Why Spray Foam?
Spray foam is an air barrier, meaning it resists airflow between conditioned and unconditioned spaces. Air barriers are important considerations in building science because they can improve insulation performance and indoor air quality.
Ever wonder why leaving the refrigerator door or the top of your freezer open significantly decreases its performance? The refrigerator or freezer materials have not changed, but now you have introduced air flow into the equation. As warm air moves into a cold refrigerator or freezer, it has the same effect as warm air moving into an air-conditioned home or building. The air flow impacts the climate, both inside your refrigerator and inside a building.
Air barriers also help keep pollen, dust, insects and other allergens from entering the home or building through cracks or crevices in the wall assemblies. Spray foam adheres to the walls, boards and studs of your home, creating tight seal that limits potential intrusions.
Spray foam is a powerful insulation material with a high R-value and air barrier properties that give it the unique ability to fill the gaps and holes that could be difficult to seal. No other insulation product on the market can match the performance of spray foam without utilizing additional products or materials.
Before going forward with a spray foam application on either a commercial or residential building, it is important to establish whether you will utilize open-cell foam or closed-cell foam. When factoring performance, method of application, and price, the differences between the two are significant.
Below Are The Differences Between Open Cell And Closed Cell Spray Foam:
Open Cell
The minuscule cells of the foam are not entirely closed, so the foam itself is permeable and can fill with air and moisture. These tiny open spaces render the foam weaker and softer feeling than closed-cell foam. Open-cell spray foam has a R-Value of 4 per inch. One of the biggest benefits of open cell foam is that it expands so much after it has been applied, meaning it can insulate hard to reach spots in a home.
Closed Cell
Closed Cell is made up of cells that are, as the name suggests, completely closed. The cells are pressed together, so air and moisture are unable to get inside the foam. Closed Cell spray foam has a R-value of 6 Per inch. Closed Cell spray foam acts as its own vapor barrier. Closed-Cell foam has a greater resistance to water vapor and air leakage, it is stronger, and has a higher R-value than open-cell foam. However, because closed-cell foam is higher in density, it requires more material than open-cell foam, therefore, it comes at a higher cost.
