More articles in this series:
- How Does Spray Foam Insulation Work?
- Why Choose Spray Foam?
- Who Can Install Spray Foam?
- When is the Best Time to Install Spray Foam?
- Where Can You Install Spray Foam?
Spray foam is a chemical product created by two materials, isocyanate and polyol resin, which react when mixed with each other and expand up to 30-60 times its liquid volume after it is sprayed in place. This expansion makes it useful as a specialty packing material which forms to the shape of the product being packaged and produces a high thermal insulating value with virtually no air infiltration.
Although spray foam insulation has been in use since the 1940s, primarily for aircraft, for the past 30 years, continual product innovation has seen the increased adoption of spray foam insulation in residential and commercial construction. The rapid growth of sprayed foam insulation in building construction, thanks in part to its immediate and long-term benefits, has allowed the insulation material to sit confidently alongside traditional insulation types in providing thermal comfort for building occupants.
Spray foam insulation is the latest alternative to traditional insulation types. Spray foam is extremely versatile, it can be used in a multitude of areas including the roof,walls and crawl space of a building. It can be used to insulate the hardest to reach places with ease and due to its expanding nature, it can fill even the most abstract of spaces. When it fills an area it will expand and fill to the edges to provide a virtually airtight seal that creates an air barrier.
This air barrier is the major difference compared to the older types of insulation, in addition to its thermal benefits the air barrier prevents the mixing of cold and warm air within the space greatly reducing the risk of condensation and mold extending the lifespan of your building. Spray foam is now the go to for most insulation needs.
On top of spray foams thermal values, open cell spray foam is 100% water blown with no volatile organic compounds making it the ideal choice for a greener building.
Applications for Spray Foam:
Residential: Pitched roof insulation | Flat roof insulation | Wall insulation | Floor insulation | Barndominium insulation | Rim joist insulation | Attic insulation | Crawl space insulation | Basement insulation | Mobile home insulation
Commercial: Warehouses | Metal buildings | Agricultural buildings | Subfloors | Schools | Hospitals | Municipal buildings | Industrial buildings | Office buildings