As you will discover from the information in this article, spray foam insulation is loaded with benefits and uses, making it a popular choice for the everyday consumer. Although spray foam is also applied by highly trained professionals, homeowners can also purchase kits or cans or spray for smaller jobs within the home. Interestingly, while many of the benefits and uses are known, most people are shocked once they realize just how versatile this particular material is.
We will first go over some of the greatest benefits associated with foam insulation. Within the past few years, the number of people who have joined the “green movement” has grown dramatically. Because of this, products, services, processes, and technologies are being carefully chosen to ensure they are not harmful to the earth’s environment. Foam insulation is not toxic or harmful so to the person applying it, as well as the environment in which the foam is used, it is a 100% green product.
Another benefit is specific to the roofing industry for homes build in extreme cold climates. For home construction, problems of ice damming can occur in the eaves areas. To prevent this from happening while acting as an insulator, foam insulation would be sprayed to seal the eaves off. For a project such as this that involves moisture or water, closed cell foam would be used because it is denser and thereby provides a solid barrier of protection whereas open cell foam is low density, meaning air and moisture can move through the small cell spaces.
In addition, foam insulation is ideal for new home construction. Regardless of the building materials being used, there will be tiny gaps and crevices that allow outside air to filter in and inside air to leak out. With this, energy efficiency declines, which means the home’s interior is not as comfortable as it could be and the homeowner pays more in month utilities than necessary. By using foam insulation around the windows, eaves, chimneys, the roof, and virtually any place where energy could be lost would fix the problem immediately.
Another advantage of using foam insulation is for soundproofing and vibration problems. For instance, if someone had a music room in the home, to mute the sound so everyone else in the home would not be affected by the noise, foam insulation could be used in a number of ways. For one, if the door to the music room was hollow, the void space could be filled with foam, instantly making it soundproofed. However, to create an actual soundproofed room, insulation could be sprayed onto the walls and ceiling, blocking sound and vibrations of instruments as they are played.
Unlike many other insulation, soundproofing, padding, and filling products, foam insulation has no odor. Therefore, it could be used in virtually any room of the home or office without concern of overpowering smells. Then as mentioned, the foam compound is safe so no matter how much insulation is sprayed, there would be zero health risks. This foam is also not irritating to the skin, as with fiberglass insulation. This product is also extremely strong, durable, and flexible. Therefore, once the foam insulation has been applied, it would last a long time without concern of shrinkage.
Foam insulation can get into small spaces and crevices where traditional insulation would not fit. Using a narrow nozzle, the foam would simply be sprayed into the void space. Between the nozzle that offers precision, the spray gun that provides the power to push the foam into place, and the foam itself, the application can fill even the most difficult to reach place with ease. Finally, foam insulation is highly heat resistant, quick drying, naturally expands, and contracts with settling of the house or temperature changes, it sticks to any surface, and it lasts a lifetime.