Why Use Rafterclips®?

Rafterclips® are the latest eco-friendly products to arrive on the DIY & Construction markets that enable you to insulate your loft or attic with ease! There is no easier way of insulating between your rafters and you don't have to be a tradesman, if you want to do it yourself!

What do Rafterclips® do? They retain insulation between your rafters and stop it falling out - simple! Made of high tensile, galvanized steel, they are less than 1mm thick (so you can board over them if you wish after the insulation is held in) and they are corrosion and fire resistant. Our patented retaining teeth bite into the insulation and grip it like snake's teeth to vastly reduce insulation sagging and falling out. Rafterclips® are very lightweight to ensure they do not overload your roof - you see, we think of everything!

RafterClips® FAQ's

Q 1: Can I board over RafterClips® with gypsum/plasterboards or timber boards etc?

A: Yes! RafterClips® are only 1mm thick designed so that you can board straight over them. Make sure you have a clip underneath every corner of the board for evenness and stability.

Q 2: Can RafterClips® be used with rigid thermal foil type insulation boards?

A. Yes! We suggest using the Finger Clip™ with retaining teeth to pin the boards in place or the Flattie™ without teeth for dense acoustic boards.

Q 3: Do RafterClips® rust?

A: RafterClips® are made in Galvanised steel that is corrosion and fire resistant - we haven't had any rust yet but if they do it would be minimal and not affect the performance or safety of the product. Galvanising is a coating process and what makes it corrode are things like salt in the air, for example if you live near the sea, but as your RafterClips® will be under your roof you have nothing to worry about!

Q 4: What happens if I use Rafterclips® but need to change or replace insulation at a later date?

A: You simply bend the Rafterclips® back out, take the insulation out and insert the new insulation, then bend the RafterClips® back in as you go along - EASY! Be careful when removing them and make sure you don't grab them by the teeth - you will get bitten! Very sharp….

Q 5: Can I use Rafterclips® to insulate suspended ceilings and basement ceilings?

A: Yes! You can use the specially designed apertures in the clips to tie a string across if you have very wide roof sections, or use our new Roof Bungees™ but that's another product for next year - awaiting patent clearance…

Q 6: I have very deep ceiling joists and need to recess the insulation - how can I do that with RafterClips®?

A: DEAD EASY!! You simply nail the Rafterclips® to the inside of the rafter as shown here and then bend them over to the distance you require - amazing! Watch the video tutorials above..

Q 7: What about air gaps between insulation and the felt or membranes?

A: Air gaps are critical as they allow the roof to breath. With the natural wool type insulations or the stuff made from recycled bottles etc and even fibreglass, gravity will automatically pull the insulation out from the rafters. RafterClips® bite into and grip each side of the insulation but the sagging in the middle creates its own natural air gap. There are also spacing devices sold by other companies that help maintain this gap. We will bring out our own in due course when we think of something far better than everyone else - it's only a matter of time.

Q 8: I have a period home with a slate roof and no membrane or felt underneath. Can I use Rafterclips® and insulate between rafters?

A: Yes! but you will need to install a breathable and/or damp proof membrane first. You can then push the insulation into the rafter sections and then use Rafterclips®. It's a time consuming job and you will need a professionals advice. Watch the video tutorials above to get an idea of how it's done!

Q 9: How many do I need to use?

A: This is the ultimate question. The general answer is as many as you can!

Calculating how many you need to use:

There are several ways of working this out. It will involve some measurement and guess work on your behalf. The different options are:

1: Buy a load of them, see how far you get and then buy more if you need more.

2: Count every rafter in the space you are insulating to get the total number of rafters. You will probably need around 6-8 clips per rafter, spacing them 3ft apart for flexible insulation and up to 6ft apart when retaining rigid board insulation.

You can measure the length of the rafter or joist and divide it by the spacing you wish to use to give an idea of quantity per rafter. Don't be surprised if you need hundreds of them. This will give you a good complete job and a snug insulation.

3: Measure the outside of the building and divide it by the width of one of your rafter sections. You'll get an idea of how many sections there are. You then need to know how many you will use per section and you'll get a total. You can then multiply this by the number of sections in your roof you wish to insulate - which would generally be two sides on an A frame shaped roof and you'll end up with a rough quantity.

Flexible Insulation: you can get away with spacing them from around 18" up to 3ft (approx. 1meter) apart and keep a reasonably tight fit. The closer they are the tighter the grip, the further they are the looser the grip. You will need to play around with it and decide for yourself. There are so many types of insulation and roof types we can't give an accurate quantity. We recommend the Y Clip™ for flexible insulation with the double toothed snake's fangs type grip!

Rigid Insulation: you should be able to just pin the top and bottom or the corners of the board just to hold it in place. With these types of boards a tradesman would cut it precisely so that the board itself is wedged between the rafters or joists, but saying that, it is always difficult to cut this stuff precisely so one or two RafterClips® will pin it in place and stop it rattling around. We recommend you use the Finger Clip for compressed and rigid board insulation.

We suggest what you can do is buy one 25 pack to trial on one section and see how far you get with them. Then you will have an idea of what you would need over your entire loft or roof or whatever you are insulating.