spray foam insulation
 

anyone here ever try the spray foam insulation kits they sell that you install yourself? I'm renovating my own house and want to do spray foam throughout, and was thinking of going with open cell everywhere because its a lot cheaper to have done than the closed, and is a little more in my budget and I believe would still be 100X better than fiberglass in my 1920 farm house (gaps/voids galore). I didnt multiply out how many board feet the kits cover and compare it to the installation numbers I got, but is it worth doing the closed cell yourself over the man doing the open?
4 inch thick walls, 8 inch deep floor joists on 1st floor, and 6 inch deep ceiling joists on 2nd floor. Maybe closed cell in walls open in floor/ceiling? Anyone know if they sell a do it yourself open cell kit?

I have seen DIY kits on the market and that bothers me. Knowing what is correct for a specific area and how to install it is what you pay a pro for. There are secrets that a DIY can't possibly know, but if you screw it up, you will be mad at everyone but yourself. Let a pro do it.

I have a neighbor who is an energy star rep and he does in home consultations and he's told me its the ideal insulation for my home, he's the one who suggested doing open cell throughout when my eyes got wide when he told me his guys could do it for 1.30 board foot. I dont doubt I could handle doing it if I could get the material to do so, and knowing those kits arent just garbage that are going to just clog up and not work after spending $650+ per kit or what ever. I am on a limited budget somewhat, so what I save in one place I can spend on better kitchen cabinets, not holding off on the deck out back, building the garage, ect ect.

As with just about anything that requires skill, is by the time you get through the learning curve there will be a lot of waste and mistakes. You're not going to be saving money in the end. I've used the kits and the application is tricky.

I just multiplied out what you get from the kits board ft wise and it ends up being over $1 per board ft with the kit, and I think its around $1.15-1.30 bf around here installed, your right not much savings.

just out of curiosity rusty, what was tricky about the application, the guys in the video's make it look easy I guess :laughing:
I'm sure its like anything else do it often and it does look easy

I looked at the kits also,,,wished I COULD afford them,guess I cant,,,whats the next best option?? Anybody know how much foam is in a SMALL can of great stuff?(just to compare). It seems there is more there than the kits per buck. Sometimes those cans can be bought pretty cheap!! ONE board foot isnt very big area!!!

Controlling the gun angle, speed, distance, etc.. unless you're familar with spray techniques there's going to be uneveness and resulting waste (overflow of stud cavity that has to get trimmed off).

Hi Mikey...considering the size of your space, it might be better to allow a pro to do the job...it being your first time, it may be a steep learning curve,,,,good luck

there are 1 part foams the ones you see in the little cans
that are used for gap filling and 2 part that are used for spraying
the pros use a hot box and heated hoses that are very expensive
1.30 a board ft sounds very reasonable

In my mind the kits are probably best were you want to do it slowly (assuming the hoses don't get clogged each time you stop), like working on a home you live in, 1 room at a time.

How much are the extra hose set going for these days?