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Rigid Foam Insulation Experiences?

15 years ago

Hey Folks -

We just bought a pre-fab cabin, one room, wood framing. (Those things that look like a little house being delivered on a truck.)

I'm going to be putting insulation in between the studs and finishing the inside walls. It gets seriously cold (below zero) where we are, and this will extend the season for us in a big way. I was thinking of going with rigid foam insulation - so much less messy than fiberglass, and I like it better. Any experiences with this stuff?

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Comments (5)

adirondackgardener
15 years ago
We use a lot of high-R foam insulation in the houses we build. Mostly in roof panels where we need to get the maximum R-value in a shallow space. DO NOT use white bead board, however. (That which looks like a styrofoam cup.) It is much cheaper and for good reason. You may as well stuff styrofoam cups in there.

If you finish the inside with a layer of gypsum board, you've solved any fire safety issue. (I take this seriously, by the way.)

By the way, I enjoyed the photos you posted in your photobucket link. As you might have guessed, I am a former Adirondack resident and that is where my heart still lies. I especially liked the photos from around my old home (Bloomingdale.) I never saw that postcard image of Paul Smiths before. I did spend many a half-hour on the deck of the Cumberland though, on the crossing from Grand Isle to Plattsburgh.

Good luck in your new cabin.

Wayne
wigglyworm
15 years ago
I've got the answer for you...

If you're planning on finishing the interior walls and you want the house to be real tight, you should consider using icynene foam.

Icynene does have to be installed by a contractor, but I recently insulated a 3000 sf 1850s post and beam farm house with it and the entire intstallation took about 2 hours and was less expensive than estimates with traditional fiberglass bats. The materials are more expensive, but the labor was cheap!

Icynene will give you a complete seal - NO drafts and no need for roof venting. It does not have as high an r-value as other poly based foams, but it is water based and does not off-gas so it is very GREEN. It still has a much higher r-value than rigid foam, or fiberglass, and by virtue of creating a complete seal, will HUGELY increase the efficiency of your home.

You are lucky in that your interior walls are not yet finished. Sprayed on foam options aren't great if you have to strip the interior walls first. Icynene is the ONLY option I'd consider in your situation.

Good luck.
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love this forum that you can do a little diy advising! ok the mold in the supply boxes and on the grills probably isn't from the duct takeoffs @ the plenum. it takes a long time for mold to travel that far..and if there isn't moisture & food source it won't spread to that area. it isn't always mold..sometimes it is just dust. so mold/dust buildup at the ducts @ plenum is lack of proper air seal. mold in supply boxes & on grills is lack of proper air seal at the cut in the sheetrock ceiling where supply grill is attached to the box. nine times out of ten..you can solve the issue by sealing supply boxes to sheetrock. see attached picture. hardcast brand #1402 mastic tape is used to seal supply box to sheetrock. this tape is 3" wide. I split the 3" into 1 1/2" lengths. stick to sheetrock and fold into supply box. as the tape adheres to many surfaces you need to be careful to keep it within the area covered by the supply grill. once it sticks to the sheetrock..you'll lose paper if you try to move it. surfaces have to be clean & dry for tape to adhere. and once in place you'll want to press it in place as it is somewhat pressure sensitive. the tape is strong enough to keep the box tight to attic floor on the attic side when installing the supply grill. wash the dust off the grills, wipe inside the supply box & into the duct. reinstall the supply grill. oh and when you remove the supply grills..take a sharpie and mark what direction they faced (throw to window..dirveway side whatever note you need to put them back in same position) this way you'll put them back as they were. I've tried several other brands of mastic tape. hardcast 1402 is the best. the others are 2" width and mastic is thinner, resulting in less strength and useful life. why would I chose spray foam for my floors? I've sealed floors several ways, foam is the easiest albeit more costly, once prep work is done. there isn't enough room to physically install foam sheathing to the bottom of the floor joists. I'll seal any big holes..like under tub then do 3" foam. I've looked at froth packs like tiger foam..but having worked with so many foam companies locally, will just have them do my floor when they are in my area. the software is pricy. we lease it yearly. once upon a time we bought the cd..but too many people abused it. so now it is a download & upgrades to original install. a lot of mastic isn't always an indication of a good seal. it doesn't take a lot if you put it in the actual leaks. you can feel around the duct take offs on the plenum while unit is running and feel some of the leakage. also checking plenum connections to the equipment at the same time. I use mastic tape to connect plenums (after screwing them in place) much easier to seal under the plenum to equipment with tape than painting mastic upside down.
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A synthetic stucco finish on polystyrene foam insulation is called Exterior Insulation & Finish System (EIFS). Contemplating how to do it yourself has caused this insulation to be exposed to UV radiation for far too long. It's losing it's R value as we discuss it. Hire a pro and it will look good, last a long time and be done in a day.
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I definitely want to keep things simple. I was aware of the zipR shearing but I have heard it is typically cheaper to use regular zip board and a separate rigid foam. I don't like house wrap because I think 90% of the residential house wrap is not installed per manufacturers recommendations. I work commercial construction and have seen the tyvek required installation methods and rarely see that in the residential market here. I also thought I could save money and give me the piece of mind by taping the seams myself. I will look into the price difference on the zip sheathing and separate foam and the R-zip. Might be the way to go if it is minimal difference.
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adirondackgardener
15 years ago
If you are interested in Icynene foam, wiggleworm forgot to tell you that it will run about 3 to 4 times the cost of Fiberglass batts.

Also, especially in a very small cabin such as you describe, you must pay attention to ventilation. With Icynene foam, your cabin will be as airtight as it can be and in the winter that could cause serious or dangerous conditions. Look into an air exchanger system.

Wayne
starrtruck_aol_com
12 years ago
has any one had any experience with styrofoam on outside of a mobile home? back in K.C. there was a trend a few years ago of putting it on the outside of the home and even building window shutters and boxes out of it. all were painted and the styrofoam was glued and mounted using daisy mounts with middle screw. does anyone know where I layout or plan might be found for this type of construction?
if anyone might know of this type please e=mail me at my email address thanks,
mary
starrtruck@aol.com
Mary
jessicaml
12 years ago
Mary, sounds a little like Dryvit (fake stucco), which we have as siding on our MH & garage.

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