Spray on barn insulation

[Dargo]

Anybody have any experience with having their pole barn walls sprayed? When I added my 100X120X20 barn I figured it would just be too big to heat and cool, so I only had a minimum of insulation put in the roof. Now I notice that things in that barn get wet in certain weather conditions. This is in addition to the fact that it's about 20 degrees hotter in that barn in the summer than my 60X60X16 barn that has 2" of insulation walls and roof. I do have vapor barriers in the concrete floor of each.

I'm thinking about getting estimates to have my larger barn done with the spray in insulation. Anyone have experience or comments on that kind of insulation?

 

[heehaw]

are you referring to foam insulation? we got a quote to have my daughters 1600sq ft house insulated with foam, and it was @ $5,000.
heehaw

 

[framer]

I built a 36x46 metal shop building 6yrs ago. There was two typs in ks.
Poly foam which water cant penatrate that is what i used.Cant recall
the other brand but it was opsit water came thur.The only difference is
if have a leek its a little harder to find source. Same prices $1.00 sq. ft then.
Highly recomended it makes a very tight building. takes all rattles out metal
Good sounproofing. It was exspensive to do It will pay for self.I heat only
when i work out there.Over night it can be 10 to 20 deg. shop will be
30 to 36 deg. Summer 100 plus days in ks. shop will be allways 10 to-25 deg. cooler. Hopes that helps. Framer

 

[Ridgewalker]

I have a uncle who has an insulation business. The spray in stuff is expensive upfront but long term it pays off. I have seen him do several jobs, once it was a cold storage freezer in a old limestone mine. Its great stuff! He did the area above my garage and it made a huge difference.

 

[ns_in_tex]

I think closed cell foam is the water proof kind.
Open cell will absorb water.
Also it comes in Lb DENSITY. The higher the density, the harder & stronger.
If any quotes you get seem extra high, you might try to find someone who insulates chicken houses this way. I think they insulate the walls & ceilings with maybe 2 or 3 lb density and the bottom 2' of the walls with higher density, so the chickens can't peck it off.
Good luck,

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Your stuff will still sweat if the right conditions hit. Usually a warm front hitting after a particularly cold period. This will happen if the building doesn't have an HVAC system installed and running. I just brought home my toolbox from work and the exact conditions hit and in a matter of hours, put a light surface rust on my Starrett mics. My barn has the real nice insulation that is a 3" thick Mylar backed that also is a radiant barrier. It was put on with the tin. The barn is fairly air tight but I admit I had the doors open when the warm front hit. Just too much moisture in the air. Moist as mayonnaise I say.

The spray on stuff that I'm familiar with works fairly good. I don't particularly like the looks of it but it works good. Sound absorption is excellent. I believe it is made of cellulose and Boric acid. The local talk show builder dude here doesn't recommend it due to the boric acid and the potential for the kids to get into it or to breathe the dust.

It is probably the only feasible alternative. I think you would be happy with it.

 

[Dargo]

If I leave any door open (or if one of my kids leaves a door open ) I get sweat and moisture inside my insulated barn. Otherwise, with everything closed, everything still stays dry even after a warm front moves in and the barn is cold inside.

So, it sounds like most people are relatively pleased with the spray on insulation except that it's expensive? I guess that sounds good....except for the fact that my barn is relatively large.

 

[BungeeII]

If I leave any door open (or if one of my kids leaves a door open ) I get sweat and moisture inside my insulated barn. Otherwise, with everything closed, everything still stays dry even after a warm front moves in and the barn is cold inside.

So, it sounds like most people are relatively pleased with the spray on insulation except that it's expensive? I guess that sounds good....except for the fact that my barn is relatively large.

I'm certain for a barn application you're going to look at closed-cell foam. I believe the R-Value is around 7 per inch. The prices quoted for foam is usually per square foot @ 1" thickness. I'm not sure what current prices are, but you're well into the thousands for that bad boy!

 

[Cat_Driver]

Yes it's VERY expensive, BUT you can do as much as you can with the rigid stuff and have the cracks and other area done with the spray to keep the price down.

There is no finer insulation on the planet. You can buy a hot knife to cut it easily.

By the way you can "glue" the hard foam panels in place with the small cans of foam. A dollop on the panel then press and hold, works like glue.

I buy the blocks in 14" x 48" x 96 " Blocks, I use it for carving with a chain saw.

 

[EddieWalker]

I buy the blocks in 14" x 48" x 96 " Blocks, I use it for carving with a chain saw.

Does it come in other thickness's? 4 to six inches would be ideal.

How is the price? 2 inch panels at Lowes are $32 each

Where would a guy go to look for something like that?

Eddie

 

[MarkV]

Eddie if you have any larger roofing suppliers in your area check there. The supplier I use stocks several thicknesses, sizes and types for built up roof systems on vaulted rooms.

