Spray foam insulation in Norman OK - the right foam for each part of your house

In the Oklahoma City area, spray foam usually runs about $1,700 to $4,200 to cover 1,000 square feet at 3 inches thick, and that's the area's going rate, not our price. Open-cell foam sits toward the lower end and closed-cell toward the upper end, so the foam each space needs moves the number a lot. I'll give you a written figure for your house once I've walked it.

Match open-cell foam to spots where you mainly need to stop air, and closed-cell to spots where moisture also has to be held back. A national building science guide notes that open-cell blocks air but lets moisture pass, while closed-cell at typical thicknesses slows moisture enough that a frame wall filled with it won't dry well to the outside. The same guide points out that a roof leak into closed-cell foam may not show right away because water can't get through it, which is worth knowing if your roof has leaked before.

Closed-cell foam can, but a national building science guide rates open-cell foam not acceptable below ground level because it lets moisture through. That guide also says closed-cell foam in a basement must be covered by an acceptable thermal barrier, a protective layer over the foam, while a crawl space that isn't used for storage may only need an ignition barrier such as an approved paint.

Federal safety staff advise leaving the house while the foam goes in and for at least 24 hours after, so plan where the whole household will stay. How fast the foam cures depends on temperature, humidity, shutting down the heating and cooling, sealing the air vents and the installer's technique. That same advice says to talk safety steps over with your contractor, and we do that with you before the day.

It may not be, so talk it over before anything gets sprayed. Federal safety staff say people with skin conditions, respiratory allergies or asthma should read the product information carefully and, if needed, consider other insulation instead. If foam isn't a fit for your household, sealing the gaps and adding loose fill is a real option, and I'll walk you through it.

The City of Norman's Development Services Division handles building permits and inspections, and its permits line is (405) 366-5339. The city's building codes include an energy conservation code, and since permit rules differ from city to city, we check with the city's office before work starts. When a job calls for a permit, we pull it or walk you through getting one.