Can I spray foam insulation myself?

baloo · Aug 29, 2016

New to this forum, and new to the idea of a garage forum.

I have a shingle/brick and vinyl siding garage, about 25 x 50ft.
There are 1/2" blue foam sheets on the walls, but with plenty of gaps.
The ceiling is NOT insulated, and there are 6-8 roof vents.

I like the idea of spray foam insulation, as it seems that the coverage would be very thorough.

I asked a company how much it would be to foam my GAR, and the estimate was about $4500.

Questions:
1) Is it possible for me to do the spray foaming myself?

2) Are there companies that rent the equipment, and where do I get the chemicals?

3) Is it worth the trouble?

4) If I spray the ceiling/roof, I guess I should close off the soffit vents as well as the 8 (or so) roof vents, right?

Appreciate any thoughts on this.
Thanks.

James-W · Aug 29, 2016

There are companies that you can buy the equipment and spray foam from but I have my doubts that you would actually save much money, if you save anything at all.

jdpflyer · Aug 29, 2016

I've been looking also. I think this is what I will go with. Anyone used it and have a product review?

https://sprayfoamkit.com/mobile/best-value-spray-foam-insulation/

Thanks,

Jimmy

theoldwizard1 · Aug 29, 2016

Yes, you can DIY.

No, you don't want to !

baloo · Aug 30, 2016

Jimmy - thanks for the link. Looks interesting, and they claim $1000 savings. Have you contacted them yet?\

Wiz - you might be right, and altho' I am an ardent DIYer, I am finding that I end up saving very little. However, there is ALWAYS that irksome bother that construction contractors never QUITE do a tip top job. There is always some flaw that I have to go back and clear up. (BTW, also especially true of car mechanics.) It bothers me that these are ******* blokes who never quite had the desire to excel, but because others are dependent on them, they continue to thrive.

Randy in Maine · Aug 30, 2016

You really need to be all properly "suited up" to do it. Plus there is a real knack to it.

I was glad to pay those guys who did mine.

Dick in Wisconsin · Aug 30, 2016

See of you can go and watch a crew do a job.

I've seen it done on TV a dozen times. I suspect that this is not necessarily a labor intensive job. Modest amount of prep time, modest amount of cleanup after the job is done.

As another poster said, there is probably a "knack" to doing this and doing this right. If you're worried about the professional contractor and his crew doing it right, get some references of recent jobs where the applicator who will do your job did them and talk to those customers.

Let's face it there are only two or three places where a DIYer can save money: Labor, product mark-up, and travel time.

If you as a DIYer has done this before you're partially up the learning curve. But if you haven't then you have the entire learning curve to go up.

Trying to $1,000 in labor, maybe markup, and some travel time doesn't seem to me to be worth it. I think there is TOO much to learn and master to do it right.

I like the idea of spray foam insulation. Is the OP planning on spraying foam onto the underside of the roof versus just above the ceiling?

Where is the OP located?

finn · Aug 30, 2016

The contractor I've used for two different jobs uses a three man crew and a heated box truck.

I looked into the homeowner kits, but they didn't seem to offer a significant savings over the quote from the people who do this every day. They have professional, industrial equipment, tyvek suits, and respirators that I'd have to source. One mistake, i.e. the bottles at the wrong temperature or a couple of plugged nozzles because I hesitated too long because the hose tangled, and my savings would disappear.

Plus, they do all of the trimming and haul away the bags of debris.

I'm all for do it yourself, but I can't afford to learn everything.

jdpflyer · Aug 30, 2016

Baloo, I have not contacted them yet. I hope it saves me money but the main reason I'm looking is I will be spraying in sections. I'm starting a remodel on my house and plan to live in it for part of the remodel.

Where are you located?

baloo · Aug 30, 2016

**** in Wisconsin said:
Is the OP planning on spraying foam onto the underside of the roof versus just above the ceiling?

Where is the OP located?

jdpflyer said:
Where are you located?

I'm located in the Louisville, KY, area.
Yes, I would like to spray this directly under the roof, so that I have insulated storage in the rafters.

I always get at least 3 estimates on any job I do not do myself, and I have found that there are always one to 3 of the contractors (all with good references, of course -- do you REALLY trust the references they give you??!!!) who take me for a sucker, and buffer their labor costs, travel time, and materials' costs.
If you do not believe this, then you probably have not used many contractors.

Hence, my tendency to DIY -- progressively losing faith in the human race.
The minute they see my Porsches, I can see their eyes go Kaa-ching Kaa-ching as they ratchet up the costs to buy their new boat.