MarkV

 

[atgreene]

There is a guy in Mass. (if he was in Nantucket we could make a limerick) who sells used styro foam board. Buddy of mine just bought a trailer load of 1-1/2" and hauled it to Maine for a garage he's building. Worked out to $10.00 per 4x8" sheet, less than 1/2 price of new. Some sheets have screw holes or slightly damaged corners, but for a barn it wouldn't be bad, especially if you're double layering it.

I'm going to buy whatever he doesn't use from this load and he is buying more for under the concrete, I'll try to get the info as he said that the guy selling it has warehouse all over the country and deals in used insulation.

 

[Diesel-ME]

If you go with a sprayed on foam - stick with a closed cell poly such as this one: Corbond Corporation
There are several similar products, but I only mention this one because I did a house with this stuff a few years ago and think it's great.

You might want to ask local contractors for a price per board foot as a good way to get a relative comparison of costs. A BF is of course a 12"x12"x1" area. You can then estimate the cost based on your square footage of wall/ceiling space times the number of inches of product that you may want times the price per BF. Then you can deduct an inch or two of product down to what you can afford

~paul

 

[pwl]

Do a google search for icynene insulation. I had it sprayed on the walls of an addition I put on. Works great. There was no vapor barrier needed. It sprayed on like paint then swelled out to 7-8 inches. It was then cut back to the studs.

 

[Dargo]

Everything so far sounds great...except maybe the price I'll be quoted. I suppose I ought to go ahead and finish putting in the remainder of the electrical outlets I've been putting off. After wiring a barn that size by myself and putting in all the lights, I'm pretty burned out on wiring right now. I guess since I only need to put in about a dozen outlets yet it shouldn't be that bad. I ought to be able to knock that out in a weekend. I think I'll start calling for some insulation estimates this next week.

 

[Lasgambler]

When talking about and thinking about buying ridgid foam be aware there is a huge diff. in R-Value of the EPS, ( Expanded Poly Styrene) You will find at the big box stores, and the Insul- Foam also called R-Foam in my area found at roofing supplies as mentioned before.
One rule of thumb, but not written in stone, is that if it is white=EPS not a very good insulator. If it is Yellow, Blue or Pink it is usually a R- Foam. I'm sure that they maybe exceptions to this rule. The last time I bought some it was about 30 bucks for a 2x48x96. Do Your home work.
I needed some for a SouthWest Style Home and as mentioned before you can buy the good stuff used, Some times you have to buy a whole truck load.
Terry

 

[dfkrug]

There are at least 4 different kinds of plastic foam referred to here.

Icynene is the usual trade name for one type of Polyurethane (PU) foam that
is sprayed on the open framing of walls. The result is a somewhat pliable
insulation that is as much as R7 per inch. Another type of PU foam is
used a lot for roofs, and it is very rigid after it expands....you can walk on it
within seconds. Also about R7/inch. Both of these are 2-part foams and
pretty expensive.

The other major foam type refered to here is Polystyrene foam, which is
usually about R4-R4.5/inch. It is either expanded (EPS) or extruded (XPS)
and both are found in sheets, or molded to form packaging, or the carcasses
of Insulating Concrete Forms.

For comparison, fiberglass insulation is about R3.5/inch.

I once had a roof coated with PU foam, and it was priced similar to a
conventional re-roof job. I got a quotation for Icynene for the ceiling
joists of my garage (under-floor of the house) and it was the about the
same cost as roofing foam, so I went with the latter. No floor squeaks and
makes the floor seem stiffer. The additional structural support of this
kind of foam would be a great thing for an ag-style steel building. I have
also used lots of structural (hard) PU foam that is dispensed with guns
for sealing and gluing. This is a one part water-activated foam. Works great.

Gorilla Glue is a non-foamed water-activated polyurethane BTW.

 

[Doc_Bob]

Icynene is the usual trade name for one type of Polyurethane (PU) foam that
is sprayed on the open framing of walls. The result is a somewhat pliable
insulation that is as much as R7 per inch.

I did my basement remodel with 3" of the PU between the steel reinforcement and then 3 1/2 inches fiberglass in the wood walls on top of that. Best thing i ever did. 500 sq ft media room that stays warm just from the excess heat from the plasma. And I like it warm!!!!

Bob

 

[bigshovel]

I had my office addition done at $1.00 per foot per inch thickness. 3 inches thick is $3.00 per square foot. Get your checkbook out.

Brad

 

[deere755]

I have no personal experience with it, but I was at my brother in laws a week or so ago in northern Indiana for a party and he has it in his pole barn. His barn is 36x56x12 and he had the walls and the roof all sprayed. I did not ask him about cost but I can tell you his barn is very tight. His party was in the barn, it was pouring down rain and it was very quiet in it. You can't hear yourself think in mine if it is raining. I was very impressed with the insulation. I think I will look for someone in this area to do mine. He keeps it around 60 degrees in their most of the time and says it heats very easy. The thing I like about it is it seals all of the little cracks that might not get sealed with bat insulation.