Selecting the Right Insulation

I received a shipment of insulation last Friday. It is a bit early than I really need most of it but I am at the stage where I need to start insulating a few areas. While I don't need it all now I decided to accept all the order in one lump.

I am using four sizes and two types of insulation . Each is targeted for a specific use or location in the Cottage.

R22 - 2"x6" insulation for 16" centers.
This insulation will be used everywhere we have framed 2"x6" exterior walls. This will be in all walls on the main floor and in the lakeside wall in the Basement - you will remembers from a past post that the basement is a walk-out, hence the lakeside was not concrete but framed using 2"x6" pressure-treated lumber.

R14 - 2"x4" insulation for 16" centers.
This insulation will be used everywhere we have framed 2"x4" exterior walls. Specifically this will be the walls we framed on the inside of the concrete walls of the basement in order to house the electrical and insulation.

Spray Foam:
The concrete walls in the basement is also where we used a thin, 1/2-inch spray foam coating on the concrete walls behind the 2"x4" stud wall. The use of spray foam was the subject of the following earlier posts:

Tiger Foam... Doing Spray Foam the Mike Holmes way...

Tiger Foam... The Spray Foam Kit and its set up

6+ Spray Foam Tips and Tricks

3 Reasons to Frame First then Spray Foam

Spray Foam, Petroleum Jelly and Nozzles

I will also be using spray foam insulation to seal the cracks and opening around the windows and door that were installed some time ago (See: 5 Options to include which make Installing Windows Easier )

R14 - 2"x4" insulation for 24" centers.
This insulation will be used in the ceiling as the roof trusses as framed at 24" centers. The majority of the trusses use a 2"x4" base or ceiling joist. Thus the 2"x4" insulation will fit perfectly in the 24 inch space between the trusses, and to the top of these joists. R14 is not enough insulation for the ceiling so there will be another layer of insulation placed on top of this insulation. (See the next size of insulation)

R22 - 2"x6" insulation for 24" centers.
This insulation will be used in the ceiling as the roof trusses as framed at 24" centers. This layer of insulation is placed perpendicular across the previous R14 insulation to bring the total R-value in the ceiling to R36.

NEXT: In the next post I will discuss my choice of brand of insulation.

Tiger Foam... The Spray Foam Kit and its set up

The Tiger Foam Kit I purchased is a Tiger Foam 600 bd. ft. Kit - FR. It was shipped in two boxes as seen in the previous post.

The kit comes with:

• One tank of chemical A
• One tank of chemical B
• One hose and gun assembly
• 6 fan nozzles
• 4 straight nozzles
• Tubes of petroleum jelly
  
• Gloves
  

I also ordered extra nozzles, the Tyvek hazmat suit, and a Tiger Foam Particulant Respirator.

To that materials and tools list I added:

• Goggles
• A box knife
• A clean cloth rag

Set up of the kit was very straight forward:

1. Warm up the two chemical cylinders in the sun for about 4 hours. This is key to getting the system to work properly and to deliver ALL of the material in the tanks. The system works best between 75 and 85 degrees F - or when the tanks are warm tot he touch.
2. First get your self protected.
   >Put on the Tyvek suit
   >Install the air filters in the respirator
   >Adjust the respirator so it has a tight air seal around your face
   >Put on your goggles and gloves
3. Take the tanks to the location you will be using them
4. Plan out your spray foam operation
5. Connect the hose to the tanks (red to A and black to B) - make sure the connections are tight
   
6. Put a lump of petroleum jelly on the gun, and then snap on the nozzle you need - I used the fan nozzle 99% of the time.
7. Test the gun and nozzle...
   

My Experiences:

• The 600 bdft kit was just he right size to spray foam the basement. I had hoped to have some left over to do windows and doors but that didn't happen
• I use the fast rise version because I was predominantly spraying on the walls rather than spaces
• Be sure to read ALL the instructions as there are plenty of tips and trick to make the job go way and to not waste material.
  

NEXT: some tips and tricks

Tiger Foam... Doing Spray Foam the Mike Holmes way...

A critical element of framing a basement is creating a water barrier between the wood framing and the concrete wall. This can be done in a number of ways but the most common is to use a 6 mil vapour barrier.

Another emerging approach is to use a 1-2 cm foam coating on the concrete wall. This is the approach we used. Incidentally, this is also the favourite practice on the TV renovation show "Holmes on Homes".

The spray foam approach is not inexpensive but is definitely superior to the 6 mil approach in a number of ways:

• Save on heating and cooling as spray foam provides added insulation - about R-7 value per inch of thickness
  
• A better seal against moisture and air as it creates a complete vapour barrier behind and integrated with the wall framing
  

The challenge for cottage country is that the extra cost to have a contractor do the spray foam is excessive. The solution was a DIY spray foam kit that I found from Tiger Foam. Purchasing from Tiger Foam was an absolute delight!

• They have two sizes(200 & 600 BD ft) and two types (fast & slow rise)
• They ship next day in most cases
• Gave a quickie lesson on how to use it with important tip on the phone - when I ordered - AND maintain a call line for support
• The kit and instructions were simple and very easy to use.
• Provided all the accessories like the HASMAT hooded suit and air breather

NEXT: In future posts I will discuss:

• The Tiger Foam 600 bd. ft. Kit - FR
• How to use the spray foam kit
• Tips on DIY Spray foam