How to Insulate my Basement Walls - Spray Foam insulation NYC

If you live in New York NY, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, The Bronx or anywhere colder, your basement walls should be insulated. In climate zones 4 and higher, basement insulation is required by the 2016 International Residential Code. (In climate marine zone 4), and R-15 in marine zone 4 and climate zones 5, 6, 7, and 8.

CLOSED-CELL FOAM

If you want to insulate the interior of your basement wall with spray foam, specify closed-cell spray foam, not open-cell foam. Closed-cell foam does a better job of stopping the diffusion of moisture from the damp concrete to the interior. Frame the 2×4 wall before the spray foam is installed, with a gap of about 2 in. between the 2x4s and the concrete.

If your home lacks basement-wall insulation, it’s much easier to install interior insulation than exterior insulation. Here’s how to do it correctly.

Make sure your basement is dry

Before installing any interior-wall insulation, verify that your basement doesn’t have a water-entry problem. Diagnosing and fixing water-entry problems in existing basements is too big a topic to be discussed here (but see “Build a Risk-Free Finished Basement,” FHB #248). Suffice it to say that if your basement walls get wet every spring or every time you get a heavy rain, the walls should not be insulated until the water-entry problem is solved.

Use foam insulation

The best way to insulate the interior side of a basement wall is with foam insulation that is adhered to or sprayed directly on the concrete. Any of the following insulation materials are acceptable for this purpose: closed-cell spray polyurethane foam or either XPS, EPS, or polyisocyanurate rigid foam. Rigid foam can be adhered to a poured-concrete or concrete-block wall with foam-compatible adhesive or with special plastic fasteners such as Hilti IDPs or Rodenhouse Plasti-Grip PMFs. To prevent interior air from reaching the cold concrete, seal the perimeter of each piece of rigid foam with adhesive, caulk, high quality flashing tape, or canned Spray Foam.

Basement Insulation

Building codes require most types of foam insulation to be protected by a layer of gypsum drywall. Many builders put up a 2×4 wall on the interior side of the foam insulation; the studs provide a convenient wiring chase and make drywall installation simple. (If you frame a 2×4 wall, don’t forget to install fire blocking at the top of the wall.)

If your basement has stone-and-mortar walls, you can’t insulate them with rigid foam. The only type of insulation that makes sense for stone-and-mortar walls is closed-cell spray polyurethane foam.

If you plan to insulate your basement walls with Spray Foam, the best approach is to frame your 2×4 walls before the foam is sprayed, leaving a gap of 1-1/2 in. to 2 in. between the back of the studs and the concrete wall. The gap will be filled later with Spray Foam. If you live in an area where termites are a problem, your local building code may require that you leave a 3-in.-high termite-inspection strip of bare concrete near the top of your basement wall.

While reduced costs might tempt you to use fibrous insulation such as fiberglass batts, mineral-wool batts, or cellulose, these materials are air permeable and should never be installed against a below-grade concrete wall. When this type of insulation is installed in contact with concrete, moisture in the interior air can condense against the cold concrete surface, potentially leading to mold and rot.

Don’t worry about inward drying

Some people mistakenly believe that a damp concrete wall should be able to dry toward the interior—in other words, that any insulation on the interior of a basement wall should be vapor permeable. In fact, you don’t want to encourage any moisture to enter your home by this route. Don’t worry about your concrete wall; it can stay damp for a century without suffering any problems or deterioration.

Avoid polyethylene vapor barriers

Basement wall systems should never include polyethylene. You don’t need any poly between the concrete and the foam insulation, nor do you want poly between gypsum drywall and the insulation. If your wall assembly includes studs or furring strips, polyethylene can trap moisture, leading to mold or rot.

Basement insulation is cost-effective

If you live in climate zone 3 or anywhere colder, installing basement-wall insulation will almost always save you money through lower energy bills. It will also provide an important side benefit: Insulated walls are less susceptible to condensation and mold. This means that insulated basements stay drier and smell better than uninsulated basements.

SPRAY FOAM INSULATION NYC – RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL INSULATION CONTRACTOR SERVING NEW YORK CITY METRO AREA

WALLS - ATTICS - BASEMENT - ROOFING - SUBFLOOR - COLD STORAGE

Spray Foam Insulation NYC. we specialize in superior quality Polyurethane, Spray-in-Place Foam (Spray Foam) insulation and roofing. Spray Foam is the high-tech alternative to traditional roofing and insulation materials.

Spray Foam offers higher thermal resistance (R-value) over outdated traditional methods such as fiberglass or cellulose and can be sprayed into areas that are difficult for other forms of insulation. With Spray Foam the underside of roof sheathing in attics and under your house in subfloor crawlspaces are completely insulated. Polyurethane Spray Foam insulation acts as an air barrier sealing off the hundreds of cracks and crevices that lets your conditioned air out and the outside air in.