DC73 · Aug 30, 2016

Spray foam can be a DIY project but there are some concerns. You must follow the directions and cannot take shortcuts. You have to know the ideal temperature and humidity ranges at which to spray. You have to know how much you can spray in one pass (a "lift"). You have to know how long to wait before making a 2nd pass. You can't be the type of guy who just wings it on something like this.

If you are not careful, you can burn your house down. It doesn't happen often but every now and then a pro will burn a house down. The chemical reaction that occurs during spray foam installation generates heat in an exothermic reaction. If foam is applied too thickly or if a second layer of foam is applied too soon, the reaction can start a fire. They have learned over the years that temperature and humidity can play a factor.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com...tts-home-fires-linked-spray-foam-installation

DC

James-W · Aug 30, 2016

jdpflyer said:
Baloo, I have not contacted them yet. I hope it saves me money but the main reason I'm looking is I will be spraying in sections.I'm starting a remodel on my house and plan to live in it for part of the remodel.

Where are you located?

I am not so sure you can do it in sections, I think you need to do it all at once. Well, not exactly, let me explain that. I think that once you open the two containers of chemical to spray, you have to use the entire containers. I don't think you can use part of it, then save the rest for later on. I think you need to use it all up in one spray session. BUT I COULD BE WRONG ON THAT! I am talking about the do-it-yourself kind of spray foam and not the commercial stuff.

Just a suggestion, but I think it would be a good idea to do some research and learn a lot more about this before you try it. I wish you all the best in whatever you decide on doing.

Hop2it · Aug 30, 2016

jdpflyer said:
I've been looking also. I think this is what I will go with. Anyone used it and have a product review?

https://sprayfoamkit.com/mobile/best-value-spray-foam-insulation/

Thanks,

Jimmy

i used the foam it green system in my pole barn and am extremely pleased with the results.i must warn you that once you open the cans you have to use it in within a month. and the surface temp has to be above 70 degrees if my memory is correct,I checked the temp with a harbor freight infared thermomature.
Doug

hpw · Aug 31, 2016

Spray foam insulation nightmare: What can happen if it's not installed correctly

Kaizen · Aug 31, 2016

I would not recommend doing the diy kits. just not enough of a savings to justify doing it. plus they only cover a couple hundred sq ft at 1inch thick.
You can buy extra tips so you can use it later and if the tip get clogged. I would only use the kit if you had a small project. say you were making a compressor closet and wanted it for sound deadening.
i'm with you I don't trust any contractors. but with this gig its kind of impossible for them to screw it up or screw you over. If you are on a budget open cell is way cheaper then closed. also you can do a hybrid install where they spray 1inch and it air seals the place and you add batts to get the r value up.
a friend and I were going to go in on a trailer setup with tanks to spray our whole houses. But it wasn't less then our quotes together. and neither of us wanted to go into the foam business so didn't make sense.

OzarkMan · Aug 31, 2016

hpw said:
Spray foam insulation nightmare: What can happen if it's not installed correctly

Ironically, I just saw the video today as we were preparing to spray foam our new addition from walls to roof sheathing. Despite what went wrong in that video, I still trust the company that will do ours. It is a 300 square foot room addition along with a 500sq foot patio cover. I want the patio ceiling done to help evade radiating heat from the AZ sun. We were quoted $1367 for the whole job.

In that video I wonder what the guy ended up doing for insulation after they pulled his roof off from a botched job? Sounded like he still wanted to go with foam but was reluctant.

hpw · Aug 31, 2016

MesaAZguy said:
Ironically, I just saw the video today as we were preparing to spray foam our new addition from walls to roof sheathing. Despite what went wrong in that video, I still trust the company that will do ours. It is a 300 square foot room addition along with a 500sq foot patio cover. I want the patio ceiling done to help evade radiating heat from the AZ sun. We were quoted $1367 for the whole job.

In that video I wonder what the guy ended up doing for insulation after they pulled his roof off from a botched job? Sounded like he still wanted to go with foam but was reluctant.

From what I could gather from the story, is that if the foam is sprayed to thick, it won't cure and out gassing continues, but indefinitely?.....that is what I don't understand?

OzarkMan · Aug 31, 2016

I was thinking the same thing. How long will it outgas? I wish I could have gone there to see it for myself. Perhaps fans up in the attic moving air across the foam would eventually kill the fishy smell.
From my understanding and as you noted, the thicker and faster the foam is applied, does not allow for proper curing. Seems as if with each pass, you need to let it stand for more than a few seconds.
Then again, some people are just really sensitive to certain smells/chemicals. No type of foam spray or even certain interior paints will do for them.

