3 Tips for Spray Foam Contractors

Our spray foam experts Bill Bilben and Ken Wells provide some key tips for young contractors to help them answer homeowner questions while highlighting the benefits of spray foam insulation.

Tip #1

Be sure to reference important, educational selling points when talking with a homeowner who may be considering using spray foam insulation. It’s worth noting that spray foam can:

• Increase the indoor air quality by air sealing the structure.
• Add additional structural strength to a building.

Tip #2

Focus on highlighting the cost-saving benefits spray foam can provide, such as:

• Adding to the resale value of a home.
• Reducing the size of the HVAC system needed

Tip #3

Reassure the homeowner that you’ll do all you can to make sure the installation goes as smoothly as possible and that the job will stay on schedule. To do that, be sure to:

• Check the moisture level. Spray Foam should not be applied if substrate moisture levels exceed 18 percent moisture content. In some cases, large dehumidifiers are needed to stay on schedule.
• Check the temperature. Primarily in colder climates, temperatures can be an issue. For closed cell foam, there are spray foam blends (winter blends) that can work well in temps as low as 20 degrees or lower. Having dry warm air provided on the job site will increase the odds of a successful application on those sub zero days. If temperatures are too cold ,the spray foam will not adhere correct to the substrate.
• Make sure you have a clean jobsite. Making sure the spray foam application area is clean and safe will decrease the liability of a injury or accident and increase the chance of executing the spray foam install in a timely manner and keeping your job on schedule.

About the authors:

Ken Wells is a SPF contractor, advocate and co-owner at Elite Insulation & PolyPro out of Broadway, Virginia.

Bill Bilben is a SPF contractor, advocate and founder of the website SprayFoamww.com as well as the Spray Foam World Wide Facebook group dedicated to connecting professionals in the industry through networking, education, support and information.