Traditional insulating materials can’t do that. Because Spray Foam seals the building envelope, its R-value holds true. Fiberglass and cellulose rarely attain the R-value claimed because of air leakage in real-life applications.

Using Spray Foam can lead to greater energy savings by insulating your home more effectively. Used correctly in a new build, remodel or retrofit, an Spray Foam insulated home can use smaller Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) units, saving even more money initially and more over time in energy savings.

Polyurethane Spray Foam Insulation can actually pay for itself over time with these savings. It is a one-time application that doesn’t sag or settle like out-dated fiberglass or cellulose and should last throughout the life of your home. No need to remove or replace saving landfill space.Truely a green insulation product!

High-tech Polyurethane Spray Foam Insulation is not new. It has been around for over 40 years. Originally used to insulate commercial refrigeration units. Why? Because it out performs everything else with less thickness.

Spray Foam is also great as a roofing system for flat and low-slope roofs. It is monolithic (one single piece with no laps or seams). A Spray Foam roof is also extremely light weight and can often be applied over existing roofs without costly tear offs or displacement of roofing felts containg asbestos (ACM). Spray Foam roofs are also “sustainable” and can be classified as “green”. This is because with proper care and periodical recoating, they can last more than 50 years! Most other roof systems last between 8-10 years. Each time costing as much as or more than before. With Spray Foam the initial cost may be more, but recoats are a fraction of what a new traditional roof would be.

The main advantage of a Spray Foam insulation system is that not only is it a roof, but it is a great insulator, something traditional insulation systems are not. As with Spray Foam in walls, it can start paying for itself immediately in energy and HVAC savings. By maintaining the roof, it will keep on paying for itself for years to come.

There are other benefits to using Spray Foam and we invite you to browse our website to learn more. Please visit our Library pages to read articles on Spray Foam and download some of our vendor’s brochures, see technical details and more. Our Gallery pages also show some of the Spray Foam work we have done recently. If you have other questions or would like us to give you an estimate on your project, you can fill out the online form in our Contact Us page or give us a call. We are more than happy to discuss the project with you! We proudly serve New York City Metropolitan Area

WHAT IS SPRAY FOAM?

Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is a spray-applied plastic that can form a continuous insulation and air sealing barrier on walls, roofs, around corners, and on all contoured surfaces. It is made by mixing and reacting unique liquid components at the job site to create foam. The liquids react very quickly when mixed, expanding on contact to create foam that insulates, seals gaps, and can form moisture and vapor barriers. SPF insulation is known to resist heat transfer extremely well, and it offers a highly effective solution in reducing unwanted air infiltration through cracks, seams, and joints.

BENEFITS

•Lower energy cost
•Stops drafts allergens and condensation
•Better indoor air quality
•Does not settle or shrink
•Quieter indoor environment
•Fills irregular shapes
•Increased climate comfort
•Adds structural strength
•Seals cracks and voids
•Keeps out unwanted pests

WHICH AREAS OF MY HOME CAN I INSULATE?

Attic Insulation

Reduce the risk of air leakage, moisture and ice dams with Spray Foam attic insulation. Your home doesn’t end at your ceiling. Energy efficient insulation can play an important role in turning your home’s attic/roof into an unconditioned or conditioned space, depending on where you live.

Basement Insulation

Briefly, how are basement walls insulated on the interior? The best way to insulate a basement wall on the interior is with foam insulation that is adhered or attached directly to the concrete. Any of the following insulation materials are acceptable for this purpose: closed-cell spray polyurethane foam

Exterior Walls

Crawlspace

WHERE CAN SPRAY FOAM BE APPLIED

Spray foam insulation is a wildly diverse product in its features and benefits as well as its very unique ability to be applied to a vast range of substrates. We are going to take a look at a number of various substrates that Spray Foam can be applied to and what steps should be taken to ensure proper adhesion and performance of the foam insulation. A general for all substrates that one may work with when spraying foam is that they must be clean, dry, and free of grease, oil, loose scale or rust, etc. Another rule to follow when spraying onto a new, unknown substrate is to spray a small 2’ x 2’ test area first, leave to sit overnight, and test for adhesion the next day before continuing to spray.

Wood, Gypsum Board and Fiberboard:

it is suggested that the maximum moisture content of wood to be sprayed with foam should be below 10%. Special care need be taken with laminates, such as some plywood, due to the possibility of higher moisture content and the possible presence of surface treatment which can adversely affect the Spray Foam. It is recommended that an adhesion test be performed if the moisture content is suspected to be higher than 10%.

Stainless Steel:

the surface should be cleaned with xylol or mineral spirits and then primed. In some cases, to achieve adequate adhesion between the primer and the stainless steel, it may be necessary to sand blast.

