DIY spray foam kits for metal shop?

[kmdigital]

Uh, why didn't you install fiberglass insulation before the siding and roofing were installed? This is the way all the all steel buildings are done in this area. When your done, the building is insulated, and it has a nice clean appearance from the inside. Spray foam insulation will always look pretty bad on the inside, IMO, being lumpy, yellowish, very, very hard to get even, and far more expensive then using fiberglass insulation.

I built a 40x60 building 5 years ago, and this is the way I did it. At that time, the insulation cost about $1,300 if I recall correctly, for the entire building, including walls and roof. The insulation come in 5' wide rolls, and you install it with the white, vinyl scrim side towards the inside, draping it over the girts and then screwing the metal fast. The roof works the same way, where you lay out the insulation, install two sheets of roofing and lay out another strip. I used 4" insulation, and am very happy with it.

[Deerlope]

I bought 2 20 lb cyl's from a company in Texas. The 15 foot twin hose kit was over 100 bucks, then there is the Haz Mat fee along with shipping all totaled it came to over 750 bucks, but is was worth it to be able to do my UG pipes when I wanted too. I had some left over to do a small building.

[Skyco]

I looked into the DIY kits to insulate the inside of an enclosed trailer....besides the difficulty of doing it right with no experience the price scared me off

[jdmar]

I have used DIY kit and had a large amount done by a local insulation company.

I used (and still have two tanks) of Tiger foam. It did seal well. It did stick very well. It was not real easy to spray a smooth coating. It also goes on very thin. I called the company and asked if I was doing it wrong (yes, I got it to temperature first). They said it does go on thin and you need to layer to get the inches needed for r-value. I think it would take 4-5 coats just to get an inch! I quit and called in the pros. I had previously had this same local company do many parts of my house when I built it.

The stuff the pros use come in liquid and is mixed onsight with water (usually) with heavy duty equipment that also heats the material. When it hits the surface, it rapidly expands to many times it's applied thickness and seals very well. If needed, it can be shaved off for drywall etc. It is NOT cheap but it is good. It is not really greater R-value per inch than fiberglass or cellulose but it air seals significantly better.

I will use the remaining Tiger foam for air sealing in my basement when I finish that. But I would not buy again. It is NOT at all like the "Great Stuff" you buy in a can...that stuff works great. I really thought I was spraying/heating the Tiger Foam wrong but the company said "no."

The pro-applied stuff is great. It seals. It creates a quiet room. It may not be real good looking on the inside of a barn unless covered with drywall or other surface. I think the standard fiberglass for the barn would work well...and I am a "fan of foam."

My thoughts...other DIY its may work better.

Peter

[ksimolo]

Originally Posted by kmdigital

The insulation come in 5' wide rolls, and you install it with the white, vinyl scrim side towards the inside, draping it over the girts and then screwing the metal fast. The roof works the same way, where you lay out the insulation, install two sheets of roofing and lay out another strip. I used 4" insulation, and am very happy with it.

I am contemplating a metal addition to my barn and want to insulate it. Insulating this way, aren't you just compressing the insulation to almost nothing and losing your R-value?

Thanks,

Ken

[shimp]

i bleeve the open cell foams,like icynene and tiger foam,dissolve over a period of 7 - 10 years.

the closed cell is said to last, like

Demilec

[jdmar]

It would be compressed at the purlins/support only. And, yes, compressed fiberglass does not perform at all like uncompressed. Spray foam would provid better overall isulation since it can surround purlins and also stop thermal bridging. But it is also expensive and would be best if you add a protective layer over the "lumpy" final shape of foam. I think foam and a finished interior (drywall, OSB, or other) would give a tighter and more comfortable structure, but if it is just an occasional use barn, one would have to ask if it is worth the extra cost/effort. If you use the barn a lot and want it heated/cooled, foam may return your investment over several years.

A slight change to topic here... This is why the barn I am building is being done with traditional framing. I can insulated the cavities with 6" of fiberglass after caulking/Great Stuffing all air gaps. Then I am overlying continuous sheets of reflective foam then OSB on the inisde. This foam will help stop the thermal bridging of the studs. It will actually work better than foam at a reduced cost. But it is lot more effort on my part. There are lots of ways to buikd very energy efficient structures--they are just not done often in this country. I built my house with SIPS...but could not justify the cost for a barn. ICFs are onther option if you can get the concrete at a decent cost.

Peter

[jdmar]

Originally Posted by shimp

i bleeve the open cell foams,like icynene and tiger foam,dissolve over a period of 7 - 10 years.

the closed cell is said to last, like

Demilec

I think this is really dis-information by different companies. The old formaldahyde foam from the 70s did break down a bit but still if you did not disturb it it remained full in the cavities. But touch/disturb it now and it crumbles very easily.

One real advantage to the closed cell urethane foam is that it sticks tenaciously and is strong. In larger comercial structures the closed cell urethanes are actually included in calculated loads and forces. It acts to stiffen a structure considerably.

I have noticed that almost all the foam companies spend a lot of time saying why their foam keeps Gods house warm and all the others are junk...sad to see.

Peter

[IXLR8]

I am redoing parts of my house and building a metal garage. I looked at, priced, the DIY kits vs hiring local contractor. By the time I got done with shipping, hoses, Personal Protection, hazmat fees, waste of material learning how to use the stuff properly... it was about 1/2 the cost to hire somebody to come in and do it.
The spray in foam does more than insulate, it also acts a vapor and air infiltration barrier, sound insulation and makes the building more rigid. Foam costs more than fiberglass... it does more.

[rcrcomputing]

Originally Posted by IXLR8

I am redoing parts of my house and building a metal garage. I looked at, priced, the DIY kits vs hiring local contractor. By the time I got done with shipping, hoses, Personal Protection, hazmat fees, waste of material learning how to use the stuff properly... it was about 1/2 the cost to hire somebody to come in and do it.
The spray in foam does more than insulate, it also acts a vapor and air infiltration barrier, sound insulation and makes the building more rigid. Foam costs more than fiberglass... it does more.

But don't you want to hang stuff on the walls? I was thinking to do wafter board on the inside with fiberglass behind it.