closed cell vs. open cell | Ask Mason Knowles - SPF Consultant | Spray Foam Technical Questions and Answers | SprayFoam Magazine Q&A Forums

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Ryan Baker Posted: Apr 01, 2008 09:15 PM	closed cell vs. open cell I am new to the business and I plan to insulate my own home and steel structured buildings before going public with the business. I'm at a bit of a loss when it comes to closed cell vs. open cell spray foam and which would be recommended for my particular situation. I am currently remodeling our house and the addition consists of a great room/bedroom/bathroom. The great room will have a 20ft vaulted catherdal ceiling. My current plan is to insulate the ceilings and walls with 7 inches of the open celled spray foam. My current plan does not consist of using vapor retarder. Is this a wise decision or should I consider switching to a closed cell spray to prevent excessive condensation? I have read several articles where this has been an issue and black mold has developed. Note we live in South Dakota so we have cold winters and hot summers. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.
Posted: Apr 01, 2008 11:46 PM	I was looking for same answers. read back through the forums this question has been asked a lot there is a lot of info if you scroll back through
mason Posted: Apr 03, 2008 08:07 AM	Yes, you would want to use a vapor retarder over the open cell foam in your climate zone. This could be a coating. Ask your supplier for their recommendations. For more information about low density and medium density SPF go to my website masonknowles.com and download my article; Learning the Difference Between 1/2 lb and 2 lb Density SPF. Also, check out the Oct 2007 issue of Construction Specifier for my article Designing with SPF.

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Comments

Ryan Baker

Posted: Apr 01, 2008 09:15 PM

closed cell vs. open cell

I am new to the business and I plan to insulate my own home and steel structured buildings before going public with the business. I'm at a bit of a loss when it comes to closed cell vs. open cell spray foam and which would be recommended for my particular situation. I am currently remodeling our house and the addition consists of a great room/bedroom/bathroom. The great room will have a 20ft vaulted catherdal ceiling. My current plan is to insulate the ceilings and walls with 7 inches of the open celled spray foam. My current plan does not consist of using vapor retarder. Is this a wise decision or should I consider switching to a closed cell spray to prevent excessive condensation? I have read several articles where this has been an issue and black mold has developed. Note we live in South Dakota so we have cold winters and hot summers. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.

Posted: Apr 01, 2008 11:46 PM

I was looking for same answers. read back through the forums this question has been asked a lot there is a lot of info if you scroll back through

mason

Posted: Apr 03, 2008 08:07 AM

Yes, you would want to use a vapor retarder over the open cell foam in your climate zone. This could be a coating. Ask your supplier for their recommendations.

For more information about low density and medium density SPF go to my website masonknowles.com and download my article; Learning the Difference Between 1/2 lb and 2 lb Density SPF. Also, check out the Oct 2007 issue of Construction Specifier for my article Designing with SPF.

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