Glass:

no special preparation other than usual cleaning is required for glass. If Spray Foam is applied to the inside of a window, an ultra violet resistant coating should be applied to the glass prior to spraying to prevent degrading of the Spray Foam by sunlight coming through the window.

Galvanized Steel:

new galvanized steel should be washed with a solvent or acid, then with water, and finally, primed. Galvanized steel which has been allowed to weather may not need to be washed with solvent, and it may be possible to only wash with water and then prime.

Aluminum:

should be cleaned with a solvent, never with a caustic solution. Aluminum must always be primed prior to the application of Spray Foam to prevent corrosion of the aluminum after the application, by acids formed at the surface between the foam and aluminum.

PVC Plastics:

washing with a mild solvent such as mineral spirits is sufficient to prepare the surface of PVC. This plastic should be approached with caution, as PVC with high plastizer content may exhibit plastizer migration to the surface of the PVC after application of the Spray Foam resulting in loss of adhesion. Plastizer content is usually high in flexible PVC and very low in PVC that is used in PVC pipe.

Bare Steel:

spray foam insulation can usually be applied direct to bare steel after the standard removal of any bare scale or rust. It is important, however; that when insulating, tanks, that the steel be sand blasted and primed.

Concrete:

is one of the most difficult substrates to spray on because of the possibility of high moisture content. Make sure that the moisture content is under 10%, use a moisture meter to measure if needed. If there is excess salt precipitation for the concrete then it is best to clean the concrete with muriatic acid.

Asphalt and Tar:

it is important that the substrate be solvent free especially when the Spray Foam is applied to fresh asphalt or tar. If the asphalt or tar is old, it is safe to assume that it is solvent free and the surface can just be cleaned, primed, and sprayed.

Serving Neighborhoods in New York City

Bronx Central Bronx 10453, 10457, 10460
Bronx Bronx Park and Fordham 10458, 10467, 10468
Bronx High Bridge and Morrisania 10451, 10452, 10456
Bronx Hunts Point and Mott Haven 10454, 10455, 10459, 10474
Bronx Kingsbridge and Riverdale 10463, 10471
Bronx Northeast Bronx 10466, 10469, 10470, 10475
Bronx Southeast Bronx 10461, 10462,10464, 10465, 10472, 10473
Brooklyn Central Brooklyn 11212, 11213, 11216, 11233, 11238
Brooklyn Southwest Brooklyn 11209, 11214, 11228
Brooklyn Borough Park 11204, 11218, 11219, 11230
Brooklyn Canarsie and Flatlands 11234, 11236, 11239
Brooklyn Southern Brooklyn 11223, 11224, 11229, 11235
Brooklyn Northwest Brooklyn 11201, 11205, 11215, 11217, 11231
Brooklyn Flatbush 11203, 11210, 11225, 11226
Brooklyn East New York and New Lots 11207, 11208
Brooklyn Greenpoint 11211, 11222
Brooklyn Sunset Park 11220, 11232
Brooklyn Bushwick and Williamsburg 11206, 11221, 11237
Manhattan Central Harlem 10026, 10027, 10030, 10037, 10039
Manhattan Chelsea and Clinton 10001, 10011, 10018, 10019, 10020, 10036
Manhattan East Harlem 10029, 10035

Spray Foam Insulation in NYC

Serving Neighborhoods in New York City

Manhattan Gramercy Park and Murray Hill 10010, 10016, 10017, 10022
Manhattan Greenwich Village and Soho 10012, 10013, 10014
Manhattan Lower Manhattan 10004, 10005, 10006, 10007, 10038, 10280
Manhattan Lower East Side 10002, 10003, 10009
Manhattan Upper East Side 10021, 10028, 10044, 10065, 10075, 10128
Manhattan Upper West Side 10023, 10024, 10025
Manhattan Inwood and Washington Heights 10031, 10032, 10033, 10034, 10040
Queens Northeast Queens 11361, 11362, 11363, 11364
Queens North Queens 11354, 11355, 11356, 11357, 11358, 11359, 11360
Queens Central Queens 11365, 11366, 11367
Queens Jamaica 11412, 11423, 11432, 11433, 11434, 11435, 11436
Queens Northwest Queens 11101, 11102, 11103, 11104, 11105, 11106
Queens West Central Queens 11374, 11375, 11379, 11385
Queens Rockaways 11691, 11692, 11693, 11694, 11695, 11697
Queens Southeast Queens 11004, 11005, 11411, 11413, 11422, 11426, 11427, 11428, 11429
Queens Southwest Queens 11414, 11415, 11416, 11417, 11418, 11419, 11420, 11421
Queens West Queens 11368, 11369, 11370, 11372, 11373, 11377, 11378
Staten Island Port Richmond 10302, 10303, 10310
Staten Island South Shore 10306, 10307, 10308, 10309, 10312
Staten Island Stapleton and St. George 10301, 10304, 10305
Staten Island Mid-Island 10314