spray foam insulation?

[patrickphimr]

Howdy folks.

My 1826 house has *no* - repeat ... NO - insulation in the walls of the first floor. Back in the day you only built a fire to cook; you didn't try to keep the inside of the house warm.

Inside walls are knotty-pine paneling over old lath and plaster walls. The exterior of the house is all cedar clapboard over the wooden fascia.

Inside the walls are 2 to 4 inches of air space.

I want to insulate the walls, but sure don't want to pull down all the interior (or exterior) surfaces to put in batting.

Has anyone used any spray foam insulation inside the walls? The kind that comes in an aerosol can is sprayed through a small hole in the wall, and it expands to fill the empty space.

 

[patrickphimr]

Howdy folks.

My 1826 house has *no* - repeat ... NO - insulation in the walls of the first floor. Back in the day you only built a fire to cook; you didn't try to keep the inside of the house warm.

Inside walls are knotty-pine paneling over old lath and plaster walls. The exterior of the house is all cedar clapboard over the wooden fascia.

Inside the walls are 2 to 4 inches of air space.

I want to insulate the walls, but sure don't want to pull down all the interior (or exterior) surfaces to put in batting.

Has anyone used any spray foam insulation washington dc inside the walls ? The kind that comes in an aerosol can is sprayed through a small hole in the wall, and it expands to fill the empty space.

thanks in advance for any help

 

[Texas Splash]

Spray insulation is quite popular, but you don't want to try and do such a large job with those small aerosol cans from the local hardware store. There are companies that will do that for you with the proper foam and equipment. They will make a small hole(s) in the walls where required to pump the foam into the wall cavities., then patch the access holes back up.

 

[newdude]

+1. You can buy much larger containers that are the size of propane grill tanks.

But. It's an art and a difficult one at that when the wall is sealed. If you sprayed too much in your open attic, it wouldn't be the end of the world. If you didn't get enough in the right spots of the interior walls, it might be a complete waste of time/money, and that stuff isn't cheap. I'd hire it out to the insulation company.

 

[nwardoh]

The main issue with spray foam is that it absolutely does not breath in any way. Moisture can be an issue with existing structures that were not designed around it being there. I would also recommend having a pro, at least, look at it and explain how they would approach the job.