Questions About Spray Foam In Chatham-Kent

It drips because warm moist air inside reaches the cold underside of the steel roof. That surface falls below dew point and water forms on it, then falls onto whatever is below. Batt and blanket insulation does not stop it because air still gets behind them to the steel. Closed-cell spray foam insulation bonds directly to the underside of the deck, so there is no gap and no cold surface exposed to the moist air. No exposed cold surface means no condensation forming. It is the most common reason farms in Chatham-Kent call us.

Yes, both, during spraying and for the re-entry period afterwards. Curing foam insulation releases isocyanates and other compounds that need to clear, and we ventilate mechanically to get there. The exact window comes from the insulation manufacturer and you get it in writing before the job rather than after. On a livestock operation this is the hardest part to arrange, so we plan it first. If anyone tells you stock can stay in the building during a spray, get a different quote.

Not in occupied space. The Ontario Building Code requires a thermal barrier over any spray foam insulation, and half-inch gypsum drywall is the standard accepted assembly. Approved spray-applied intumescent coatings are an alternative under OBC 9.29.4 to 9.29.9. In spaces not normally occupied a thinner tested ignition barrier is often acceptable instead. How this applies to a particular agricultural building depends on its classification and use, and we work it through with you at quote stage rather than leaving it for an inspector to raise later.

Because open-cell is not a vapor barrier and most buildings here need one. In a livestock barn, a greenhouse, a wash-down area, a cold room or a crawl space, moisture passing through the insulation to the structure behind it is exactly the failure you are trying to prevent. Open-cell insulation costs roughly half as much per board foot and it has real uses, mainly interior partitions and sound damping. It just is not the right product for a humid, steel-clad or ground-contact building. If someone has quoted open-cell for your barn roof, ask them how vapor is being controlled.

Spray foam insulation is priced by board foot, meaning one square foot at one inch thick. Closed-cell generally runs about $1.50 to $3.50 per board foot installed, open-cell about $0.80 to $1.50. So the thickness matters as much as the floor area, and the thickness comes from what you are trying to achieve rather than from a standard number. A condensation problem on a roof deck needs less insulation than a heated workshop does. This is why nobody can price a barn over the phone. We walk it, measure, spec the thickness against the goal, and give you one fixed written price.