Spray Foam Insulation

bigboreG · Mar 18, 2013

Whats the pros/cons vs fiberglass?

Gerry....WI · Mar 18, 2013

Total thermal break

When correctly applied no voids over fiberglass. No drafts.

Will not support mold.

Worth any price premium.

Greg_Ky · Mar 18, 2013

Gerry forgot to add, must be covered extremley flamable. two friends have lost shops due to fire.

rrlund · Mar 18, 2013

There are different kinds for different parts of the structure as I understand it. My son used to spray the stuff. Took a test to get certified. Some of it can't get wet or it's a fire hazard,some is only to be sprayed on concrete basements,etc.

oj · Mar 18, 2013

More money for spray foam, BUT you will have NO drafts or significant heat loss though the insulation, and it will seal up any small voids/cracks in the building. Spray foam is amazing stuff for insulation, we did our new workshop addition in it 5 years ago, now i"m trying to justify ripping the old shop apart to add spray foam to it (i guess i"m lazy and don"t want to do the work).

I will never build with fibreglass or blow in cellulose again. The spray foam is worh every penny.

FBH44 · Mar 18, 2013

Can be an extreme fire hazard, can produce rolling oily black smoke. Most of the manufacturer"s approval documents require that it be covered up with 1/2" drywall or equivalent 20-minute fire rating. Problem is, most of the installers prefer to not tell you that, or they just ignore that. If you ask for the manufacturer"s approval documents, it"s in the fine print.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 18, 2013

cancer rates!

dhermesc · Mar 18, 2013

With spray foam you better have your wiring exactly where you want it in your outside walls.

The spray foam also adds a lot of strength to your building.

I've never heard - does it affect termites in any way?

dhermesc · Mar 18, 2013

What about them?

bigboreG · Mar 18, 2013

So do they charge by SQ Ft or how is that figured? I guess i didnt know its Flammable. That kinda discourages me from it, the building is Strong panel steel.

36 Coupe · Mar 18, 2013

Gunsmith lost his shop to a fire.New shop was all steel insulated with foam.A hot chip from a metal lathe lit the foam, shop two burned.

jm. · Mar 18, 2013

My experience is on steel buildings inside it really works well IF you have not ran a diesel engine in there before you apply the foam. Something that makes it not stick on as well if you have exhaust smoke on the metal. Sure fills the voids. All you have to do is line the inside with cheap metal.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 18, 2013

I wouldn"t go that far, its great stuff and I don"t think its as flammable as people are making it sound but its EXPENSIVE. I just did a 50x100 shop, sprayed the walls about 1-2 inch thick,, that was three kits and each kit is like $600. I went thin because I wanted to seal the metal and give it some rigidity. I came back and hung R-19 batts. All of the batts cost me $1000. If I would of went the thickness of foam to get R-19,, I would have spent 3-4 times that.

SDE · Mar 18, 2013

If I recall correctly, it is toxic when it burns. You do not run into the burning buillding to save anything that you can live without.
SDE

Dave in Tx · Mar 18, 2013

Neighbors new house burned. 4" foam sealed. The studs burned and the insulation didn't. It turned black and was a mess but the house would have burned to the ground had it not been for the insulation. Had a metal roof on it that the sheets showed no heat damage. I was impressed.

bradley martin · Mar 18, 2013

R-factor per inch of thickness is far superior to fibreglass or rock wool. Rodents do not like to chew it. Makes a draftproof, and vapor proof seal. As mentioned, cost and firehazard are the 2 big downsides.

Chip812 · Mar 18, 2013

Termite proof too...

Ray · Mar 18, 2013

I had my 42x72 building done a couple years ago.It made a big difference.so far no problems.I don't care about firehazard,i have insurance.After reading this i tried to light a piece with a match and it wouldn't light.I think the whole job was around 1900.They drilled over 100 holes in the plywood walls to blow it in.It's an old morton steel building that leaked air bad.You could stand in the center of the building and feel the breeze.Now my small furnace will easily heat the place.

robgIN · Mar 18, 2013

make sure the surface you intend to apply it to is rated for it, meaning i know of a couple metal buildings that had it sprayed on inside walls and roof, and when it dried the walls and roof are now warped. Garage doors also do not like it, it will distort and warp many, and plain ruin some. But it sure does seal up the air leaks. Just do your homework before you have it sprayed on something.

MSD · Mar 18, 2013

There is an ignition barrier that can be sprayed over the foam to make in less flammable. Difference in open cell and closed cell. Open cell needs the barrier if not covered.
flame barrier

charlespretzer · Mar 18, 2013

I just sprayed a wall in my shop.One of those do it yourself kits.Did't go as far as they said it would.Actually cost alittle more than having someone else do it but it was a small job & mileage added up.Sure sealed the wall up tight.

DaveH IA · Mar 18, 2013

24x40 with 2 10x10 doors 12 ft sidewalls 3800 bucks (hired it done) no drafts- heats easy and cheep--6 years ago green product called iceoneen (thats how it sounds -- spelled wrong I'm sure) would do it again

samn40 · Mar 18, 2013

We have portal frame sheds over here with wooden runners and corrugated iron fixed to the runners. In the 70s spray foam was the way to go, they sprayed the tin and the timber....but over the years the timber rotted as it couldn't breathe then the roof caved in and couldn't be removed as it was all stuck together! Be sure to leave a surface open so it can breathe if spraying near timber.
Sam

JD Seller · Mar 18, 2013

Just priced it for my youngest son's garage. 26 x 50 building. The cost was going to be $2000. We put in a steel ceiling and blew in insulation for 2/3 of that.

I had the ceiling sprayed in my first shop. It work OK but not great. To get a good "R" value it needs to be 2-3 inches thick. Most guys just spray it 1-2 inches thick.

I would only use it if there was not other easy way to insulate.

Spray Foam Insulation

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