A Homeowner's Guide to Spray Polyurethane Foam
March 27, 2016
While professional insulation contractors are well aware of Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) as an insulation product, many homeowners are less aware. SPF is regarded as a superior product option for both residential and commercial applications. It's the highest performing product on the market, and offers more benefits with one installation than any other insulation material. When professionally installed, Spray Polyurethane Foam does it all: forming an impermeable air barrier; creating an effective deterrent to moisture infiltration; and insulating better than any comparable insulator. SPF makes for an energy-efficient "building envelope" that lowers energy bills, and contributes to significant savings from season to season to season.
The main benefits of Spray Polyurethane Foam
- prevents the unwanted intrusion of air and moisture
- improves indoor air quality levels/occupant comfort
- reduces energy bills and improves HVAC efficiencies
- augments structural strength to the building envelope
- prevents collection of pollen and airborne particulates
- safeguards against animals, insects, bugs, and mold
- provides sound-dampening properties where installed
Spray Polyurethane Foam has the highest R-Value rating
SPF has the highest R-Value rating - it provides more thermal resistance, using less insulation material, than any comparable insulation material. As such, it dramatically reduces energy usage and consequently lowers utility costs (heating and cooling). SPF is also a superb sealing agent, and effectively seals a home's "building envelope" to prevent unwanted air infiltration and undesirable moisture collection. This is critical in terms of enhancing insulation performance and providing the optimum in energy efficiency throughout the home.
Installing the SPF product in residential home applications
Spray Polyurethane Foam can be easily applied over a wide range of substrates - concrete, steel, wood, and more. It adheres well to all building materials and can be sprayed into the most awkward of spaces, cavities, and indentations. Other insulation products (like fiberglass) do not seal a space effectively enough to ensure maximum insulation. But with SPF, every gap, crack and crevice is sealed tight, guaranteeing a fully airtight environment that controls both air and moisture. There's no other product that can meet these expectations.
Project costs when installing Spray Polyurethane Foam
SPF is considered to be a premium product, and may therefore not be appropriate for all home improvement budgets. However, from a cost-benefit point of view, the benefits and savings of the installation offset the initial, upfront project investment. Over the long term, SPF does not settle and will not lose integrity - this is an installation that requires no maintenance and no "topping up". This is truly a home improvement that can pay itself down with the significant cost savings that result from reduced heating and cooling bills. Today, more and more insulation professionals are recommending the SPF product for residential projects. They rely on the product to perform well above industry standards, and they trust the product to perform in every part of the home - in attics, walls, basements, and even attached garages. Finally, when performance comparisons are made, there's really no other product that can compare with SPF.
