Spray Foam Insulation in Grand Junction, CO

Spray foam insulation is two liquids mixed at the spray gun that expand and cure into a solid layer stuck to the surface. Unlike batts or loose fill, it blocks air as well as heat, so it closes the gaps it covers. In Grand Junction, where winter nights regularly drop into the teens and wind pushes cold air through every crack, that air sealing is often worth more than the R-value itself. Warm air that leaks out of the top of the house pulls cold air in at the bottom, and foam is the most direct way to stop both.

Closed-cell foam

Closed-cell foam is dense and rigid. HomeGuide rates it at about R-5 to R-7 per inch and lists it at $3.00 to $5.00 per square foot installed. At normal thickness it works as a vapor retarder, which matters in Zone 5, where warm, moist indoor air meets cold surfaces all winter. That makes it the standard choice for rim joists, crawl space and basement walls, cathedral ceilings where rafter depth is limited, and the steel walls and roofs of shops and pole barns. It also stiffens the surface it bonds to.

Open-cell foam

Open-cell foam is light and soft, about R-3.5 to R-3.7 per inch per HomeGuide, at $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot. It expands a lot, fills irregular cavities completely and deadens sound. It lets water vapor pass, so in a cold climate it needs a vapor control plan when it goes on a roof deck or in exterior walls. It is a good fit for interior walls, sound control between rooms and some wall assemblies with a proper vapor retarder.

Where foam pays off here

• Rim joists over crawl spaces and basements, often bare wood.
• Crawl space walls when the crawl space is sealed rather than vented.
• Cathedral and vaulted ceilings with shallow rafters.
• Bonus rooms and kneewalls that face cold attic space.
• Open walls during remodels and additions.
• Shops, garages and pole barns that need to hold heat in winter.

How the job goes

We protect floors and furniture, mask windows and fixtures and set up ventilation. Foam goes on in lifts to the thickness on the quote, because spraying too thick at once can make it cure poorly. In cold weather we also watch surface temperatures, since foam needs the substrate warm enough to bond. Everyone stays out during spraying, and HomeGuide advises at least 24 hours away while it cures. Exposed foam in attics and crawl spaces may need an ignition barrier coating, and foam in living space needs a thermal barrier such as drywall.

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