Polyurethane foam

There is no better performing #insulation than closed cell spray foam. Find out why.

Once discarded, spongy polyurethane foam typically just ends up in landfills, where it takes up a lot of space. Thanks to a newly-developed process, however, it could soon be recycled into higher-quality rubbers and hard plastics.

Expanding foam is magical stuff for sealing gaps and insulating hard-to-reach areas. But it has unexpected uses too—it can protect fragile items and even replace concrete for setting posts. Here’s a rundown of various products and what they can do. Shown below is the most popular type of foam: single-component (mostly polyurethane) foam that you apply with a straw-type dispenser. These can be messy, but they work well and are easy to use. Just shake the can, insert the straw in the gap and…

Someday, builders will stop asking this recurring question — but unfortunately, that day has not yet come.

Licensed Contractor + Holistic Construction Consultant on Instagram: "Spray foam insulation is permanent, toxic and hides water intrusion. Even in 2020 the EPA published an article that expressed concerns over the toxicity of spray foam stating “The potential for off-gassing of volatile chemicals from spray polyurethane foam is not fully understood and is an area where more research is needed...” Would you install spray foam in your home?"

Polyurethane foam is one of the four basic types of products that can be made from raw, liquid polyurethane. They are comprised of two chemicals which, when mixed and heated, form liquid polyurethane prior to being further processed. These chemicals are polyol, a type of complex alcohol, and diisocyanate, a petroleum byproduct that reacts strongly with alcohol. By combining the two, a stable long-chain molecule is formed. It's a polymer, or plastic, known as urethane.

Posts about materials written by david neat