What does foam insulation cost?  (Replied)

If heating costs are an issue, it may be time to consider an extensive insulation project for your home. By protecting the walls of your house, the internal temperature remains more stable without having to resort to devices with high energy consumption. Today, spray foam as an insulation method has become one of the leading options on the market due to its high quality and durability. In addition, the cost of foam insulation is not overly high, making it an accessible alternative.

Unlike other insulation methods, spray foam is very versatile in terms of the number of places we can apply it. Since it is a foam, it expands (up to twice as large) after spraying, which can cover small cracks that it finds.

The cost of spray foam insulation is low compared to the cost of electricity bills. In the end we will see a reduction in our electricity bills by up to 40%.

Of course, this does not mean that the installation is cheap. Foam insulation is more expensive than other options due to its properties. However, it is good to have it as an alternative if we carry out reforms in our house or if we build a new house.

Advantages of foam insulation

There are several reasons why you could use spray foam insulation. The first is that it is safe to use around sockets or lamps.

Second, since it is a foam, it penetrates any open space, eliminating all possible cold air inlets. Maintaining the internal temperature of our house is the main goal of all insulation systems.

What does foam insulation cost?

The prices for aerosol insulation vary between $ 1,400 and $ 3,000. However, how much we end up spending depends on many factors such as the installation or the amount of foam we use. Here is a list of factors to consider before starting this project.

How to measure the project area

The area covered by the insulation is calculated using a board base. A table is 12 inches wide and long and 1 inch thick. This helps us standardize the measurement of the surface that we will isolate to calculate our budget.

Different insulations for different needs

When insulating our house, we have to take into account that there are open and closed cavities so that not all foam insulation works the same way.

Closed cavities such as walls and ceilings require a good seal of the retro foam injections. On the contrary, open cavities such as attics require Icynen spray foam.

Since each of them has different properties, our budget changes depending on the quantities we use.

There is more than one spray foam

Open cell foam – protection for walls and attics

This foam, also known as half a pound of foam, uses much less material than its counterpart, the closed-cell foam. However, to use it efficiently, a vapor barrier must be used, which means extra work.

Its name is because its density is 0.5 pounds per square foot (in addition to the texture it takes on when it dries). It is made from biological materials and also contains mixtures of carbon dioxide or water for the coating.

Open-cell aerosol foam insulation is generally used on exterior walls, attics and some roofs. After application, it has a soft and dry texture and keeps air bubbles inside as a light layer.

What does open cell insulation cost?

Remember that we do not calculate insulation costs per square foot, but per board foot (12 “x 12” x 1 “). In the case of open cell foam spray, each board foot will cost approximately $ 0.25 to $ 0.50, whichever Brand we buy will be different.

Closed cell foam – For underground structures

This foam, which is much more expensive than the open-celled one, has a density of 2 pounds per cubic foot, which results in a hard and heavy finish.

One of the advantages of closed-cell foam is that there is no need to use a vapor barrier because the mixture already contains it. In addition, this insulating foam does not allow moisture to penetrate, which means that the walls are better preserved in regions with harsh weather.

However, closed-cell foam is not environmentally friendly because its coating consists of hydrophilic carbons that affect the ozone layer.

Because of its permeability, it is the ultimate insulation used in basements. Since a hard plastic layer is formed during drying, no water can penetrate it and damage the walls.

What does closed-cell insulation cost?

The cost of closed cell spray foam is much higher than that of its counterpart. For this reason, it is best to limit use only to rooms that really require protection from moisture.

Depending on the manufacturer, we can also get a price difference here. Each plate foot of this isolator costs between $ 0.90 and $ 1.50.

The simpler the house, the cheaper the insulation

Image source: Plastics make it possible

The shape of our house has a direct impact on the cost of foam insulation. The more complex houses (usually) have more square meters of wall and ceiling, so we have to get more foam to do a perfect job.

The rooms also determine a large part of the price that the insulation work will cost us. Some rooms need to be insulated both on the ceiling and on the floor, depending on the type of ventilation in our house.

An attic, for example, is one of the rooms that can be insulated from both the ceiling and the floor. However, it is common for the number of square meters on the ceiling to be much larger, as they are inclined in contrast to the floor.

When we insulate the roof, it is usually because we are trying to create a hermetic storage space by eliminating traditional ventilation for an artificial system. The opposite happens when you insulate the floor, because this way we can still install natural ventilation in the ceiling.

job

Image source: Plastics make it possible

As with all construction work, we need special workers to apply the insulation layer. Much of the budget is used only for installation. In fact, the national average for the bricklayer we’re going to hire is estimated at $ 1,000 (for a 1,200 square meter coating).

The rest of the budget (around $ 1,000) is used for building materials such as boards, safety equipment, shipments, etc.

We can apply additional improvements

Soundproof

Image source: Cari Giannoulia’s design

Although the foam insulation layers form an excellent sound barrier, we can always apply an additional sound insulation layer.

However, the cost is not reduced since we installed the isolator, so we still have to pay the standard cost of $ 2,000 or $ 3,000.

Repairs in damp

Ironically, this means that closed-cell foam insulation creates a barrier that prevents water from entering, and also prevents steam from leaving the room, which stains over time.

It is best to replace the affected areas before the shape appears. First, because this way we avoid possible respiratory diseases, and second, because replacing drywall ($ 1,500 to $ 2,000) is much cheaper than removing mold.

Remove mold from home

If the mold has already penetrated our insulation, there is no option but to fix it before a new layer of foam can be installed. Otherwise it continues to grow. This process is expensive and varies between $ 2,000 and $ 6,000.

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