DIY Spray Foam Insulation

[sawduster98]

Does anyone have any experience with the DIY spray foam kits? I want to insulate my shop with closed cell foam and I found a bunch of online vendors that supposedly provide everything. Just curious if this is something that lives up to the vendor hype or just another project waiting to turn into a disaster. Thanks!

 

[goldenwings]

I tried to do my quonset hut 2 years ago myself. Turned out it didnt really work out so well. The product I had tried was called soy-thane, sprayed on via a 2 part cartridge with an air compressor. After I went through a case of the stuff and was completely covered, which btw does not come off anything very nicely, I had enough and sent the rest back. I ended up calling a company called MIG insulation and building. They were actually cheaper than i could do it myself. Should have just called them from the begining, but thought DIY would be cheaper... not the case. Also they were in and out sprayed 3-4 inches on ~3k square feet in about 4 hours. I had spent that long and sprayed about 100 sq. ft.

So if you want my advice, since youre in NY give them a call, and save your sanity, and money.

By the way I also looked into all of the other brands like tigerfoam etc etc. In the end these guys ended up spraying something like 4-55 gallon drums of 2 part product, but there were three guys spraying at a time, with heated guns.

Make sure and do this before it gets cold, b/c when its below 50 degrees F they wont spray, b/c the properties of the foam are severly limited.

 

[forgeblast]

I just bought a kit from foam it green. Its the 604 kit. I will be doing all my still plates to seal it for this winter. what ever is left over will be sprayed in the attic, or barn. I am not sure yet.
Other posts have said to make sure you mask, and plastic everything due to splatter.

 

[scgargoyle]

I just bought a kit from foam it green. Its the 604 kit. I will be doing all my still plates to seal it for this winter. what ever is left over will be sprayed in the attic, or barn. I am not sure yet.
Other posts have said to make sure you mask, and plastic everything due to splatter.

Including yourself. You need a disposable body suit that covers you completely.

 

[MMagis]

I did a little research on the DIY kits. Not a lot, but it didn’t take lone to figure out it wasn’t worth my time or money. From what I remember, most of the kits did a poor job. To get a kit that would do a half way decent job I would spend just as much money as I would to hire it done. That made it an easy decision.

 

[jonyyuma]

Do not let it get on your bare skin, you might have to wear if off, plus some of it is an excellant adhesive.

 

[sawduster98]

Sounds like I should get some quotes from the pro's so I can make a better decision. How is this stuff priced...square foot? Any idea what the going rate is?

 

[Cat_Driver]

Do not let it get on your bare skin, you might have to wear if off, plus some of it is an excellant adhesive.

I just used some on my RV and ended up picking up a huge glob that fell off and shoved it back in before it hardened. Almost glued my fingers together. Anyway, Acetone worked wonders and cleaned me up as good as new.

 

[Ductape]

Sounds like I should get some quotes from the pro's so I can make a better decision. How is this stuff priced...square foot? Any idea what the going rate is?

I just gutted our 12 x 24 kitchen for a remodel. Got an estimate from a local spray foam co .......... 3 walls (opted to not to do the inside wall that abuts my diningroom) plus the underside of the roof. Three inches in the walls and five under the roof was $3,800.00 :confused2:. I almost crapped my pants. They price it by the board-foot.... so the thicker, the more money. I've been looking at the DIY kits also.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Current issue of Fine Homebuilding has an article on DIY spray foam.

 

[groundcover]

Guy down the street did the DIY spray in new construction , total failure, looked like he was going to have to remove it as it was pulling off anyway. I think it may have been a little cold when he tried it though.

 

[timswi]

I'm not sure I'd try that in a mass application...The equipment is very specialized and that stuff sure can make a mess. Also, if incorrectly applied, it can do damage due to expansion.

 

[EddieWalker]

Current issue of Fine Homebuilding has an article on DIY spray foam.

I thought it was JLC, (Journal of Light Construction) but you're probably right, I get both magazines at about the same time and I get them confused.

I read the article and their comparisons of half a dozen different brands, and came away thinking that I really don't want to do it myself. Getting the tanks the right temperature, changing tips all the time, wearing a suit to kee the stuff off of you, and so on. It just seems like a big, EXPENSIVE mess that doesn't work as good as the pro stuff.

Eddie

 

[sawduster98]

I usually make a mess just using a can of Great Stuff. :ashamed: I'll check out Fine Homebuilding to see what they say. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I usually make a mess just using a can of Great Stuff. :ashamed: I'll check out Fine Homebuilding to see what they say. Thanks for the heads-up.

That's my experience, too. I'm terrible at judging how much the foam is or isn't going to expand. I've also had enough experience with the stuff to agree with everyone's caution to not get it on you. The only way to handle that is to just let it wear off. If a drop spills on something, just let it dry and pop it off later.

 

[forgeblast]

I have the tyvek suite, proper resperator, and a face shield hard hat. Just cant afford to have it pro, we need to seal the sill plate and keep some heat in.

 

[dstig1]

The DIY kits work well for smaller jobs, if you have the correct conditions (temp, humidity as specified). They are NOT made for large areas. If you are doing full walls or whole buildings, you need a crew with the pumper truck and the whole shebang. So if you want to do a knee wall in a story and a half coversion or seal a rim joist or a bay window, then sure, but not a whole building.

I've helped a friend using one for one of those jobs that was too big for Great stuff but not big enough to interest a contractor. It worked. Messy but effective.

 

[wsp617]

I just gutted our 12 x 24 kitchen for a remodel. Got an estimate from a local spray foam co .......... 3 walls (opted to not to do the inside wall that abuts my diningroom) plus the underside of the roof. Three inches in the walls and five under the roof was $3,800.00 :confused2:. I almost crapped my pants. They price it by the board-foot.... so the thicker, the more money. I've been looking at the DIY kits also.

WOW! That's WAY HIGH! I would check a couple other places. There's more pros doing it around here so the price is coming down.

My boss built a SIPS panel house 3 years ago. Had it sprayed professionally. Has a 4-car garage. Had the sheetrock on the ceiling sprayed (in the attic area) and then blew in insulation on top of a then layer of spray foam. The foam seals everything up tight. It's the hot ticket in my opinion.

He installed a high-tech fireplace from Acrucraft woodburing fireplace and heats the entire house with the fireplace. The combination of the SIPS panels and spray foaming the rim joist area and other areas makes for an air-tight home.

The DIY kits are not cheap and don't cover that big of an area. I looked at them too and decided that when I build, I'll have the pros spray my house.

 

[sawduster98]

The shop size is 24x24x10. Exterior walls are 2x4 and the internal one is 2x6. I'd like to do 1" of closed cell foam and cover that with open cell or batts, depending on price. I'll also have to figure the cost of going conventional to have a base cost comparison. I also insulated under the slab and hope to heat the whole area with an electric shop heater.

 

[jonyyuma]

Removal of foam cured or not, is tedious. In reply to Acetone on skin, Yes, that is what was in Fingernail polish remover..No longer available that way.I wonder now, IF part of my health problems were not related to Acetone, Xylene, and toulene{sp} usage. Mind you I did use good gloves with Carbon-tetrachlorene. Just be careful of DIY fumes from the foam and componants.