Spray Foam Insulation in Battle Creek, MI

Spray Foam Insulation is sprayed as a liquid, expands within seconds and cures into a solid layer stuck to whatever it touches. Because it fills every crack and seam, it stops air movement as well as slowing heat. Fiberglass batts and loose fill slow heat but let air pass through, and in older Battle Creek houses moving air is often the bigger problem: cold air pulled in at the rim joist and warm air escaping through the attic floor.

Closed cell

Closed-cell foam is dense and hard once cured, at about R-5 to R-7 per inch according to HomeGuide. At normal thickness it slows vapor and does not take on water. We use it on rim joists and sills, poured and block foundation walls, crawl space walls, roof decks with no attic, the floor over a vented crawl space and the steel skin of pole barns and shops. It also adds some stiffness to the surface it is sprayed on.

Open cell

Open-cell foam is spongy and lighter, at about R-3.5 to R-3.8 per inch. It expands a great deal and fills irregular cavities, so it works well in open stud walls, between floors for sound and under roof decks when an attic is being brought inside the house. Since it lets vapor through, it needs a vapor control layer on the warm side in this climate and should not be sprayed directly against cold concrete or steel.

Before and after the wiring

Foam goes in after the electrician and plumber are finished and the work has been inspected. Once a cavity is foamed, running a new wire or moving a pipe means digging it out. On remodels and additions, we schedule after rough-in inspections.

When foam is not the answer

We will tell you when another material is the better buy. An open attic floor is usually cheaper to seal and blow in to depth. Closed walls in a finished house are usually filled with dense-pack cellulose through small holes. And foam is never a fix for a leak; roof, plumbing and foundation water problems have to be solved first.

The day of the job

We cover floors and belongings, set up fans to ventilate, and spray in passes to the thickness on the estimate. HomeGuide advises staying out of the house for at least 24 hours while foam cures and airs out. In occupied or storage spaces, foam usually needs a thermal or ignition barrier depending on the product and how the space is used, and we include that in the estimate when it is needed.

Call (269) 256-1613 or book a visit and we will show you where foam makes sense in your house. Get a free estimate