Just put up a new shed,and am looking into insulation options. Has anybody had spray foam insulation put in a shed? How has it worked for you, and approximate cost per sq. foot? Thanks.

My buddy had his walls done a few years back and he really likes it. The ceiling has a metal liner and has blown in attic insulation. The only thing to remember is foam is flammable and the smoke is toxic so it should be covered in any areas that could be exposed to flame.

Some of the newer closed cell foams are fire rated now.

We restored a 100 year old (drafty) house in central Texas. We had the ceiling and under the house sprayed with about a one-half inch covering. This was to seal the crevices and provide some r value. We then sprayed loose fill over the top.

It turned out very well, though pricy. I would do it again but would use a different company.

I'm considering spraying in my barn since I tried to cut costs by eliminating insulation (big mistake).

I wonder what other option there are to insulating a standing barn?

What are you going to use the shed for? While foam is probably very good insulation, I think it would be expensive. Are you planning on doing it yourself? I doubt that you can get the machinery to spray foam insulation at your local rent-all store. So you probably would have to have the work done by a professional.

On the other hand, fiberglass is fairly easy for the do-it-yourselfer to work with. It isn't that expensive and requires no special tools. Depending on the construction used in your shed, fiberglass can be really easy to do (like between 2X studs). Fiberglass will not burn, but the craft paper or plastic covering the fiberglass will.

Another option is the blown in cellulose. I have used cellulose in attics and am impressed with how well it performs. It is inexpensive and fairly easy to blow into the space you want to insulate, using a blower that the insulation dealer will probably loan you. The cellulose works very well as flat attic fill. I have never tried it in walls, and would be concerned with it settling over time. It is not a good idea to use cellulose over some types of recessed light fixtures, but the cellulose is treated so it just about will not burn. I tried to burn some with a propane torch--it would singe, but it would not keep burning when I removed the torch.

I have seen things that had the interior foamed with no covering over the foam, usually vehicles. But in buildings, I think you need to cover foam to prevent damage to the foam. Drywall is easy to work with and will not burn, but it does not handle moisture very well. OSB works pretty well, and I have seen photos of shops that had metal interiors, similar to the metal outside.

Some types of foam are supposed to have the best R value per inch of all the common materials. But how good does the building need to be insulated? I am guessing that having foam professionally installed would be a lot more expensive than doing fiberglass or cellulose yourself. Good luck!

we had a company spray foam the interior of our fire station---I remember it was pricy, but has paid for itself in a year or two--you don't want water freezing in 300-2500 gallon tanks. I'm sure you could call around and get a few quotes---the fire rated foam is good stuff. don't get too carried away, you can seal a buiding too well.

If it is polyurethane foam it is a very good insulation. It is a petroleum byproduct so gas prices go and foam does also. It is very flammable so it needs to be covered for fireproofing. It isn't something that you can do yourself either. Good luck and stay warm.


Steven

I know what you are saying about it being flammable, but most commercial spray insulation has a flash point of 250 degrees F, which isn't that flammable reletive to diesel, which is 140 degrees F. If the rest of the house is on fire, the insulation will burn, but, it won't likely be what starts the fire.

put spray foam in our workshop when we built it 5 years ago, best thing i ever did, there are NO drafts, did 6 inches in the walls and ceilings (was going to put extra insulation (dry blowing) in the ceiling, but don't think i need too!), it keeps everything warm, and we get -40 on a fairly regular basis every winter here - Manitoba, Canada.