Last Friday night, I found myself ranting about building insulation to a disinterested friend. "But you don't understand, dude," I insisted, "this new spray foam stuff is revolutionary!" Thankfully, I knew you guys would enjoy these pictures — you're almost as nerdy about home improvement as I am!
Back in the forties and fifties, our barn was a fully operational chicken shack, designed to house hens, not humans. When we first moved here, light and air streamed through the plywood walls and rotten rafters. In the summer, it was sweltering — in the winter, you could see your breath. (Under such miserable conditions, I'm surprised these cooped up birds didn't stage a coup!) As I intend on working in the barn year round, properly insulating was a top priority. But which type were we to use?
With my workshop soon to be stocked with expensive steel tools and cast iron machinery, it was critical that we kept out moisture and it's close cousin, rust. To do this, we needed to better seal our "building envelope," the term specialists use to describe the layers of materials that separate indoors from outdoors. Downstairs, the porous cinder block walls were highly susceptible to moisture infiltration — upstairs, we needed to prevent air from escaping. Since fiberglass batts perform poorly under damp conditions, we opted for spray foam insulation.
About as awesome as insulation gets, spray foam is a two-part solution that mixes together when sprayed upon a surface. It comes in two different varieties: "closed-cell," a polyurethane-based mixture and "open-cell," made from isocyanurate. In terms of R-value, a measurement of resistance to heat flow, closed-cell is a superior insulation. Its denser composition provides an R-value of nearly 7.0 per inch, whereas open-cell offers 3.5 per inch. While that rating may be comparable to fiberglass, spray foam fills gaps and forms airtight seals where fiberglass simply cannot. Also, it expands like a microwaved marshmallow (to 100x its initial volume!), which is pretty much the silliest thing ever.
But as you can see from the nuclear fallout suits and heavy-duty respirators, during its application, this stuff is pretty bad for your brain. Fortunately, once the fumes dissipate, it is completely non-toxic. Of course, I had to snap a few photos while they were spraying — I tried holding my breath, but the damage was dumb...I mean done!
Images: Johnny Williams
Late last year, I kicked off a series of posts in which I’ll document the transformation of an old barn into my future workshop.
RED BARN RENOVATION
• Red Barn Renovation: Where To Begin?
• Red Barn Renovation: Green Cleaning & Disposing Of Toxic Chemicals
• Red Barn Renovation: Energy Efficiency Tax Breaks
• Red Barn Renovation: Why I Bought A Wood Stove
• Red Barn Renovation: Hiring An Architect
• Red Barn Renovation: Where To Buy Reclaimed Wood
• Red Barn Renovation: Kicking Off Construction!
• Red Barn Renovation: Wires and Walls and Stairs, Oh My!
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Nomade Express Slee...
My Staple Summer Cocktail Recipe: Campari & IPA Spritzer
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Thank you for the information and the details about the R-value rating. I have to do the same as I live in an old carriage house. Was it pricey?
I was told that installing this in my attic would require a special backing (to the exposed foam) that was VERY expensive - almost as expensive as the foam itself. It was required to meet code (for flammability - although my installer claimed the foam is not that flammable, he had gotten it to burn using a blow torch but it went out as soon as direct application of the flame was removed). The same backing was not required to apply it to the back of my walls - so that is the application I went with.
i had this done in my basement, it did cost a lot, but having said that, my heating bill has gone down substantially. i also have traditional insulation in my walls and attic, but the foam has made the biggest difference.
Thanks for the info. I'm in the process of getting estimates for insulating my "attic" (read: the one- to two-foot space between my 2nd floor ceiling and my rowhouse's flat roof) and they're recommending blown cellulose for that space -- I guess because spray foam expands so much that it can bust out a plaster ceiling if too much is used. I think they're going to spray foam around the bottom of the bathtub via the access panel... which should be exciting. Baths will stay hot longer!
we are looking to do this in our old (90 years) home. The basement and second floor are in dire need of this spray foam insulation. any recommendations on finding an installer?
We are keen to insulate the loft, but are concerned about the tight moisture seal created.
Every benefit seems to have a cost, and in the case of this super-duper sealing spray foam insulation, the more we looked into it, and thought about it, it seemed that the cost may be reduced capacity to offvent moist air, possibly resulting in condensation and mould. Yikes.
Anybody have any thoughts or comments about how this could be remedied?
I was wondering about a moisture seal too. What about any wires going through the beams? Could it work with electrical going through there still? wouldn't it be hard to fix anything electrical through the foam?
are these foam products eco friendly? if not ...arent there some natural products which could help in insulating wooden homes?
There is an eco-friendly product called cellulose insulation that is made from recycled newspaper and is "wet blown" onto the surface and is then hand-trimmed. I don't know how the cost compares to spray insulation, but there is more information here:
http://www.cellulose.org/HomeOwners/
I, too, am interested in the price tag.... as compared to, say, fiberglass or even wool?
The (initial) price is almost 3x the cost of standard fiberglass insulation. That said, the long-range value is unsurpassed. The spray foam has a longer life-cycle than traditional insulation offers the best insulation as well as mold protection and insect protection. So, it is a question of long term benefits outweighing the initial $$$.
Also, this post mentions fumes from the spray foam. A lot of spray foam is "green" in the sense that you save energy with better insulation, BUT they do not account for the volatile organic compounds (VOC's) emitted as fumes from these petroleum products. If you want truly GREEN spray foam, look for SOY-BASED foam insulation.
here are some links:
http://www.emegabuild.com/ (soy based foam)
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/spray-foam-insulation-vs-cellulose-insulation-which-is-better (spray foam vs. cellulose)
Great Post! This barn is gonna be nicer than a few places that I have lived. Good choice with the spray in foam, looks very efficient. It will be very interesting to see how much energy it will take to heat the barn next winter with the stove and insulation.
Cool project! I hope it turns out like you want it to. To simply answer some of the questions posted here, yes spray foam insulation is very eco-friendly and works with renovation projects as well as new construction.
I work with one of the leaders in the spray foam industry and I know there is a lot of interest right now in this topic, especially because of the Cash for Caulkers Federal rebates. Obviously, you want to make sure the installer you choose is knowledgeable about the various spray foam products that are available so they can help you select the best one for your project and can apply it properly. I've posted some additional links below for anyone interested in more information.
Information on the various benefits of spray foam insulation.
Find a local spray foam applicator.
To stay updated, join their Facebook page.
Wow - great job! That will be sure to keep the ice dams at bay. Spray foam is the optimal insulation as it expands to fill all air pockets, is fire resistant and eco-friendly.
Spray foam can also be used on a smaller scale for
...weatherstripping windows and doors