll have to take a rain check on that one.
- 5
Remind me to grab a quick recommendation video
If you're happy with the job, a 30-second clip on the phone helps a small family business more than you'd think. Give me a nudge before we pack up and I'll point the camera the right way.
“I’m happy to take customer calls up to about 8pm at night, as I’m hard to catch during the day sometimes. If anything about the day isn’t clear, just ring me.”
What it costs
A fixed price, worked out before we start.
As a guide, ceiling insulation runs about $35–$55/m² + GST, depending on the product, your roof type and how hard the access is. I won’t pluck a single total out of the air on a website, because a simple low-set with an easy manhole costs less per metre than a cut-up two-storey full of downlights.
Send me your address and I’ll measure your roof and give you a proper fixed-price quote within 48 hours for most houses: no deposit, and no price increases on the day. The price I quote is the price you pay; if I’ve under-measured something, the extra is on me.
Honest answers
Ceiling insulation, the questions I get asked most.
How much does ceiling insulation cost in Brisbane?+
As a rough guide, ceiling insulation runs about $35–$55 per square metre plus GST, depending on the product, your roof type and how hard the access is. I don't publish a single fixed total because every roof is different. A simple low-set with a manhole is cheaper per metre than a steep two-storey or a cut-up roof with lots of downlights. Send me your address and I'll measure it and give you a proper fixed-price quote within 48 hours, with no deposit to pay.
What R-value do I need for a ceiling in South East Queensland?+
South East Queensland is NCC climate zone 2. The NCC minimum added ceiling insulation here is about R2.5, and we typically install around R3.0, roughly 20% over the minimum, which is plenty for this climate. There's no point overselling you a much higher number you don't need in Brisbane's climate; it's a bit like sunscreen: past a certain point a higher number doesn't buy you much more protection.
Is blow-in cellulose better than batts for a ceiling?+
For a ceiling, yes, in my honest opinion after 40 years of doing both. Cellulose pumps in as one seamless blanket with no gaps and no joins, where batts have to be cut to fit every bay and always leave gaps, and even small gaps cut the real-world performance well below the rating on the bag. Cellulose also covers over the joists, gets into the corners a batt can't reach, and is borate-treated. I still fit polyester and fibreglass batts for people who want them, but cellulose is the only product I'd put in my own mum's ceiling.
Do you have to remove my old insulation first?+
Not always. If the old insulation is dry and clean, we can often top over it with cellulose to bring it up to the R-value you want. If it's rodent-soiled, water-damaged or broken down, it's better to vacuum it out first. We offer ceiling vacuum and insulation removal as well. I'll tell you which way is the better value for your roof when I quote.
Will cellulose settle or sag over time in my ceiling?+
Cellulose is installed to a specified density so it holds its thickness. The settling stories you hear about almost always come from jobs that were under-filled to save product, not from cellulose that's been pumped to the right density. In the 6,000-odd cellulose roofs I've done, I've never had to pull ours out because it settled; the only time I remove cellulose is when someone's replacing their ceilings. It also comes with our transferable Life-of-House Guarantee.
Do I need to be home on the day, and how long does it take?+
A typical ceiling takes a few hours. You don't have to be home. Plenty of customers leave us to it and pay on completion. If you are home, you'll barely know we're there: the rig stays in the truck and we work from the roof space. We'll just need access to your driveway, two power points on one circuit, and your downlights and exhaust fans pointed out if any are in tricky spots.
Still not sure what R-value you need in QLD? Read the climate-zone guide →
Ready for a cooler, quieter ceiling?
Get a ceiling insulation quote today by filling in our simple online form and receive a detailed quote within 48 hours for most houses. Cellulose, polyester or fibreglass. I’ll give you an honest price and an honest answer. Servicing Brisbane & SE QLD.
Peter Johnson
Owner / installer · Comfort Zone Insulation Team® · Since 1986
In the trade and want to install it yourself? We make cellulose in Tiaro and run exclusive territories, franchise with the family.