Why I changed my mind about spray foam insulation

I had a guy from FoamWorks out to quote my 1950s adobe on the west side, and I was ready to talk him out of it because I figured those old walls need to breathe. He pulled out a thermal camera and showed me the cold spots along my north wall, then explained how a closed cell layer actually stops moisture from hitting the mud bricks. Has anyone else tried it on an older home, or did you stick with blown in fiberglass?

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rivera.holly2mo ago

That thermal camera trick is a game changer, honestly. Once you see those cold spots mapped out, it's hard to argue with the science. And the moisture thing you mentioned, yeah, that's the part people miss. Closed cell isn't just a blanket, it's a vapor barrier too, so it actually keeps the wet out instead of trapping it in like blown fiberglass can do against adobe. My neighbor did the fiberglass route on his 1940s place and now he's fighting efflorescence on the interior brick, which is a whole other headache. I'd say go with the spray foam but make sure they're certified for historic homes, some crews just spray and pray without accounting for the thermal mass of those old walls.

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