Facts About Foam Board Insulation
Foam board insulation is highly used in a lot of commercial and domestic building projects in recent years. The materials used to build foam board usually consist of piles of plastic foam. Other term for foam board insulation is rigid insulation or bead board. Foam board insulation comes in different sizes and thickness that provide a variety of r values. Foam board insulation is similar to fiberglass insulation but foam board is preferred over fiberglass for a couple of reasons. First of all, foam board is easier to cut into the desire dimensions as they are in rigid form.
Besides, foam board insulation doesn’t cause allergic reactions such as sinus congestion and itching as what fiberglass can do. Moreover, mildew and mold is harder to grow in foam board insulation than fiberglass, making foam board more durable and long lasting.
Foam Board Insulation Types
In general, polystyrene, polyurethane or polyisocyanurate is used to make foam board. Bead board is constructed from molded and expanded polystyrene (MEPS). Bead board has wider applications and is extensively used in roof insulation.
On the other hand, extruded expanded polystyrene (XEPS), another form of foam board is better than MEPS in terms of density and R values. This type of foam board is extensively used for roofs insulation and low walls where moisture is common as polystyrene has higher resistance to moisture.
Foam board that is constructed with polyurethane or polyisocyanurate has higher R values in lower thickness and offers better density.
Foam Board Insulation Applications
Foam board can be installed in a lot of areas in a house or a commercial building. The common areas of a house that use foam board insulation extensively are walls, roofs and ceiling. In terms of wall insulation, foam board can be used for both exterior and interior walls.
Basement insulation is an example of insulation uses foam board heavily. Basement is usually filled with moisture and foam board is extremely resistance to moisture. As a result, foam board insulation is installed widely for basement wall.
Foam board insulation is very cost effective as you can choose a variety of r values per inch thickness for your thermal resistance needs. You can specifically select the thickness or r value to save material cost.
Dimension of Foam Board
In general foam board comes in 4-foot-by-8-foot sheets. You can easily cut the board into smaller sizes with a handsaw or a utility knife. Besides, the thickness of foam board can range from ½ inch to 4 inches which offers different r values to suit your specific thermal resistance needs.
The advantage of foam board is that it can be cut into any shapes to fit perfectly in areas that you want to insulate.
Foam Board Insulation Advantages
Unlike fiberglass, foam board doesn’t have the materials that cause irritation during installation. As a result, foam board insulation is easier to work with and can be installed on your own to save installation cost.
Besides, you can easily cut foam board into any dimensions and shapes compared to fiberglass. For foam board, it can be glued or nailed instead of stapled. You can definitely save a lot of time working with foam board compared to fiberglass.
In addition, foam board insulation offers higher r value per inch thickness compared to fiberglass insulation. You can install foam board on the exterior and basement walls where other types of insulation can easily be destroyed by moisture.
In short, you save time, material and insulation cost with foam board insulation.
Foam Board Insulation Consideration
When installing foam board insulation, consider using a layer of vapor barrier to protect the foam board from moisture and to keep the r value as the material ages. You can use reflective insulation to replace the vapor barrier instead.
Keep the areas such as attic and basement dry by having adequate ventilation. This is to reduce the risk of the board being destroyed by moisture.
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