James-W · Aug 28, 2022

baloo said:
I'm located in the Louisville, KY, area.
Yes, I would like to spray this directly under the roof, so that I have insulated storage in the rafters.

I always get at least 3 estimates on any job I do not do myself, and I have found that there are always one to 3 of the contractors (all with good references, of course -- do you REALLY trust the references they give you??!!!) who take me for a sucker, and buffer their labor costs, travel time, and materials' costs.
If you do not believe this, then you probably have not used many contractors.

Hence, my tendency to DIY -- progressively losing faith in the human race.
The minute they see my Porsches, I can see their eyes go Kaa-ching Kaa-ching as they ratchet up the costs to buy their new boat.

You sound like a very unhappy person, someone who is always looking for the worst in people. I feel sorry for you. Obviously there are unscrupulous business people in every trade, but not every business person is going to rip you off.

In any case, I hope you got the spray foam job finished that you wanted done.

elvee · Aug 28, 2022

rafaelrobertson said:
I am getting ready to build and am looking to do as much as possible myself. I am interested in using the spray foam in my house to create an unvented roof system. I have used this stuff before in my last house and it works great. My initial inquiries so far indicate that the price has gone up considerably to have someone spray foam my house. I was hoping that someone may know a good website where I can order the product myself instead of paying someone else to do it. I have seen some kits on the internet but they look pretty small for a lot fo money. I was wandering if there was a good wholesale place to get the product in bulk at a good price.

Thanks in advance for your information.

A number of the chemical plants in the gulf coast area were damaged back in 2019 from the hurricanes, and were still not back online as Covid hit and messed things up again. Now coupled with the rest of the supply chain issues and the chemical costs have gone way up and material is still in short supply. We use closed cell in one of our products and our suppliers have warned us that we may get put on allocation, as they have done with a lot of larger accounts.

cannuck · Aug 29, 2022

I bought a well used Gussmer FF set of pumps and hoses along with 2 drums of chemical for closed cell foam. Came quite cheap. HOWEVER: I now have to think seriously about dehydrating the chem (both drums had been opened), replacing the hoses (NOT cleaned when shut down a few years ago) and a gun - altogether coming in at a few grand and bunch of screwing around. Not sure I will use this or just contract the job (1000 sq. ft. shop roof) out to pros to get it done and get it done right. Would only consider the DIY kits for something small such as an uninsulated floor joist header or similar.

karoc · Aug 29, 2022

The kit that I was looking at will do about 600 sq ft at 1" thick of close cell spray foam. At 1" it won't take long for it to cure and no more off gasing. But I see the cost now for kit is about 1100 bucks, so it just don't see much of a savings. My plan was to buy a kit, spray till those containers were empty. Regroup save up little money then buy another container and repeat, but like others saying in the end its not much of a savings. It just seems like those DIY setups keep going up.

NakeDiesel · Aug 30, 2022

I just ordered 2 600 board ft kits and a 200 board ft kit from tiger foam with 2 suits and a bag of extra fan tips. Was right around 2k for the 3 kits. The 200 board ft kit will be for my well house. The other 2 kits are to do the crawl space wall under my house to seal it up. Not looking forward to spraying the crawlspace walls.

NakeDiesel · Aug 30, 2022

My kits came in today. Hoping to spray my well house this weekend.

20220830_183207 by NakeDiesel, on Flickr

NUTTSGT · Aug 31, 2022

Keep in mind guys, this is a thread brought back by 2 now banned spammers

However, there is relevant information and no real need to close it as the information does change as do the times.

86turbodsl · Sep 3, 2022

I looked into this extensively, as a cheapskate engineer and DIY type. I discovered it wasn't very economical to DIY. I even looked at buying the actual spray foam equipment and other than small jobs that the kits can accommodate, it's not cost effective. The yield is much better with heated equipment. I think the smaller kits make some sense so you don't have to call a pro in for small jobs. But big jobs, don't bother. the pros can do it cheaper and better/quicker.

NakeDiesel · Sep 11, 2022

Finished spraying all my foam I bought from tiger foam. Bought a 200 board ft kit and 2 of the 600 board ft kits. Used the 200 on my well house, and both the 600 ft kits on the rock walls of my crawl space under the house. The 3 kits all sprayed very well and am pleased with the results. I didn't use all the 600 kits under the house and added more foam to the well house when done spraying under the house.

Would def buy the kits again. Easy to use and setup. Will prob buy more kits when I pull out the Batts under the house and run new pex next year to foam the lines, duct work and sub floor.

Can I spray foam insulation myself?

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