Why is spray foam expensive compared to batt insulation?

Spray foam is more expensive for several reasons:
1) The material is a thermal plastic; a by-product of crude oil. As the price of oil goes up, so does the price of spray foam. 
2) Essentially, it’s a high performance product and the price reflects it. 
3) Installation requires specialized equipment and training. Anyone can install batt but you need to be certified to install foam. 
4) Manufacturing batt is essentially spinning fibreglass = cost is lower. With spray foam the process is more complex as you’re mixing chemicals, etc.

Does spray foam pose health risks?

When good quality foam is installed correctly according to the industry’s safety standard code CAN/ULC 705.2 it poses no health risks. We have found that in the past few years there has been more talk of people having problems since the number of foam manufacturers with CCMC (Canadian Construction Materials Centre) approval has increased. Whereas before you only had one or two, now there are at least a dozen foam suppliers allowed in Canada and the quality of a lot of them is sub-par. Most people think foam is foam but that’s not true; the lower grade foams are cheaper and when installed improperly can cause serious issues. Off-gassing occurs and it’s hazardous. 

Isn't it cheaper to use a DIY spray foam kit?

If you plan on spraying just the header cavities of your basement you’re going to save about $200 by using a DIY kit BUT the problem is that stuff like tiger foam is messy and we feel their recommended safety precautions (paper mask) are inadequate. Also:
- It’s not 2lb density foam, it’s only 1.5 lb density. 
- You only get an air barrier not vapour barrier. 
The only instance we would suggest it is if you want to do things like repair a hot tub, insulate basement headers or spray a cottage on an island (because you’d have to pay to have a barge bring the truck to your island to do the spray job)

Can spray foam be applied to a surface with smoke damage?

Spray foam cannot be applied over a 'greasy' substrate. It must be clean, dry, and free of debris to have proper adhesion. Anything with smoke damage should be painted first with a special paint to cover up the grease/smoke damage.

Can I have spray foam insulation installed without disturbing the interior of the home/commercial property (taking down drywall, etc)?

Technically, you can have it injected through a process called drill and fill (with foam or cellulose), but we feel it's a hit and miss procedure (closing your eyes and hoping for the best). We feel the best option is to do it from the outside. It can be done effectively, but requires a few extra steps like renting scaffolding and tarping the house to prevent overspray. Obviously, these extra things cost a bit more. 

Is there a difference between brands of 2lb closed spray foam?

There is and you can spot them on the technical data sheet of each product. The 4 most important things to look at are as follows: 

- LTTR (long term thermal resistance): most foams are around 7 initially and go down to 5 or 6. As far as I know there is only one or two foams that are classified as a type 2 (Polarfoam soya/Heatlok soya) which means it will not go below R6 (R Value) per inch. Most, including the ones you mentioned, are type 1(R5 in the long run per inch). 

- Core Density: the closer it is to being 2lb the better it insulates. When you have other foams which should be 2.6lb according to manufacturer specs, then some installers are tempted to fudge the settings and install it hot and quick reducing density and increasing profit, as seen on CBC Marketplace.

- The open cell content: you are paying for a closed cell foam so the lower the better. Polarfoam being the lowest (less than 1%) while others claim to be less then 8%.

- Flame Spread: Once again Polarfoam having the least. 

One more thing that I truly believe in being important is where it’s made...only one foam brand is made right here in this beautiful country. That’s right: Polarfoam soya/Heatlok soya. ​

How thick is foam usually laid down in an attic?

When doing a ceiling with an attic space above, you’ll often hear it recommended to go with R50. This is about 7 1/2" of the good quality foam (type 2) or 8 1/2" of the generic type 1. We belive this is overkill. R50 blown in fibrous insulation yes, but not closed cell spray foam. The building code goes by "R values" only (More on this here: http://cufca.ca/docs/R-Value%20Fairy%20Tale.pdf). Why would an industrial blast freezer only require 4 1/2" to 5" and a residential home need double that? Also when applying foam to flat roofs or sloped ceilings the code is R31 4 1/2" to 5" depending on the foam; We believe this is correct. Because of all the high costs of retrofitting an existing attic (old insulation removal plus cost of installing foam), a lot of the time people choose to just have it topped off with more blown-in insulation. But if foam is what you’re after and on a budget, consider having 2" to 3" installed to give you that first initial seal and thermal break and then have blown in fibre on top. This combination works well, costs less and makes building inspectors happy that they have their "R value". 

Does spray foam act as a fire barrier?

No it doesn't. All foam whether it is sprayed polyurethane or polystyrene needs to be covered by an approved thermal barrier. There are many different types of thermal barriers you can use.

Does spray foam shrink over time, degrading the vapuor barrier?

When installed properly the foam should only reduce in size at a microscopic level in the first few hours while it is cooling. Normally the inside temperature of foam that is just sprayed is about 220F in a 2" thick pass. After it has cooled it will not shrink. If you have someone who blasts the foam very thick and hot then you may end up with unstable foam. It cures while being too hot and then is under constant tension. Again this comes back to people looking for a deal. And yes if it separates then you lose not only the vapour barrier but also the whole point of using spray foam. 

Does spray foam insulation need to be immediately covered with drywall?

Foam does not need to be immediately covered. If someone told me that, I would be suspicious...almost as if they don’t want me to have a good look at it. While foam will degrade if exposed to UV light, it would take several weeks to a couple months for that to happen. Someone who would say that is definitely trying something fishy. Also, no one should be there on the site until it is properly ventilated or until 24hrs has passed. There is no real concern unless someone wants to do hot work around the foam i.e. welding or cutting steel.

How is spray foam a 'green' product?

Spray foam insulation is a green product because it saves energy, has a zero ozone depletion in it and is made from old recycled plastic water bottles. The amount of soya is not great; 3 to 5%, but enough to mention it. What most people do is remember "soya" rather then pf7300-0. It’s a way to differentiate our product from others such as BASF (which uses Caster oil also in not great amounts), or other mystery foams that keep popping up. The type of renewed material used in the foam does not affect its performance greatly. What you should look at is the facts on the technical data sheets when selecting which brand you want installed in your home (LTTR, % of open cell in the foam, flame spread and vapour permeance). What I like about soya is that it’s produced by Demilac in Montreal and uses our home grown soya rather then an import such as caster oil from the Far East. When we speak with our customers we do not tell them fairy tales about "soya", we stick to the facts and always say that if there was a better performing foam on the market, we would be using it.