Wednesday, February 06, 2008

New Insulation!

Our foaming day dawned cloudy and gray. Rain started to fall as the Anderson Insulation truck lumbered up Old King’s Highway. The truck was purring away as the crew prepared to foam. I chose Icynene, for its reputation and R-value, and reported on the decision process in this blog a number of weeks back. The bio-based product proved twice as expensive, if not more, with less than 50% bio. Some industry specialists are not convinced bio-based is the way to go, so I decided to embrace the tried and true. Anderson Insulation has been spraying Icynene for 18 years. The first step was protecting the beams and windows with
plastic while the product heated up to the right temperature. After all the hammering was done, the boys from Brazil suited up and the fun began. Like magic the foam filled the wall cavities. Our new room will be cozy and warm in winter, cool in summer. R-value 28.8 in the roof and 15 to 18 in exterior walls, depending on size. We will let the Icynene vent for a few days prior to putting on the wallboard and replacing the wainscoting.