Using spray foam in your bathroom and home renovation. - J.Whipple (North Vancouver)

[johnfrwhipple]

We have been using spray foam in our bathroom and home renovations for coming on 6 years now. This spray foam product really is the bomb and if you can afford it will be well pleased with the money spent.

We have done barrel dormers, crawl spaces, sub floors, exterior walls, roofs and everything in between.

In my own home renovation I choose to use spray foam in about 2/3 of the home and we are amazed with how quiet or home is and how little the demand for heat is.

With bathroom renovations and wanting to place fixtures on an exterior wall it is possible to meet code restrictions with just 2"x4" wall framing. This little space saving can help with fixture placements - perhaps not a mixing valve or thermostatic cartridge but a wing back or flow valve should fit nicely. Most times pipes freeze because of air movement over a cold pipe. When you take the air movement away things really stay warm.

Also when a bathroom or kitchen is not over a heated space the spray foam on the bottom side can really keep a floor warm underfoot. We sprayed out a 10'x10' area beneath my wife's kitchen and this part of the kitchen floor never feels cold.

Now you can also choose a 1/2 pound foam for just sound and the regular I think 2 pound foam for insulations. I noticed on my spray foamers business card there is even tax rebates you can qualify for if you follow all the right steps.

Who else is working with Spray Foam?

[johnfrwhipple]

I have not found any calculations for deflection improvement but it must be considerable.

When the bottom side of standard framing receives sprayed foam the likely hood of the floor deflecting is dropped. I would love to find a calculation to share here but think it might be easier to measure in the field on my next job. Anyone know the increased strength in a spray foamed floor?

[LLigetfa]

I seriously considered spray foam when I built my home but there were no local contractors doing it at the time and bringing someone in from Winnipeg or Thunder Bay would have been cost prohibitive. I wanted to spray foam my crawlspace wall cavities and stucco over it on the inside but opted to use fibreglass in the cavities, rigid foam on the dirt side and drywall inside.

I considered spray foaming the plumbing runs for noise and could have done that with a DIY foaming kit. I also considered hitting the pipes with one of those spray applicators used for doing popcorn ceilings.

I also consided foaming my cathedral ceilings but would have had to maintain airflow, not for moisture control but to allow the sheathing and shingles to cool in the hot Summer sun.