Choosing the Right Type of Insulation for Your Project

When it comes to keeping your home or building warm in winter and cool in summer, insulation is key. Insulation acts as a barrier against unwanted heat loss or gain by creating a layer of air pockets that prevent conductive heat transfer into or out of your structure. Selecting the optimal insulation material for your project will have positive impacts on energy efficiency, cost savings, comfort, and more. In this blog post, we’ll explore the most common types of insulation—including fiberglass, cellulose, spray foam, and rigid foam—and why foam insulation, in particular, offers a unique blend of superb insulation effectiveness and durability.

Common Types of Insulation: Pros and Cons

Fiberglass – Fiberglass insulation comes in rolls or loose-fill, consisting of fine glass fibers. It’s affordable and widely available, but effectiveness diminishes if it gets wet or improperly installed. Fiberglass also produces some airborne particles that can irritate skin, eyes, and lungs.

Cellulose – Made from recycled newspaper, cardboard, and other paper products, cellulose insulation provides decent R-values at an affordable price. It comes in loose-fill or spray-applied options, but it’s vulnerable to moisture damage, mold, and settling over time.

Spray Foam – Supplied by professional spray foam installers, spray foam insulation is created by layering liquids that rapidly expand. It effectively air-seals and insulates wherever it’s sprayed. But spray foam comes at a much higher price point and requires careful climate control during curing for best results.

Rigid Foam – Available in sheets and boards, rigid foam insulation is built from polystyrene, polyisocyanurate, or polyurethane foam. It provides excellent insulation and moisture resistance but requires careful sealing to prevent air leakage and product breakdown. It also often requires additional structural supports to hold it in place.

Foam Insulation: The Gold Standard

Of all the options, spray foam and rigid foam insulation stand out above the rest thanks to exceptional insulation performance and long-term durability. But properly-installed closed-cell spray foam insulation, in particular, offers a unique combination of benefits that has earned it a reputation as the premier insulation product on the market today:

Top-Notch Insulation Performance

With an R-value of around 6-8 per inch, closed-cell spray foam can provide insulation effectiveness up to double that of standard fiberglass batt or loose-fill insulation. This supreme insulating power means greater energy efficiency, lower heating and cooling bills, a more comfortable indoor climate, and a reduced carbon footprint from your building or home. In the attic, spray foam can lower your monthly AC energy costs enough to pay for insulation installation in just a few short years.

Excellent Air-Sealing & Moisture Control

Most types of insulation don’t seal air leaks and gaps in a structure’s framing and construction; they just fill empty space. But spray foam expands and adheres to whatever shaped nook or crevice it’s sprayed into, effectively sealing cracks big and small. This reduces the strain on HVAC systems from air leakage and unwanted moisture intrusion into walls and attics.

By keeping outdoor humidity from penetrating walls and fabric, closed-cell spray foam maintains a dry, comfortable indoor environment and helps prevent moisture damage, mold growth, frost on framing, ice damming, and delamination of drywall and exterior coatings. This moisture control also bolsters insulation performance, preventing an increase in its conductivity and heat transfer that can occur if fibers get soaked.

Robust Durability

Unlike some alternatives, spray foam insulation won’t shift, settle, break down, or lose effectiveness over time. Once installed, its formed-in-place rigid nature locks the insulation into the spaces it’s sprayed within walls, ceilings, or roof decks, preventing gaps that reduce effectiveness. Its closed cells don’t absorb liquid, so it’s impenetrable to mold, mildew, and rot. That’s why spray foam comes with an impressive lifetime expected durability if properly protected with vapor retarders like drywall. For whole-building protection, sturdy foam’s insulation value and performance will last as long as the structure itself.

Structural Racking Strength & Impact Resistance

Spray foam insulation lends an added degree of robustness and impact resistance to the spaces it inhabits within walls, roofs, and foundations. Its closed-cell structure and adhesion to surrounding structural elements beefs up shear strength, making the building envelope better able to withstand high winds, earthquakes, falling tree limbs, hail, and other external impacts. Spray foam helps protect against cracks, shifting, collapsing drywall, and more. Its impressive racking strength even allows it to span gaps, cracks, and holes in underlying structures.

If your upcoming construction or renovation project calls for first-rate insulation performance, excellent long-term durability, and structural reinforcement, closed-cell spray foam is undoubtedly the best solution. While fiberglass and cellulose can provide merely adequate insulation at a lower upfront price point, foam insulation offers vastly better effectiveness, air-sealing, durability, and structural benefits that will keep saving you money and hassle for decades to come. Consult an insulation contractor to see how spray foam or rigid foam boards can boost your building’s thermal and structural integrity.