Winterize with Polyurethane Spray Foam

Homeowners today are looking to maximize every square inch of their living space. As we find ourselves not just eating and sleeping at home, but often working, exercising, and entertaining there as well, multifunctional spaces that can be used year-round are highly prized.

Winterizing a porch or garage can provide extra usable space for everything from guests to a home office or gym. In many areas of the country, these spaces may only be useable 2 or 3 seasons of the year without extra insulation. In this article, we’ll look at why spray polyurethane foam is an excellent material for winterizing your space.

Start Your Project Right

Before undertaking a winterizing project, you should check with your local government to be sure you are meeting building and fire codes. Hire reputable, trained professionals who can install your spray foam properly. They may also have suggestions about weatherstripping, heating, and other aspects of keeping your new space comfortable.

Keeping Air In — And Out

Many construction experts consider spray foam one of the most efficient insulation materials. That’s because it expands to fill empty spaces and the foam creates a more airtight seal in ceilings, walls, and crawl spaces than fibrous insulations, such as fiberglass. That means less energy escaping — and that can mean lower heating bills.

It’s not just air escaping that makes your room chilly — it’s cold air getting in. Air infiltration results in as much as 40 percent of a home’s energy spend. But spray polyurethane foam creates an air barrier that can improve energy efficiency. A recent analysis showed that homes with spray foam can reduce energy usage up to 5,638 kWh per year compared to the same home insulated and air sealed with other insulation.

Best of all, quality insulation doesn’t just help you in the winter. It helps keep cool air inside when the weather turns warm as well.

Creating Vapor Barriers

The elements can make your enclosed porch or garage smell musty or feel damp. Spray foam forms a protective barrier that helps keep out moisture and vapor, which can warp and damage surfaces over time.

This is even more important when you consider that consistent moisture in an enclosed space is a breeding ground for mold and mildew, which can cause health problems. An impermeable spray foam barrier helps keep these dangerous fungi from forming and proliferating.

Spray foam can be an indispensable part of making an unused or under-used area in your home comfortable and useful year-round.