Spray foam insulation for ceiling

[GLHS60]

Anyone have any experience with spray foam insulation??

Not with the individual cans but from a contractor.

My very low garage ceiling is a mess of poorly installed drywall over poorly installed insulation.

I want to tear it all down and spray insulate between the joists etc.

The room above is very cold so depending on cost etc. spray is my first choice.

I'm assuming residential foam is fire proof??

Anyone have any experience, recommendations etc.

Thanks
Randy

 

[phred]

We did my entire shop with spray foam. Floors walls and ceiling plus the basement of my house. Cost was about 1.75/sf for 4" about 2 for 6". There is a flame retardant additive that adds.35/sf. You can't beat the spray foam. Sound deadening. Insanely weather tight. My shop stays cool in the summer and heats up quickly in the winter


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Orionrising]

Spray foam is very not fireproof. It is hard to ignite directly but it is reflective enough it flashes when the room reaches high enough temperature. It always needs a fire retardant cover or drywall.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[rburke65]

What would the temperature have to be, for spray foam to flash? And does that mean to ignite? Always learn something on here. Thanks.

 

[73RR]

phred is spot on with sound and sealing qualities mentioned. Another benefit not often mentioned is its ability to add rigidity to a structure. The foam gets into every nook and cranny and expands and seals. I have sprayed four buildings and have another in the works. Yes, a bit expensive but IMHO, well worth the cost.

My experience with the foam says it does not burn. I tried to ignite a piece once and nothing happened, blackened the edge a little but it does not support combustion.

 

[Orionrising]

http://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/...Insulation-Need-a-Thermal-or-Ignition-Barrier

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[bgarrett]

I just talked to my friend who lives way up north near the Ark/Missouri border. He paid $2800 for 30X72 open cell recently. Walls and ceiling He said at 18 degrees outside he was 48 inside, no source of heat

 

[GLHS60]

I appreciate the reply's.

While searching for spray foam I see Home Depot sells DIY kits.

Anyone have any experience with these for a novice??

My garage ceiling is about 22' x 24' and about 7' off the ground.

Due to the low ceiling I should be able to do it without ladders which would be a good thing for me!!

Weather is very cold recently so I'm guessing it would be better to apply spray foam when its not so cold??

All input is appreciated!!

Thanks
Randy

 

[taget]

I just had my 30x36 quanset hut done in spray foam. It ended up around 3-4 inches thick and sealed the building up pretty well. I also looked at the DIY kits and after seeing how this stuff is applied I am glad I had a professional do it. That chemical is pretty nasty, and if the mix is wrong it can have some pretty severe consequences. What the contractor told me is the minimum temp they could spray at was 22 degrees for a surface temperature. This was with there equipment pressurizing and pre heating the chemical. I am not sure what your min temp is on the DIY stuff, but it will make a big difference when spraying as the tanks are going to cool as they empty from the product decompressing as it goes out.

My foam is closed cell as well, and at 2 inches the perm rating is high enough you do not need a vapor barrier.

 

[rwilner]

I had a pro foam my garage.

It is a nasty, messy process. Guy put in 2 days wearing a full tyvek suit and a respirator.

I priced out a diy and the cost difference was like 20%, plus I knew the job would be done right - a no brainer.

My advice is to have a pro do it, or if you're going to diy, have some who knows what they're doing help.

 

[taget]

I had a pro foam my garage.

It is a nasty, messy process. Guy put in 2 days wearing a full tyvek suit and a respirator.

I priced out a diy and the cost difference was like 20%, plus I knew the job would be done right - a no brainer.

My advice is to have a pro do it, or if you're going to diy, have some who knows what they're doing help.

The respirator is a good point to make. When they were spraying mine i took a walk over and asked the guy if i could poke my head in and look. He was hesitant to say yes, but then said you really need to hold your breath. I opted to wait 24 hours before walking in, and even then i didn't stay long as there was still a strong smell in the air.

 

[rwilner]

My garage ceiling in progress...not a fun job

 

[southalabama]

I've got a buddy they had his professionally sprayed. Takes very little heat in winter and very little cooling in summer to make it comfortable.

 

[DougWil]

Spray foam can cause rot issues on wood frame.
Any leaking water through the roof or walls is trapped, undetected between the sheathing and the closed cell foam turning OSB into soggy oatmeal and black mold.

Open cell allows water vapor to pass through it and condensate on the cold roof sheathing.
The open cell foam holds that water like a sponge.

I think there are better ways to build and insulate wood frame than spray foam.

 

[Randy in Maine]

I had the pro guy do it in my house living room. I have 5 1/2" of high density foam applied directly to the bottom side of my roof sheathing. I only have 2x6s up there and they filled them all up. Greatly reduced the amount of infiltration.

It is not fireproof. In my case there is no venting as there is nothing to vent. Normally you put sheetrock up, but in my case we used T&G pine.

It is not as tight as my garage (that is built of SIPS), but a huge improvement over the R-19 fiberglass that was up there. IMO fiberglass is lame. Next best would be dense packed cellulose.

 

[DC73]

I want to tear it all down and spray insulate between the joists etc.

The room above is very cold so depending on cost etc. spray is my first choice.

Spray foam is a great option for you. For your climate, choose closed cell spray foam instead of open cell. Better to have it professionally sprayed. Spray foam is a chemical reaction and you can start a fire if the conditions are wrong.

DC

 

[strnge]

We did the inside of the cab of our custom aluminum commercial boat in 1987. It worked like a charm! When I build my garage, I will not hesitate to use it.

 

[Boomer343]

The DYI foam from HD or Lowes is not going to work for large areas like your garage ceiling. I used a two container product to do an overhang and I wasn't impressed compared to the pro foam I have contracted.

Get a pro to do it.

 

[76zimmer]

just had 1/2 of my 48x36x14 barn done, so the 4 walls w/ 2-3" of foam....24x36x14 w/ 3 overhead doors (10x10) and 2 service doors on the walls, + the ceiling w/ 4-5" of foam and an area of 24x36. It cost me 4600$ and I'm super happy with it. Having someone else do the dirty work was great! I figured doing it myself w/ fiberglass bats would have been almost $1500 for the materials alone.
I can heat the building with one 4000w heater on low setting and the temp is about 30* warmer than outside temps. I also have two ceiling fans to distribute the heat.