The Advantages of Installing Rigid and Spray Foam Insulation in Your House
By Mark J. Donovan
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Rigid Foam Insulation
Installing rigid foam insulation on the exterior of your home prior to siding it, particularly if you’re siding with vinyl siding, is a great and easy way to keep your home warmer during the winter months. Today there are even insulating house sheathing products that you can use in place of plywood and OSB, albeit these products don’t provide the same structural support that plywood and OSB sheathing offer. Rigid foam insulation is also easy to carry and install. It’s also not itchy to the skin, unlike fiberglass batt or rolled insulation. Thus the installation of rigid foam insulation is an easy DIY homeowner project. |
Spray Foam Insulation
Another way to insulate your home is with spray foam insulation. Closed cell foam insulation is the ultimate material for insulating a home.
Due to the fact that it is sprayed in between wall studs and expands upon contact with the walls, it ensures an air tight seal in every crack, cranny and void in the walls. Consequently spray foam insulation seals a home from any type of air and moisture penetration, giving it a very high insulating R-value in the process.
| As a result, spray foam insulation dramatically saves on home energy costs, strengthens the exterior walls of the home, and protects the occupants of the home from mold and mildew related illnesses. Also, due to the fact that it creates an air tight seal, it dramatically reduces the amount of dust and pollen entering the home.
Another spray foam insulation advantage is that, unlike fiberglass rolled or batt insulation, it will not sag over time. When fiberglass insulation sags it loses its insulating effectiveness. |
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Spray foam insulation also offers the advantage that it can withstand up to 72 hours of exposure to water without sustaining significant damage.
Spray foam insulation also is not itchy to the skin, though it really needs to be installed by a professional who has experience installing it properly.
| Whether you’re considering rigid foam insulation or spray foam insulation they both have numerous advantages including very high insulating properties. Due to the fact that they are much denser products than rolled or batt fiberglass insulation, they provide a much higher R-value per inch of thickness. As a result, they provide a much bigger bang for the buck for keeping your home more comfortable feeling during the cold winter months and the hot summer months.
To conclude, if you’re planning to install vinyl house siding seriously consider wrapping the exterior sheathing in a layer of rigid foam insulation first. Also, you may want to consider installing rigid foam insulation around the exterior foundation walls if you plan to finish your home’s basement. And if you want an extremely energy efficient home, consider using spray foam insulation for insulating the exterior walls of your home. |
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Related Information
- Fiberglass Insulation R-value and Thickness Comparisons
- Spray Foam Insulation Types
- Closed Cell Foam Insulation versus Open Cell Foam Insulation
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