Foam / Guides

...foam has an R-value of 6.3 per inch; when used at an 8-inch thickness, the foam has an R-7.4 value per inch, which exceeds the performance of any foam insulation currently on the market. The installation of spray foam requires the mixing of chemicals on site, and that reaction generates a lot of heat. So spray foam b...

...foam products on the market, when in reality it isn’t actually as bad as people think. They are easily distinguishable from each other, see below: EPS - Expanded Polystyrene rigid foam insulation, aka 'beadboard foam insulation'. this is NOT 'Styrofoam'. XPS Extruded Polystyrene rigid foam insulation - this...

...foam panels was compared to the same assembly using 2" of EPS foam and was found to be losing 30% more heat in this study (see below)! XPS - Extruded Polystyrene Foam Panels - The blue, pink or green ones (eg. Styrofoam): XPS is Rated at R5 per inch, but it will off-gas and lose some insulation performance over tim...

WATCH MORE sustainable building VIDEOS Once a decision has been made to choose between a crawlspace or a slab foundation , you need to know how to finish the edge off durably. Typically the exterior edge of a slab on grade is made of EPS foam and can be parged. Having used rigid Rockwool panels meant we needed a...

...foam will keep it from being in contact with the ground and absorbing moisture. Spray foam is then applied to the walls behind the studs and into the cavities, you can leave enough room to do any wiring if required. Spray foam insulating basement walls © Bala Structures The foam needs to then be covered with dr...

...foam panel insulation Cellulose rigid foam insulation is a greener choice than styrofoam UPDATE: A new environmentally-friendly rigid foam insulation board made from cellulose nanocrystals is a viable alternative to Styrofoam - according to researchers at WSU... This product has us really excited, because it'...

...foam if you choose (spray foam is our least favorite but it can be done so we mention it, though we always encourage readers to choose spray foam with the safest blowing agents ) Larsen truss walls can be made in a variety of thicknesses, which is a really nice advantage to the design as it can be done in a way that ...

...foam insulation boards © Michel Chenier As an example, the above stack of XPS foam insulation was purchased through an online classified website for $3 a sheet, whereas purchased new in a building supply store they would retail for about $40 a sheet. It doesn’t take a calculator to know that that’s a pretty...

...Foam must be covered by drywall for fire protection. Don't install an additional vapour barrier behind drywall ; latex paint will act in this capacity. Spray foam or SPUF being installed correctly on basement walls © Bala Structures There have been a few nightmare cases reported where a SPUF installation we...

...foam may be the only solution. We've generally steered our readers way from spray foam products in the past due in part to health concerns, but mostly to the very high Green House Gas emmissions from spray foam blowing agents. However 2020 has seen great news about the reduced global warming impact of spray foam, a...

...foam is closer to R6 per inch. The high ecological cost that comes with spray foam stops us from recommending it except for very urgent circumstances and this can be such a case. For existing homes with limited space over the top of walls, replacing a lower-R value per inch with a higher-value insulation like spray f...